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RSS Feed UAWIL #307: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1976)
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers debut is turning 50 - you know Breakdown and American Girl is an alltime classic. But was there anything else on the debut that foreshadowed the career of one of the greatest songwriters of his generation?
Although Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers would go onto become one of the greatest American rock bands of the last quarter of the 20th century, their self-titled 1976 debut wasn't a splash. In fact, they had to go to England and get on UK tv for the word to really start to spread. In fact, the You Got Lucky video was the first time your hosts ever knew who Tom Petty was or anything about the band. And honestly, at the time the video and song didn't knock us out.
But over time we developed a real appreciation for Tom's songwriting as he and the band developed as people and musicians. Once The Wolf arrived at the University of Florida in 1996, he was a fan and thank goodness as TP is played every 4-5 songs on Gainesville radio. But having that understanding of where the band came from and their influences helped us understand how good and relatable Petty's songs really are.
American Girl is an alltime classic, played at full volume by women all over the US. The driving guitar combines Gainesville's own Bo Diddley guitar rhythm with The Byrds jangle that is the backbone of one of the band's greatest songs. Many of the songs are about trying to get out of a small time for a better life (American Girl, Hometown Blues, Mystery Man) or girls you maybe should or shouldn't be with (Breakdown, The Wild One Forever, Anything That's Rock N Roll). But Luna is a sweet song about the power of the night and Strangered in the Night tells the story of a murder in a parking lot (and mentions one of The Wolf's old G-Ville haunts, the Silver Q pool hall).
The fact that bassist Ron Blair had only recently joined Tom, guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench who'd come to LA as Mudcrutch meant that they needed to learn to play together on this record. It may not be their biggest or best but it's the foundation that the band were built on and while they would improve as musicians and songwriters, the debut is a great snapshot of a band on their way up.
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