TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Damn The Torpedoes / Hard Promises
Long After Dark (MCA)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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These three titles are remasters from the catalog of one of the backbones of American rock music for the last two decades, and there's little to be said about them that Petty's fans don't know. Damn The Torpedoes and Hard Promises, in particular, are classics, favorites of fans and critics alike.

These reissues, though, do provide an opportunity for a reappraisal of Long After Dark, which was released to somewhat less acclaim than the others. It's a pity, because it's a fine album. Did it break new ground? Not really, it's another installment in the classic Petty tradition, but now that that tradition is a bit better entrenched, it's easier to appreciate exactly how classic the sound is.

So, if you're a Tom Petty fan, knowing that Damn The Torpedoes and Hard Promises are out there is enough to close the sale. You might be tempted, though, to overlook Long After Dark. Don't. All three of these discs belong on your CD rack.

Track Lists:

Damn The Torpedoes: Refugee * Here Comes My Girl * Even The Losers * Shadow Of A Doubt (A Complex Kid) * Century City * Don't Do Me Like That * You Tell Me * What Are You Doin' In My Life? * Louisiana Rain

Hard Promises: The Waiting * A Woman In Love (It's Not Me) * Nightwatchman * Something Big * Kings Road * Letting You Go * A Thing About You * Insider * The Criminal Kind * You Can Still Change Your Mind

Long After Dark: A One Story Town * You Got Lucky * Deliver Me * Change Of Heart * Finding Out * We Stand A Chance * Straight Into Darkness * The Same Old You * Between Two Worlds * A Wasted Life

© 2001 - Shaun Dale