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Post by Kapitan on Sept 28, 2020 17:35:01 GMT
I mentioned earlier in another thread that I haven't ever dug into the Tom Petty catalogue. I know that a couple months back, several of our frequent posters were talking about either being big fans with a lot of knowledge of him, or wanting to dig in deeper. With that in mind and having finished the gargantuan Bob Dylan albums project, I've decided to listen to the entire Tom Petty catalogue.
Unlike with Dylan, I'll be going in chronological order and sticking to studio albums. Being less familiar with these albums, I'm less likely to rate them (though I'll probably do that, too) and more likely to give some impressions as I proceed--more like the KISS and Zeppelin threads we had a while back.
Naturally, while I'm working through the aforementioned exercise, everyone is more than welcome to use this thread for any Petty-related content they want, whether it's an album I'm in the middle of listening to or something out of left field.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 28, 2020 20:53:13 GMT
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - 6.7 I'm not sure how I feel about this album: it's oddly nondescript and yet sounds exactly like an early Tom Petty album would be likely to sound. It's pretty straightforward in the way you'd guess for a debut album, not loaded with bells & whistles, yet the music does seem to cross a lot of subgenres. The first song along--"Rockin' Around (With You)"--felt like an attempt to pack in half a dozen on its own. Kind of funky, kind of power pop, a little southern drawl, and a little punky especially in that call-and-response shout vocal in the refrain. "Hey!"
That's one of my two favorites from the album, along with the obvious choice of "American Girl," which is the only song here I'd ever heard before. That one doesn't really need me to say anything. It sounds like a classic. I'd bet it sounded like a classic in 1976 the first time people heard it.
A couple of tunes--"Breakdown" and "Luna"--actually reminded me of Miles Davis's Kind of Blue with their Dorian modal (minor, basically) blues with the characteristically one-step descending motif, though the latter takes it in more directions than the former. Other songs really run the gamut: "Hometown Blues," "Strangered in the Night," and "Mystery Man," for example, don't share a lot of commonality, even though they're all identifiable as the same handful of guys. Everything has its moments, its cool bits, and yet nothing (on these songs or any others) really strikes me as good-good.
Very good debut album, but I'm a little surprised at the 4.5/5 from Allmusic, for example.
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Post by kds on Sept 29, 2020 12:40:26 GMT
I've listened to the first two albums from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Granted, it's hard to really formulate an opinion on one full listen each. But, once thing that really stuck out is how short they are.
The 2nd album - You're Gonna Get It (which I think was far better than the s/t debut) - is just under a half hour.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Sept 29, 2020 13:29:47 GMT
This has always been one of my favorite Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' tracks. He made it his:
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 29, 2020 13:32:24 GMT
But, once thing that really stuck out is how short they are. Frankly, after the Dylan albums at times being out of control in that respect ( Triplicate!?), I'm thankful for this fact.
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Post by kds on Sept 29, 2020 13:35:06 GMT
But, once thing that really stuck out is how short they are. Frankly, after the Dylan albums at times being out of control in that respect ( Triplicate!?), I'm thankful for this fact. In general, I would rather have an album be a little short than a little long (ie. every goddamn album of the early CD era, including Wildflowers).
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 29, 2020 13:40:49 GMT
"Always leave them wanting more."
Absolutely my preference, especially in rock/pop.
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Post by kds on Sept 29, 2020 13:43:32 GMT
"Always leave them wanting more."
Absolutely my preference, especially in rock/pop.
For me, I think the perfect sweet spot for album length is between 35-45 minutes. Although, being a fan of metal and prog, there are exceptions. But, it did strike me as a bit odd for a non punk album in the 70s to clock in at less than a half hour.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 29, 2020 13:46:09 GMT
I'd agree with that rough "ideal" duration. Obviously if the music warrants it, I'll take more. But especially as a sit-down experience, a straight-through listening, I don't want an hour, or 90 minutes. That's a playlist, or a collection, not an album (usually).
