Customer Reviews

You're Gonna Get It

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Often the orphan or forgotten child in the Tom Petty discography, 'You're Gonna Get It' nevertheless (or because of it, perhaps) remains a favorite of mine. I spent much of the Summer of 1978 playing 'Get It' back-to-back with mid-Sixties Stones' albums, particularly 'Out Of Our Heads' and 'December's Children'.

There was a symmetry between those albums that fascinated me. The snarl, the abandon, the unremitting full-speed-ahead demeanor. Just as much of those early Stones' records were undoubtably written on the road, so seems 'Get It'. It's tough and edgy: "When The Time Comes", "I Need To Know", "Too Much Ain't Enough", "No Second Thoughts", "Hurt", "Restless" and of course, "You're Gonna Get It". These aren't Celine Dion songs, are they?

Sure, 'Get It' lacks the stylistic variety of the debut, but it rocks with a toughness and a ferocity only hinted at on 'Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers'. And yet the trademark tunefulness remains intact throughout. To wit, it was on "Magnolia" that Heartbreaker's keyboardist Benmont Tench perfected his use of the resonant, well-placed piano chords that would punctuate future Tom Petty hits.

And it was here that the Heartbreakers had their first brush with commercial success, both with the single "Listen To Her Heart" and the album as a whole. But who would've predicted the massive success their next release ('Damn The Torpedos') would bring?

While this album was much-better produced than the debut, it still benefits from Joe Gastwirt's remastering. The sound is wonderful: tough, full and ringing. And again, Bill Flanagan's liner notes are spot-on.

But like the debut, 'You're Gonna Get It' is barely thirty minutes long. That being the case, I would've loved some illuminating demos, or perhaps an especially hot live track or two added to the remastered edition.

But the main thing is that the first two Petty albums have been restored, and join the first three MCA albums in their full sonic glory.

While I would be hesitant to recommend 'Get It' as a starting point to people new to Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, I'd wholeheartedly recommend this to fans looking for a dollop of rocking, full-bore Heartbreakers.

Rave on, Tom Petty, rave on.

Considering how much he's slowed down of late, it's probably not surprising that some people forget that Tom Petty started out as a rocker. Indeed, he put out so many excellent albums for so long that it seemed he would never stumble. This album is a case in point. Often disregarded or ignored, it is in fact excellent, filled with little noticed gems. Here Petty is in his element, and what an element it is, mixing the country styling of The Byrds, the folk mastery of Brewer and Shipley with the rock sensibility of Creedence. He defines a new era in `classic rock'. Rightly placed alongside mainstream rock giants like Mellancamp and Springsteen, Petty is like them but definitely has own style, his own version of Southern charm. Check out the propulsive `Need To Know' and the driving `When The Time Comes'. Equally good are `No Second Thoughts', the title track and `Restless' all of which are quite smooth. Petty also evidence a lyrical subtly that marked him for greatness, even at this early stage, check out `Listen To Her Heart' which expresses supreme trust and confidence in a lover, not exactly a typical stance for a rock song. The great thing about Petty is his music never ages, it sounds just as fresh and exciting today as it did when the album came out, if anything, it has improved with age.

Considering how much he's slowed down of late, it's probably not surprising that some people forget that Tom Petty started out as a rocker. Indeed, he put out so many excellent albums for so long that it seemed he would never stumble. This album is a case in point. Often disregarded or ignored, it is in fact excellent, filled with little noticed gems. Here Petty is in his element, and what an element it is, mixing the country styling of The Byrds, the folk mastery of Brewer and Shipley with the rock sensibility of Creedence. He defines a new era in `classic rock'. Rightly placed alongside mainstream rock giants like Mellancamp and Springsteen, Petty is like them but definitely has own style, his own version of Southern charm. Check out the propulsive `Need To Know' and the driving `When The Time Comes'. Equally good are `No Second Thoughts', the title track and `Restless' all of which are quite smooth. Petty also evidence a lyrical subtly that marked him for greatness, even at this early stage, check out `Listen To Her Heart' which expresses supreme trust and confidence in a lover, not exactly a typical stance for a rock song. The great thing about Petty is his music never ages, it sounds just as fresh and exciting today as it did when the album came out, if anything, it has improved with age.

This album is often overlooked, but is a gem. Before he got the production values that went with higher budgets, the band achieved a well-produced work with great arrangements and harmonies. I'm a huge fan of the song "Magnolia," which brings me to another point. As a devotee of Southern rock, this album sounds more Southern than many of his other works (esp. "Magnolia").

