The follow-up, You’re Gonna Get It! was similarly accomplished and exuberant – ‘I Need To Know’ and ‘Listen to Her Heart’ displayed an ongoing ability to meld passion, drama and urgency at a time when much US rock was viewed as dull and stodgy.ĭamn the Torpedoes (1976) saw a shift to Backstreet Records and a higher profile all around. Despite great reviews, the album was a slow-burner but would eventually go Gold. A brilliant beginning this recording includes tracks that would define them from the outset – ‘American Girl’, ‘Anything That’s Rock’,’ Roll’ and ‘Breakdown’. Even so, Cordell used specialist musicians on some cuts so you’ll find the legendary Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn and Jim Gordon cropping up as well as kindred Shelter spirits Dwight Twilley and Phil Seymour. Label manager and band mentor Denny Cordell produced the album Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in his Hollywood studio with Petty, Campbell and Tench ever-present and fellow Floridians Stan Lynch (drums) and Ron Blair (bass) forging the rhythm section. Having released a locally available single called ‘Depot Street’ on the Shelter label Petty and pals relocated to Los Angeles in search of their grail. Tom Petty, his songs, voice and guitar were always the focal point for the Heartbreakers but his first proper group Mudcrutch also included lead guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboards player Benmont Tench, and they would become his longest-serving allies. Their transition from a small-time bar band to an American institution is remarkable yet they tend to steer clear of stadium shows if possible and are a byword for everything that is classic and noble about rock and roll music in the 20th and 21st centuries. Their road to stardom has been punctuated by notorious battles over album pricing, FM radio formatting and label ownership but despite a readiness to rock the boat they have also garnered numerous prestigious awards, three Grammies amongst them, and played live shows that are always SRO and offer stupendous value for money. It also should be remembered that their biggest early success was in the UK where their self-titled debut album Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and attendant single ‘American Girl’ won them both a dedicated cult following and the approbation of the more serious members of the new wave movement, Elvis Costello being the obvious example.Īlong the way Petty and his boys have sold over 80 million albums and become well known in their own right as specialist players for others – they’ve backed Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Del Shannon – while Tom was a member of the Traveling Wilbury’s and had close working relationships with Jeff Lynne and Roger McGuinn of the Byrds. Blue-collar issues occur in their work but then so do straight-ahead love songs, ecstatic rock ensemble playing and rustic concepts. Like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Petty’s Heartbreakers represent integrity and unity that fuses quality with commercial acclaim. Formed in Gainesville, Florida by a bunch of high school and college friends Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were viewed initially as a Southern Rock group, which of course they are, but they have so many other facets – from country to power pop – that they fit into the bracket of American heartland music.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |