UCR: Tom Petty albums, ranked worst to first

[SisterNightroad]

Tom Petty Albums, Ranked Worst to First
by Bryan Wawzenek

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Compiling our list of Tom Petty Albums, Ranked Worst to First, wasn’t easy. After all, his steady reliability over the last few decades has made him a rock ‘n’ roll rarity.
Whether you picked up a Tom Petty album in the midst of punk, the zenith of grunge or the apex of EDM, you knew you were going to get melodic, thoughtful songcraft built on the granite foundation of ’50s and ’60s rock. That said, staying locked in this glorious tradition may have prevented Petty and the Heartbreakers from exploring new creative avenues.
They’ve constructed fewer blinding works of genius than their heroes Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones, but they also haven’t contributed nearly as many clunkers as those guys. So an exercise like this, in which we attempt to rank Petty’s studio albums in order of quality, can become a bit of a challenge. In many cases, one edged out another because of a slightly more tuneful highlight or moderately less-dated production. Even the lowest-ranked records offer some great music.
We should note that all of his studio albums (whether co-credited to the Heartbreakers or to Tom as a solo act) are included in our list of Tom Petty Albums, Ranked Worst to First. Now, damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead!

16
‘The Last DJ’ (2002)

For years, Petty has had his clashes with record companies, but it wasn’t until the 21st century that his anger boiled over into the songs. On ‘The Last DJ,’ the songwriter seems so focused on his anti-corporate outrage that he often forgets to pair his diatribes with decent tunes. The title track’s a spiffy little rocker and ‘Dreamville’ is a nostalgia creampuff, but many of these songs are unfortunately nondescript. One that doesn’t float past is ‘Joe,’ in which Petty takes on an acerbic, Roger Waters-like howl to perform role of a music industry CEO. It’s an ugly song, and probably not in the way Petty intended.



15
‘Long After Dark’ (1982)

‘You Got Lucky’ combines Benmont Tench’s throbbing synthesizers, Mike Campbell’s lonely street corner guitar licks and Petty’s menacing vocal into a midnight masterpiece. It easily ranks with the Heartbreakers’ best singles. The rest of the record isn’t so lucky. Although the playing is sharp and new member Howie Epstein’s harmony vocals add the perfect glisten, most of the songs lack the punch of the band’s first four records. Petty disliked the record, mostly because co-producer Jimmy Iovine prevented him from including ‘Keeping Me Alive’ on it. Petty was right. The rootsy tune is better than anything here, save ‘Lucky’ and ‘Straight Into Darkness.’



14
‘Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough)’ (1987)

After having enough of the bone-crushing problems that occurred during ‘Southern Accents’ (found later on our list of Tom Petty Albums, Ranked Worst to First), the plan for this record was not to have a plan. Songs weren’t too carefully considered and the tracks were supposed to sound like they were recorded live. The raw aesthetic comes through on the highlights, including the Stonesy crunch of ‘Jammin’ Me’ and the acoustic, Far East-meets-Western stunner ‘It’ll All Work Out.’ Of course, "stripped down" had a different connotation in the ’80s, and there’s still way too much gloss wrapped around the ballads ‘Runaway Trains’ and ‘My Life/Your World.’ In any era, however, it comes down to songwriting. Figuring it out in the studio may be a good method for establishing a sound, but not for writing fantastic songs.



13
‘Southern Accents’ (1985)


This could have been amazing. Conceived as a concept album about the South (where Petty, Campbell and Tench come from), the record and its themes got derailed by the inclusion of three songs Tom wrote with Eurythmics mastermind Dave Stewart. One of those tunes was ‘Don’t Come Around Here No More’ – a huge hit and trippy idiosyncrasy in Petty’s heartland catalog which, nevertheless, had nothing to do with Petty’s vision of the Southern U.S. And so, ‘Southern Accents’ became an unhappy marriage of clever, compelling songs about the South (the blazing overture of ‘Rebels,’ the sly snarl of ‘Spike,’ the heartfelt title track) and startlingly new wavey collaborations with Stewart. In the process – actually while struggling to record ‘Rebels’ – Petty hit a wall so hard that he broke his left hand in multiple places. It was, and remains, a frustrating album.



12
‘Into the Great Wide Open’ (1991)

Following the blockbuster success of his solo debut, Petty brought together his band and ‘Full Moon Fever’ producer (and fellow Traveling Wilbury) Jeff Lynne. ‘Into the Great Wide Open’ finds Petty in supreme storytelling mode, most notably on the album’s two big hits, ‘Learning to Fly’ and the title song, but also on the less-heralded ‘Two Gunslingers.’ If there’s a problem with this enjoyable record, it’s that a band with such fiery a lead guitarist shouldn’t be so mired in mid-tempoville. (The perfunctory rockers ‘Out in the Cold’ and ‘Makin’ Some Noise’ are as close as they get to letting loose.) Lynne’s soft-focus production helped the roots rock of ‘Full Moon Fever’ conquer pop radio. But on ‘Into the Great Wide Open,’ it keeps listeners at arm’s length from a solid batch of songs.



