TomPetty- Damn the Torpedoes (1979)

I always think it's fun to look back on familiar artists to their earlier, and lesser known work. In many cases, these tracks are better off forgotten, but sometimes we can find the roots of later sounds. While I am old enough to have been listening to albums when this vinyl album debuted, I only listened to it quite recently. I've been listening to Tom Petty since Scott put on "Full Moon Fever" in 1989. It still stands today as one of the best rock albums made in my opinion.

When I found Damn the Torpedoes, I recognized some of the other tracks, like "Refugee," and "Even the Losers" from a Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers greatest hits album. However, the rest I have not heard before. In fact, there were several well known popular songs that I wasn't sure if this was a greatest hits album. However, it's not, as it is the third Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers album, and this historically was the one that put them on the map.

A late '70's album, it surprisingly doesn't sound dated as well. Damn the Torpedoes is Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker's third album. It is a mix of solid classic rock, with a pinch of Southern rock, with two pinches of punk rock. Here's the tracklist:

Refugee
Here Comes My Girl
Even The Losers
Shadow Of A Doubt (A Complex Kid)
Century City
Don't Do Me Like That
You Tell Me
What Are You Doin' In My Life?
Louisiana Rain

To my ear, out of these tracks, there really isn't a bad song in the mix. Even the stuff that would have been on the B-side of the vinyl record (remember those?) still aged well through the years. What results is a classic American rock album that bridges the gap between late 70's, but avoids the artificial electronics that took over during the '80's. Even well known tracks have a few surprises, like that the original version of "Even the Losers" started with a drum solo, and not as the cleaned up version that we've heard on the radio.

This is the best album I've heard in quite some time, hence why I finally have a music review to contribute. Ok, I'll go back to reading books now...

Overall Grade: A+

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