Dissed by some PE folks, and I've never bought any of his releases, but I'm getting interested. I can figure out the music on my own, but what's the best TP book to read? at Amazon I see 'Rock N Roll Guardian' , 'Conversations With..." and 'An American Rock n Roll Story.' and I do mean 'book' - not kindle.
I can't help you out with books.
I did quite enjoy some of his early Heartbreakers albums, notably Damn the Torpedoes and Long After Dark - good rock, without being groundbreaking. His stuff does tend to have a sameness to it though.
Not sure on books either, but I highly recommend ECHO
" My advice is to get them off right after your shoes and before your trousers... that's the sock gap. Miss it and suddenly you're a naked man in socks. No self-respecting woman will let a naked man in socks do the squelchy with her. "
http://thefairlysecretarmy.bandcamp.com/
http://wavesofmercury.bandcamp.com/
I'm not sure why someone would want to read a book by an artist they don't own anything by but I suppose it's not my place to judge. Anyway, I'm not that much of a fan. I will say I don't dislike him as much as I used to though. He sort of grows on you after a while. "Don't come around here no more" is the only song by him I have always liked.
Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)
Big fan but I've never read any of the books. Tom is always an entertaining interview and will always have a few "bite the hand that feeds" lines about the record industry and radio.
That 4 disc live compilation The Live Anthology is just an asskicker.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I didn't own anything by Jaco Pastorius, when I read is biography. I don't own anything by Frank Zappa and read a book on him. I only have Bill Bruford with Yes and UK and own his autobiography. Musicians whose music I don't really appreciate, still can have something interersting to say.Originally Posted by Digital_Man
Sometimes it helps you get into an artist more by reading or watching about the history and making of the albums.
I know this is true for me with the making of Opeths Damnation/Deliverance albums...I didn't have much interest in Opeth before then.
And with Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town documentaries, it helped me understand and appreciate those albums ten times more.
This is a good interview on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIJc3HQBUEI
" My advice is to get them off right after your shoes and before your trousers... that's the sock gap. Miss it and suddenly you're a naked man in socks. No self-respecting woman will let a naked man in socks do the squelchy with her. "
http://thefairlysecretarmy.bandcamp.com/
http://wavesofmercury.bandcamp.com/
Usually though, musicians are known for their music -- not their prose.
A few musician autobiographies are really good. Most are not.
I liked Petty back in the day. If one can appreciate where I grew up (west TN) and the limited exposure i had to the modern world then you'd understand that for a roots rocker he had almost a punk vibe to me on some of his early work. I lost interest in him during the late '80s when he seemed obsessed with sounding like Dylan or the Animals.
The interviews & watching them play together on YT are why I want to read a book. I'm glad I reread your post; the first time I was wondering what you meant by 'asslicker.' 'asskicker' I understand
Quote Originally Posted by Rarebird V
Musicians whose music I don't really appreciate, still can have something interesting to say.
I don't care for Bill Wyman's or Keith Richards' solo material, but I have 'Life' and 'Stone Alone.' for whatever reason, I'm not interested in any Jagger bios. for why I want to read about Petty, see post above this.
How many times have you been to his shows?
True but I don't really understand the inclination to want to read about someone if you aren't already a fan. I read a book about the Rolling Stones and have never heard that many of their albums but I have heard some and I certainly don't hate them. I guess maybe it's a way to get interested in a band or artist.
Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)
Slightly off topic... the first time I heard Tom Petty, or heard of him, was at some store in New York City. The song "Here Comes My Girl" was playing on the speakers. I recall thinking "Wow, the Rolling Stones haven't sounded this good in ages!"
I think up through Southern Accents, his stuff was damn solid. For “mainstream rock,” you could not get better. And I love the “psychedelic” production on “Don’t Come Around Here No More.”
Some of his later work I find extremely annoying, in particular songs like “Last Dance With Mary Jane*,” “Free Fallin’” and “You Don’t Know How It Feels.” Though the latter is somewhat entertaining to listen to on the radio (“Let’s get to the point, and let’s roll another TNIOOOOOOOJ!”).
*I admit I am biased against this one as I absolutely cannot stand “speak-singing” in rock and pop songs. Probably why I have such an aversion to rap/hip hop, at least in part, but it also extends to stuff like Diana Ross’ version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and that subspecies of French chanson where they just narrate the verses (think “Gigi l’amoroso,” but most of the examples are from male vocalists).
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
Another one I've tried with, but never got much beyond thinking they were 'just OK'. Seemed a bit stuck in the mid 60s to me, and I would listen to the original source every time.
It isn't about their prose, but about their ideas on music and that's what interests me. I don't care about how many women they slept with.
