Illegal Foreign Object

Tom Petty was a dozen years into his legendary recording career by the time “Free Fallin’”, the 3rd single from Full Moon Fever, all but took over radio and TV. His 1st solo album (though it featured contributions from all but one salty member of The Heartbreakers) went 5x platinum and produced five bonafide hit singles. Petty called the album the most enjoyable recording experience of his career. The low-key, garage studio affair clearly worked for Tom — even songs that didn’t make it onto the album became hits later on (“Indiana Girl” eventually morphed into “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”). What a creative time — Petty even paused the sessions to record stuff for the Traveling Wilburys project.

Before hearing the Full Moon Fever album, I heard “I Won’t Back Down” and “Runnin’ Down A Dream”, but “Free Fallin’” grabbed hold of my ear and wouldn’t let go. That was the song that made me hit my local gas station to 5-finger discount the cassette. The visual accompaniment to Petty’s lyrical love letter to the sights and sounds of his drives down Ventura Boulevard blanketed MTV. In early 1990, he performed the song on the MTV Video Music Awards with The Heartbreakers (and Axl & Izzy from G’N’R). That sealed it for me: Tom Petty was not only a good listen — he was a “cool” listen. It’s baffling how MCA Records’ Irving Azoff didn’t even want to release the album. He didn’t hear any hits. A few months later, Azoff was out as the head of MCA.

My procurement of Full Moon Fever revealed a deep album that was more than the released singles. The cover of the Byrds’, “Feel A Whole Lot Better” is beautiful in its simplicity (and I’ve always loved how Tom and Jeff Lynne harmonized together). “A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own” is a romper of a song — what a song performed by Buddy Holly and Bo Diddley might have sounded like.

By the time Into The Great Wide Open was released, he had me hook, line, and sinker. The title track of that album is as catchy as they get.

A few years later, on a trip back to Costa Rica to see some old friends, I stumbled onto a jam session with three former bandmates. When Frank accidentally hit the distortion pedal right before the “Free Fallin’” chorus, we were off and runnin’. He turned that sweeping, jangly chorus into a revving ’66 Shelby GT350. I howled until I couldn’t. That was a good day.

Tom Petty is the best of “Americana”, a perfect melding of Chuck Berry, country & western, the blues, and Laurel Canyon folk rock. An authentic storyteller through and through, Petty never failed to strike a chord with me through his heart-on-sleeve writing and undeniable sense of melody.

Track List:

1. Free Fallin’ 10/10
2. I Won’t Back Down 10/10
3. Love Is A Long Road 6/10
4. A Face In The Crowd 9/10
5. Runnin’ Down A Dream 10/10
6. Feel A Whole Lot Better (Byrds Cover) 7/10
7. Yer So Bad 8/10
8. Depending On You 6/10
9. The Apartment Song 6/10
10. Alright For Now 7/10
11. A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own 7/10
12. Zombie Zoo 6/10

Grade: 77