The randomness of the CD Odyssey
sometimes seems to have a strange magnetism, where I roll multiple albums by
the same artist in a short span. Such a trend may be happening with Tom Petty.
I reviewed “Southern Accents” only three albums ago and he’s back already. One
more and we’ve got a trend…
Disc 871 is….Self-Titled
Artist: Tom Petty
Year of Release: 1976
What’s up with the Cover? Would you let your daughter date
this man? What if I told you he would go on to sell 80 million albums? Still
no? True, he does look like a reprobate, but he is one hell of a singer/songwriter.
How I Came To Know It: This is just another one of Tom
Petty’s albums that I purchased a few years back when I was filling out my
collection. Having a classic like “American
Girl” on it didn’t hurt its chances to make it into the collection either.
How It Stacks Up: I have fifteen Tom Petty albums (12 with the
Heartbreakers and 3 solo). This is all of them except the “She’s the One” soundtrack.
I know what you’re thinking - that I must be crazy for not having that one –
but don’t worry; I’m sure it’ll happen. Anyway, of the fifteen I do have, I’ll
put his self-titled debut in at a solid seventh, bumping “Into the Great Wide
Open” down one spot in the process. Sorry ITGWO, but it happens.
Ratings: 4 stars
Raw and rambunctious. Those are the words that came
to mind as I listened to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ first release. It is
a brazen, groundbreaking collection of songs that has no doubt influenced
countless artists in the 40 years since its release.
Only ten songs and 30 minutes long, this album says
what it wants to say in a hurry and then switches off the amp and leaves the
stadium while the crowd is still cheering. In some ways it is so fast and
furious that it is over before it seems I can fully wrap my head around it, but
that just leaves me wanting more. This is a far superior approach to albums
that linger well past the 50 minute mark and have you looking at your watch by
the end.
In some ways this album feels like it is all over the place, with elements of boogie woogie, country, new wave and Buddy Holly-style melodies. The opening track, “Rockin’ Around (With You)” has a bit of all four, and has no business working, but somehow Tom Petty’s vision shines through and makes it beat the odds.
I didn’t always enjoy all the competing sounds on
the record, but at no point did it cross the line and become self-serving or
ego-driven. Even the songs that weren’t my favourites (like the aforementioned “Rockin’ Around”) still impressed me
musically.
Right after that crazy opening, the band mellows
things out with the bluesy and moody “Breakdown”
which manages to have a killer guitar riff, a killer bassline riff and a killer
organ riff. Instead of competing with each other, each instrument is made
better by the other two. Add in the grit and squall of Tom Petty’s vocal and
you have a song that sticks in your head in an altogether enjoyable way.
Of the deep tracks (i.e. the ones you won’t hear on
the radio) my favourite is “The Wild One,
Forever.” This is a song about desperate and dangerous young love that you
might expect to hear on a Springsteen album. The lyrics are simple as they paint
a picture of the possibility of a great love:
“Well the moon sank as the wind
blew
And the street lights slowly died
Yeah they called you the wild one
Said stay away from her
Said she couldn’t love no one if
she tried.
“But then somethin’ I saw in your
eyes
Told me right away
That you were gonna have to be
mine.”
It doesn’t even matter that by the end of the song that
this was a love that only lasted a few hours. In a way it makes it better. This
is an album about youthful vigor and restless energy, combined with a prescient
understanding that life is short. Late
night love affairs don’t come around every day, so when they do dive in with
both feet. Or if you want to be on the safe side, just listen to the song and
get a taste of the experience.
When you have an album this short and energized you
can do something crazy like put your best song last, which is exactly what
Petty does with “American Girl.” Forty
years after it was released this song still sounds fresh and full of angst as
ever. This is an anthem for all those people who need to run away, even if they
can never escape themselves. It isn’t clear what this American girl is running
from, but it doesn’t matter. We all want to run from something and similar to “The Wild One, Forever” this song lets
you experience what that feels like without having to quit your job.
In a way, these two songs are a microcosm for the
whole album. anthems to rebellion, fuelled by an instinctual knowledge that our
days are numbered, so you might as well get on with all that youthful
indiscretion while you still can.
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