Damn the Torpedoes (album)
Damn the Torpedoes | ||||
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File:TomPetty&theHeartbreakersDamntheTorpedoes.jpg | ||||
Studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | ||||
Released | October 19, 1979 | |||
Recorded | Sound City, Van Nuys Cherokee Studios, Hollywood 1978–79 |
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Genre | Heartland rock, rock and roll | |||
Length | 36:38 | |||
Label | Backstreet, MCA, Geffen, UMe | |||
Producer | Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty | |||
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers chronology | ||||
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Singles from Damn the Torpedoes | ||||
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Damn the Torpedoes is the third album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in 1979. This was the first of three Petty albums originally released by the Backstreet Records label, distributed by MCA Records. It built on the commercial success and critical acclaim of his two previous albums and peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart.[1] In 2003, the album was ranked number 313 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[2]
Contents
Background and Recording
Petty's recording contract was reassigned to MCA when his previous label Shelter Records and distributor ABC Records was sold to MCA in 1979. MCA took over rights to Petty's published music, infuriating him, and he responded by declaring bankruptcy as a tactic to void his contract with MCA.[3] In the end, the record company backed down, and Petty negotiated a deal that allowed him to retain publishing rights and form his own Backstreet Records label, manufactured and distributed by MCA. The album, now co-produced by Jimmy Iovine, was recorded at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys and Cherokee Studios in Hollywood.[4] The title is a reference to a famous quote by Admiral David Farragut: "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!". All of Petty's Backstreet recordings (and all MCA releases at that time) were re-issued by MCA in 1988.
Release and Reception
Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [5] |
Chicago Tribune | [6] |
Robert Christgau | B+[7] |
The Essential Rock Discography | 8/10[8] |
MusicHound | 5/5[9] |
Rolling Stone | [10] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [11] |
Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [12] |
The album was a breakthrough for Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was their first top 10 album rising to #2 (for seven weeks and kept from #1 by Pink Floyd's The Wall) on the Billboard albums chart.[1] It yielded two songs that made the top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, "Don't Do Me Like That" (#10) and "Refugee" (#15).[13][14] Thanks to the new co-producer Jimmy Iovine, Damn the Torpedoes proved to be a major leap forward in production.[5]
Critical reception generally reflected the commercial success of the album. The original review in Rolling Stone raved that it was the "album we've all been waiting for – that is, if we were all Tom Petty fans, which we would be if there were any justice in the world."[15] Subsequent reviews have continued this trend calling it "one of the great records of the album rock era"[5] and culminating in its placement in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[2]
Re-releases
The album was digitally remastered by Joe Gastwirt and reissued in 2001 on HDCD.[citation needed]
On November 9, 2010, a deluxe edition of the album was released on three formats, a 2×CD set, a 2×LP (180g) deluxe package and a Blu-ray Audio disc package. Digital download available in numerous audio codecs in audiophile quality 96 kHz/24bit through resellers such as HDTracks. All the tracks (original and unreleased) were remastered from the original analog master tapes by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios in Hollywood, CA.[citation needed]
Track listing
Side one | |||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
1. | "Refugee" | Petty, Mike Campbell | 3:22 |
2. | "Here Comes My Girl" | Petty, Campbell | 4:27 |
3. | "Even the Losers" | Petty | 3:59 |
4. | "Shadow of a Doubt (A Complex Kid)" | Petty | 4:25 |
5. | "Century City" | Petty | 3:45 |
Side Two | |||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
6. | "Don't Do Me Like That" | Petty | 2:44 |
7. | "You Tell Me" | Petty | 4:35 |
8. | "What Are You Doin' in My Life" | Petty | 3:27 |
9. | "Louisiana Rain" | Petty | 5:54 |
Total length:
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36:38 |
Bonus Edition Disc 2 | |||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
1. | "Nowhere" | Petty | 3:38 |
2. | "Surrender" | Petty | 3:26 |
3. | "Casa Dega" | Petty, Campbell | 3:36 |
4. | "It's Rainin' Again" | Petty | 1:31 |
5. | "Shadow of a Doubt (A Complex Kid) (Live At Hammersmith Odeon, London, England/1980)" | Petty | 4:42 |
6. | "Don't Do Me Like That (Live At Hammersmith Odeon, London, England/1980)" | Petty | 2:49 |
7. | "Somethin' Else (Live At Hammersmith Odeon, London, England/1980)" | Eddie Cochran | 2:28 |
8. | "Casa Dega (Demo Version)" | Petty, Campbell | 3:33 |
9. | "Refugee (Early Version)" | Petty, Campbell | 4:32 |
Total length:
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30:15 |
Personnel
The Heartbreakers:
- Tom Petty – 6 & 12 string guitars, lead vocals and harmonica
- Mike Campbell – 6 & 12 string guitars, slide guitar, keyboards, accordion, electric bass
- Benmont Tench – piano, organ, harmonium and vocals
- Ron Blair – electric bass
- Stan Lynch – drums and vocals
Session Musicians:
- Donald "Duck" Dunn – Fender bass on "You Tell Me"
- Jim Keltner (uncredited) – percussion on "Refugee"
Recording Personnel:
- Jimmy Iovine – producer
- Tom Petty – producer
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Shelly Yakus – engineer
- John Mathias – assistant engineer
- Thom Panunzio – assistant engineer
- Gray Russell – assistant engineer
- Skip Saylor – assistant engineer
- Tori Swenson – assistant engineer
Cover Art Personnel:
- Lynn Goldsmith – photography
- Dennis Callaghan – photography
- Aaron Rapoport – photography
- Glen Christensen – cover photography
- Tommy Steele – art direction
Certifications
Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
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Canada (Music Canada)[16] | 2× Platinum | 200,000 |
United States (RIAA)[17] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000 |
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
Charts
Peak positions
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Year-end charts
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Preceded by
Music by Candlelight by Gheorghe Zamfir and Harry Van Hoof
Music by Candlelight by Gheorghe Zamfir and Harry Van Hoof |
New Zealand Chart number-one album May 11, 1980 May 25, 1981 – June 1, 1981 |
Succeeded by Music by Candlelight by Gheorghe Zamfir and Harry Van Hoof Space Race by Mi-Sex |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
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United States (RIAA)[25] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000 |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Damn The Torpedoes – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums at AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Tom Petty, Runnin' Down a Dream (film), 2007 documentary, @1:08:00.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Damn the Torpedoes at AllMusic. Retrieved 8 November 2005.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- Pages with broken file links
- Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters
- Articles with unsourced statements from September 2011
- Articles with unsourced statements from October 2010
- Certification Table Entry usages for Canada
- Certification Table Entry usages for United States
- Tom Petty albums
- Backstreet Records albums
- 1979 albums
- Albums produced by Jimmy Iovine
- Albums produced by Tom Petty
- Universal Deluxe Editions