Less than half an hour is definitely pushing it, though. At that point it feels like an overpriced, slightly expanded EP.
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Post by kds on Sept 29, 2020 13:54:24 GMT
Back to the topic at hand. Granted, it was one listen, but I found the s/t debut to be quite underwhelming overall.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 29, 2020 14:03:56 GMT
I found the s/t debut to be quite underwhelming overall. I agree. Though I can see that it was a sign of a good band, of good things ahead. Honestly on a debut album, if you've got a song like "American Girl," I'll already give you a pass and say you deserve a second album.
And that second album--which I'm nearing the end of now--kind of continues that. (So far) No real standouts, but several good songs that again show promise amidst a few nondescript ones. I really liked "When the Time Comes," or the cool guitar figure in place of a solo about halfway through "Hurt." (That was the best part of the song by far in my opinion.) "Listen to Your Heart" is a cool pop-rock song, single material. (I see it indeed was a single.)
If I were a record exec, I'd be excited to have them under contract at this point. But if I were a DJ or record store owner, I wouldn't be too excited quite yet.
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Post by kds on Sept 29, 2020 14:10:57 GMT
I found the s/t debut to be quite underwhelming overall. I agree. Though I can see that it was a sign of a good band, of good things ahead. Honestly on a debut album, if you've got a song like "American Girl," I'll already give you a pass and say you deserve a second album.
And that second album--which I'm nearing the end of now--kind of continues that. (So far) No real standouts, but several good songs that again show promise amidst a few nondescript ones. I really liked "When the Time Comes," or the cool guitar figure in place of a solo about halfway through "Hurt." (That was the best part of the song by far in my opinion.) "Listen to Your Heart" is a cool pop-rock song, single material. (I see it indeed was a single.)
If I were a record exec, I'd be excited to have them under contract at this point. But if I were a DJ or record store owner, I wouldn't be too excited quite yet.
Yeah, no doubt, American Girl does make up for some the not so memorable material. I may take some time to listen to those albums again. I'm on Damn the Torpedoes right now. And so far, my opinion is that the hits are great, but I'm really finding any gems or deep tracks that stand out.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 29, 2020 14:14:42 GMT
I'm just moving into Damn the Torpedoes, and so one final thought on You're Gonna Get It!: I'd give it the same above-average, 6.7 rating I gave the debut. However, with the debut that rating was largely because "American Girl" in particular (but also the opening track) raised the average for some far weaker songs.
With You're Gonna Get It!, no song stands out to be of that kind of quality. However, I don't think there are as many mediocre ones, either: it's more consistently a solid, unspectacular album. The impression I get, the analogy I'd make, is a bar band that knows how to please people every single night, but hasn't struck gold.
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Post by kds on Sept 29, 2020 14:20:49 GMT
I think Listen to Her Heart is the one standout that comes close to American Girl on You're Gonna Get It. Although, I think that the overall quality on the second album is better.
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 29, 2020 15:00:09 GMT
Damn The Torpedoes gets something like an 8.5 for me. This is what a really good album sounds like.
KDS said "my opinion is that the hits are great, but I'm really finding any gems or deep tracks that stand out," and that's fair ... but I'd say the difference between a solid-average album and a really good album is two or three hit singles!
This one still isn't perfect. It's not a contender for best album ever. I thought about three songs were pretty dull, which is a third of the songs. But then you've got some great songs, and some exciting (if not special) songs. What I mean by the latter are things like "Century City" and "What Are You Doin In My Life?" They rock! I love ending Side One with "Century City," or that kind of song: not quite a single, but a rocker, a fun one, a song that says "OK, thanks, we'll be back in 15 minutes while you grab a beer."
A few good songs were tainted by bad decisions, in my opinion. "Here Comes My Girl" has such a brilliant refrain, but the verse-talking is just atrocious to my ears. And the little studio nonsense noise separating the intro organ from the song proper on the otherwise almost epic closer "Louisiana Rain" is unfortunate.
Really, really good album though. This is the first one where I could really see people giving a damn about Tom Petty.
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