#3 Tom Petty, 1976
Tom Petty’s debut album was incredible. It presaged Americana and was an honest voice of rock and roll that came at a time when heavy metal was on the rise and Southern Rock meant something contentious like Lynyrd Skynyrd or something that felt more like country and blues, like The Allmans. Tom Petty was just a hardworking punk kid out of Florida, and he brought with him an entire record of powerful original songs. The best of all was American Girl, a patriotic anthem that burst into the usually cynical world of rock and roll. But there was also Breakdown. Tom Petty is an incredible live performer, and the first time I heard this song it was the version from the 1985 album, Pack Up The Plantation Live! And it blew me away. The audience participation, Petty’s strength as a vocalist, and his band’s incredible talent are evident in the liver performances of this song—which basically take a simple, two-and-a-half minute tune and sprawl it out for eight minutes. So I posted a live version above. Listen to it. It’s awesome.
And then there were the lesser known cuts: Anything That’s Rock n Roll, Hometown Blues, Fooled Again…Every song was a winner.
Cover versions of the album’s two biggest hits…
Breakdown
American Girl: Hold your breath. There are tons of really good ones…
American Girl by Local H (direct link)
AG by Roger Clyne and the Pacemakers (direct link)
AG by Grace Potter (direct link)
AG/I Want You To Want Me (Cheap Trick) by Pat McGee Band (direct link)
