Searching for open ears, bands release eclectic mix
By Cary Hoover
Johnson County Community College Campus Ledger - Thursday, September 29, 1994

You Got Lucky, A Tribute to Tom Petty | Various Artists
The purpose of a tribute album is to do just that, pay tribute to a noteworthy musician by rendering positive interpretations of the artist's work. You Got Lucky just about does that.

Backyard Records compiled some of the country's little-known indie bands and came up with something, at the very least, for Petty fans to get a kick out of. Although most of the bands featured are still pretty underground, and are not able to offer a distinctive sound separating them from any of the others on this compilation, certain tracks do offer an interesting twist to classic Petty tunes.

Some of the more noteworthy performances on the CD include the Seattle-based band Engine Kid's version of "Breakdown." This was a halting rift which ground out choruses in an acceptable track. Petty's "Insider," performed by Seattle's Silkworm also worked out well. Truck Stop Love of Manhattan, Kan., also shows up on the disc doing "Listen To Her Heart," but fails to do little more than a cover of Petty's original version of the song.

Of all 12 tracks on the disc, six could be construed as enjoyable. The rest seem to be stuck trying to imitate not only Petty's lyrics but his voice also.