It it's about autobiographies, I felt Joe Jackson's book 'A cure to gravity' a much more interesting read than Keith Emerson's book 'Pictures of an exhibitionist'.
I've been a casual fan since the first album; I've enjoyed hearing him/them on radio (when I still listened to radio regularly); just never bought anything. I consider Petty an intriguing interview, which is enough for me to want to read a book about him, and watching concert footage of him & the HBs on YT sparks my interest in their music. Browsing their studio work, I'm thinking they're at their best on stage,so I'll probably get some live releases, but I'd still like to get some studio CDs.
Interesting. Just last week I revisited my Tom Petty collection…
I break up Petty's recorded career like this:
• s/t (1976) - Long After Dark (1982)
The early era was rocking and had a great energy from album to album. Petty's distinct voice is love/hate, at times. Sometimes I hear a ballad of his and think it would be better sung by someone else. Still, there are some classic tracks in those early years. Fun time rock 'n roll. The duets he did with Stevie Nicks are keepers.
• Southern Accents (1985) - Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) (1987)
Slick production seemed to dominate the mid-late 80s for Petty. The music did seem to lose some of that hunger and raw energy from the earlier era. Some fans cite "You Got Lucky" (from 1982's Long After Dark), as the dawn of things to come -- and not in a good way. I liked it all. Southern Accents seems to be the beginning of the polarization for some fans. This is also where the boys began fighting about musical direction and Petty's high-profile music buddies started to interest Petty enough to work with them. Petty/Heartbreakers toured with Bob Dylan in this time. Still, through the glossy production of some of the tracks, there were still gems to be had. Some very good songs came from this era, "Runaway Trains", being one.
• 1988-1991 The Lynne Era
Jeff Lynne played a heavy part in the sound and feel in Petty's music during these years. Lynne was everywhere with the Wilbury guys: George Harrison's Cloud 9 and The Traveling Wilbury's Vol. 1 being released in 1988, then Petty's 1989 solo album, Full Moon Fever, and Roy Orbison's Mystery Girl. The vibe was very similar from project to project, especially with many of the Wilbury musician's appearing on other albums. There are those radio friendly tunes, but there are some Petty staples, for sure. Even though Petty was in a different frame of mind than in his earlier years, he had some tracks that seemed to harken back to to his early years like "Runnin' Down A Dream". I can see "Out In The Cold" as being from his early years, also.
Another collaboration that I enjoyed (but that Lynne was not a part of) was with Roger McGuinn from Roger's 1991 album Back From Rio. Their song "King Of The Hill" is wonderful. If you haven't heard this track, check it out, for sure!
•Greatest Hits (1993) - Wildflowers (1994)
This is where I started to defect from drinking the Petty Kool-Aid. "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and "Wreck Me" are the last songs I could minimally get into.
• (1995-current)
I have most discs, but can only find a few decent songs here and there. I should revisit this era further.
He started losing me with his southern twang that kept creeping into the mix more and more. Harmonica is a deal breaker for me, most times. I never fancied any of Petty's Mudcrutch material. Having said that, Southern Accents is my favorite album of his -- go figure!Some of his later work I find extremely annoying, in particular songs like “Last Dance With Mary Jane*,” “Free Fallin’” and “You Don’t Know How It Feels.” Though the latter is somewhat entertaining to listen to on the radio (“Let’s get to the point, and let’s roll another TNIOOOOOOOJ!”
I was a somewhat of a big Tom Petty. In Los Angeles, you couldn't escape him on rock radio from the late 70s through the mid 90s. I have friends who say that he was never played much in their parts of the U.S. I've seen him in concert a dozen or so times and he/they always put on a superb show.
Here are two playlists I recently went through.
Early years:
1985-1994:
I've downloaded a show from Guitars101. haven't heard it yet, but I plan to get some official live releases, including the live anthology. They're captivating on stage from what I've seen on YT.
First time I heard Last Dance With Mary Jane, I thought it was Bob Dylan backed by CSNY. Good song. Not a fan but I dig that song.
for Mike Campbell, the master of the economical guitar solo.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I really like nearly all the Petty songs I've heard on radio. I'm hoping the albums have some good material that never got on radio, which is usually the case. I don't mind that the songs are radio-friendly because (imo) they're so good anyway. If I have a complaint, it's that most of them are too short. I'm accustomed to hearing songs that last anywhere from 4 or 5 to 20 or more minutes.
I don't know about TP books but i can tell you Hypnotic Eye is a damn fine album, a high point if you ask me.
I have also had a recent revisit to my Tom Petty collection (most everything up to Wallflowers), this was sparked off by seeing a re-run of the Classic Albums TV show for Damn The Torpedoes. I have only just picked up Hypnotic Eye too, but after the few spins I have given it in the car this week, my thoughts are definitely positive.
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