RIP Tom Petty

I liked that anecdote by Roger McGuinn about his manager playing him "American Girl" and asking "When did I record this?"

Big AOR hit in 1990:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr_LtVkCe18

^^Also makes clear how much of McGuinn's vocal style Petty adopted.

In an interview with Campbell I just saw he dismisses Byrds comparisons and actually almost abandoned the track because he thought it sounded too much like Skynyrd. Which is, you know, crazy.

I read somewhere that Petty said they were aiming for Bo Diddley (most identifiable in the beat).

other than petty's mcguinn-y vocal, "american girl" really doesn't sound like the byrds

well, lack of 12 string or not, anything that sounds like 12 strings makes people bring up the byrds.

RIP. Really wishing I hadn't sold my vinyl copy of Echo now.

^^Was just noticing on Amazon that the run from She's The One through The Last DJ is OOP on CD (with copies of the latter going for over $30!).

Though in Stan's defense, there is not a single Steve drum part as memorable as many of Stan's best.

Le bomb de truth

XP...and of course a couple weeks ago you could probably get copies of TLDJ stating at $1 or less.

Beautiful piece, Al, and this

the thin hard pungency of Petty’s own underrated rhythm guitar could do what it pleased – appreciate as he pushes against the beat in “Listen to Your Heart,” as relentless as a neurotic on the cocaine that has wooed the singer’s lover/girlfriend away from him.

is otmfm.

And I've long struggled to adequately convey what was unique about Stan's feel. As much as Bonham, he has an instantly identifiable overall sound on the kit, and one developed as an overall kit sound. And while I initially thought of his approach as top-heavy (snare far louder than bass drum), he's really using the bass drum as a felt presence. It's the straight man setting up the punchlines the snare delivers.

1978 old grey whistle test appearance - full episode here: https://youtu.be/xKl8tSQFlJg

Tom in prime hottness, do not adjust yr set

agh
i love the way he says "don't" in the 2nd line of "Breakdown"

Though in Stan's defense, there is not a single Steve drum part as memorable as many of Stan's best.

Le bomb de truth

― Monster fatberg (Phil D.), Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Listen to the intro of "Nightwatchman."

Beautiful piece, Al

thank you!

Stan's fill after the bridge in "Don't Do Me Like That" is better than a lot of drummers' entire careers.

Stan's big, dead drum sound was apparently pretty influential on other producers, though I think a lot of credit goes to Iovine and Yakus.

I've seen that Old Grey Whistle Test and I agree it is key.

yet Iovine hated Stan, apparently

his whole look in Old Grey Whistle test is SO right: aviators, white shirt, black suit & white cuban heels (i think: it’s hard to make out the footwear clearly, def a white heeled boot anyway) <3 <3 <3

i love that even this early on he knows exactly where the camera is and where to look & knows how to work it without ~seeming~ like he knows

even later in his videos he’s so good at playing at seeming chill & detached but he is in control of every nanosecond of how he appears

"Seeming chill & detached but in control" = needs to be a 300-level course in the Coolness Studies department.

love this Eddie Cochran cover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYumfnVXiDU

xpost ah poor grasshopper such coolness can never be taught

I never got to listen to the Dylan-hosted satellite radio channel, but I loved the heck out of the Tom Petty Buried Treasures show. He played all sorts of great stuff, with very affable fan-like introductions.

― Josh in Chicago

I've been signing up for sirius xm online radio for a free month - then switching e-mail addresses whenever I want another month. His buried treasure channel (712) is still on (reruns and such). He liked playing stuff like muddy waters, chuck berry and the beatles. I find myself listening to this show a whole lot more than his music :/ but wow, he's DJed from 2005-2016... that's a hell of a lot of treasure to listen to. And yes, I liked hearing what he had to say in between sets.

and no one has mentioned his co-writing "You Got It."

starting to think She's the One might lowkey be my favorite TP record. nice one-two punch there with Wildflowers (which, while bloated, is my other fave, along with FMF & DTT).

