For his second solo disc (which, of course, featured some of the Heartbreakers), he turned to maverick producer Rick Rubin, whose minimalist approach provided for a grittier and more intimate vibe. Tom Petty Petty entered his mid-40s with nothing left to prove. Hits poured from the disc, but among its other treasures was A Face In The Crowd, a plaintive and altogether chilling ballad in which Petty – dispensing with any of his characteristic vocal stylizations – recalls the beauty of falling in love from out of nowhere.
1(1988)Īlthough billed as a solo album, all of the Heartbreakers with the exception of Stan Lynch appeared on Full Moon Fever, a three-way co-production by Petty, Mike Campbell and Jeff Lynne. The band’s debut album boasted two smashing singles ( Handle With Care and End Of The Line), but among its album cuts, Last Night, Petty’s cheeky, Caribbean-spiced ditty, was a particular highlight. Petty might have been the awestruck “young kid” in the Wilburys supergroup, which also included heavyweights Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, George Harrison and Jeff Lynne, but he more than held up his end. Why I love Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, by Juliette Lewis.10 deep cuts that show the genius of Tom Petty.After the meticulously crafted Southern Accents, Petty and his band got back to stripped-down, ramshackle rocking, and this Stonesy effort (co-written by Bob Dylan) packed grit and good humour alongside biting social commentary. From Southern Accents (1985)Įddie Murphy wasn’t too pleased about being namechecked in Petty’s laundry list of overexposed 80s celebrities – though there’s no word what Vanessa Redgrave or Joe Piscopo thought. It’s a trance-like, sitar-laced piece of pop art that makes time and place stand still as it casts its cosmic spell. Interestingly, the record’s standout track, Don’t Come Around Here No More, Petty’s collaboration with Dave Stewart, is more Sgt.
From Hard Promises (1981)ġ982’s Long After Dark was a holding pattern affair, but Petty rebounded three years later with Southern Accents, an album steeped in rousing rebel pride. Dispensing with any hint of swagger, Petty’s soul bled with longing and regret as he uttered, ‘She’s a woman in love… but it’s not me,’ his cracked voice disappearing behind Tench’s searing keyboard swirl. He called his band the Heartbreakers, but Petty knew what it was like to be on the losing side of romance, as evidenced by this aching rock ballad. Propelled by Stan Lynch’s rollicking drumming and the band’s now-signature soaring guitars, this high-octane rave was a close-up of Petty’s vocal prowess and persona: sweet then sour, wisecracking then tender, urgent then forlorn. Case in point: S hadow Of A Doubt (A Complex Kid). From You’re Gonna Get It! (1978)Įven the album tracks stood out on the hit-filled Damn The Torpedoes. He and Mike Campbell jabbed their guitars like they were chopping ice, but the musical ace here was Benmont Tench, who provided elegant, Gershwinesque piano flourishes. But while the band sped out of the gate, Petty’s airy vocals floated over the top like a dreamy counterpoint. responded to punk with their fiercest rocker yet. From Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers (1976) American Girl packed all the band’s essential elements – Byrds-like chiming guitars, hard-nosed yet wistful lyrics, widescreen hooks and Petty’s personable southern drawl – into one tight, irresistible package. The last track on the Heartbreakers’ debut featured one of Petty’s greatest opening lines (‘Well, she was an American girl, raised on promises’), and he had lots of ’em.
0 kommentar(er)
