Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers LP

Description

At the timeTom Petty & the Heartbreakers‘ debut was released in 1976, they were fresh enough to almost be considered punk. They weren’t as reckless or visionary asthe Ramones, but they shared a similar love for pure ’60s rock and, forthe Heartbreakers, that meant embracingthe Byrdsas much asthe Stones. And that’s pretty much what this album is — tuneful jangle balanced by a tough garage swagger. At times, the attitude and the sound override the songwriting, but that’s alright, since the slight songs (“Anything That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll,” to pick a random example) are still infused with spirit and an appealing surface.Petty & the Heartbreakersfeel underground on this album, at least to the extent that power pop was underground in 1976; withDwight Twilleyproviding backing vocals for “Strangered in the Night,” the similarities between the two bands (adherence to pop hooks and melodies, love of guitars) become apparent.Pettywound up eclipsingTwilleybecause he rocked harder, something that’s evident throughout this record. Take the closer “American Girl” — it’s aByrdssong by any other name, but he pushedthe Heartbreakersto treat it as a rock & roll song, not as something delicate. There are times where the album starts to drift, especially on the second side, but the highlights — “Rockin’ Around (With You),” “Hometown Blues,” “The Wild One, Forever,” the AOR staples “Breakdown” and “American Girl” — still illustrate how refreshingPetty & the Heartbreakerssounded in 1976. -All Music Guide