Customer Reviews

The Last DJ

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Finally, an artist who has put together an album of songs that comment on something I've been talking to friends about for years: The pathetic state of the music business. Petty slams the industry from every angle on "The Last DJ" with a few other subjects tossed in for good measure. Choose your pick of quality material here because it's the best thing he's done since "Wildflowers" in 1994. This cd is almost as consistent as that one was, with a fire and spirit that I thought Petty would never recapture after the sluggish "Echo". The one feeling that stands out after listening to this album is depression. You can feel Petty desperately trying to find some place where music isn't prepackaged and demographized. He doesn't just sound angry he sounds hopeless as well, particularly on "Money Becomes King", "The Last DJ" and "Dreamville". It's a shame that elderstatesmen like Petty get the shaft when it comes to radio and video play. This once well-embraced artist is now viewed as over-the-hill and not worth the time. Petty is aware of this on "Joe", and it's yet another sad reminder of how radio used to be, no genres, no commercials, just lone DJs sending out messages in bottles and hoping that intelligent life received them. Who knows, maybe Petty will have sudden media attention and trendy attention paid to him like Eric Clapton did in the early 1990's.

Tom Petty carved a well-deserved niche for himself by being a musical nonconformist. Whether making power rock cool before there were hair bands or making it last long past its prime, his rockabilly style and refusal to conform to "mainstream" music standards are the very things that have made Tom popular, and repeatedly earn him top spots on the musical charts he seems to ignore.

His latest work, "The Last DJ," is easily his most political album, tackling the assembly-line, corporate-controlled state of rock music rolling into the 21st century. The title track tells the tale of a rebel radio jockey, playing GOOD music because he WANTS to. Of course, the poor DJ can only find work at a tiny station in Mexico, where people can tune him in if the weather's good - if they even recognize him for what he is, and can tear their ears away from the advertising-ruled Britneys and Christinas on the other stations.

Tom's got a point, boys and girls. I doubt there's anyone reading this review who hasn't bemoaned the state of popular music, and Tom lets the stops out all over the album. The other songs (with the exception of the awesome ballad "Dreamville") are extensions of the same premise, firing shots directly at the corporations responsible and the listeners for accepting spoon-fed .... Which means that the album as a whole has a much more limited appeal: Petty should have included some less-politicized music (or, maybe, music that attacked other contemporary issues).

But the irony here is that Tom's right, and he knows it. Therefore, the only way to hear the songs on this album, aside from buying them from some corporate-controlled megamusicstore, is to hear them as part of the digital feed on a Clear Channel or Shamrock radio station. Petty's not the first to turn a system against itself, but much of his message gets lost when it's sandwiched between cookie-cutter poprock. Do yourself a favor, and buy the album. Shut off your radio for a bit, and listen to music as it's supposed to be. And enjoy.

Final Grade: B+

I'm a big fan of Tom Petty's work. I've enjoyed just about everything that the man has done up to this point. But I really do love this new album. "The Last DJ" grabbed me during its first spin in my player and didn't let up for the next three repeat plays. I finally had to force myself to take it out to give another disc a chance (I have a large collection, and it was getting to be a bit unfair!).

It's a solid album musically, and I think that the melodies are quite strong. "Like A Diamond", for one, gets in your head and never leaves. Simple phrases from the title song make this holder of a BS in Broadcasting quiver. And the "you'll get to be famous / I'll get to be rich" tells the tale of the current state of the music industry in one simple couplet.

There are definitely some noteable influences evident on the record. Petty has out-Bruced The Boss with the simple storytelling aspect of the lyrics on this one, especially "Blue Sunday". And yes, I'm sure his fellow Wilbury, Mr. Zimmerman, also inspired Tom to not hold back with the cynicism and deeply-cutting images of the music indusrty that the new album puts forth.

There is one other writer, however, who has to be acknowledged as a reason that this album exists, and that is Ray Davies. "The Last DJ" is almost a logical sequel to the Kinks 1970 album "Lola Versus Powerman and the Money-Go-Round". As an exercise I imagined what tracks like Joe and The Man Who Loves Women would sound like with Ray singing lead ... and it's not a far stretch! I don't know whether or not Tom has ever stated that he is a Kinks fan ... but there simply MUST be something subconscious here. Not that anything is "lifted" from the Kinks ... but the feel is so close to something they could have done.

But alas, Tom Petty did it, and my hat's off to him! He's given us a great album and a solid, honest, bold statement. And folks, let's all make a statement, too. If the station isn't broadcasting locally ... TURN IT OFF!

Tom Petty has a lot to say and it isn't pretty. "The Last DJ" alone is worth the price of admission. This is the first song I've ever known to be banned on the radio that had NO violence, sexual content, vulgar language, reference to drugs or alcohol; the more stations that banned the song, the happier I was! Tom Petty was standing up for all the DJ's and what do they do... "Joe" has to be the creepiest song ever written. Lock up all your little girls when Joe the CEO comes to town. Yes, there are lots of classic TPHB on this cd, but this is a band still going strong for three decades, not only touring, but selling out concert dates far in advance. This is a man who has fought the industry his entire career. Why? For us! Thanks TPHB.

