Now, I never managed to get to grips with Tom Petty and his music. I more or less ignored it as it just didn’t connect with me, at the least the more commercial stuff didn’t. This album released in ’76 is the only Petty album I own as it contains one of his best tunes, Breakdown (that’s to say the main riff and guitar part). That descending guitar just gets me every time. American Girl is the other tune that I like, which closes out the album.
Tom was rather lucky. If this had been five years later, would it have sold as much? One of the things that fascinates me in the music biz is how some bands get to make other records after rather stuttering first attempts, and others just get bombed. Well, I guess we now know why I’m not an A&R guy.
7/10 from The Grooveman.
