Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Hard Promises (1981)

Some of the press for this album's release focused on its price point:

Musician, July 1981, p. 43

Adjusted for inflation, 1981's $8.98 is today's $26.17. As of this writing, list price of new vinyl of Hard Promises is $24.98 so that's pretty darn close. All of which has absolutely nothing to do with the music, but I was curious so there ya go.

There's some fun rockers on here, but I find myself zeroing in on Benmont Tench's organ work which seemingly holds all the arrangements together. Overall, this album is front-loaded and doesn't stand up to repeated, active listening but it's fine for background music or if you've got a Petty shuffle playing on the back porch. The critics liked it better than me:

Press of the time:

• Smash Hits: "mastered that balance between muscle and elegance"
• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "rescued and transfigured by Petty's newly soulful singing"
• Trouser Press: "his most modest effort yet"
• Musician: "sounds Byrdsy, with a dollop of Merle Haggard"
• High Fidelity: "another hard-won victory"
• Record Mirror (★★★★★): "10 real peaches"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #5
• Billboard Rock: #1
• CashBox: #4
• Rolling Stone: #1

Tracks: The album's singles got airplay aplenty (at least on the stations I was listening to in '81). The first three tracks all charted in Billboard: The Waiting (#19 pop, #1 rock), A Woman In Love (#79 pop, #5 rock), and Nightwatchman (#21 rock). I like all three of those, particularly Nightwatchman which might be the best cut on the album. Of the remaining filler tracks, I like Kings Road, The Criminal Kind, and Letting You Go, the latter sounding like something Nick Lowe might have written. I'm not a fan when Petty oddly affects an exaggerated (Southern? Dylan?) accent such as in Something Big - I don't see the point. Speaking of Petty's voice: while I don't care much for track 8, Insider, I gotta admit Petty's voice paired well with that of Stevie Nicks; I'm glad they recorded together. If I'd owned this album in '81, I feel sure I would have spun side 1 much more often than side 2.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Highway Companion (2006)
Full Moon Fever (1989)

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 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)

Tom Petty - Highway Companion (2006)

Contrary to the title, this is not music for driving on the highway. For me, anyway. One critic described the album as "reliable" which isn't exactly a compliment. I was hoping for Full Moon Fever again or, at least, a great highway single like Runnin' Down A Dream. I need something more upbeat for driving. You're better off buying Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' 1993 greatest hits package. Awesome cover art by Robert Deyber, though. Curiously, a "special edition" of this CD with 4 additional tracks was released in 2007, less than a year after the initial release. Classy move, Warner Bros.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #4 (Aug 12, 2006)

Tracks: The opener, Saving Grace, is promising, but things gear down quickly. There are a couple of good songs scattered throughout: Down South and Jack. I also like Night Driver, not because it's a great road song, but because it sounds like a Zero 7 track. The rest? Reliable, just not very memorable.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I was on the road much more than usual in the fall of 2006, so I bought this CD literally as a highway companion. I think I listened to it once in the car before putting it away, unsatisfied.