11
‘Mojo’ (2010)

'Mojo' serves as both the most distinctive detour in the Heartbreakers' long career and a sort of creative rebirth. They wade waist deep into Mississippi mud to find the blues roots that were always buried in the sound of this Florida-by-way-of-California band. A late-career decision to play a bunch of blues jams sounds like an idea borne of creative bankruptcy, but the robust 'Mojo' is quite the opposite. For the first time in at least a decade, the Heartbreakers sounded like they were having fun on a studio album. 'Mojo' is playful but strong, both expansive in its sound and tightly crafted in its instrumentation. The Heartbreakers located the groove and, in keeping with the title, rediscovered their mojo.



10
‘You’re Gonna Get It’ (1978)

Petty and the Heartbreakers' second album hardly qualifies as a sophomore slump, yet it doesn't sparkle as brightly as the albums that bookended it (that exciting debut on one side and the ebullient 'Damn the Torpedoes' on the other). While the Heartbreakers remain a tightly focused outfit with a '60s jangle and a punky edge, the band seems a bit low on great songs this time out. Side One unfolds without a memorable melody, though thankfully the project's second half features the glistening 'Listen to Her Heart' and the blistering 'I Need to Know' (each sizable pop hits). In addition, 'Baby's a Rock 'n' Roller' is one of Petty's overlooked gems. The spacey closer, with its keening vocals, is built on a chunky boogie that would make Marc Bolan jealous.



9
‘Hypnotic Eye’ (2014)

Few bands so long in the tooth can sound as muscular as Petty and the Heartbreakers do on ‘Hypnotic Eye.' After rebooting with the blues jams, the band plants itself firmly in the garage -- streamlining the ‘Mojo’ meanderings into tightly focused rock songs featuring a rumble that would shake Link Wray. If nothing else, the album is a showcase for Campbell's skill, taste and tone. You want to call songs like ‘All You Can Carry’ and ‘U Get Me High’ “vintage Heartbreakers,” but even the group’s earliest recordings were never this raw and beefy. If the hooks aren’t quite as plentiful as in the past, the songs still tell smart stories. Kickoff track ‘American Dream Plan B’ is as good a song that’s been written about modern America: “My success is anybody’s guess / But like a fool, I’m bettin’ on happiness.” With a band that sounds like this, why not?



8
‘Songs and Music from 'She’s the One" (1996)

This kinda-sorta soundtrack to Ed Burns' largely forgotten film is routinely dismissed by Petty as a hodge-podge of leftovers from the 'Wildflowers' sessions. With outtakes this good, what's wrong with that? 'She's the One' finds the Heartbreakers at their most freewheeling, from the goofy rave-up 'Zero From Outer Space' to a snarling cover of Lucinda Williams' 'Change the Locks' to the jangle pop of 'California.' Short instrumentals display a side of the Heartbreakers rarely glimpsed on record, while repeated tracks ('Walls' and 'Angel Dream' each appear twice) show how a slightly different approach can completely change a song. Just compare the steady-rocking 'Walls (No. 3)' to the swaggering 'Walls (Circus)' with its merry-go-round keyboards, sweet strings and yelping backing vocals from Lindsey Buckingham. Petty's sour opinion surely can't hold out forever.



7
‘Highway Companion’ (2006)

Tom's third solo effort is a fantastic collection of songs and sounds – ones that pay tribute to some of Petty's greatest influences. The ominous 'Jack' would be at home on the Who's 'Tommy.' 'Flirting with Time' packs a jangly glee suitable for AM radio. 'Big Weekend' is a country-rock shuffle worthy of Bakersfield. Meanwhile, 'Square One' is one of Petty's best songs, as spare and weary as it is beautiful and life affirming. Considering that Rock 'n' roll so often deals in absolutes, it's jarring to hear a song that discusses equal measures of winning and losing in the same lyric. Thankfully co-producer Lynne (working alongside companions Petty and Campbell) doesn't slather the album in sonic frosting. 'Highway Companion' is crisp and clear, placing the emphasis on great music.



6
‘Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ (1976)

The songs on this album, particularly the irresistible chug of 'American Girl' and the moody cool of 'Breakdown,' have so ingrained themselves in the rock canon that it's difficult to realize how fresh the Heartbreakers debut was when released in 1976. The self-titled record remains an excellent introduction to this band, which never tried to recreate the sounds of British and American '60s rock as much as it attempted to harness the excitement of that music. There's a youthful exuberance that infects every song, from a tune about being stupid and in love with rock ('Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll') to a tune about being stupid and in love with the wrong girl ('The Wild One, Forever').