The Last DJ is a loose concept album that more or less says "the hell with company big shots" in keeping with the let's-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-us Heartbreaker philosophy that has defined much of the band's career. The new album, then, should not come as a surprise. After all, Tom Petty is the same rock star who once threatened to name an album $8.98 if the boys upstairs continued pegging it as the intro-album for a new line of $9.98's. The big shots caved, thankfully, and the disc hit the streets as the now-legendary 1979 "Damn the Torpedoes."

Scribblers-for-pay predictably nod to their bosses by dismissing the album as lacking contemporary relevance, but this is a rank vintage of garbage - so foul, in fact, that it should come with a warning label that says "RANK GARBAGE: INDUCE VOMITTING IN CASE OF ACCIDENTAL INGESTION." The truth is that Petty's dial is tuned with scathing clarity where today's art/pompous balogna is concerned.

Conspicuously missing, however, are the "Refugee," "Runnin' Down a Dream"-paced numbers with catchy guitar riffs and little-guy-fighting-for-his-piece lyrics that have been a constant throughout the band's career. The underdog in Petty may have finally suffered an age related breakdown (premeditated witticism) - replaced, it would seem, by some horrifying Willie Nelsonish angel of death who might actually give up the ghost before the album ends. A man disgusted, nay infuriated with the maggot-birthing corpse of American entertainment culture, and pining miserably for the days when it still had a pulse. But at least he's pining for something other than Tanqueray and hoes.

Ultimately, an angry, worn-down Petty is still Tom Petty - still Tom "American Girl, Breakdown, Refugee, Even the Losers, Don't Do Me Like That, Don't Come Around Here No More, Here Comes My Girl, The Waiting, Won't Back Down, Free Fallin', Runnin' Down a Dream, Into the Great Wide Open, Learning to Fly, Mary Jane's Last Dance, You Don't Know How it Feels, It's Good to be King, Walls" Petty. And even if the days of ruling the radio are behind him, he's still got his finger much closer to the pulse of rock-and-roll's spirit than anything in today's Top Forty.

I was a huge Tom Petty Fan in the early 80's and 90's and then I stopped buying his (an most other Classic Rock) music after Wildflowers. I recently purchased Highway Companion (Based on it's good reviews) and I loved it. I went back and purchased all of his releases I missed including Echo, She's the One, and finally 'The Last DJ'. Echo and She's the One are classic Petty and they took me a few times of playing them before the songs grew on me. With the Last DJ I wasn't sure what I was going to get (based on some of the negative reviews and the small music clips provided on Amazon). Needless to say, I just finished listening to it and I loved it. Every song on the CD was good if not great. How this CD slipped past the masses is beyond me. If you want typical Petty, this CD may not be for you...if you want a great Classic Rock Album buy it now.

I really cannot understand why this album is getting so many bad reviews. This album is awesome. Tom Petty's music is different on this album but that doesn't mean its bad. In fact this is probably his most important because it send a great message. I read that some think its too preachy or some bullcrap..they just don't want to hear the truth, because thats what he's singing. "Money Becomes King" is a FRIGGIN AWESOME SONG!!! yall say it's too boring or slow and that it drags on and is whiny and BLAH BLAH BLAH. If thats what you think you shouldn't even be listening to TP. Don't you get it? You obviously don't care about real musicianship or great songwriting if you complain, and if you do then WHY ARE YOU LISTENING IN THE FIRST PLACE because thats the message he's getting across. The music business today care about nothing but money not musical skills or great songwriting or any substance at all.

BUT HECK, ITS NOT EVEN THEIR FAULT (EVEN PETTY UNDERSTANDS THAT THOUGH HE DOESN'T SAY IT DIRECTLY). ITS OUR FAULT! EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. WE KEEP LOOKING FOR WHAT'S NEW OR WHATS BETTER OR WHAT WILL KEEP OUR ATTENTION THE LONGEST. THATS THE PROBLEM. SHORT FRIGGIN ATTENTION SPANS!!! "NO WE CAN'T JUST HAVE SOME SINGER ON STAGE WITH JUST A GUITAR! WE GOTTA HAVE DANCE NUMBERS AND BACKUP DANCERS, TOO, AND PYROTECHNICS, AND CONFETTI, AND NEAT LIGHTING, AND STUPID LOOKING DESIGNER CLOTHES, AND BLING-BLING, AND MIDGETS, AND JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE EXPOSING MY [...] LIVE AT THE SUPERBOWL IN FRONT OF FAMILIES WITH THEIR CHILDREN, AND SINGING???...NO WAY I'LL LIPSYNCH!!"

