January 17, 20223 yr 2 hours ago, ztejas said: (Granted - Henley nailed the lyrics in a way that TP may not have. Talk about brilliance in its own right) Henley is one of the all-time great singers of the rock era, and when he doesn't let his inner douchebag take over, he's also one of the great lyricists. Unfortunately, his inner douchebag is a force to be reckoned with. (See, for instance, "Dirty Laundry" and "Get Over It".) Edited January 17, 20223 yr by jimmyjazz
January 17, 20223 yr Author 17 hours ago, jimmyjazz said: Henley is one of the all-time great singers of the rock era, and when he doesn't let his inner douchebag take over, he's also one of the great lyricists. Unfortunately, his inner douchebag is a force to be reckoned with. (See, for instance, "Dirty Laundry" and "Get Over It".) Overall TP was more consistent. You're right that Henley could be hit or miss. I just think that particular track was a match made in heaven and really brought out the best in him lyrically.
January 18, 20223 yr 1 hour ago, ztejas said: Overall TP was more consistent. You're right that Henley could be hit or miss. I just think that particular track was a match made in heaven and really brought out the best in him lyrically. The beauty of Tom Petty is that, like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Mick Jagger, he's not often considered as owning one of the "great voices" of rock 'n' roll, yet all four are among the greatest rock singers. None have the tone of a Henley or Stevie Wonder or whoever, but they are actually on pitch (despite what the press might say) and their voices are all brimming with character. This ain't the Met.
January 18, 20223 yr 12 hours ago, jimmyjazz said: The beauty of Tom Petty is that, like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Mick Jagger, he's not often considered as owning one of the "great voices" of rock 'n' roll, yet all four are among the greatest rock singers. None have the tone of a Henley or Stevie Wonder or whoever, but they are actually on pitch (despite what the press might say) and their voices are all brimming with character. This ain't the Met. You could put Bono on that list – nobody has ever labeled him as a great singer, but his voice fits almost perfectly with the band’s sound (though his vocals have declined with age). Tom Petty just has a classic rock and roll voice.
January 18, 20223 yr 6 hours ago, South Austin said: You could put Bono on that list – nobody has ever labeled him as a great singer, but his voice fits almost perfectly with the band’s sound (though his vocals have declined with age). Tom Petty just has a classic rock and roll voice. Bono < anything else like literally ANYYYYYTHING
January 18, 20223 yr Author 6 hours ago, South Austin said: You could put Bono on that list – nobody has ever labeled him as a great singer, but his voice fits almost perfectly with the band’s sound (though his vocals have declined with age). Tom Petty just has a classic rock and roll voice. Really? I think Bono's a pretty great singer. Certainly above guys like Petty or Dylan.
January 18, 20223 yr As some have already stated, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to me are the greatest American rock and roll band. Their catalogue of hits and songs that should have been hits is mind blowing. Not sure I can think of a weak album. When I feel like getting fired up - its always You Wreck Me turned all the way up. It was also the perfect opening song in the Bogdonovich documentary.\ So many great songs that haven't been been mentioned - Even the Losers, Southern Accents, You don't know how it feels, etc etc. etc.
January 18, 20223 yr 25 minutes ago, ztejas said: Really? I think Bono's a pretty great singer. Certainly above guys like Petty or Dylan. Agreed. I've always thought he is a terrific singer, especially for that band. Edited January 18, 20223 yr by jimmyjazz tense, he isn't dead
January 18, 20223 yr 5 minutes ago, MAROON said: So many great songs that haven't been been mentioned - Even the Losers, Southern Accents, You don't know how it feels, etc etc. etc. In a weird way, "Louisiana Rain" might be my favorite Tom Petty song, except when it's "Wildflowers" or "American Girl" or . . . oh, fuck it. Impossible to rank them.
January 18, 20223 yr 22 minutes ago, ztejas said: Really? I think Bono's a pretty great singer. Certainly above guys like Petty or Dylan. Big U2 fan here, but I’ve never considered Bono a great vocalist. He has a unique voice that pairs so well with the band’s music. But I don’t think he had a great voice in and of itself.
January 18, 20223 yr 28 minutes ago, South Austin said: He put that album on my phone and I’ll never forgive him for that
January 18, 20223 yr Author 29 minutes ago, South Austin said: Big U2 fan here, but I’ve never considered Bono a great vocalist. He has a unique voice that pairs so well with the band’s music. But I don’t think he had a great voice in and of itself. Maybe not. Obviously, liking his voice or not is subjective. Technically he does stuff that is really difficult to emulate - especially at the upper end of his register. He makes the most of the voice he was given. I guess where I'm coming from is that you can be a good singer without sounding great and vice versa.