5
‘Hard Promises’ (1981)

Following the blockbuster success of 'Damn the Torpedoes,' this album proved that Petty still had a wealth of tunes in the tank – about tough luck and sad sacrifices, rough romance and hard promises. Sure, the hits are brilliant (with equal parts jangle and spitfire, 'The Waiting' is in the running for best Heartbreakers song ever). So are the album tracks: the chiming 'A Thing About You,' the slightly funky 'Nightwatchman,' the disillusioned country-folk tune 'Insider' (featuring Stevie Nicks). If it's not quite the galvanizing listen delivered by 'Torpedoes,' 'Hard Promises' gives us a more varied experience, with rootsier tinges that sat comfortably amidst gleaming power pop. And Petty fought to prevent his label from charging fans an extra buck for this album. What a bargain.



4
‘Echo’ (1999)

Petty has expressed disdain for ‘Echo,’ because of the unhappy circumstances under which it was made. He was going through a nasty divorce during the creative process, allowing the ugly feelings to infect his songwriting. As the Heartbreakers went into the studio, it became clear that Epstein was succumbing to his drug addiction. Whether it’s due to discomfort or dislike, the band rarely plays any tracks from ‘Echo’ in concert. That’s a shame, because this album contains some of the best and most personal songs Petty has ever written. The emotional rawness of the mournful title track, the raging sarcasm ‘Free Girl Now,’ the palpable desperation contained every moment are what makes this a fascinating listen. It’s his ‘Blood on the Tracks.’ He might be losing his wife, his life and his mind, yet Petty still pairs winning melodies with every track, delivered with razor-blade intensity by the Heartbreakers and overseen by master producer Rick Rubin.



3
‘Damn the Torpedoes’ (1979)

We can only imagine how much work went into making ‘Damn the Torpedoes’ sound so easy. This album is the epitome of record-crafting – from the snap of Stan Lynch’s drums to Benmont Tench’s perfectly calibrated keyboard flourishes to Petty making use of every character in his voice. The big, clean sound would bulldoze lesser bands (and often did), but the Heartbreakers’ restless intensity thrives on it, incorporating punky attitude, rockabilly heart and country soul into the AOR package. Of course, Petty’s best batch of songs (until, possibly, ‘Full Moon Fever’) only boosts the record to legendary status. ‘Refugee,’ ‘Even the Losers,’ ‘Don’t Do Me Like That’ and ‘Here Comes My Girl’ are rightfully established as classics, but ‘Shadow of a Doubt (Complex Kid),’ ‘Century City’ and ‘Louisiana Rain’ are equally deserving. Petty sings about the highs and lows of love on a record that has no lows.



2
‘Full Moon Fever’ (1989)

From one blockbuster to another. Ten years after ‘Damn the Torpedoes’ legitimized the Heartbreakers as rock stars, ‘Full Moon Fever’ made Petty a pop phenomenon. In the pursuit of a slightly different vision for his music, Petty cut the Heartbreakers loose for the first time (although Campbell remained his partner in crime, and Tench and Epstein each contributed to the album). Jeff Lynne became Tom’s go-to guy here, co-writing many of the songs, playing a lot of bass and co-producing the album. In fact, Lynne’s glossy keyboards and Beatle-esque harmonies (some from actual Beatle George Harrison) have something to do with the album’s popularity, although it was the top-notch songwriting that won over listeners. ‘Full Moon Fever’ is an embarrassment of melodies: ‘Yer So Bad,’ ‘I Won’t Back Down,’ ‘The Apartment Song,’ ‘Love is a Long Road.’ Campbell’s finest recorded moment may be the diesel-burning riff and hair-raising solo on ‘Runnin’ Down a Dream.’ Speaking of dreams, Petty finds a new lyrical gear in surrealism; ‘Free Fallin’’ is all the more enchanting for its dreamlike nostalgia. With success like this, it’s no wonder Tom went “solo” again.



1
‘Wildflowers’ (1994)

A Heartbreakers record in everything but name, ‘Wildflowers’ was approached by Petty, Campbell and co-producer Rick Rubin as a solo record to allow them the creative freedom to do anything they wanted. It turned out that Petty wanted to make his most ambitious album with the help of his bandmates (save drummer Lynch, who’d soon be replaced by Steve Ferrone, anyway). ‘Wildflowers’ is the singer’s most stripped-down and rootsy affair and also his most ornate outing, featuring orchestral backing on certain tracks and horn sections on others. Give Rubin credit for quality control and helping all of this make sense in the context of one record. Give Campbell credit for being able to play anything with strings, including acoustic, electric and slide guitars as well, as a sitar. Give Petty credit for delivering songs that range from thunderous garage rock (‘Honey Bee’) to wistful folk-rock (‘Time to Move On’) to barroom sing-alongs (‘You Don’t Know How it Feels’) to highway-blazing demons (‘You Wreck Me’). During the 63-minute journey, Petty drops little crumbs of wisdom, like “Most things I worry about never happen anyway” on ‘Crawling Back to You,’ self-loathing at its most gorgeous. Soulful, exciting, thoughtful, beautiful, mysterious, intriguing – most records are lucky to be one of those things. ‘Wildflowers’ is all of it. The top entry in our list of Tom Petty Albums, Ranked Worst to First, sounds as good as the day it was released, two decades ago.


