When Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers said 'Damn the Torpedoes'
By Randy Lewis
The Los Angeles Times - November 15, 2010
LOS ANGELES - The adage about what doesn't kill you makes you stronger hardly has a more powerful musical manifestation than the story behind Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' 1979 album "Damn the Torpedoes."
That tale has become a central part of the mythology of rock n' roll, one that aspiring artists of any stripe might look to as a source of inspiration and reassurance in the face of the hurdles that inevitably spring up in front of those who are pursuing a grand vision.
Petty's rereleased album revisits career-defining moments
By Bill Dean
Gainesville Sun - Tuesday, November 16, 2010
By the start of 1980, Tom Petty was a 29-year-old Gainesville rocker pursuing the rock 'n' roll dream in the halcyon land of Los Angeles. He and his band the Heartbreakers had had some success; their self-titled debut album introduced the songs "Breakdown" and "American Girl" in 1976, and their follow-up, "You're Gonna Get It," crept up to No. 22 on Billboard's top 200 albums chart two years later.
But it was the group's third and decisive album -- the hit-filled "Damn the Torpedoes" -- that announced to the world that the band had fully arrived. It hit No. 2 on Billboard, sold more than 2 million copies and contained four songs that would become kings on album-rock radio, "Here Comes My Girl," "Event the Losers," "Don't Do Me Like That" and the ultimate kiss-off to authority, "Refugee."
When Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers said "Damn the Torpedoes"
TGIF Edition - Friday, November 19, 2010
LOS ANGELES -- The adage about what doesn't kill you makes you stronger hardly has a more powerful musical manifestation than the story behind Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' 1979 album "Damn the Torpedoes."
That tale has become a central part of the mythology of rock 'n' roll, one that aspiring artists of any stripe might look to as a source of inspiration and reassurance in the face of the hurdles that inevitably spring up in front of those who are pursuing a grand vision.
Sound off: On our minds and on our playlists
By James Reed and Sarah Rodman
Boston Globe - November 26, 2010
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "Damn the Torpedoes (Deluxe Edition)" Petty's breakthrough album gets the snazzy upgrade treatment on this two-disc set. The first is a remastered version of "Damn," which spawned the Petty classics "Refugee," "Here Comes My Girl," and "Don't Do Me Like That," among others. The second collects an intriguing grab bag of B-sides, live tracks, alternate takes, demos, and previously unreleased tunes from the period, including at least one lost classic in "Surrender."
Tom Petty re-release sounds great on Blu-ray
By Adam Davis
Times & Transcript - Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Damn The Torpedoes (deluxe reissue)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers breakout album Damn The Torpedoes from 1979 has been re released with enhanced audio and 8 more tracks.
The Blu-ray version claims to give listeners the chance to hear the kind of sound quality the band and producers hear in the studio. I've yet to get the chance to be in the studio with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers so I'll have to take the packaging's word on that one.
POP GOES THE CULTURE: Meeting Tom Petty like running down a dream
By Mathew DeKinder
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Thursday, April 21, 2011
It is said you should never meet your idol because you'll only wind up being disappointed. Of course that's all well and good when talking about someone else's idol, but when it came to meeting the subject of my own hero worship I was more than willing to tell those who espouse such words of wisdom where to stick it. I was going to meet Tom Petty!
As long as I can remember having an opinion about music, I've loved Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. This opinion only deepened during my adolescence when the band's straightforward lyrics and driving guitar riffs offered some clarity amidst a confusing haze of breakups, acne and bad hair choices.
Even as I got older I kept coming back to Petty and his Heartbreakers and finding that the music still fit. With a rhythm that is classic, comfortable and never out of style, Tom Petty is the blue jeans of rock 'n roll.
So when SiriusXM announced a contest where a few lucky fans would get the opportunity to meet Petty in person, I barely hesitated in submitting my entry.
The Boom Box: Relooking a classic record
By Christopher Toh
TODAY - Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Damn the Torpedoes | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1979)
Most people here know Tom Petty as ... actually, most people here don't know Tom Petty, but that's not the point. The point is that Damn the Torpedoes was the Heartbreakers' first for MCA Records, a result of the Petty arguments (He tried to legally detach himself from MCA, which resulted in his bankruptcy). But the record company and Petty eventually settled, and he channelled is energies into this effort.
It was a breakthrough for the band -- their first Top 10 album, rising to No. 2 on the Billboard albums chart and only kept from top spot from Pink Floyd's equally excellent The Wall. Key tracks include their two hits, Refugee and Don't Do Me Like That (their first Top 10 single and also recently featured in the Meryl Strep/Alec Baldwin/Steve Martin movie It's Complicated), as well as Here Comes My Girl and Louisiana Rain.
The rather appropriate title -- often seen as a reference to the struggles that Petty encountered prior to recording -- also refers to a famous quote by American Admiral David Farragut, who fought during the civil war. It's usually ascribed as: "Damn the Torpedoes, full speed ahead!" although the actual quote uttered during the Battle Of Mobile Bay was "Damn the torpedoes! Four bells, Captain Drayton, go ahead! Jouett, full speed!"
Tom Petty's secret message
By Anna Cutler
The Sun News - Thursday, May 12, 2011
My typical week is quite crammed. I have guitar lessons every Tuesday, art lessons and an online class every Wednesday, my Venture Crew meetings and my home school meetings on Thursday, a social meet every Friday, and I almost always have something on the weekend, whether it's a camping trip or a party at a friend's house. But it made me stop and think - almost everyone I know has a stressed out week like mine, if not worse. I have lots of family and friends who have the same schedule, go to public school and have jobs too. They have no free time in their average week to joke around and go to sleepovers like I can.
I was listening to my iPod the other day when "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty came on. A calm, soothing, relaxing song with a quite interesting meaning. It made me question what the point of life is.
Now, the point of life can be seen from many different directions and can be argued loads of ways. Some would say the point is to succeed - others would say to fulfill the path God has planned for you. But you know what? Maybe God's plan is for us to succeed by being happy and relaxing a little in our everyday schedule.
In the song, Tom Petty talks about his girlfriend, who is well-behaved unlike himself. Isn't that typical? A well-behaved girl and a bad boy. As the song continues, he wants to "Free fall, out into nothin'." What exactly is he talking about? Like I said, he talks about free falling, and it struck me that he was trying to say he wanted to relax and have no worries-hence "free fall, out into nothin'."
Editor's Note: Thanks to Susan Molls for sending me the article scan. She's not quite as crazy as the article makes her out to be!
Local Resident Wins Contest And Meets Singing Idol
Turtle Lake Times -- May 19, 2011
Recently, Tom Petty, from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, participated in a question and answer session with fans as part as SiriusXM's Ultimate Buried Treasure Contest.
One lucky member of the Highway Companions Club was selected to fly to Los Angeles with a guest and participate in the taping by asking Tom a question about his career or Buried Treasure Show, live on the air. The winner also got to meet Tom after the taping.
The winning HCC member was Susan Molls of Turtle Lake, WI and her question for Tom was: "If Mudcrutch had made a successful first album, back when you started your recording career, and stayed together, do you think you would have made the same music as you did with the Heartbreakers?"