January 18, 20223 yr 32 minutes ago, ztejas said: Maybe not. Obviously, liking his voice or not is subjective. Technically he does stuff that is really difficult to emulate - especially at the upper end of his register. He makes the most of the voice he was given. I guess where I'm coming from is that you can be a good singer without sounding great and vice versa. I think that's fair. And while it is indeed subjective, it seems like the distinction we're making is between "great rock 'n roll voices," such as Petty, Springsteen, Jagger, and Bono, and other vocalists who are innately gifted with an incredible voice beyond the context of their band or genre. For the latter, I'm thinking of people like Paul McCartney, Freddie Mercury, Steve Perry, and Marvin Gaye. And let's face it, most rock n' roll singers have been in the former category. As jimmyjazz aptly noted, "this ain't the Met."
January 18, 20223 yr Author 1 minute ago, South Austin said: I think that's fair. And while it is indeed subjective, it seems like the distinction we're making is between "great rock 'n roll voices," such as Petty, Springsteen, Jagger, and Bono, and other vocalists who are innately gifted with an incredible voice beyond the context of their band or genre. For the latter, I'm thinking of people like Paul McCartney, Freddie Mercury, Steve Perry, and Marvin Gaye. And let's face it, most rock n' roll singers have been in the former category. As jimmyjazz aptly noted, "this ain't the Met." Right. I almost commented that Bono isn't Steven Tyler or Robert Plant. He's a great singer - he isn't some God's gift of vocal talent.
January 18, 20223 yr 13 minutes ago, ztejas said: Right. I almost commented that Bono isn't Steven Tyler or Robert Plant. He's a great singer - he isn't some God's gift of vocal talent. Yes, I agree with that, but I also think he's a level above Jagger and Dylan. Springsteen is a weird case -- he has almost an operatic style, filtered through 50 years of Marlboros and stress. (No, I'm not saying he smokes.)
January 18, 20223 yr If you've not seen Somewhere You Feel Free, set aside an hour and a half to do so. Took forever for it to be released but finally was last November and the wait was worth it to see the making of Wildflowers. So many great interviews / footage. Surprised to see it's still up on youtube / free:
January 18, 20223 yr 9 minutes ago, Wally Pryor said: If you've not seen Somewhere You Feel Free, set aside an hour and a half to do so. Took forever for it to be released but finally was last November and the wait was worth it to see the making of Wildflowers. So many great interviews / footage. Surprised to see it's still up on youtube / free: I started watching it last night. It does not disappoint.
January 18, 20223 yr Also, the topic of greatest American band is an interesting one and probably deserves its own thread. I think Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers definitely is in the conversation considering the number of great songs, longevity, and general greatness. Opinions differ, but I'd put them up there with the Grateful Dead and Talking Heads, which is to say among my top 5 favorite bands. And I'd probably give them the nod. Other American bands of note, which probably are in the conversation for other people, and which I appreciate as well: The Beach Boys The Doors Velvet Underground Van Halen Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band Allman Brothers Band Honorable Mention: Steely Dan (lineup varied so much; so it's hard to put them in the conversation); Then, there's my asterisk band of note, Phish. Love them (I do). Hate them (why you gotta hate). They'll have been together with small gaps for forty years next year and have been a significant touring force without much in the way of airplay or whatever the modern substitute is. But I don't put them in the conversation because they don't really fit the conversation.
January 18, 20223 yr Author 1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said: Yes, I agree with that, but I also think he's a level above Jagger and Dylan. Springsteen is a weird case -- he has almost an operatic style, filtered through 50 years of Marlboros and stress. (No, I'm not saying he smokes.) Sure. And yeah - characterizing Springsteen is difficult. Someone similar to Bono I think would be Brandon Flowers. Pretty talented singer but doesn't have some great, iconic voice. Yet it totally works for the band he's in.