Read More: Tom Petty Albums, Ranked Worst to First | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/tom-p...ckback=tsmclip

[SisterNightroad]

I saw there are a lot of Petty fans in here because of his collaborations with Stevie, I'd like to know what they think about this.

Personally, I think it's good that Hypnotic eye is so high, it's arguably his best album since the 2000's.
My favourite is Damn the torpedoes and it would have been my choice as first, but I can see why they chose Wildflowers. Same with Hard promises for the second position.
I totally don't understand why Into the great wide open and Southern accents receive such mixed opinions.

[SisterNightroad]

Top 10 Censored Rock Songs
by Bryan Wawzenek


Rock ‘n’ roll has always been about breaking rules and pushing boundaries. So, it’s not a surprise that every entry in our list of the Top 10 Censored Rock Songs is an all-out classic. The songs were either altered or banned completely from radio, television, department stores and even the singles charts. The reasons for the censorship are more varied than you might think, ranging from the usual sex-and-drugs content to insensitivity and product placement.

10
‘Kick Out the Jams’
MC5


The opening line from this proto-punk gem (along with the offending word printed on the album’s inside cover) caused a ruckus when the MC5 released their debut album in 1969: “It’s time to … kick out the jams, motherf--er!” The original edition of the LP was removed from store shelves and replaced with two versions: one with a censored cover and audio and another with the censored cover but uncensored audio (to be sold from only behind the counter). But the hometown Hudson’s department stores refused to carry any version of ‘Kick Out the Jams,’ which eventually became a ban on selling all records from MC5’s label, Elektra Records. To retaliate, the band took out full-page ads in Ann Arbor and Detroit newspapers with the words “F-- Hudson’s!” printed at the bottom. Elektra then dropped the group.




9
‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’
The Beatles


The debate continues as to whether or not this psychedelic classic was about LSD. For his part, John Lennon always claimed he was inspired by artwork his son Julian brought home from school. When asked what the painting was, Julian told his dad that he had painted his classmate Lucy in the sky with diamonds. John wrote the bizarre imagery of the song’s lyrics as a result and maintained that the LSD initials were incidental. The BBC didn’t agree and banned the song from the airwaves because of perceived references to the hallucinogenic. Years later, fellow Beatle Paul McCartney claimed that it was “obvious” that the tune was about drugs.




8
‘My Generation’
The Who


In this instance, it was a stutter that flustered the good ol' British Broadcasting Corporation. Upon the release of ‘My Generation,’ the BBC banned the Who's song from the airwaves due to Roger Daltrey’s stuttering of some lines. The official reason was that the single might offend listeners who had stuttering problems. In addition, there were rumors that some folks at the BBC thought that the line “Why don’t you all f-f-f-fade away” suggested another f-word. The real reason for Daltrey’s stutter is nearly as elusive. Depending on who you believe, it was inspired by John Lee Hooker’s ‘Stuttering Blues,’ meant to mimic stuttering mods or was an accident caused by Daltrey trying to learn the lyrics. Regardless, after the song became popular, the BBC reversed the decision, and ‘My Generation’ received significant airplay.




7
‘Eve of Destruction’
Barry McGuire


Barry McGuire never utters an obscenity in this protest cut (one of the few to make our list of the Top 10 Censored Rock Songs). He doesn't mention sex or drugs either. But ‘Eve of Destruction’ was banned by many U.S. radio stations (many of them in the South) because programmers disagreed with its ugly view of humanity. Some felt that the single, with lines like “you’re old enough to kill but not for votin’,” was “an aid to the enemy in Vietnam.” P.F. Sloan was only 19 when he wrote the lyrics as a prayer for humanity and as a rallying cry against the evil he saw in the world. Many fans agreed with what they heard, sending the topical hit all the way to No. 1.




6
‘Lola’
The Kinks


The BBC censored Ray Davies’ ode to a sweet transvestite, but not for the reason you’d think. The broadcasters were fine with the title character who “walked like a woman and talked like a man,” but not as happy with the reference to Coca-Cola. At the time, the BBC had a policy against airing material with product placement. Paul Simon would later run afoul of the censors with ‘Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard’ (it mentions Newsweek) and ‘Kodachrome’ (for obvious reasons). In order to circumvent the ban, Davies had to fly all the way back to London from New York -- where the Kinks were touring -- to overdub “it tastes just like cherry cola.” The song was then cleared for airplay and became a No. 2 hit in the U.K.




