Damn Good Album

Rock n' roll need not be complex. 

Cluttered, nor complicated. 

All it takes is a guitar or two. 

A bass. A drumkit. 

A keyboard, perhaps. 

And a singer who "revels in his abandon."

Take all that, and you've got..
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. 

It's safe to say here, that the third time's the charm. Hailing from the Heartland, their roots firmly entrenched in bare bones bluesy rock n' roll, Florida native Tom Petty gained pivotal ground Stateside with this 1979 effort. Damn, if this album isn't the best they had come up with, to date.

Damn The Torpedoes' unpretentiously straightforward style aided in breaking (pun intended) the band Stateside, after garnering moderate success in the UK. Its classic rock approach breathed volumes of fresh air amidst the upsurge of synth-powered electronica of the late 70's and early 80's. Damn, if it didn't bring it all back home. Straight back to the basics. 

The band banged out two hit singles with a fiendishly flamboyant fervor, in "Don't Do Me Like That" and the forever memorable "Refugee," with its soaring Hammond organ, crisp, thunderous drums and stellar Jimmy Iovine production sheen. Tom Petty himself, on top of all that, sneered his way althroughout in wild desperation, like a caged animal. 

Noteworthy album tracks like "Here Comes My Girl" and "Louisiana Rain" showcased the band's succinct talents, proving them, in true AOR fashion, as worth much more than just their hit singles. 

It's this characteristic style that set Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers far apart from its contemporaries. In an age of ever-evolving technology whose fast-forward developments attempt to outrace each other, it's the rootsy Rock n' roll spirit that is most modest, and keeps us grounded and real.

It was never about complications nor complexity. 

It's simple, uncomplicated and straight to the point. 

It's Rock and roll.