January 18, 20223 yr 1 hour ago, dcbc said: Other American bands of note, which probably are in the conversation for other people, and which I appreciate as well: The Beach Boys The Doors Velvet Underground Van Halen Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band Allman Brothers Band Honorable Mention: Steely Dan (lineup varied so much; so it's hard to put them in the conversation); Not to derail the thread any further, but what the hell. Any discussion of "greatest American band" that doesn't include the following (beyond what you posted, some of which I question) is way off track: Nirvana Eagles Lynyrd Skynyrd Los Lobos Creedence Clearwater Revival R.E.M. ZZ Top Cheap Trick Chicago . . . and probably sucks ass as a list. I refuse to include The Ramones. Edited January 18, 20223 yr by jimmyjazz
January 19, 20223 yr Author 22 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said: Not to derail the thread any further, but what the hell. Any discussion of "greatest American band" that doesn't include the following (beyond what you posted, some of which I question) is way off track: Nirvana Eagles Lynyrd Skynyrd Los Lobos Creedence Clearwater Revival R.E.M. ZZ Top Cheap Trick Chicago . . . and probably sucks ass as a list. I refuse to include The Ramones. Yeah I was about to say... if we're going to include Talking Heads can we include Nirvana? Can I add Smashing Pumpkins? Green Day?
January 19, 20223 yr On 1/16/2022 at 5:19 PM, TOR said: Going off topic here, bare with me. Back when, The Midnight Special was the only to see bands unless you went to a concert. It was essential watching. Counterpoint: Performers who appeared on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert[edit] 10cc A Taste of Honey ABBA The Allman Brothers Band Ambrosia Andy Gibb Angel Argent Average White Band Bad Company Badfinger Bachman-Turner Overdrive Bar Kays Black Sabbath Brownsville Station Joan Baez Bee Gees Pat Benatar Black Oak Arkansas Blood, Sweat & Tears Blue Öyster Cult Brooklyn Dreams Cameo David Bowie Dr. Hook Dr. John Eric Burdon The Byrds Irene Cara Harry Chapin Cheap Trick Alice Cooper Jim Croce Sarah Dash Devo Dixie Dregs The Doobie Brothers Donna Summer Eagles Earth, Wind & Fire Edgar Winter Group Electric Light Orchestra Emerson, Lake & Palmer Bryan Ferry Fleetwood Mac Focus Foghat Rory Gallagher Genesis Golden Earring Grand Funk Railroad The Guess Who George Harrison The Hollies Herbie Hancock Hot Tuna James Gang Rick James Billy Joel Journey Waylon Jennings Kansas KC and the Sunshine Band B. B. King KISS Gladys Knight and the Pips Patti LaBelle Lake (German band) Lenny Williams Lynyrd Skynyrd Mahavishnu Orchestra Mahogany Rush Meat Loaf Melissa Manchester Manfred Mann's Earth Band Frank Marino Don McLean Molly Hatchet Montrose Mother's Finest Maria Muldaur New Birth New York Dolls Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Ted Nugent Gary Numan Ohio Players Outlaws The Ozark Mountain Daredevils Robert Palmer The Police Billy Preston Prince & The Revolution Pure Prairie League with Vince Gill Queen The Ramones Lou Rawls Rainbow Raspberries Helen Reddy Lou Reed Martha Reeves REO Speedwagon Vicki Sue Robinson The Rolling Stones Linda Ronstadt Todd Rundgren Rush Rose Royce Santana The Sex Pistols Seals & Crofts Sensational Alex Harvey Band Slade Slave Sly & the Family Stone Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes Sylvester Sparks Jimmie Spheeris The Spinners (American R&B group) The Stampeders Starz Steely Dan Steppenwolf Steve Miller Band Stephanie Mills Cat Stevens Switch Bram Tchaikovsky The Temptations Marc Bolan and T. Rex Ike & Tina Turner UFO Uriah Heep Village People Joe Walsh Bay City Rollers Van Halen Van Morrison[4] Waylon Jennings Walter Murphy War Weather Report Wishbone Ash Stevie Wonder Zebra
January 19, 20223 yr 33 minutes ago, ztejas said: Yeah I was about to say... if we're going to include Talking Heads can we include Nirvana? Can I add Smashing Pumpkins? Green Day? I don't know what those last three bands have to do with that first band, but sure, why not. Edited January 19, 20223 yr by dcbc
January 19, 20223 yr 1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said: some of which I question 1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said: Eagles But I think I culled from the same list you supplemented from just so as not to make it too long. There are some winners in the supplement. Also, we need to add The Band. Edited January 19, 20223 yr by dcbc
January 19, 20223 yr 4 hours ago, stc said: let's get this back on track...just a great song. This is a top 8-10 song as well for me.