5
‘You Don’t Know How it Feels’
Tom Petty


Tom Petty’s steady-rolling single might not have become a radio and MTV staple without one key change. On the censored version, when the Florida-born rocker sings “Let’s roll another joint” in the chorus, the offending word was played in reverse, and it ended up sounding like Petty somehow lost control of his mouth or just couldn’t come up with a proper rhyme for “point.” Not that it mattered. ‘You Don’t Know How it Feels’ reached No. 13 and won an MTV Video Music Award.




4
‘Money for Nothing’
Dire Straits


Talk about delayed reaction. Dire Straits’ 1985 mega-hit ‘Money for Nothing’ wasn’t censored until 2011, when the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council deemed it unsuitable for airplay. The reason was frontman Mark Knopfler’s use of a gay slur in the second verse. The derisive term violated the council’s code of ethics and was forbidden on private Canadian radio stations. Some outlets protested the ban, due to the song’s enduring popularity and that the offensive word was not used in a hateful manner. Knopfler wrote the song after overhearing an appliance-store worker’s commentary while watching MTV in his shop. ‘Money for Nothing’ is written from this unenlightened man’s perspective. The CBSC altered the decision a few months later, maintaining its stance but allowing stations to use their own discretion.




3
‘God Save the Queen’
Sex Pistols


British establishment took offense to this single’s title (stolen from the U.K.’s national anthem), cover artwork (featuring a defaced picture of Queen Elizabeth II), content (“there’s no future in England’s dreaming”) and, well, pretty much everything associated with it. Just in time for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, Johnny Rotten equated the British monarchy with a fascist regime in an attempt to illustrate the divide between the royals and everyday people. Because of that stance, the song was banned from the BBC and the Independent Broadcasting Authority. ‘God Save the Queen’ hit No. 1 on the NME chart, but reached only No. 2 on the official U.K. singles chart (it was suggested that it may have been rigged to keep the Sex Pistols from the top spot). In some publications, the chart entry ran as two black bars on top of each other because the publishers found both the name of the song and the name of the band in poor taste.




2
‘Let’s Spend the Night Together’
The Rolling Stones


This rollicking, sexually suggestive Rolling Stones chestnut was never banned from the airwaves, although it earned the ire of Ed Sullivan. The TV host objected to a performance of the band’s latest hit on his popular Sunday-night program until a compromise was reached: Mick Jagger would sing “Let’s spend some time together” instead of the original lyric. Jagger (unlike Jim Morrison during the Doors' performance of ‘Light My Fire’) held up his end of the bargain, even though he repeatedly rolled his eyes at the camera. After the performance, the Stones returned to the stage wearing Nazi uniforms, at which point Sullivan barked at them to put their other clothes back on. The band left the theater and was banned from the show for the next two years.




1
‘Louie, Louie’
The Kingsmen


Sometimes, songs are banned for no real reason at all -- like in the case of the No. 1 track on our list of the Top 10 Censored Rock Songs. The Kingsmen’s garage-rock nugget was banned from several radio stations, prohibited throughout Indiana (thanks to its governor) and subjected to a 31-month investigation by the FBI. All because some teens somewhere started a rumor that the words singer Jack Ely was howling were about an explicit sexual encounter. In reality, the lyrics (written by Richard Berry in 1957) recounted a sailor’s rather banal ode to his dream girl. But because Ely was singing in pidgin English, screaming at the top of his lungs and wearing new braces, his enunciation wasn’t perfect, and rumors escalated. The FBI then spent a fair amount of taxpayer dollars interviewing almost everybody associated with the recording and listening to the hit single at various speeds in an attempt to decipher the “true” meaning. In the end, the FBI threw their hands up and declared their inability to interpret any of the lyrics. Despite, and because of, its reputation, ‘Louie Louie’ has become one of the most important songs in rock history.



Read More: Top 10 Censored Rock Songs | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/censo...ckback=tsmclip

[becca]

The 'Classic Albums' DVD for 'Damn the Torpedoes' is one of the very best for that series, really loaded with detail... should be next to the one they put together for 'Rumours' of course.

[Hawkeye]

I agree with their number one album but not much else of that order matches what I think. My biggest difference is I think long after dark is incredible. His best album until the 90s.

And I've never had anyone share this opinion but other then refuges and breakdown I think his first three albums aren't very good at all. This is how I drank them:

1. Wildflowers
2. Into the Great Wide Open
3. Long After Dark
4. Mojo
5. Hypnotic Eye
6. Full Moon Fever
7. Southern Accents
8. Echo
9. Hard promises
10. Danm the Torpedoes
11. Your gonna get it
12. She's the One
13. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
14. Highway Conpanion
15. Let me up I've had enough
16. The last DJ

[SisterNightroad]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

I agree with their number one album but not much else of that order matches what I think. My biggest difference is I think long after dark is incredible. His best album until the 90s.

