1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: 362. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers (1976)

 

This is Petty’s debut album and not, I think, a patch on some of his later stuff, especially the later Eighties albums during a period where Jeff Lynne is getting his fingers into everything.  
This one features the single American Girl, and it’s indicative of pretty much the rest of the album – a somewhat nostalgic return to rock and roll/rockabilly sensibilities. Even the name of the group suggests a Fifties teen idol kind of band. 

It’s okay, but didn’t really fire me up, most of the tracks slid by my consciousness harmlessly. I feel like my entries have been getting longer and longer, almost becoming a track-by-track analysis for some albums even though I’m consciously trying not to do that; my aim was always to give more of an immediate impression but it seems as this has gone on I've found more to say each time. 

This album, however, I find I have little to say about it. I even find myself agreeing with Robert Christgau who says (with more eloquence) that this amounts to little more than well-executed rock and roll nostalgia. As a start to Petty’s career, however, it’s good to have a baseline to work from for future albums.