Continuing my look at the albums of 1976…
Today’s debut album is mostly a forgettable introduction to a band with great things in its future. But two great songs that (almost) bookend the album make sure it can’t be dismissed entirely.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ self-titled debut didn’t sell very well and received little attention from U.S. critics. It actually fared much better in the UK, where today’s SOTD gave the band their first Top 40 hit.
Tom Petty writes songs that sound like big hits, even if it turns out they weren’t — at least not when they were released. I think of all the artists I’m covering over these three weeks, he has the most bona fide classics that never came close to reaching #1.
Consider this list of songs: ‘Breakdown,’ ‘American Girl,’ ‘Listen to Her Heart,’ ‘Refugee,’ ‘Here Comes My Girl,’ ‘The Waiting,’ ‘You Got Lucky,’ ‘Don’t Come Around Here No More,’ ‘Rebels,’ ‘I Won’t Back Down,’ ‘Running Down a Dream,’ ‘Learning to Fly,’ ‘You Don’t Know How It Feels.’
Forget #1… none of those songs even cracked the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. Are you kidding me?
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.
Continuing my look at 1994, first by counting down my own top ten albums of that year.
#1 – Wildflowers – Tom Petty
Naming my favorite album of 1994 was very easy. Wildflowers is one of Tom Petty’s best albums, and one of the best of the decade. It’s a wide-ranging blend of folk, blues and rock that shows Petty in peak songwriting form.
One of Petty’s three solo releases (though it features almost all of the Heartbreakers), Wildflowers sits just behind Full Moon Fever</em, tied with Damn the Torpedoes, as his second most successful album in terms of sales.
After Tom Petty’s death, I did a countdown of my favorite Petty albums. 2006’s Highway Companion came in at #4.
Revisiting that list now, I was surprised at how high I placed this album. It certainly had no chance of cracking the top three (Damn the Torpedoes, Full Moon Fever and Wildflowers) but four is still a pretty lofty position given Petty’s legendary status.
Meet Me In Montauk 