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Tom Petty kicks all kinds of ass

ztejas

By ztejas
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Bogeywon

Bogeywon 2519

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22 hours ago, stc said:

mike campbell gets a ton of credit (deservedly so) but i also think benmont tench is criminally underrated. good to be king, breakdown, don't come around here no more, etc wouldn't be the songs they are without his influence. same can be said for the harmonies with howie epstein, their voices blended together so perfectly. really that's what makes them such a great band, take out any individual piece and it just isn't the same. there's a magic that happens when they're all working together. 

i fucking love this acoustic version of king's highway so much, better than the original version i think. 

 

Man RIP Howie. What a sad tale. His voice was golden. Also agree with this whole post

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hullabelew

hullabelew 3724

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41 minutes ago, Bogeywon said:

Man RIP Howie. What a sad tale. His voice was golden. Also agree with this whole post

Yep.  That clip made me cry.  What a sad, sad story.  Also, Stan Lynch may have been (or at least acted like )an asshole and he took a lot of shit for his studio antics, but that fucker was incredible in a live setting and his background vocals were an EXACT match for Petty's voice.  

And I agree, the Greatest American Rock Band.  And American Girl has been my favorite song since I first heard it on the debut album.  To write a song with that drive and that feeling and soul...and the motherfucker doesn't even rhyme.  

You can tell his back is killing him in this clip....his last two songs. 

 

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Cool story bro -- I went to the Erwin Center for a UT basketball game the day or two after a Tom Petty concert. Found a Tom Petty pick on the ground. Then I lost it somewhere.

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tbone_

tbone_ 14132

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With Stan and Howie and Carol Sue Hill at Live Aid in 85.  
This live version and the one from the Pack Up The Plantation tour just kick so much ass.  Mike's lead tone with Benmont's keyboard.  Momma.  
 

Honey don’t walk out cuz I’m too drunk to follow

One foot in the grave and one foot on the pedal, I was born a rebel


Two of my favorite lines in all of rock and roll
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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45986

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3 hours ago, hullabelew said:

With Stan and Howie and Carol Sue Hill at Live Aid in 85.  

This live version and the one from the Pack Up The Plantation tour just kick so much ass.  Mike's lead tone with Benmont's keyboard.  Momma.  

Oh shit, that has to be Al Chez on trumpet.  Dave Letterman's band, toured with everyone, tons of drum corps and band teaching experience.

Al Chez Tour Dates, Concert Tickets, & Live Streams

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45986

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"Wildflowers" is damn near a desert island disc for me.  At worst, it comes in a close second to "Damn The Torpedoes" in the Tom Petty catalog.  Such a stellar recording.  I think I'll put it on.  Goodness, the way the bass comes in on the 2nd verse of the leadoff (title) track . . . so rich, so simple, so perfect.  And then the whole band on the bridge.  A perfect example of a superior modern recording of a superior song.

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Bogeywon

Bogeywon 2519

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27 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

"Wildflowers" is damn near a desert island disc for me.  At worst, it comes in a close second to "Damn The Torpedoes" in the Tom Petty catalog.  Such a stellar recording.  I think I'll put it on.  Goodness, the way the bass comes in on the 2nd verse of the leadoff (title) track . . . so rich, so simple, so perfect.  And then the whole band on the bridge.  A perfect example of a superior modern recording of a superior song.

All of this… I cruise in my golf cart during summer evenings in michigan in my neighborhood and play this album

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45986

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9 minutes ago, Bogeywon said:

All of this… I cruise in my golf cart during summer evenings in michigan in my neighborhood and play this album

I put it on . . . I'm now on "Cabin Down Below".  Yep, just a phenomenal recording, first track to last.  Not a lot of reverb, but still lively, great tones, natural sounds, everything perfectly balanced.  Recorded at Sound City and Ocean Way, neither of which surprises me.  It's basically a Heartbreakers record with Steve Ferrone taking over for Stan Lynch on drums.  Frankly, I like Steve's playing a little bit better.

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Francisco 2.0

Francisco 2.0 32395

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Saw him live twice.  Both shows were memorable, in their own way.  But the show on the Mojo tour; they played Good Enough, and absolutely just let Campbell shred for what seemed like an eternity after the third verse.

That really has stuck with me.

FYI, if you are a Sirius subscriber, and get the app, you can access the entire library of Buried Treasure.   He really took his radio show seriously.  It's great to listen to him riff on this or that artist and what impact they had on his life.  

Oh, and American Girl is the ringtone for my wife.

 

 

 

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ohchaucer

ohchaucer 1443

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.  Frankly, I like Steve's playing a little bit better.


You aren’t alone. On this point, or the broader one about the album overall. Going even further, I actually think Wildflowers is my favorite Tom Petty song. I’ve been listening to him tons recently because of this thread and I love all of it so much and Damn the Torpedoes is one of the most influential albums of my youth. But I love the grace of Wildflowers (the track) - the orchestration, the restraint and simplicity, the subtly dramatic bridge. And interestingly it feels like a bridge to the Wilburys stuff.

I’ll also admit I’m probably in a rare group that absolutely loves the track Don’t Come Around Here No More. There’s something kinda soulful and blues and funk to it with a rock ballad veneer.
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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45986

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33 minutes ago, ohchaucer said:

I’ll also admit I’m probably in a rare group that absolutely loves the track Don’t Come Around Here No More. 

