Tag Archives: Southern Accents

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Song of the Day #5,618: ‘Spike’ – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1985…

#3 – Southern Accents – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

I’ve written a lot about Southern Accents, the sixth studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

I’ve covered how it was meant to be a concept album about life in the South before changes in the track list muddied up that idea. I’ve mentioned that the band had frequent arguments over the sound and direction of the album, leading Petty to punch a wall in frustration, breaking his hand.

I’ve noted that the album received mix reviews from critics and divided fans.

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Song of the Day #3,398: ‘Dogs On the Run’ – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

I’ve been promising a Tom Petty tribute since the rock legend passed away unexpectedly on October 2, and this week I will deliver it in the form of a countdown of my five favorite Petty albums.

I recently listened to a podcast called ‘The Great Albums,’ on which the hosts do track-by-track reviews of their favorite records. They were discussing a Tom Petty album (one I’ll feature this week) and wondered why it was that Petty’s name didn’t automatically come up when people discuss the giants of rock-n-roll.

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Song of the Day #2,382: ‘The Best of Everything’ – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

southern_accents‘The Best of Everything’ is the final track on Tom Petty’s excellent 1985 album, Southern Accents.

Having always been a huge fan of this album, I was surprised to see that it received generally tepid critical reviews. Individual tracks receive high marks (‘Rebels,’ ‘Don’t Come Around Here No More’ and the title track, specifically) but the album as a whole was dismissed as an uneven hodgepodge.

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Song of the Day #1,384: ‘Southern Accents’ – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Best Albums of the 80s – #17
Southern Accents – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1985)

Tom Petty is an artist who could have albums on best-of-decade lists from the 70s, 80s and 90s. And he kicked off the 10’s in excellent fashion with Mojo, so the man is showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.

I don’t know that he receives enough credit for the amazing career he’s forged — he’s too often described as a follower of the great artists he counts among his peers rather than a fellow trailblazer. But you can stack his output against pretty much anybody’s.

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Song of the Day #1,207: ‘Rebels’ – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Jumping back into the Tom Petty theme weeks, we arrive at 1985’s Southern Accents. This is the second Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers album I consider a classic (the first being Damn the Torpedoes).

It’s not as well-regarded by Petty or the band, who disagreed about the direction of the record. It was intended to be a concept album about the south but the inclusion of several songs (including the hit ‘Don’t Come Around Here No More’) diluted the theme. Tempers rose during the recording and production process to the point that Petty shattered his hand punching a wall during the mixing of one track (today’s SOTD, in fact).

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