And I've never had anyone share this opinion but other then refuges and breakdown I think his first three albums aren't very good at all. This is how I drank them:

1. Wildflowers
2. Into the Great Wide Open
3. Long After Dark
4. Mojo
5. Hypnotic Eye
6. Full Moon Fever
7. Southern Accents
8. Echo
9. Hard promises
10. Danm the Torpedoes
11. Your gonna get it
12. She's the One
13. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
14. Highway Conpanion
15. Let me up I've had enough
16. The last DJ

Well, that was an objective list that ranked the album for music contribution and crap like that, but every list is subjective in the end.
Southern accents is 7th because you don't like it or just because there are others you like more? What album on your personal list is the rupture between good and bad?

[Hawkeye]

1 thru 9 I feel are incredible albums. Love multiple songs on all of them.

1. Wildflowers
2. Into the Great Wide Open
3. Long After Dark
4. Mojo
5. Hypnotic Eye
6. Full Moon Fever
7. Southern Accents
8. Echo
9. Hard promises



10 thru 13 are eh. Like I said earlier refugee and breakdown are both top 5 petty songs to me but nothing else on those albums do anything really for me.

10. Danm the Torpedoes
11. Your gonna get it
12. She's the One
13. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers


And I have almost no desire to ever listen to the last 3
14. Highway Conpanion
15. Let me up I've had enough
16. The last DJ

[chiliD]

I'd put them:

1) Mojo
2) Highway Companion
3) Mudcrutch
4) Hypnotic Eye

Then all the others in random order.

[SisterNightroad]

Top 10 Loser Songs
by Bryan Wawzenek

Even rock stars get down on themselves sometimes, a topic we’re investigating in the Top 10 Loser Songs. You’d think the artists below — people with talent, fame, groupies and money — wouldn’t be so depressed about love and luck, but these songs prove otherwise. Rod Stewart sang about female frustration. Tom Petty railed against being forgotten. John Lennon wrote about feeling like a phony. Even those who appear to want for nothing can’t have it all, which might be of some consolation when the rest of us feel lame. So, the next time you’re lost and despondent, commiserate with these Top 10 Loser Songs:

10
'I'm a Loser'
UFO


From: 'No Heavy Petting' (1976)
On this acoustic-tinged track, British hard rockers UFO seem to be recalling some troubled teenage memories along with the loneliness of touring. Frontman Phil Mogg sings about missing his train and being unable to go home ("They locked the doors and I'm left out alone"), before declaring himself "a loser on the road." Yet there are glimmers of hope, from friends who offer up a couch for the night to a real "thing" with Ginger. And, of course, a Michael Schenker guitar solo always makes everything OK.



9
'Loser'
Jerry Garcia


From: 'Garcia' (1972)
We shouldn't do the Top 10 Loser Songs without a tune about a gambler, and this gem from Jerry Garcia's solo debut couldn't be more appropriate. Co-written with Robert Hunter (and instantly absorbed into the Grateful Dead's live repertoire), 'Loser' features a down-on-his-luck cowboy who begs for money, wishes for riches and dreams of violence. For a con man, he's a sad sack, whimpering for the "10 gold dollars" that will, surely, provide the foundation for his change of fortune. "I've got no chance of losin' this time," he convinces himself, and this loser and those gold dollars ride off into the sunset.



8
'Poor Poor Pitiful Me'
Warren Zevon


From: 'Warren Zevon' (1976)
The story goes that Warren Zevon pal Jackson Browne was the inspiration for this song, a wry portrait of a man who carries a heavy heart despite being beloved by women. Zevon's opening lines showcases his sledgehammer sarcasm: the guy's such a screw-up that he can't even manage to get run over by a train. 'Poor Poor Pitiful Me' only gets cheerier from there, suggesting an abusive relationship and sadomasochism ("I don't want to talk about it," Zevon famously demurs at the end of the verse). In a move that might have been masochistic, Browne produced Zevon's debut LP, including 'Poor Poor Pitiful Me' -- which featured Lindsey Buckingham on backing vocals and Bobby Keys on sax, as well. He also convinced Linda Ronstadt to cover a slightly altered version, which became one of her best-known tracks.



7
'Women Is Losers'
Big Brother and the Holding Company


From: 'Big Brother and the Holding Company' (1967)
On the first Big Brother and the Holding Company album, Janis Joplin didn’t yet give us a piece of her heart, but rather a piece of her mind. Fronting a male-majority band in a male-run industry (that was a small part of a male-dominated world), Janis belted out her truth: “Women is losers.” With a rasp that electrified your blood (and an attitude so genuine, she could have stolen it from the ghosts of the blues), Joplin delivered the state of women’s lib, circa the Summer of Love. By 1967, many things were changing, but still, “men always seem to end up on top.”