January 21, 20223 yr Saw him in Norman at the Lloyd Noble Center (what a shithole) with Jackson Browne when I was in high school. Jackson Browne is criminally underrated. He plays a great set. The lights go out. All of a sudden a spotlight is on the stage and there's a big box in the middle of the stage. Petty enters the spotlight, opens the box, pulls out his hat and lights come on and they blast "American Girl". I get goosebumps thinking about it. Saw him in OKC about a month before he died. Remember thinking he didn't look great. But what really stood out was how much fun he was having. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand. Played for 2.5 hours and never stopped smiling. Still sounded great.
January 22, 20223 yr 23 hours ago, ocugolf said: Saw him in Norman at the Lloyd Noble Center (what a shithole) with Jackson Browne when I was in high school. Jackson Browne is criminally underrated. He plays a great set. The lights go out. All of a sudden a spotlight is on the stage and there's a big box in the middle of the stage. Petty enters the spotlight, opens the box, pulls out his hat and lights come on and they blast "American Girl". I get goosebumps thinking about it. Saw him in OKC about a month before he died. Remember thinking he didn't look great. But what really stood out was how much fun he was having. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand. Played for 2.5 hours and never stopped smiling. Still sounded great. Always had them in the palm of his hand. He was a true one of a kind. There will never be another sound like tom petty and the heartbreakers. The there will never be another Elvis
January 25, 20223 yr Author On 1/18/2022 at 6:51 PM, dcbc said: I don't know what those last three bands have to do with that first band, but sure, why not. None of them are "classic" rock.
February 4, 20223 yr full concert from the wildflowers tour. sound is great and the band is on fire, the outro to mary jane's last dance is some good shit. video quality is terrible but whatever. 0:23 "Love Is A Long Road" 4:43 "You Don't Know How It Feels" 10:26 "Listen To Her Heart" 14:03 "I Won't Back Down" 18:16 "Free Fallin'" 23:13 "You Wreck Me" 27:30 "Diamond Head" 32:49 "Mary Jane's Last Dance" 41:30 "Into The Great Wide Open" 46:42 "Learning To Fly" 51:25 "Don't Fade On Me" 56:14 "Girl On LSD" 1:00:25 "I Just Wanna Make Love To You" 1:06:10 "Wildflowers" 1:10:03 "Yer So Bad" 1:13:31 "It's Good Too Be King" 1:22:58 "Breakdown" 1:27:05 "Driving Down To Georgia" 1:33:57 "Refugee" 1:38:49 "Runnin' Down A Dream" 1:48:15 "Honey Bee" 1:53:56 "American Girl" 2:00:30 "Alright For Now"
February 6, 20223 yr Henley usually came off too sappy and douchey after the first few albums. I always enjoyed the Fry stuff more. He had a great voice for his songs. He even made a Jackson Browne song better than the original.
February 6, 20223 yr On 1/16/2022 at 9:16 PM, ztejas said: My favorite Mike Campbell story actually didn't result in a Petty song. It was him offering Petty Boys of Summer then Don Henley picking up on it. Talk about a blind squirrel finding a nut. Maybe one of my 10 favorite rock songs. So fucking brilliant start to finish. My dad and I actually had a long text exchange about it recently. I guess Henley needed it more than Petty did. (Granted - Henley nailed the lyrics in a way that TP may not have. Talk about brilliance in its own right) I love how pissy Henley got about The Ataris cover of this song. He’s such a piece of shit, I didn’t know how this version was allowed to be published, but now I realize that it was because Campbell wrote it.
February 6, 20223 yr 11 hours ago, Napoleon said: I love how pissy Henley got about The Ataris cover of this song. He’s such a piece of shit, I didn’t know how this version was allowed to be published, but now I realize that it was because Campbell wrote it. A published, released song can be covered and released "without permission" by obtaining a compulsory license, the rate for which is set by law. There are limitations to changes in lyrics and melody, but I don't know how those might be negotiated.
February 6, 20223 yr 12 hours ago, Napoleon said: I love how pissy Henley got about The Ataris cover of this song. He’s such a piece of shit, I didn’t know how this version was allowed to be published, but now I realize that it was because Campbell wrote it. I can see why Henley was pissed. It’s a boring mailed-in version.