 

Oh, that one makes my top 5-10 Petty songs, no doubt.  Off the top of my head:

 

Breakdown

American Girl

Louisiana Rain

Wildflowers

Don't Come Around Here No More

Bonus:  Here Comes My Girl

 

The thing that kills me about "Wildflowers" is the sentiment:  I mean, what a lovely thing to say about someone -- "You belong among the wildflowers".  Again, just another example of Petty hitting leadoff in the top of the 1st inning and knocking the ball over the fence.

 

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ztejas

ztejas 43491

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On 1/1/2022 at 12:38 AM, jimmyjazz said:

I was ambivalent until many years after he broke.  I remember the day the light bulb came on -- I lived off Far West in NW Austin, spring 1986, giant apartment complex, and I headed up to the swimming pool to hang out.  I took my cassette boombox, and the only tape I could find was my roommate's copy of "Damn The Torpedoes".

For some reason, that day it clicked.  Might have been the smokin' hot undergrad in a bikini on the next chaise over, I'm not sure.  She dug the music, and then her dumbass football player boyfriend showed up.

I just kept that tape rolling.  That dude never even started.

Thanks for immediately contributing to the spirit of the thread from the first reply. I'm not sure I had a "lightbulb" moment but I've just noticed in the past couple years that whenever something Petty came on in the background it started sticking more and more in the front of my brain. 

 

On 1/3/2022 at 7:47 AM, smuggs said:

I was there too. We were real close to leaving when the storm came through and they left the stage. When he came back out and cranked back up with lightning still in the sky, holy shit that was an incredible set.

 

On 1/2/2022 at 8:07 PM, Kringelbert Fishtybuns said:

One of my favorite ACL Fest memories is Leaning to Fly in the rain.  That was before 2 weekends, ridiculous prices, and all the assholes putting their damn phones in the air.  His set got delayed due to the rain, but he still came on an hour late and played 2 hours.  
 

It stands as one of my favorite live music  experiences ever.

I should have been there... I was at that ACL and there that day but just too young to be in attendance without my parents and after he got rain delayed we opted to return to the car (it was a Sunday - I had school - lameness all around). Heard him begin his set as we were trudging up the hills into Barton Hills/Zilker where the car was. Sucks to suck I guess. 

On 1/4/2022 at 8:35 AM, stc said:

greatest american rock band.

I think this is right. 

I like Don't Come Around Here plenty. Not sure it cracks my top 5. That would be something like this - 

Breakdown

(American Girl is great but it feels like a cop out so I'll omit it)

Refugee

Don't Do Me Like That (wait - or maybe Here Comes My Girl. One of those)

The Waiting

Learning to Fly

 

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ztejas

ztejas 43491

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23 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Don't Do Me Like That (wait - or maybe Here Comes My Girl. One of those)

No - yeah - it's Don't Do Me Like That. So, so fucking crisp and perfectly in sync. Has a bit of a London Calling vibe to it (but airier and brighter - and of course Petty's vocals are quite different). Just a phenomenal track. 

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12470

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On 1/8/2022 at 4:37 AM, ztejas said:

So much here since I last got a chance to reply to anything. I have sone thoughts that I'll condense into a single post later. 

Loving this tonight. Wow. 

 

One of my favorites.  Love this version with Dave Grohl on drums.

 

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45986

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11 hours ago, TOR said:

What got me.

Epic Mike Campbell.  First, the iconic main guitar riff, which couldn't hardly be more simple.  Then, the solo in the outro, which starts out so easy any hack could play it, before he eventually shows off just a bit.

Petty and Campbell were every bit as wicked a duo as Lennon & McCartney or Jagger & Richards.

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TOR

TOR 5686

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29 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Epic Mike Campbell.  First, the iconic main guitar riff, which couldn't hardly be more simple.  Then, the solo in the outro, which starts out so easy any hack could play it, before he eventually shows off just a bit.

Petty and Campbell were every bit as wicked a duo as Lennon & McCartney or Jagger & Richards.

 

Dude is so underrated.

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ztejas

ztejas 43491

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My favorite Mike Campbell story actually didn't result in a Petty song. It was him offering Petty Boys of Summer then Don Henley picking up on it. Talk about a blind squirrel finding a nut. Maybe one of my 10 favorite rock songs. So fucking brilliant start to finish. My dad and I actually had a long text exchange about it recently. 

I guess Henley needed it more than Petty did. 

(Granted - Henley nailed the lyrics in a way that TP may not have. Talk about brilliance in its own right)

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AnotherUTFan

AnotherUTFan 9761

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Epic Mike Campbell.  First, the iconic main guitar riff, which couldn't hardly be more simple.  Then, the solo in the outro, which starts out so easy any hack could play it, before he eventually shows off just a bit.
Petty and Campbell were every bit as wicked a duo as Lennon & McCartney or Jagger & Richards.

Don't overlook Benmont Tench. It was a triple threat.
My favorite Mike Campbell story actually didn't result in a Petty song. It was him offering Petty Boys of Summer then Don Henley picking up on it. Talk about a blind squirrel finding a nut. Maybe one of my 10 favorite rock songs. So fucking brilliant start to finish. My dad and I actually had a long text exchange about it recently. 
I guess Henley needed it more than Petty did. 
(Granted - Henley nailed the lyrics in a way that TP may not have. Talk about brilliance in its own right)
Any TP fan really needs to read Warren Zanes's Tom Betty biography "Petty", and there is a lot of ink on this story. Tom was pretty upset about a hit that he let get away and was pretty controlling about Mike Campbell's ideas & contributions after that.
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