Customer Reviews

Damn The Torpedoes [Deluxe Edition]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Two discs 36, 30 minutes each approximately, a bit short on playing time. The sound, digitally remastered, is clean and fairly crisp without sounding harsh. The packaging is the same as most of the other "Deluxe Editions" that have been released. The booklet has previously unseen photos of the band and information on Petty and the music. This album is also available both as a single disc of the original album, and in a Blue-ray Audio edition.

"Damn The Torpedoes" is, arguably, the finest early album by Petty and his band. The songs "Don't Do Me Like That" and "Refugee", were all over the radio, in people's cars, and blasting out of people's living rooms. And then to have songs like "Here Comes My Girl" and "Even The Losers" on top of it-well, Petty and the band don't get much better. With Petty's, at times, Dylan-like vocal mannerisms and sound, that chiming electric 12 string filling in all the empty spaces, and Mike Campbell's straightforward rock 'n' roll guitar for added punch, their sound was tough. Not to mention the rhythm section-while holding everything together they simultaneously push things along, and make it seem effortless, this is a real rock 'n' roll band.

This album improved on their first two-the songs, some from Petty's former group MUDCRUTCH,, and some new, had a cohesiveness and a toughness that sounded both modern and looked back to the rootsy sound of Dylan/BYRDS/British Invasion/garage rock. Petty's writing was lean and seemingly simple, yet the lyrics ranged from tough rockers ("Refugee"), to ballads ("Louisianna Rain"), and everything in between. Besides the identifiable sound of the band, all these songs had passion-both in the lyrics and in the bands performance.

The nine "new" songs do help somewhat in painting a broader, deeper picture of Petty and his band during this time. Right here I have to admit that Stan Lynch is still my favorite "Heartbreakers" drummer, and the song "Surrender", recorded for the album but not used, has that certain drum sound only Lynch seemed to produce. The alternate of "Refugee" is nice but not anything really new (unless you're a collector), and the demo of B side single "Casa Dega" is nice to have but not essential to the overall sound and feel of the album. The three live tracks are good-speaking for myself I would like to hear more live recordings, both in the studio and in concert. The live tracks (from London in 1980) follow the originals fairly closely, but are great to have nonetheless, especially "Don't Do Me Like That".

As I wrote earlier, this is a pivotal TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS album. If not the bands greatest single work, it's certainly one of them. The remastered sound is good and the extra tracks are worthwhile. My only (selfish) complaint is that there's room on this edition for much more music, no doubt still languishing in the vault. But for those who know this album-you can't have to much of a good thing. If you haven't heard this album, this is a good look at what Petty and his band are all about-simple, straightforward, unadorned rock 'n' roll. Oh, yes, it still sounds good slightly loud. Enjoy.

Instead, the "Deluxe Edition" band pictured here is a stick-on label. If you are contemplating buying this expensive import then you are already sold on the music, so no need to write a review.

Well, being a collector this is a nice package, for the regular fan, it gives some more depth in the album it's self. I personally think the second CD should have been a lot longer thus my 4 start rating. It was a breakthrough album in many rights due to getting the album out to the public. also some fans thought this was Petty's start to going totally commercial. Anyway, this one is worth getting if you don't have the original album. Check out my site sometime at "Judemac Forever"

This is absolutely the best album that Tom Petty ever made. It is good all the way through and it solidifies the sound that he and the Heartbreakers were working towards on their first two albums. It's simple, bluesy, country-rock, pop with New Wave flourishes, at its finest. I never listened to any of Tom Petty's albums before this, though I liked most of his singles. The remastering on this deluxe version is fantastic and all the extras are worth the extra money as is usually the case with the deluxe package series. Here we have 4 radio staples, not just hits, staples; and count them again, 4! The rest of the songs are not only listenable but compete with the hits very well, rounding off this album nicely. This band puts the pro in professional and after listening to this I went and bought most of their albums. I have not been disappointed yet. I'm not a huge fan of the Dylanesque Tom Petty vocals, but after getting used to it I like him better. Everything from the lyrics to the simplicity of the writing really comes together on this album and it flows like the best of them. His next album, HARD PROMISES, is also very good and considered one of his many masterpieces, but it doesn't have the same flow of DTT. If you like blues, hard rock, eighties rock/pop then this is for you. You'll be reaching for the others in no time.

The Deluxe edition remastering is only slightly better than the previous 2001 version but the extra tracks more than make up for that. Of the extra tracks, barring demos and alternate versions, only SOMETHIN' ELSE is a throwaway. The rest of the extras are just as good as the original material and are written in the same style. They would've fit on the original album very neatly. The only difference, and the reason that they were probably not included, is that they're mid-tempo numbers. The original release of this album was a high-energy affair and putting those songs on there would've slowed it down. (Not to mention the time constraints of vinyl)

This record was a part of my life in 1979.

This edition of it with the extra tracks is awesome.

You're not a PETTY fan if you don't like this material.