An Album You Should Own - 7/2/10

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Damn The Torpedoes

As Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers set out to make their third album, their world was being turned upside down. Their record label, Shelter, was being sold to MCA Records. To free himself from his partnership with MCA, Petty sent himself into bankruptcy. His feud with MCA is the stuff of legend. Each night he had to box up the tapes of the day's recording sessions for fear that MCA would come in and seize the tapes. Petty insisted that the tapes be hidden without him knowing where they were, so that if he were ever asked to tell a courtroom where they were, he would not know.

In short, he risked everything.

In the midst of it all, he still found the time to record an album that basically revitalized FM radio in the late 70's.

Make no mistake about it, "Damn The Torpedoes" is a KILLER album. There are nine songs on the album and four of them have become classic-rock staples. Before they were classic-rock songs, they were songs that helped Petty and his band go from being rising-stars to legitimate superstars.

"Damn The Torpedoes" delivers on the promise of Petty's first two albums by streamlining Petty's vision of classic Stones and Byrds riffs. Jimmy Iovine's production makes the songs sparkle and pop. In fact, the songs have a timeless feel about them that make them sound as modern now as they did when they were released.

It didn't hurt that the Heartbreakers matured into a band that has since become one of the greatest rock bands the United States has ever produced. They were powerful, even muscular, without losing the ability to be subtle. This is no small accomplishment, either. Left in the wrong hands, songs like "Here Comes My Girl" would not find the dynamic that helps it achieve its slow-burn.

In the end, its Petty's songwriting that triumphs. Songs like "American Girl", "Don't Do Me Like That" and "Even The Losers" are triumphant rock songs that are built on a foundation of quiet melancholy. "Refugee" is a blistering rock song that still achieves lift-off because Petty weaves a sense of rebellion tightly through its pop-hooks.

Its also a perfect summer record. Throw it in your CD player and roll down your windows. It doesn't disappoint and only grows stronger with each listen. My respect for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers grows with each passing year.

If you don't own this album, explain yourself.
It is one of the best albums of the rock era.

Period.

Further listening: "Hard Promises", "Full Moon Fever", "Wildflowers"
Further viewing: Peter Bogdanovich's excellent documentary "Runnin' Down a Dream"