Tom Petty #1: Full Moon Fever

Release Date: April 24, 1989

Personnel: Tom Petty (vocals, guitar); Mike Campbell (guitars); Jeff Lynne (bass, guitars, keyboard); Phil Jones (percussion)

Produced by Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, and Jeff Lynne 

Side One: Free Fallin'; I Won't Back Down; Love is a Long Road; A Face in the Crowd; Runnin' Down a Dream

Side Two: Feel a Whole Lot Better; Yer So Bad; Depending on You; The Apartment Song; Alright For Now; A Mind with a Heart of Its Own; Zombie Zoo

Full Moon Fever would be the first of three albums Tom Petty recorded as a solo artist. After his previous record with Heartbreakers, Let Me Up (I've Had Enough), Petty had written a new batch of songs leaning in more pop direction to the chagrin of his bandmates, so he decided to make an album on his own, but members of the Heartbreakers still participated in the recording sessions. By this time, Petty was also recording music with The Traveling Wilburys, the supergroup including Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne (would help produce Full Moon Fever), and credited the experience for leading to a new burst of creativity. 

"Free Fallin" instantly became iconic with its dreamy hooks and nostalgic lyrics. Its themes of artistic liberation and detached bliss remain powerful, perhaps Tom Cruise expressed it best in Jerry Maguire. "I Won't Back Down" served as a clear-eyed mission statement, a recalcitrant rocker at the end of history. George Harrison played guitar and provided backup vocals, never a bad idea to have a Beatle at your side. "Love is a Long Road" was perfectly suited for a Heartbreakers record, co-written with Mike Campbell, the synth sound and melodic guitars perfectly evoked surreal dark highways. "A Face in the Crowd" might be my favorite on the record, lyrically and vocally one of Petty's great achievements. "Runnin' Down a Dream" proved another triumph, a classic rock staple of evergreen quality with killer solo by Campbell. 

Side two opens with jaunty cover of "Feel a Whole Lot Better" by The Byrds. "Yer So Bad" satirized yuppie and supermarket tabloid culture. 'Depending on You" was high quality filler, "The Apartment Song" is another quirky track, I especially like the lyrics, "I'm ok, most of the time/I just feel a little lonely tonight." "Alright for Now" is a tender, stripped down ballad. "A Mind with a Heart of Its Own" and "Zombie Zoo" end the record on a playful note, the latter a karaoke staple. 

Full Moon Fever marked a creative triumph for Petty, ending the decade on a high note.