Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | Long After Dark
Review by Michael Casano
The Delphian - Wednesday, March 9, 1983

I wouldn't be the first person to refer to Tom Petty as a California version of Bruce Springsteen. Like the Boss, Petty sings of lost loves, driving cars and being on the road, all sung in such a manner that forces you to look at the lyric sheet accompanying the album. Tom Petty's style has brought him much success.

Petty, along with his band The Heartbreakers, hasn't done much to change his sound on his new album Long After Dark. Petty and his co-songwriter, Heartbreakers' lead guitarist Mike Campbell have written songs which stay in the band's usual music themes and music performance. If anything, the songs on this record are more commercial sounding than anything Tom Petty and the boys have released and will certainly please fans of the group.

Unfortunately, the lack of any musical changes on this new release does create some boredom. None of the material on Long After Dark tops the songs written for such albums as Damn the Torpedoes and Hard Promises. Therefore, the songs become repetitive and easily compared to past work. Nothing new or interesting can be found on this record.

Long After Dark will certainly be accepted by Petty fans. However, for diehard supporters looking for some experimentation on Petty's part, there will be much disappointment.

FEATURE CUTS: A One Story Town, A Wasted Life, You Got Lucky, Deliver Me and Between Two Worlds.