Mudcrutch #1: Mudcrutch

Release Date: April 29, 2008

Personnel: Tom Petty (vocals, bass); Mike Campbell (guitars); Benmont Tench (piano, organ); Tom Leadon (guitar, vocals); Randall Marsh (drums) 

Produced by Tom Petty; Mike Campbell; Ryan Ulyate

List of Tracks: Shady Grove; Scare Easy; Orphan of the Storm; Six Days on the Road; Crystal River; Oh Maria; This is a Good Street; The Wrong Thing to Do; Queen of the Go-Go Girls; June Apple; Lover of the Bayou; Topanga Cowgirl; Bootleg Flyer; House of Stone

Mudcrutch was an earlier incarnation of the Heartbreakers back when Petty and his bandmates entered the music scene. While the core of the Heartbreakers remained intact with Petty, Campbell, and Tench all playing on the record, original members from the 1970s Tom Leadon and Randall Marsh also joined them. The tenor of the record leaned more into country rock, a genre having a resurgence in the late 2000s as the Americana genre. 

The album opens with the traditional "Shady Grove" sounding like alt-country bands of the era. "Scare Easy" is a strong track, channeling early Petty songs but sounding more seasoned in sound and vocal style. "Orphan of the Storm" segue ways into country rock, channeling Gram Parsons. Next is a reworked version of the country classic "Six Days on the Road." 

At nine minutes, "Crystal River" is the centerpiece of the record, a spacey jam with Campbell's guitar taking over. "Oh Maria" is another mellow interlude, much in the vein of Wildflowers. Benmont Tench contributed 'This is a Good Street", a bluesy rocker. Petty's "The Wrong Thing to Do" lifts a lyric from a Dylan song done also in the style of late period Bob. 

Tom Leadon wrote and performed "Quenn of the Go-Go Girls", an homage to the Flying Burrito Brothers. "June Apple" is an instrumental, pure Americana. "Lover of the Bayou" covers a deep cut from the Byrds, as Petty once again revisits some foundational influences. 

"Topanga Cowgirl" jauntily indulges in Western imagery, then "Bootleg Flyer", now that sounds like a Heartbreakers song straight out of 1978!  "House of Stone" returns to country rock to end the record on a spirited note.

Mudcrutch got Petty back in touch with his past, many of the songs tap into his influences and allowed him to reconnect with his old lineup. A mostly solid collection of tunes. While Petty remains the frontman, stepping aside to highlight other members was a nice change of pace. 

Tom Petty #3: Highway Companion

Release Date: July 26, 2006

Personnel: Tom Petty (vocals, guitar); Mike Campbell (guitars); Jeff Lynne (bass, guitars, keyboards)

Produced by Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, and Jeff Lynne

List of Tracks: Saving Grace; Square One; Flirting with Time; Down South; Jack; Turn This Car Around; Big Weekend; Night Driver; Damaged by Love; This Old Town; Ankle Deep; The Golden Rose

Highway Companion would be the third and final Tom Petty solo record. While generally not regarded to be at the level of Full Moon Fever or Wildflowers, the record leans into Petty's pop sensibilities making for a listen that goes down easily. 

"Saving Grace" is from the perspective of a weary traveler mystified by post-9/11 America. Mike Campbell's guitar add a hint of unease. "Square One" is a tender acoustic ballad on surviving the long haul. "Flirting With Time" has fun with a catchy chorus, like a jaunty outtake from the Traveling Wilbury sessions. "Down South" muses on southern childhood memories and family ghosts, once again Petty sounds centered. "Jack" offers some muted swamp rock, "Turn This Car Around" evokes Wildflowers with its steady energy and lo-fi qualities echoing '90s Petty.

"Big Weekend" plays as easy going country rock. "Night Driver" is exactly what the title promises, weary driving under a star filled sky. "Damaged by Love" is adjacent in theme to "Freefallin" but more downbeat. "This Old Town" follows a character stuck in a boring town, once again a haunted echo of "Here Comes My Girl." "Ankle Deep" gets a bit derivative, "The Golden Rose" touches on mythical themes of love and time passing.

Highway Companion also failed to produce hits like Petty's two previous solo efforts, perhaps adding to the dismissive attitude of critics. But for a lazy summer afternoon record one could do much worse, perhaps that's what Tom intended. 

 

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers #11: The Last DJ

Release Date: October 8, 2002

Personnel: Tom Petty (vocals, guitar); Mike Campbell (guitars); Benmont Tench (piano, organ); Scott Thurston (guitar); Steve Ferrone (drums); Ron Blair (bass)

Produced by Tom Petty; Mike Campbell; George Drakoulias

List of Tracks: The Last DJ; Money Becomes King; Dreamville; Joe; When a Kid Goes Bad; Like a Diamond; Lost Children; Blue Sunday; You and Me; The Man Who Loves Women; Have Love Will Travel; Can't Stop the Sun

The Last DJ proved to be one of Petty's most impassioned albums, a broadside against the increasing corporatization of America as the millennium passed. For erstwhile young fans of classic rock in the post-9/11 era like me, the album carried real weight. 

The demise of terrestrial radio and Top 40 culture accelerated rapidly during the 2000s and the opening track takes aim at the homogenization of mass media. The radio DJ was a part of the mythos of post-war culture, playing rock and roll and acting as intermediary between artist and audience. By the 2000s radio DJs were assigned management approved playlists. After 9/11, Clear Channel Communication infamously circulated a list of banned songs in an ominous move of stinking of censorship. Petty finds an outlaw hope in the song, imagining a renegade DJ starting a channel in Mexico. Despite the exuberance, the nostalgia feels more fantastical than real.

Most of the record echoes with the theme. "Money Became King" follows a rock star who once had integrity but caved to corporate interests, a kind of darker companion to "Into the Great Wide Open." "Dreamville" switches gears, recalling a childhood memory with hints of psychedelia. "Joe" imagines a callous record company CEO exploiting artists for profit in a sharp character study. "When a Kid Goes Bad" is a steady rocker that breaks into a jam. "Like a Diamond" lands with a lighter touch, pleasantly mellow. Another tale of protecting artistic purity, "Lost Children" features more excellent guitar work from Mike Campbell. 

The albums second half turns inward. "Blue Sunday" drifts into acoustic territory, with hints of country rock and heat-soaked dashboards. "You and Me" evokes '60s folk rock simplicity, "The Man Who Loves Women" is a cheerful ditty. "Have Love Will Travel" is classic Petty, drawing on American archetypes of resilience and the open road. "Can't Stop the Sun" closes out the record with a gesture towards epic rock, providing scale to the album's final moments.  

The Last DJ remains a strong - and at times fiercely impassioned effort- by Petty and the Heartbreakers. The album's critiques of corporate America still carry punch and relevance. The more introspective second half may not hit as hard, but the album solidified Petty as an elder statesman of rock, a role he would inhabit for the rest of his career.