...now that i've got that off my chest...don't call tom petty a hypocrite! you say he shouldn't be complaining because he's "sitting on a big pile of cash" he got from the music biz. Where have you been?? That's not the petty i know. the petty i know has been fightin his whole career to lower his ticket prices or to lower his album prices, etc. I haven't even begun to make my point but i'll leave it at that. Just go out and buy this album. Every song is great...Especially that "long, slow, boring one" "Money Becomes King". That is the best song on here, lyrically. half the album is a excellent and the other half is decent petty material and i think that the first two tracks are worth buying this alone. believe me. if you are a REAL tom petty fan buy this. the people who gave bad reviews obviously aren't and know nothing of great songwriting or real music...or you can go listen to your justin timberlake or your ludacris cds...hmm..hard decision, eh?

Petty's first album since 'Echo' in 1999, is musically at least, another good Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers album. Not too much of a musical departure for Petty & The Heartbreakers. 'The Last DJ' opens up with a jangly guitar riff, as do a few other songs, 'You And Me', 'The Man Who Loves Women.' Petty's band doesn't try any contemporary production tricks such as say, turntables or electronic programming (a few samples in-between songs, but hey Pink Floyd did that 30 years ago). So why is this a 5 star album, you might ask? For one, the music is right on target. Mike Campbell provides some of his most rockin' lead work on 'When A Kid Goes Bad' and 'Can't Stop The Sun'. Benmont Tench's keyboards are all over 'Money Becomes King' and 'Like A Diamond'. However, this album is all about the message and the lyrics folks.

'The Last DJ' speaks of the only DJ who "can't turn (him) into a company man" and who "plays what he wants to play." 'Joe' is about a crooked music CEO whose motto is "you get to be famous, I get to be rich." 'Joe' also seems to be a direct reference to produced boy bands and Britney. With all the anger and resentment present, Petty also inserts some of his wry humor into 'Money Becomes King' and 'The Man Who Loves Women' but the humor is very biting and cynical, not laugh out loud or light-hearted. The musicianship is top-notch; however though, the music takes a backseat to Petty's lyrical cynicism. A cynicism that a lot of us feel when we hear a Led Zeppelin song in a car commercial, or The Who on CSI, Moby in just about every other commercial, and anytime we see just about anything on MTV. It's about time somebody stood up and said something, and who better than Tom Petty?

A beautiful album with an all too true message.

Petty said it best himself, when he described "The Last DJ" as the first album to reach number 1 on any billboard chart without steady radio play. While this may not be the best Petty album I have ever heard, it is truly the most political. By the way that isn't a bad thing. Songs like the title track and "Dreamville" remind those of us born after 1975, both what good music is, and why we still pay good money for some albums. It is nice to see that even in the 21st century, there are still artists that are both true to their art form and successful at the the same time. For the "younger generation" this is an assertion of what the music industry could and should be.

Nothing but respect for Tom for making this album in a music industry that may have (but never should have) passed him by. Nothing but respect to one of the remaining Wilburys.

What a {....}'in head trip this CD is! Tom Petty had some of us wondering what the hell he was doing when he released this album THE LAST DJ. The man has had great successes throughout his career in the music biz, releasing singles. I was a little skeptical when he put out a concept album, in the year 2002. With NO hit singles, but BAM! This album kicked me in the teeth.
Not the one to play at the BBQ, with your buds, drinking brews in the sun. Thats every other Tom Petty album. I suggest listening to this one with only yourself. Let it get into your head... and listen to the whole album. Its worth the 45 minutes it will take. Especially if you are part of the rapidly growing army that would like to slaughter the likes of MTV and a corporate music nation.
Tom Petty is now cynical and jaded towards the industry that pays his bills, and we're talking about every facet here. He takes on the roles of all the players... and even takes a few hard jabs at his own role.
The title track is the one that was played on the radio, and really is the only one that could be seperated from the play of the rest of the disc. Every song does its job on here, but it was track four JOE that initially got the wheels spinning. When the song kicks in, my first reaction was that it sounded completely out of place... like careless production (I was about to change the song... dissmissing it as some sort of rip off of FLOYDS HAVE A CIGAR) but then out of nowhere it sent a bullet through my brain, and from that moment on I was deeply involved with the subjects at hand..
The words are excellent, but he nails the points right on the head more-so with the delivery of them. He's always been a great songwriter, but he touches on some brilliance here in the performance. Futher proof that the man just gets better as he gets older. The real fun comes in the crazy psychedelic surrealism of everything displayed. The production is excellent.. trippy SGT. PEPPERS feel to the whole mess (USE HEADPHONES!!!!) Some moments on this thing literally jumped inside of me, just to give me the chills, at the thought of how sick and twisted we all can be capable of being. There are a bunch of lines I would like to quote, but I wouldn't want to spoil anyones first experience. Ooooooh, hooo, give this one a listen for sure. You' re probably gonna need a smoke when your done, hombres.