Review of Tom Petty's album w/LB mention

[Karen]

**There is an interesting comparison between The Last DJ and Out of the Cradle in this review from The Miami Herald (October 11, 2002). Just wanted to share it with everyone. **

Tom Petty takes another slap at the system

TOM PETTY
and the
HEARTBREAKERS

The Last DJ
(Warner Bros.)
* * *

There's a famous scene in the 1976 film classic, Network in which the late Peter Finch has had enough and shouts, ''I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!'' Network satirized a struggling TV network that would air anything to get ratings.

With the music industry subbing for television, Tom Petty is Peter Finch on his group's bitterly fed-up and tense new CD, The Last DJ.

On the title track, Petty mourns the sorry state of soulless corporate radio today in which the individual voice is lost. There goes the last DJ / Who plays what he wants to play / And says what he wants to say / There goes your freedom of choice / There goes the last human voice.

Money Becomes King traces a once-idealistic rocker corrupted by the system. Johnny rock that Golden Circle / And all those VIPs / And that music that had freed us / Became a tired routine.

And on Joe, sung in the sneering voice of a slimy record company executive, he gets his digs in on an unnamed label (Jive Records comes to mind) and lip syncers with a penchant for revealing outfits (Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and J.Lo seem the all-too-obvious subjects). He gets to be famous / I get to be rich . . . Bring me a girl/They're always the best / You put 'em on stage / And you have them undress / Some angel whore / Who can learn a guitar lick / Hey, that's what I call music.

Petty makes a hell of a pop music critic. Though he's a wealthy Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, he manages to avoid hypocrisy. Petty won't allow ''golden circle'' seating and its exorbitant $300 tickets at his concerts; he withheld his 1981 album, Hard Promises, from his former label until they agreed not to price it $1 above the then-accepted list price; and he refuses to license his songs for commercials.

A lot of thought went into this CD's lyrics, but tackling the greedy music business isn't a new concept. In 1970, the Kinks did it with Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One; two years earlier, The Who did the same on The Who Sell Out. Lindsey Buckingham (who harmonizes on this CD's throwaway, The Man Who Loves Women) did likewise 10 years ago on Out of the Cradle.

None of these records rank among those artists' bestsellers and it's unlikely The Last DJ will reach the masses the way other Petty discs like Damn the Torpedoes or Full Moon Fever did. The concerns, though valid, are probably too insider-related, and the public is buying the soulless music Petty complains about.

Also, Petty's new music isn't his best. The melodies and arrangements borrow from The Beatles, the Byrds, Bob Dylan and the Stones, and, while the title track is immediately catchy and harmonious, it takes a few listens for the other tunes to take hold.

Given time, they will. The musicianship is terrific. But most likely, pop music critics and those turned off by the status quo will champion this CD more than will the average listener.

-Howard Cohen

**There is also an announcement of Tuesday's release of Fleetwood Mac, The Very Best Of.**

Fleetwood Mac, The Very Best Of (Reprise).
Two-CD, 36-track set traces the Buckingham-Nicks years (1975-1987) and includes three songs from 1997's live reunion tour, including Lindsey Buckingham's amazing re-imaginings of Big Love and Go Insane. In addition to the expected Top 40 hits, the package includes welcome LP cuts like [i]Storms, Gold Dust Woman,[i/] the original Landslide, and The Chain (But where's Fireflies from the 1980 live labum and what are No Questions Asked and Paper Doll doing here instead?) The set is designed to whet appetites for the band's upcoming Spring 2003 studio album and tour.

-Howard Cohen

**I also agree that Fireflies should have been included. It appears that Howard Cohen is a Mac fan.**

-Karen