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Review |
Rather than analyze new
releases song by song, we offer 'overviews' designed to give you a
better idea of how likely you are to like the album as a whole. Click on
the cover art to hook up with more reviews. And Listen for
yourself. Sample songs from the release through the player below the
review.
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 Damn
The Torpedoes
A powerful reminder of why albums matter.
The new documentary that chronicles the making of Damn The Torpedoes,
the 1979 breakthrough release from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, is
a great inside look at the creative process behind an outstanding album. It
also reveals a lot about why the Heartbreakers outlasted almost all
of their contemporaries.
The first two releases from the Heartbreakers achieved only modest
success but got the attention of producer Jimmy Iovine (John
Lennon, Bruce Springsteen), who brought in Engineer Shelly Yakus
(John Lenon, Dire Straits, Van Morrison, Bob Seger) to work on the
band's third release. Both were blown away by the songwriting and vocals of
Petty and the unique sound the band was creating.
Iovine, Yakus, Petty, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench give
wonderful accounts of how the project developed, with a lot of the dialog
involving Petty, Iovine and Campbell taking place while the
three sit at at the recording console isolating vocal and instrumental
tracks from the original sessions to make their points. What emerges is a
full picture not only of the making of the record, but also of the creative
dynamic within the band. The spontaneous interaction gives you a good sense
of how intense but comfortable the process must have been.
The respect and regard members of the band have for each other also comes
through. Members of most bands that have stayed together as long as the
Heartbreakers avoid being in the company of one another a moment longer
than they have to be. They convene only to tour, do only old songs and
leave in separate limos, tour busses or jets. Not only are Petty and
company continuing to make new music together, they seem to still love the
process.
The account of how this album was made and how it was received is also makes
the case for how important albums were in forming a lasting bond between
bands and fans. Individual track downloads are like one night stands. It
wasn't just the top couple of tracks on Damn The Torpedoes
that made millions of people Tom Petty fans - it was the brilliance
of the whole damn album.
MORE TOM PETTY INSIGHTS
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