For my money Tom Petty has and always will be the perfect encapsulation of American heartland rock. Throughout his career he showed an innate ability to combine the blues, traditional country, garage rock, British invasion, rock and roll, and folk songwriting sensibilities to create some of the finest works of art found in classic rock. Everything I love about rock and roll is found in Petty’s catalogue– electric guitars perfectly distorted and warm, a thumping percussion section that pushes the pace ever so slightly, whirling organs that fill out the high end, bass lines that add color but never distract, and Petty’s slurred nasal delivery that echoes Bob Dylan but finds its own place in rock history.
Damn The Torpedoes was Petty’s breakout album that ended up going double platinum and it’s easy to see why– backed by The Heartbreakers, this nine song effort is nearly flawless in delivering all the classic rock goods in an indubitably tight package that doesn’t waste a single second. You have Petty staples “Here Comes My Girl”, “Even the Losers”, and “Don’t Do Me Like That” alongside excellent deep cuts like “You Tell Me” and “Louisiana Rain”, the latter of which is clearly an undeniable
And then there’s “Refugee” which remains my favorite Petty song of all time. It encapsulates all of what makes Petty great– a nasty guitar hook to kick off the song, a beautifully dense and arranged verse, the little turnaround pre-chorus that sends you headed towards the chorus like a train, and a soaring chorus with a call-and-response vocal hook that begs to be sung along with. It also features what I consider to be a quintessential Petty calling card, the way he and the band sort of sit down in on the “1” to kick off the chorus and explode into an upstroke on the “2” that brings you out of your seat.
Once you hear it you can’t unhear it, and that’s a good thing. It’s simply just one element of what made him so fantastic.
Standout Songs: “Refugee”, “Even The Losers”, “Don’t Do Me Like That”, “You Tell Me”
Matthew. 