Thanks so much to Mr. Mexico for running this excellent Tom Petty poll. It will live forever in the Century City of my heart.
1Even the LosersThe WaitingStraight Into DarknessAin’t Love StrangeTime To Move OnDon’t Do Me Like ThatA One Story TownNo Second ThoughtsShadow Of a DoubtDeliver MeFree FallinChange of HeartLet Me Up (I’ve Had Enough)Dogs on the RunRebelsFeel a Whole Lot BetterAmerican GirlA Thing About YouRed RiverOh Maria (Mudcrutch)20
Albums
Damn the TorpedosLong After DarkLet Me Up (I’ve Had Enough)WildflowersHard Promises
― kornrulez6969, Friday, 18 December 2015 15:22 (eight years ago) link
American GirlRefugeeSouthern AccentsBreakdownYou Got LuckyDon't Come Around Here No MoreTrailerFree Girl NowWildflowersHere Comes My GirlWaiting For TonightRunaway TrainsYou Don't Know How It FeelsDogs on the RunThe Last DJIt's Good To Be KingRoom at the TopKeeping Me AliveStraight Into DarknessCasa Dega
― droit au butt (Euler), Friday, 18 December 2015 15:38 (eight years ago) link
tracks1.here comes my girl2. the waiting3. runnin down a dream4. even the losers5. american girl6. end of the line7. yer so bad8. i need to know9. don't do me like that10. jammin me11. walls12. it's good to be king13. listen to her heart14. rebels15. stop draggin my heart around16. you got lucky17. wildflowers18. you wreck me19. a woman in love20. learning to fly
albums1. damn the torpedoes2. hard promises3. full moon fever4. you're gonna get it5. wildflowers
― balls, Friday, 18 December 2015 15:56 (eight years ago) link
For once, I voted for a #1 also! That one was never in doubt for me. My ballot:
1. The Waiting2. Change of Heart3. Here Comes My Girl4. You Got Lucky5. Stop Draggin' My Heart Around6. American Girl7. A Face In The Crowd8. Even The Losers9. Love Is A Long Road10. Don't Do Me Like That11. It Ain't Nothin' To Me12. Breakdown13. Refugee14. Yer So Bad15. Listen To Her Heart16. I Need To Know17. The Damage You've Done18. Flirting With Time19. Jammin' Me20. King's Highway
Albums:
Damn the TorpedoesLong After DarkHard PromisesFull Moon FeverTom Petty & The Heartbreakers
― Resting Bushface (Phil D.), Friday, 18 December 2015 16:11 (eight years ago) link
Change of Heart is just sublime isn't it?
― campreverb, Friday, 18 December 2015 16:17 (eight years ago) link
Kinda surprised not to see any other album votes for The Live Anthology. That thing is fantastic, if you haven't heard it. Four CDs for, what, $25 at this point?
― the top man in the language department (誤訳侮辱), Friday, 18 December 2015 16:37 (eight years ago) link
I voted for The Live Anthology.
― Sugarlips, Friday, 18 December 2015 17:09 (eight years ago) link
TRACKSEven the LosersStraight Into DarknessThe WaitingAmerican GirlDon’t Do Me Like ThatStop Draggin’ My Heart AroundYou Wreck MeDogs on the RunI Need to KnowA Woman in LoveBreakdownRunaway TrainsChange of HeartWallsRebelsA Thing About YouThe Wild One, ForeverFinding OutWildflowersFree Fallin’
ALBUMS Damn the TorpedoesLong After DarkWildflowersHard PromisesTom Petty and the Heartbreakers
― something totally new, it’s the AOR of the twenty first century (tipsy mothra), Friday, 18 December 2015 17:13 (eight years ago) link
collections always get short shrift in these things but YES, if anyone hasn't checked out the Live Anthology it's on Spotify and it is fantastic.
― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.), Friday, 18 December 2015 17:47 (eight years ago) link
File "Change of Heart" as the Tom Petty deep track this poll has lead me to re-discover. It was actually a single? Anyway, interesting that "Long After Dark" has both beloved deep cuts.
