Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers #5: Long After Dark

 

Release Date: November 2, 1982

Members: Tom Petty (vocals, guitar); Mike Campbell (guitars); Benmont Tench (piano, organ); Howie Epstein (bass); Stan Lynch (drums)

Produced by Jimmy Iovine and Tom Petty

Side One: A One Story Town; You Got Lucky; Deliver Me; Change of Heart; Finding Out

Side Two: We Stand a Chance; Straight Into Darkness; The Same Old You; Between Two Worlds; A Wasted Life

With their fifth record, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers leaned further into a modern rock sound, a few of the tracks even sound truly New Wave with synthesizers and distorted guitars. 

"A One Story Town" is boilerplate small town blues rock, no doubt informed by Petty's hometown in Florida. "You Got Lucky" is moodier and benefits from the excellent musicianship and production. "Deliver Me" builds on a smooth melody, suitable for a campfire singalong, "Change of Heart" was a minor hit and illustrates Petty's gift for taking a simple notion and making it sound epic. "Finding Out" is unremarkable except for Mike Campbell's heavy guitar. 

"We Stand a Chance" is a hidden gem, sounding very much like The Cars. "Straight Into Darkness" is downbeat, but forceful. On the "The Same Old You" Petty allows the band to let loose a little. "Between Two Worlds" returns to familiar rock staples of life on the road, once again carried along by Campbell's distinct guitar leads. "Wasted Life" ends the record on an uneasy note.

Long After Dark is a middling album at best, still sounding vibrant but resting upon some recycled ideas. Floating between despair and hope, the songs point to a band trying to make the next big step, but not quite there yet. 

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers #4: Hard Promises

 

Release Date: May 5, 1981

Members: Tom Petty (vocals, guitar); Mike Campbell (guitars); Benmont Tench (piano, organ); Ron Blair (bass); Stan Lynch (drums)

Produced by Jimmy Iovine; Tom Petty

Side One: The Waiting; A Woman in Love (It's Not Me); Nightwatchman; Something Big; King's Road

Side Two: Letting You Go; A Thing About You; Insider; The Criminal Kind; You Can Still Change Your Mind

Hard Promises built off the momentum of Damn the Torpedoes, staying the course with a collection of more FM hits solidifying Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as a major force in rock during the 1980s. 

The cover is a photo of Petty browsing in a record store, alluding to a dispute with the record company over pricing, Petty insisted the record stay at the standard $8.98 rate. The album cover may reference the dispute, but also a charming reminder Petty himself was a fan of records. 

"The Waiting" remains a rock classic, irresistibly catchy with its killer hooks. It's also a testament to Petty's songwriting, taking a universal situation and providing a bit of comfort. "A Woman in Love" is a moodier track, "Nightwatchman" also rocks along distilling a Springsteen song down to its bare essence. "Something Big" works nicely as a middle track on the album, a story song with an edge, no doubt sordid tales of the music industry. "Kings Road" could be a sequel to "Century City" in a fish out of water take that was Petty's specialty. 

Petty also excelled at writing sunny rock songs with hints of late summer melancholy, "Letting You Go" being a great example. "A Thing About You" is charming in its lack of pretention. Stevie Nicks joined Petty on vocals on "Insider", another highlight of the record. "The Criminal Kind" is a neo-noir tale that roots itself in the blues. "You Can Still Change Your Mind" plays homage to dreamy California pop in a change of pace, ending the album on a soothing note.

Hard Promises is of a piece with Damn the Torpedoes, but more serious in tone. The band's reverential approach to making rock records allowed them to tap into writing those rare songs that hit a universal note, while avoiding falling into being a mere retro band. Petty's precision songwriting and the pristine musicianship of the band suggested a longevity that would elude their peers.  

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers #3: Damn the Torpedoes

Release Date: October 19, 1979

Members: Tom Petty (vocals, guitar); Mike Campbell (guitars); Benmont Tench (piano, organ); Ron Blair (bass); Stan Lynch (drums)

Produced by Jimmy Iovine

Side One: Refugee; Here Comes My Girl; Even the Losers; Shadow of a Doubt (A Complex Kid); Century City

Side Two: Don't Do Me Like That; You Tell Me; What Are You Doin in My Life?; Louisiana Rain

Damn the Torpedoes launched Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to superstardom after their promising first two albums. The album yielded four hit singles: "Refugee", "Here Comes My Girl," "Even the Losers," and "Don't Do Me Like That." 

"Refugee" channeled primal rock and roll with its supple statement of defiance, lyrically vague enough to make it relatable to many. All cylinders were firing from the jump: Petty's iconic vocal, the melodic guitars, and Tench's keyboard smoothing out the edges. "Here Come My Girl" channels angst, desperation, and salvation. Petty's "talkin" delivery brings an edge and passion to an otherwise conventional love song. "Even the Losers" is more pop perfection, Petty knows his audience. "Shadow if a Doubt (A Complex kid)" is about another mystery girl, with another great vocal from Petty, a voice relatable with great details to make the song unique. "Century City" evokes the chaos and splendor of California life. 

"Don't Do Me Like That" opens with one of the iconic intros in rock history. Even though it was overplayed on FM classic rock radio, the beats and the riffs remain catchy as hell. Imagine a sunny day in the late 70s, this song just might send you there. "You Tell Me" is more conniving and hints at a darker relationship, and let the band go into something approaching a jam. "What Are You Doin' In My Life" taps into the country rock influence on the band. The closer "Louisiana Rain" could easily be a country song, but Petty and the Heartbreakers transform it into an epic rock song.

There's a progression on Damn the Torpedoes, charting Petty's growth as a songwriter. Petty's contemporary Bruce Springsteen reimagined rock as a mythological landscape to write his tortured ruminations on modern America. Yet Petty made it all look so easy, channeling early rock into a fresh sound, creating something singular in the era of Punk and New Wave.