Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever (1989)

Today marks the 9th anniversary of the commencement of this blog. I wracked my brain about which CD to feature for the occasion and the only thing that came to mind was the song Revolution 9 by The Beatles. But I've already covered the White Album back in 2014, so that's out. So while engaging in some lucid dreaming at work one recent afternoon, I had the idea to check out what was #1 on the Billboard Compact Disks chart for September 9, 1989. (9/9/89 - work with me here, folks). Petty's Full Moon Fever? Sold! (literally)

The CD chart appeared in Billboard from June 1, 1985 through March 31, 1990

Yes, I realize I should have gone with the #9 album on the chart, but I'm not really a Skid Row kinda guy.

Billboard, May 6, 1989, p. 83

It's a great album with hits a'plenty:

Song	Hot 100	Rock	AC
I Won't Back Down	12	1
Free Fallin'	7	1	17
Runnin' Down a Dream	23	1
Feel a Whole Lot Better		18
Love is a Long Road		7
A Face in the Crowd	46	5
Yer So Bad		5

Yes, the sonic connection with the Wilburys is evident and don't overlook the impact of ELO's Jeff Lynne. Lots of 12-string acoustic and Beatlesque background vocals on this thing.

Update: In its 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone ranked Full Moon Fever at #298.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #3
• Billboard Pop CD: #1

Tracks:

1. Free Fallin': identifiable from the opening guitar strums. For reasons unknown, this is one of the few songs that I actually listen to (and enjoy) the lyrics. Now if only I can remove the image of Tom Cruise from my head every time I hear the thing.
2. I Won't Back Down: this thing became a rock anthem almost immediately at the time of release. And, for my money, it's the closest thing to a Heartbreakers tune on the album. Those background vocals though - fanfreakin'tastic.
3. Love Is A Long Road: if this track doesn't remind you of The Who, you need more Who in your life.
4. A Face In The Crowd: one of two filler tracks on the disc, it's a pleasant enough mid-tempo cut, but really it's just setting us up for...
5. Runnin' Down A Dream: the highlight of the album and maybe the best song ever recorded for playing at an obscenely loud volume in a fast car on a lonely highway. And I have.
6. Attention CD Listeners*/Feel A Whole Lot Better: a faithful cover of a 1965 Byrds tune. And while I normally don't like appreciate rote cover versions, the writing is so good and Petty's voice is so unique that I can't help but love the thing, especially that hooky chord change in the chorus.
7. Yer So Bad: I don't care much for the verse (did he just try to rhyme "lucky" with "yuppie"?), but the chorus is classic Petty.
8. Depending On You: see comment above, but the chorus hook is much better than the previous cut.
9. The Apartment Song: a fun romp where Southern rock meets roots rock. I half-expect Rockpile to be singing the background and harmony vocals.
10. Alright For You: the other filler track. At least this lullaby is brief.
11. A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own: that Bo Diddley beat is irresistible from the get-go.
12. Zombie Zoo: the best song about child prostitution since Nick Gilder's Hot Child In The City? Depending on my mood, this might be a third filler cut, but sometimes the Farfisa organ saves it for me. 

For more information on the brief life of the CD longbox,
go visit The Legend of the Longbox.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: So why didn't I have this album back in 1989? Well, in August of that year, I not only got married, I also started my first teaching job. (For what it's worth, doing such things during the same month is not recommended.) So, in addition to being distracted by wedding planning and job hunting, I had absolutely no money for CDs which, at the time, were listed at $9.98 ($20.65 in today's money; I paid $3.57 for my used copy of Full Moon Fever, including shipping). That first teaching job only lasted a year, but the marriage is at 30 years and counting.

*a hidden track in the pregap of the track, at the point where cassette or LP listeners would have to flip sides to continue. The track consists of the following tongue-in-cheek monologue by Petty, over a background of barnyard noises:

"Hello, CD listeners. We've come to the point in this album where those listening on cassette, or record, will have to stand up, or sit down, and turn over the record, or tape. In fairness to those listeners, we'll now take a few seconds before we begin side two. Thank you. Here's side two."

This needless shtick plays off the relative newness of the CDs in 1989. While they had been around for about 7 years at that point, CDs were just beginning to become mainstream and readily available.  At least that was the case in my little world where I was only the third person I knew to purchase a player and that happened in January 1988. Other reminders from early CD releases are present on this CD's back insert:

(abbreviation explained below)

Previously revisited for the blog:
Highway Companion (2006)