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Damn the Torpedoes Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: ...Full Speed Ahead
Comment: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were at an impasse when it came time to record their third album. The label that had issued his debut and You're Gonna Get It!, Shelter, had been sold off. Petty wasn't too crazy about the deal MCA was giving him, so he disputed the contract. The fight pushed Petty to declare bankruptcy, but he also persuaded MCA to sweeten the band's contract.

Petty and the Heartbreakers, reinvigorated, quickly hit the studio with some new songs and a few pulled out of their early Mudcrutch days, and then delivered the best of their still young career. "Damn The Torpedoes" blisters with terrific songs and Jimmy Iovine's pristine yet rocking production. The Heartbreakers had matured into a stunning rock band, having refined their Byrds/Stones hybrid into a recognizable sound of their own. Petty's songwriting was on a streak; not only are there three classics here with "Refugee," "Don't Do Me Like That" and "Here Comes My Girl," all the other songs are uniformly terrific and Petty delivers his best balled yet with "Louisiana Rain."

Everything here, from the assertive stance of Petty grabbing hold of his career to Iovine's production to the Heartbreaker's playing, worked perfectly. The band's tight yet aggressive playing found them riding a fine line between classic rock and the exploding new wave, as if Elvis Costello had discovered The Byrds and written Armed Forces. As a result, "Damn The Torpedoes" is one of Petty's classics, and album that defined its year and still sounds as fresh as ever.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: What's not to like about Tom Petty
Comment: Rocks bad boy shows the world what southern American rock is all about. I bout this becuase I saw Petty do cuts from this album live in 1975.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Simply The Best
Comment: This is simply the greatest American rock album of all time. These songs capture such honesty and emotion that you will find that Tom Petty is a timeless songwriter that will be with us forever.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Best Early Work
Comment: "Damn the Torpedoes" is a fantastic example of what Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers can do. Early in their career but late enough for them to have some touring and recording chops, this album rocks out and still shows the range and songwriting ability of their leader.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A classic!
Comment: Obviously filled with hits, but not in a sellout way. This album is a classic and among the finest recorded. Good southern rock and roll. No need to say more

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