i quit paying much attention after Echo but shit man i can't think of many artists who had a 20 year run of solid albums and relatively big top 40 radio hits.

xpost Well, that whole thing was pretty lucky, right? Lynne produces "Cloud Nine," he, George and Roy convene at Bob's house to record a b-side. Tom shows up to pick up a guitar, and they all end up writing "Handle With Care," which they clearly realize is too good for a b-side. Roy obviously clicked with Tom, though I wonder why he's not in Black and White Night. I always forget there's a song on Mystery Girl written and produced by Bono and the Edge, too. Might explain that unexpected (albeit schlocky) Eno-produced song that maybe came from the sessions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPN0EHyy09Y

xpost Iovine absolutely hated Stan, because as a producer Iovine knew he could just call in a session dude to crank out the tracks in a couple of days; I mean, Jim Keltner popping in just to add shaker to "Refugee" is like salt in the wound. But also Stan didn't take criticism well, and with one of a producer's key jobs being to say "again," Stan apparently got quickly frustrated. I'm glad Tom kept him on board as long as he did, because Lynch is key. Did backing vox, too.

Stan was the key backup singer before Howie Epstein appeared.

I adore that Eno-produced Orbison song.

to scott's point about the Zollo book: I never get bored with what is by now the lore of Petty meeting Harrison after the freak '87 hurricane that hit England. This series of coincidences coalescing first with Cloud Nine and the Orbison project leading up to FMF.

Roy obviously clicked with Tom, though I wonder why he's not in Black and White Night

Way too early. George finally connected with Petty that Thanksgiving in L.A. at a French restaurant to which Petty spontaneously took his daughter for an expensive lunch; George was there with the Warner Bros people planning promo strategies for Cloud Nine.

The best thing about Black and White Night is when Tom Waits takes an organ solo that makes half the band whip their heads around in horror.

Yeah, that and Springsteen sensibly ceding the flashy guitar stuff to James Burton.

Amazing how much Roy managed in those last several months. Black and White Night, Wilburys, Mystery Girl, and then he was gone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la2H9OCOlrQ

Springsteen, knowing when it's best to keep it even simpler than usual.

But I digress. Tom Petty.

Someone on the ILM Orbison thread mentioned the degree to which the industry colluded to give him a final hit.

Plausible, though I wonder if he needed the help, given his success with the Wilburys and how much that Jeff Lynne production sound was en vogue. Just a couple of months before Full Moon Fever, right?

Yup -- at the same time as Volume 1 peaked.

The doc on the Wilburys' box is a treat--Tom talks about Harrison & Lynne showing up unannounced at his house with ukuleles and a case of beer and jamming all night in his living room.

Amanda Petrusich - https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/free-falling-with-tom-petty

other than petty's mcguinn-y vocal, "american girl" really doesn't sound like the byrds

― tylerw, Tuesday, October 3, 2017 3:34 PM (six hours ago)

Chorus of "Here Comes My Girl" does imo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kOID3Pv6-Q

xxpost that Petrusich piece is beautiful & so true, all those little between moments captured so perfectly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grfI85j_KWM

And a terrific piece at Salon by Annie Zaleski: https://www.salon.com/2017/10/03/rebels-with-a-romantic-streak-lose-tom-petty-dead-at-66/

Wow yeah that Petrusich piece is the best thing I've read in awhile

was watching his 30th anniversary show on youtube last night and i kept thinking if you added some cowboy hats and a steel guitar and some fiddle you could have a great country show. so many of his songs would be easily countrified.

also reminded how good this is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnS8577gBNc

you can even watch the concert the night before that one at winterland on youtube. 12/30/78. youtube is surely a blessing.

glad alfred rightly called out Petty's rhythm guitar playing — I think it definitely plays a big role. was also interesting to occasionally see him stretch out on lead (mostly on live versions of "Mary Jane's Last Dance"). Obviously with Campbell in the band he didn't need to do it much, but he could get a cool, raw Neil Young-y thing going.

Isn't the solo on the studio "Mary Jane" the rare Petty guitar solo? Playing Mike's famed ancient Tele.