At the time Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' debut was released in 1976, they were fresh enough to almost be considered punk. They weren't as reckless or visionary as the Ramones, but they shared a similar love for pure '60s rock and, for the Heartbreakers, that meant embracing the Byrds as much as the Stones. And that's pretty much what this album is -- tuneful jangle balanced by a tough garage swagger. At times, the attitude and the sound override the songwriting, but that's alright, since the slight songs ("Anything That's Rock 'N' Roll," to pick a random example) are still infused with spirit and an appealing surface. Petty & the Heartbreakers feel underground on this album, at least to the extent that power pop was underground in 1976; with Dwight Twilley providing backing vocals for "Strangered in the Night," the similarities between the two bands (adherence to pop hooks and melodies, love of guitars) become apparent. Petty wound up eclipsing Twilley because he rocked harder, something that's evident throughout this record. Take the closer "American Girl" -- it's a Byrds song by any other name, but he pushed the Heartbreakers to treat it as a rock & roll song, not as something delicate. There are times where the album starts to drift, especially on the second side, but the highlights -- "Rockin' Around (With You)," "Hometown Blues," "The Wild One, Forever," the AOR staples "Breakdown" and "American Girl" -- still illustrate how refreshing Petty & the Heartbreakers sounded in 1976. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Tom Petty (Guitar), Tom Petty (Keyboards), Tom Petty (Vocals), Tom Petty (Main Performer), Phil Seymour (Vocals (Background)), Mike Campbell (Guitar), Ken Perry (Mastering), Greg Allen (Design), Greg Allen (Reissue Art Director), Benmont Tench (Organ), Benmont Tench (Piano), Benmont Tench (?), Ron Blair (Bass (Electric)), Ron Blair (Cello), Ron Blair (Guitar (Bass)), Ed Caraeff (Photography), Denny Cordell (Producer), Joe Gastwirt (Digital Remastering), Gregg Geller (Reissue Producer), Stan Lynch (Drums), Stan Lynch (Keyboards), Stan Lynch (?), Gary Peterson (Project Assistant), Noah Shark (Engineer), Noah Shark (Mixing), Zox (Art Direction), Zox (Design), Zox (Photography), Max Reese (Engineer), Bill Flanagan (Liner Notes), Chris Walter (Photography), Vanessa Atkins (Editorial Supervision), Michael Putland (Photography), Adrian Boot (Photography), Vigon Nahas Vigon (Logo Design), Marty Jourard (Photography), Shawn Amos (A&R), Daniel Goldmark (Editorial Research), Andee Cohen (Photography), Jo Motta (Project Assistant)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is the eponymous debut album by the band of the same name, released in late 1976.
Initially following its release, the album received little attention in the United States. Following a British tour, it climbed to the #24 on the UK album chart and the single "Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll" became a hit in the UK. After nearly a year and many positive reviews, the album reached the U.S. charts, where it climbed to #55 in 1978 and eventually went Gold. The single "Breakdown" cracked the Top 40 in the U.S. and "American Girl" became an FM radio staple which can still be heard today. [1]
The album was recorded and mixed at the Shelter Studio, Hollywood, California.