6
'Even the Losers'
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers


From: 'Damn the Torpedoes' (1979)
At first listen, you might think that Tom Petty is granting a hard-fought win in the chiming ‘Even the Losers.’ But this tale of an all-too idyllic romance gets spoiled every time he whines the verses' last line: “It couldn’t have been that easy to forget about me.” But it couldn’t have been that difficult either, right Tom? She’s obviously moved on and he’s the one living off of these meager, faded memories. Perhaps ‘Even the Losers’ is a response to the famous Alfred Lord Tennyson quote, “’Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.” Petty is clearly not so sure.



5
'Three Time Loser'
Rod Stewart


From: 'Atlantic Crossing' (1975)
In the leadoff track from Rod’s first American-made LP, he’s once, twice, three times a loser. Although it’s never stated explicitly, Rod’s math appears to indicate his loser status is because the “jezebels” of this world have left him sexually wanting, flat broke and with an STD (“Now my friends say it’s here to stay”). In the course of this steady-rolling soul song, Rod the Mod isn’t simply forced the indignity of having to pleasure himself with Playboy magazine, he gets the full-on Costanza treatment in Chelsea when he’s left broke and naked by a woman who only lusts after his money. Rod might have been a loser, but the song wasn’t. It was the only track off the album that the Faces deemed worthy of inclusion during their final tour.



4
'Beautiful Loser'
Bob Seger


From: 'Beautiful Loser' (1975)
A book of Leonard Cohen poetry (also titled ‘Beautiful Losers’) inspired Bob Seger to write this ode to people who over-promise and underachieve. Yet, Bob’s idea of a “loser” appears to be a pretty decent guy. He’s polite and dependable, doesn’t complain and is willing to cede the spotlight. Sounds just like the kind of people most rock stars would love to have hanging around. But according to Seger, this ‘Beautiful Loser’ is guilty of wanting to be everything to everyone (even himself). The singer’s just waiting for it all to fall apart. At the end of the song, he repeats the lesson like it’s a mantra: “You just don’t need it all.”



3
'King Midas in Reverse'
The Hollies


Single (1967)
Although credited to multiple members, Graham Nash was the sole songwriter behind this portrait of an epic loser. As the title implies, the man in question is the opposite of King Midas: “all he touches turns to dust.” Co-singers Nash and Allan Clarke spend the song trying to ward off potential interests with portents of darkness, including, “I’ll break you and destroy you.” Pretty sinister stuff for a song so brightly colored with gorgeous harmonies, a stomping beat and a soaring orchestra. It was the Hollies’ most ambitious single to date, although it turned out to be a bit of a loser itself. ‘King Midas in Reverse’ arrived back then as the Hollies' lowest-charting U.S. release since their 1965 breakthrough.



2
'Deacon Blues'
Steely Dan


From: 'Aja' (1977)
If a wildly successful college football team can have a grandiose name like the Crimson Tide, then why can’t a washed-up jazz musician invent a persona that’s just as grand? That’s the question that led Steely Dan masterminds to flesh out ‘Deacon Blues,’ the story of a man who leaves his old life behind in order to cling to a romantic notion of the suffering artist. It sounds like the crazy, rambling ideals of a college kid who’s just become infatuated with Charlie Parker: “I’ll learn to work the saxophone / I play just what I feel / Drink Scotch whiskey all night long / And die behind the wheel.” He might be a loser, but at least he’s got a plan. Call him Deacon Blues.



1
'I'm a Loser'
The Beatles


From: 'Beatles for Sale' (1964)
We bookend the Top 10 Loser Songs with another, more famous, song titled ‘I’m a Loser,’ which was inspired by some pretty big winners, including Buck Owens, George Jones and Bob Dylan. John Lennon internalized the country-style picking of songs released by the first two along with the downbeat and complicated nature of tunes being written at the time by Dylan. As such, ‘I’m a Loser’ marks the first instance of the folk influence creeping into the Beatles’ sound. It’s also one of the first instances of the band moving past writing about the joy and pain of young love. Ostensibly, ‘I’m a Loser’ is about a breakup, but that’s merely the entryway into this depression. Lennon, who would plunge deeper into darkness in the coming years, expressed the duality of his pop star persona in the song (“Although I laugh and I act like a clown / Beneath this mask I am wearing a frown.”) John also goes deeper from a vocal perspective, bottoming out on a low G, and then reminding us, “I’m not what I appear to be.”





