Tag Archives: Tom Petty

by

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.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #1,225: ‘Something Good Coming’ – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Wrapping up my three-week Tom Petty series is his most recent album with The Heartbreakers, 2010’s Mojo. But first, an aside.

In 2006, Petty released a self-titled album with Mudcrutch — a band made up of Petty, Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, and former collaborators Randall Marsh and Tom Leadon. The five men formed Mudcrutch in Gainesville, Florida, in 1970 but disbanded before recording a studio album.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #1,224: ‘Down South’ – Tom Petty

By 2006, Tom Petty was in need of a comeback. It had been 12 years since his last great album, Wildflowers, with the three releases during that span all underwhelming for one reason or another.

In 2006, Petty decided to team up once again with Jeff Lynne, producer of Full Moon Fever, to record his third solo album. The record was Highway Companion and, while it never reaches the heights of previous solo efforts Full Moon Fever or Wildflowers, it did signal a return to form.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #1,223: ‘The Last DJ’ – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

It was yet another three years before Tom Petty’s next release, 2002’s The Last DJ. This is another Petty album I don’t own, though I can’t recall if I bought it and sold it back or just didn’t give it a chance based on the so-so reviews.

The record is partially a concept album about the music industry, inspired by Los Angeles DJ Jim Ladd, who is notable for being one of the few remaining DJs (and the most prominent) to personally select every song he plays on his station. Radio programming has been completely taken over by computers and research and a guy like this is a charming anachronism.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #1,222: ‘Room at the Top’ – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

It would be three more years before Tom Petty released a follow-up to the She’s the One soundtrack. 1999’s Echo was inspired by Petty’s divorce from his wife of more than two decades.

I bought this album at the time and gave it only a listen or two before dismissing it as a lesser effort. I eventually sold it back in one of those CD purges I do from time to time and sometimes later regret. At least these days I burn the music to my computer before getting rid of a physical CD, but in the “old days” it just disappeared.

Continue reading →