The poll also led me to re-read Christgau's reviews of Petty, which even when they're positive are pretty ouch. That rabbit hole led me to consider Bowie a potential analog: too many great, iconic songs to be just a singles artist, more uneven records than his reputation might indicate.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 19 December 2015 22:09 (eight years ago) link
working a Darlene Love concert tonight, and during soundcheck a guitar tech played the "You Wreck Me" riff on a really nice guitar/amp, brought a smile to my face
― thomp etty (some dude), Saturday, 19 December 2015 23:03 (eight years ago) link
It's a fun song to play with a band
― lute bro (brimstead), Saturday, 19 December 2015 23:04 (eight years ago) link
Love the ghastly near-howling vocals on the chorus of "change of heart"
― lute bro (brimstead), Saturday, 19 December 2015 23:06 (eight years ago) link
Wish zing had a "find in page" function.. Any talk of that "surf" album by the Stingrays or whatever?
― lute bro (brimstead), Saturday, 19 December 2015 23:07 (eight years ago) link
I mentioned it, yeah. One time I saw Petty he left the stage for a bit and let Mike lead a surf medley for a long while.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 20 December 2015 02:26 (eight years ago) link
Wow, this unveil was really fun. Loads of welcome surprises, deep cuts and minor hits. You can tell that many of the participants were familiar with a large fraction of his discography, as opposed to a few of the more recent results threads (like Nirvana and Queen).
Also I can't believe I wasn't the only vote for "Asshole" (my #6).
― billstevejim, Sunday, 20 December 2015 22:08 (eight years ago) link
I voted for it!
― "Damn the Taquitos" (C. Grisso/McCain), Sunday, 20 December 2015 22:45 (eight years ago) link
heard "Jammin' Me" on the local classic rock station for the first time today. they're having a 'No L weekend' with no song titles with the letter L in them (dad rock x dad jokes!), so maybe eliminating "American Girl"/"Don't Do Me Like That"/etc. made them dig deeper with their Petty selections. the next song was "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" so it was kind of a weird Dylan twofer as well.
― i got a really big steen, and they need some really big zings (some dude), Sunday, 20 December 2015 23:40 (eight years ago) link
You could have a real strong Tom Petty rock block of songs without L
The WaitingRefugeeBreakdownStraight Into DarknessI Need To KnowStop Draggin' My Heart Around
― kornrulez6969, Monday, 21 December 2015 02:55 (eight years ago) link
Into the Great Wide OpenChange of HeartDon't Come Around Here No MoreI Won't Back DownRunnin' Down a Dream
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 21 December 2015 03:47 (eight years ago) link
INSIDER
How are y'all still sleeping on this?
― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.), Monday, 21 December 2015 05:34 (eight years ago) link
i mean hey, it ranked. it was in the top 10 of non-hits!
― i got a really big steen, and they need some really big zings (some dude), Monday, 21 December 2015 05:44 (eight years ago) link
(and contains no Ls)
― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.), Monday, 21 December 2015 05:53 (eight years ago) link
Guitar nerd stuff: I brought "Straight Into Darkness" in to my guitar teacher, and we were weirdly thrown off by what is largely a simple song. At first we thought it was tuned down a half-step, which Mike Campbell likes ("Boys of Summer"), but it still wasn't right. Turns out that to the best of our collective observation, the recording is totally out of tune! Guitar, piano, organ ... all off, together, like it was slowed down (or even fucked up) in the mastering.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 14 January 2016 21:54 (eight years ago) link
Josh-interesting! I grabbed my guitar last night to see if I could reproduce it, but at least rhythm wise, I was able to play along with the recording tuned down a half-step (which is how I usually keep my guitar tuned).
― campreverb, Friday, 15 January 2016 15:30 (eight years ago) link
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CYtH66jVAAEDqMk.jpg:large
― tylerw, Friday, 15 January 2016 15:32 (eight years ago) link
xpost We totally did try tuning down a half-step, and for a minute it sounded OK, but then we noticed it was out of tune with the piano and organ, too, and we realized that there was no way they tuned those down (on purpose). Then we listened to the live version, and the guitars are in standard!