February 9, 20223 yr On 2/4/2022 at 11:33 AM, stc said: full concert from the wildflowers tour. sound is great and the band is on fire, the outro to mary jane's last dance is some good shit. video quality is terrible but whatever. 0:23 "Love Is A Long Road" 4:43 "You Don't Know How It Feels" 10:26 "Listen To Her Heart" 14:03 "I Won't Back Down" 18:16 "Free Fallin'" 23:13 "You Wreck Me" 27:30 "Diamond Head" 32:49 "Mary Jane's Last Dance" 41:30 "Into The Great Wide Open" 46:42 "Learning To Fly" 51:25 "Don't Fade On Me" 56:14 "Girl On LSD" 1:00:25 "I Just Wanna Make Love To You" 1:06:10 "Wildflowers" 1:10:03 "Yer So Bad" 1:13:31 "It's Good Too Be King" 1:22:58 "Breakdown" 1:27:05 "Driving Down To Georgia" 1:33:57 "Refugee" 1:38:49 "Runnin' Down A Dream" 1:48:15 "Honey Bee" 1:53:56 "American Girl" 2:00:30 "Alright For Now" my first tour which started my decades long love affair with TP. saw every tour after that. and every one of them was with my Mom. that became such a bonding thing between she and I. She wants Wildflowers played at her funeral when the time comes and from that day on, when I hear it I will lose my shit. but it's perfect.
February 24, 20223 yr On 1/2/2022 at 6:58 AM, Celery Man said: I remember Last Dance with Mary Jane from when it was hit, and then obviously like everyone else I've heard most of his music by just living in the world. At some point in college "American Girl" started bouncing around in my head - I think it's from the scene in the Sopranos whenever Tony is in a coma and Carmela is talking to him about a beach trip when they were young and that song was playing. That song got categorized in my head as the perfect road trip song, which it is (also the most perfect rock song ever written), and for years any road trip that song gets cycled through at some point when highway speeds have been achieved, there are no tall buildings around, and the conversation has lulled. I've since branched into his catalogue more seriously, and like a lot of other people here Damn the Torpedos is a favorite. Not seeing him live is one of my big regrets. I've also become a huge fan of Mike Campbell's guitar playing, both generally and from a philosophical agreement with his stance on parsimony. Becoming a dad has made me lean in to Petty a lot more as well. Here's one. Jesus. Stevie Nicks. Has there ever been a more painful case of gorgeous woman with a horrid voice? (I mean. Besides Fran Drescher.)
February 24, 20223 yr On 2/6/2022 at 10:32 AM, South Austin said: I can see why Henley was pissed. It’s a boring mailed-in version. I mean... Henley's pissy to begin with. But yeah.
February 24, 20223 yr 47 minutes ago, Rimbo said: Jesus. Stevie Nicks. Has there ever been a more painful case of gorgeous woman with a horrid voice? (I mean. Besides Fran Drescher.) That's right...Bobby FLECKmann
February 24, 20223 yr Jesus. Stevie Nicks. Has there ever been a more painful case of gorgeous woman with a horrid voice? (I mean. Besides Fran Drescher.)I’m not gonna call it horrid. It’s not a great voice by any stretch but she sure did record some fantastic songs with it.
February 24, 20223 yr I feel like you guys are just trying to start some shit with this Stevie Nicks nonsense.
February 24, 20223 yr picked up the 1995 playback box set for $10 recently and was reading through the liner notes last night. apparently mike campbell had this on the back burner for a decade and they couldn't figure out what to do with it. the producer called in lenny kravitz, he listened to 30 seconds of the tape and immediately knew what to do...laid down the drum and bass tracks right there.
February 24, 20223 yr On 1/18/2022 at 4:28 PM, dcbc said: Also, the topic of greatest American band is an interesting one and probably deserves its own thread. I think Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers definitely is in the conversation considering the number of great songs, longevity, and general greatness. Opinions differ, but I'd put them up there with the Grateful Dead and Talking Heads, which is to say among my top 5 favorite bands. And I'd probably give them the nod. Other American bands of note, which probably are in the conversation for other people, and which I appreciate as well: The Beach Boys The Doors Velvet Underground Van Halen Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band Allman Brothers Band Honorable Mention: Steely Dan (lineup varied so much; so it's hard to put them in the conversation); Steely Dan was two visionary guys with session players, but more of a band thing in early years. Beach Boys were very much the same. Early years band, but mostly one visionary guy and session players and a band that went out to tour the stuff Brian had produced. So not much of a distinction there. Frank Zappa and Bruce are probably similar as well.
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