Read More: Top 10 Loser Songs | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/top-l...ckback=tsmclip

[SisterNightroad]

Tom Petty Awarded Cowriting Credit for Sam Smith’s ‘Stay With Me’
by Jeff Giles January 26, 2015 9:59 AM


One of 2014′s biggest hit singles just put some extra money in Tom Petty‘s pocket.
Consequence of Sound reports that as soon as Sam Smith‘s ‘Stay With Me’ hit the interwebs and airwaves last spring, people started pointing out melodic similarities to Petty’s ‘I Won’t Back Down,’ particularly in the chorus. Petty and Smith apparently agreed, and the two have reached an agreement that changes the song’s writing credits accordingly.
“When Sam’s track was originally released, it was clear to a lot of musicians that there were notable similarities between the tracks,” explained a source. “After it was pointed out to Sam’s camp, they didn’t try to fight it and amicably dished out royalties. It wasn’t a deliberate thing, musicians are just inspired by other artists and Sam and his team were quick to hold up their hand when it was officially flagged.”
Petty’s ‘I Won’t Back Down’ co-writer, Jeff Lynne, also benefits from the change, which was reportedly worked out last fall, but is only being reported now; as the source put it, the whole thing was “done behind closed doors without any mud being slung.” Check out both songs below, and join us in cheering an example of people solving a multimillion-dollar problem amicably.



Read More: Tom Petty Awarded Cowriting Credit for Sam Smith's 'Stay With Me' | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/tom-p...ckback=tsmclip

[Macfanforever]

I wonder how his RS special issue sold.

[SisterNightroad]

Originally Posted by Macfanforever

I wonder how his RS special issue sold.

What month was it?
In my country Rolling Stone has another issue, so I can't read it, I hope I'll be able to download it from internet when I can.

[SisterNightroad]

Tom Petty Settlement the Result of a ‘Complete Coincidence,’ Says Sam Smith
by Jeff Giles January 27, 2015 9:58 AM

Tom Petty and Sam Smith have reached an amicable settlement regarding the similarities between Smith’s ‘Stay With Me’ and Petty’s ‘I Won’t Back Down,’ but even if Smith ended up yielding cowriting credits to Petty and Jeff Lynne, he’s adamant that any musical overlap between the two songs was definitely not on purpose.
Responding to a flurry of reports about the change — which took place last fall, but was kept quiet for months — a spokesperson for Smith told Rolling Stone that the whole thing was just a fluke of songwriting.
“Recently the publishers for the song ‘I Won’t Back Down,’ written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, contacted the publishers for ‘Stay With Me,’ written by Sam Smith, James Napier and William Phillips, about similarities heard in the melodies of the choruses of the two compositions,” explained the representative. “Not previously familiar with the 1989 Petty/Lynne song, the writers of ‘Stay With Me’ listened to ‘I Won’t Back Down’ and acknowledged the similarity. Although the likeness was a complete coincidence, all involved came to an immediate and amicable agreement in which Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne are now credited as co-writers of ‘Stay With Me’ along with Sam Smith, James Napier and William Phillips.”
Petty hasn’t issued any official comment, but that isn’t terribly surprising; he doesn’t have anything to gain by adding his two cents here, and in the past, he’s expressed a very laid back point of view regarding unintentional plagiarism of his work. “I seriously doubt that there is any negative intent there. And a lot of rock ‘n’ roll songs sound alike,” he told Rolling Stone in 2006 when asked about similarities between the Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ ‘Dani California’ and his own ‘Mary Jane’s Last Dance.’ “Ask Chuck Berry. The Strokes took ‘American Girl’ [for their song 'Last Nite'], and I saw an interview with them where they actually admitted it. That made me laugh out loud. I was like, ‘OK, good for you.’ It doesn’t bother me.”



Read More: Tom Petty Settlement the Result of a 'Complete Coincidence,' Says Sam Smith | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/tom-p...ckback=tsmclip

[SisterNightroad]

UPDATE – Sam Smith Says Tom Petty Settlement the Result of a ‘Complete Coincidence,’ Petty Agrees
by Jeff Giles January 29, 2015 10:00 AM


1/29 UPDATE: Tom Petty has released an official statement ”about the Sam Smith thing,” calling it “a musical accident.” He said, “I have never had any hard feelings toward Sam. All my years of songwriting have shown me these things can happen. Most times you catch it before it gets out the studio door but in this case it got by. Sam’s people were very understanding of our predicament and we easily came to an agreement. The word ‘lawsuit’ was never even said and was never my intention. And no more was to be said about it. How it got out to the press is beyond Sam or myself. Sam did the right thing and I have thought no more about this. A musical accident, no more no less. In these times we live in, this is hardly news. I wish Sam all the best for his ongoing career. Peace and love to all.”



Read More: Tom Petty Settlement the Result of a 'Complete Coincidence,' Says Sam Smith | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/tom-p...ckback=tsmclip

[Macfanforever]

Originally Posted by SisterNightroad

What month was it?
In my country Rolling Stone has another issue, so I can't read it, I hope I'll be able to download it from internet when I can.

I guess it was this month of January.

Heres what it looks like.