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 15 January 2016 17:09 (eight years ago) link
yeah I found the same thing on the live, I had to capo to match that.
― campreverb, Friday, 15 January 2016 17:15 (eight years ago) link
varispeed is an awesome thing.
― fact checking cuz, Friday, 15 January 2016 21:05 (eight years ago) link
But isn't that usually used for more conspicuous effects? The Petty track sounds pretty straight forward, except for being pitched down to some mysterious key.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 15 January 2016 22:35 (eight years ago) link
a lot of bands used to use varispeed just 'cause they liked the sound of instruments and/or voices sped up or slowed down a tiny bit. i don't know if petty used it that way, but it wouldn't have been unusual if he did.
― fact checking cuz, Saturday, 16 January 2016 01:41 (eight years ago) link
Zanes' Petty book is excellent, one of the best accounts of how bands work I have ever read.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 1 March 2016 01:00 (eight years ago) link
I wanted 40 pages about Let Me Up though.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 1 March 2016 01:05 (eight years ago) link
Eh, I got enough.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 1 March 2016 02:02 (eight years ago) link
This has been a good resource for me this morning.
― billstevejim, Tuesday, 3 October 2017 15:43 (six years ago) link
4 years… if I had this one back, I would have rated “room at the top” a lot higher. I guess when it came out I didn’t know enough about the world or about Petty to pick up what it was putting down, but at the moment I can’t think of another song by anyone that captures the moment of knowingly choosing to escape into a high any better, self-pity and all. plus campbell straight rips on it.I wish Amos Lee’s take was available anywhere. I only saw it the one time but it felt like the only cover I’ve heard that really nailed it, Jason Isbell included.RIP
― poster of sparks (rogermexico.), Saturday, 2 October 2021 04:13 (two years ago) link
this set by Mike & Benmont at Tom’s 70th birthday special was so good, made me miss him all over again but also: I still marvel that these incredible folks were part of his ~band~ for crying out loud. Like Elvis, yknow? he was so good that THESE are the guys who make their career backing him up when they can set any stage on fire in their own right. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URr83yI-tQM
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 2 October 2021 04:29 (two years ago) link
Peter Bogdanovich's four-hour documentary is on Kanopy, and I've been watching the whole thing sporadically today. I was a little skeptical that it needed to be four-hours because the band's existence was never eventful the way Dylan, the VU, the Beatles, etc. were culturally or just as news, but it's highly entertaining so far. Petty himself is just a naturally good storyteller and these are good small anecdotes, one after another.
Anyway, I missed this poll, but if I had to rate the albums, using Rolling Stone's 5-star scale:
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976) ****You're Gonna Get It! (1978) ***Damn the Torpedoes (1979) *****Hard Promises (1981) ****1/2Long After Dark (1982) ***1/2Southern Accents (1985) ****Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) (1987) ***Full Moon Fever (1989) *****Into the Great Wide Open (1991) ***Wildflowers (1994) ****
can't rate the rest as I don't know them as well
― birdistheword, Sunday, 23 January 2022 23:27 (two years ago) link
Upon revisiting, I'd actually downgrade Hard Promises and Full Moon Fever to 4 stars apiece. Very uneven albums, they're like half great and half forgettable.
Anyway, after seeing that Petty doc, I got curious and dug deep into all things Tom Petty. Besides listening to the albums, I started digging for articles and found this harrowing, angry one on Howie Epstein's death, published in his hometown magazine. This could've been a documentary on its own, but I think it gets 10 or 15 minutes in the doc (which to be fair is not an insubstantial chunk compared to other topics covered by the same film - but it still means losing most of the details): https://www.milwaukeemag.com/HeartBreaker/
― birdistheword, Wednesday, 26 January 2022 01:49 (two years ago) link
Aw, that's a sad story. Poor Howie. Super talented guy.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 26 January 2022 04:06 (two years ago) link