It’s just us jamming together.” Tom Petty, ĭamn the Torpedoes was Petty’s commercial breakthrough – signed to MCA Records and produced by Jimmy Iovine, he sounded bigger and bolder than before on hits like ‘Refugee’ and ‘Even the Losers’. You hear all these weird stops and little licks. And I made up on the spot, and we cut it with me playing the organ and Stan playing the drums.” He goes on to note that “it’s very improvised, especially the ending. … But there was a Hammond organ and some drums. “‘Hey,’” Tom Petty remembers Shark saying to him, “‘why don’t you guys fly down and we’ll cut a track before we take the gear out? Because no one’s around and we can do it for free.’ So Stan and I, just on a lark, flew to Tulsa. The result was ‘Luna’, an odd track in the band’s catalogue, built out of a studio jam between Lynch on drums and Petty on Hammond organ. They invited their new signing Tom Petty to take advantage of free studio time. But the engineers sent to retrieve the equipment from the Oklahoma studio had a great idea. When Russell and Cordell fell out, they closed down their Tulsa studio. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers were originally signed to Shelter Records, run by Leon Russell and producer Denny Cordell. Contrary to the usual tradition on this site, these ten songs are presented chronologically. Taken together, they present an alternate history of Petty’s evolution, a talented and likeable songwriter. Some of these tracks are relatively well-known, popping up on compilations or racking up respectable streaming numbers, but none of them was released as a single in the US.

When I reviewed Petty’s catalogue a few years ago I kept a note of my favourite deep cuts.

Ably supported by ace musicians like guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, and bassist/backing vocalist Howie Epstein, his songs were always beautifully presented. Petty had so many enjoyable hits through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s that my list of favourite Tom Petty songs is largely predictable. The late Tom Petty was a great singles artist – tracks like ‘The Waiting’, ‘Refugee’, and ‘Free Fallin” sound terrific blasting from cars and on classic rock radio.

Shadow of a doubt lyrics tom petty