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There are shorter and longer versions of this material. I have the 4-CD set, which includes 35 covers. (There are 3- and 6-LP versions as well as a 2-CD set.)
Lot of fun. Turns out we like a lot of the same early rock songs. I think the Hearbreakers were a very good band.
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01-04-2023 12:27 PM
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They were an awesome band. Absolute pros.
I saw them in the mid-80’s. Ironically, at the time I was more into experimental stuff, and didn’t really want to go, just given a ticket at the last minute.
It was a very good show though. They were a great live band, and their live recordings are a testament to this. They were also one of THE BEST cover bands around.
I got into their music a lot more in the last 2 decades, as I got more into roots music. Their last few albums are very, very good. Also the Mudcrutch albums—best garage band ever.
Tom’s death hit me about as hard as any musician. First, it was a surprise. Second, I have always enjoyed his wit and encyclopedic knowledge of roots and garage music (love his radio show). Third, he grew up in the South and was close to my age.
So his passing meant a lot more to me than that of many stars such as Prince. I like Prince too, but we ain’t the same. Tom was “my people”.
RIP, and rock on in the afterlife.
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Favorites of mine and the wife. We'd go every time they came to NYC. I miss Tom & that great rock band.
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The later period albums are my favorites. They don't contain hits as such, but in a lot of ways they are more interesting musically to me. The Last DJ, Hypnotic Eye, Echo, in particular are just awesome and complete albums.
Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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This is one of my favorite recent songs—excellent example of peak Tom writing style—kind of hallucinogenic, but rooted in specific images. Very Dylanesque but much more concise. Great Mike Campbell solo, and the song just rocks.
Here he is with Mudcrutch on Crystal River—one of the best songs he’s ever written.
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Saw them in ‘78 as the opening act for a Kink’s show. No idea what to expect. Thought them a little rough for prime time. Boy, was I wrong.
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Well back in the day they were seen as a New Wave act. There was a lot of power pop stuff coming out back then--rather fierce, short songs without long solos. Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, etc. Originally Posted by TedBPhx
No one I knew thought of Tom Petty as a Southern rocker. We didn't know where he came from. England, maybe, or Southern California. Canada perhaps.
The hits kept coming, and some of them like Don't Do Me Like That were minimalist and a world away from either Dylan's long story songs or the drawn out Southern epics like Whipping Post and Free Bird.
I don't think Tom minded being categorized as New Wave early on, cause it jump started his career, as people were looking for the next trend to latch on to, but he began to resent being pigeonholed. By the mid-80's he and the band were expanding their sound (Don't Come Round Here No More), and with songs like Rebel and Southern Accents tried to reframe their (his) identity.
In 1986 the Heartbreakers toured with Bob Dylan, and Tom's songwriting style showed more narrative maturity and a broader range of influences. The Heartbreakers though never really changed up their sound too much, which is a good thing, as they were facile enough to be the perfect accompaniment for Tom's visions.
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My older brother lived in Japan then. He sent me a tape of the show he saw, and I played it a lot. My brother had his picture taken with Dylan after the show. We laugh about it now because he (my brother, now in his 60s) looked SO young and a total deer-in-the-headlights expression on his face. All he remembers about Dylan is how blue his eyes were; he can't remember anything Dylan said to him. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
Petty and Dylan seemed to get along really well. (They were later in the Traveling Willburys together.)
As for Tom's Florida roots, if you're from Florida, you knew it from "American Girl" when he sings, "Yeah, she could hear the cars roll by out on 441 like waves crashing over the beach." 441 is an old road down here. It runs from Miami to the Georgia border, over 400 miles.
But you're right, the Heartbreakers were not purveyors of "Southern Rock" (--though they showed their kinship with the Allman Brothers on "Mojo"). Their roots were in the '60s, The Byrds, Yardbirds, R&B, soul. If you ever check out Tom's old radion show, "Buried Treasures", you can hear where he came from musically. He has blusier roots than may be apparent from just his biggest hits.
Nowadays the Florida Gators (=football team for the University of Florida, which is in Gainesville, where Tom is from) celebrate Tom Petty Day on the 15th of October. Tom's song "I Won't Back Down" is often played during Florida football games. In May of this year the University will grant Tom an honorary Doctor of Music degree.This is on 34th Street in Gainesville (This mural has been subject to change over the years. ;o)
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Here's a set from the NOLA Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2012.
"She's Going To Listen To Her Heart" is the opener and it "sounds like Tom Petty" but the next two songs ("Have Love Will Travel" and "Something Big" don't sound as much like that. They're more jam songs.
It ends with "Last Dance with Mary Jane" which seems to showcase everything the band loved most in one long song.
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We used to drive on 41 in Georgia down to Florida and then on 441 when we hit Florida. As I recall, highway 75 had not been completed below Atlanta. I have a distinct memory of seeing kudzu all over the roadside along the way in south GA. Typically we'd leave around 3-4 in the morning, and the sun would come up in Florida. Wonderful memories. Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
My older brother lived in Japan then. He sent me a tape of the show he saw, and I played it a lot. My brother had his picture taken with Dylan after the show. We laugh about it now because he (my brother, now in his 60s) looked SO young and a total deer-in-the-headlights expression on his face. All he remembers about Dylan is how blue his eyes were; he can't remember anything Dylan said to him.
Petty and Dylan seemed to get along really well. (They were later in the Traveling Willburys together.)
As for Tom's Florida roots, if you're from Florida, you knew it from "American Girl" when he sings, "Yeah, she could hear the cars roll by out on 441 like waves crashing over the beach." 441 is an old road down here. It runs from Miami to the Georgia border, over 400 miles.
But you're right, the Heartbreakers were not purveyors of "Southern Rock" (--though they showed their kinship with the Allman Brothers on "Mojo"). Their roots were in the '60s, The Byrds, Yardbirds, R&B, soul. If you ever check out Tom's old radion show, "Buried Treasures", you can hear where he came from musically. He has blusier roots than may be apparent from just his biggest hits.
Nowadays the Florida Gators (=football team for the University of Florida, which is in Gainesville, where Tom is from) celebrate Tom Petty Day on the 15th of October. Tom's song "I Won't Back Down" is often played during Florida football games. In May of this year the University will grant Tom an honorary Doctor of Music degree.
BTW, my state donated our Senator to run U of FL (Ben Sasse). You're welcome.
I understand there's a bit of controversy. LOL. I actually like him and voted for him--the only Repub I've voted for for several election cycles. (His opponent was horrible--credibly accused of sexual harassment.) He has a PhD in history and ran a small private college not far from Omaha prior to becoming a senator.
I have never met him, but have met his wife, and she is a very nice, normal person. I reserve judgement on whether he will be a good or bad administrator for your state college. Could go either way.
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