Unfortunately, while I've seen him twice in concert, he seldom plays many cuts from this album. Go see him anyway, because he plays for a long time and really relates to his audience. It also helps that he comes off as a nice guy.

Listening to this CD for the first time in years, it sounds MUCH better than its classic predecessor. Released only two years later, it doesn't sound nearly as dated as the debut. There isn't a bad song, and nine of ten are really good. You won't find an anthem like American Girl or Refugee, just great straight-ahead rock. For my money, this album has aged better than the more-popular debut, and as others have noted here, the characteristic sound of the next few albums begins to emerge on this one. It's pure listening pleasure from start to finish - every song 3 minutes of good hooks and harmonies and lyrics about the one thing in life that always used to matter most - women. Songs like Hurt and No Second Thoughts are just as good as the more-familiar I Need to Know and Listen to Her Heart.

I originally bought this album for the sake of completeness, having only heard "I Need to Know", and was shocked it turned out to be of such high quality. I can't say why these songs weren't played more on the radio or by TP et al. in concert, but I have to admit there is a forgettable quality to them. I didn't remember any except the radio hits, and I remember every song on other Tom Petty albums I'd consider much less well done. Maybe this is rock junk food - delicious guilty little pleasures you forget a half hour later. But what a great half hour! Like the first reviewer here, I wouldn't recommend this as a starting point for anyone, but I think it's a must-have for those who love Damn the Torpedoes or the early TP/Heartbreakers sound in general. One star off for not being up there with Damn the Torpedoes or Hard Promises, not for anything actually wrong with the CD - it really doesn't have a bad moment.

Surprisingly, this second disc by Petty is very overlooked. I assume that is based more on its lack of hits, then anything else. This is one of his strongest efforts. And unlike many other artists, hardly the second LP jinx of poor material. Anyone who is a fan of Petty's or the Byrds, should own a copy. It is that good! I cannot review the sound of the remastered version, because I just ordered a copy. But it is great to see it back in print!

Top to bottom this is my choice for the most complete album collection of Tom Petty's. Not a weak track on the whole thing! You get straight forward Rock & Roll with "when the time comes", the signature "jangle" of Petty and lead man Mike Cambell on "Too much ain't enough"....just can't say enough about this album, this is the one that hooked me on Petty over 25 years ago, been a loyal fan since. I have heard & seen all that he has done....Buy this one!!

The second album by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, this CD clocks in at only about half an hour, putting it roughly on a par with some of those early albums by The Beatles. And as with The Beatles (for most of their albums anyway) this is an album where you won't want to skip any of the songs. As to the album itself, it's less intense than "Damn The Torpedoes" (which followed this one) but the somewhat more relaxed feel works well here. And compared with the first album (self-titled), this album flows better from start to finish. Which stands to reason, as the first album was originally a solo project for Petty which became a band album (as well as Petty & the Heartbreakers becoming a band, at the same time); while this album was start to finish meant as a band album. The "we are a band" feel is even more evident from the front cover, the only TP&HB album which fully pictures all five original band members on the front.

If you already have one of the anthologies, especially "Playback" which has six out of these ten songs, you may wonder if you "need" this album. Or more to the point, whether it's worth the money. My guess is that if you have an anthology, even Playback, and are considering this one too - then you'll be very glad if you do buy this too. After all, just considering this in addition to an anthology means you are a pretty big fan of the music, and the additional songs here (that you don't already have) won't let you down. Actually I feel that "Magnolia" is one of the best songs they've ever done (very cool lyrics and vocals, you can almost feel the air of that "Southern night") and "Hurt" is terrific also (I especially love the acoustic sounding guitar part around mid song). "Restless" and "You're Gonna Get It" are worthy additions too, they really are. Especially for the interesting electric guitar sound of "Restless" and the nifty repetitive-echo drumming on "You're Gonna Get It", but really all the song parts are great - making a great whole. Which of course showcases why this is/was such a great artist and great band. And of course if you don't have some of these songs already, all the more reason to buy this. Any true fan should have this, the original album in the original order; the remastering is very well done also (I have the original CD mastering too, it's not bad but this is a noticeable improvement, especially for the bass sounds). Accept the sentiment of the title... and get it.

YOU'RE GONNA GET IT! is Tom Petty's forgotten masterpiece, and helped bridge the Eagles-Allmans-Steve Miller mainstream and the punk/new wave of such artists as Elvis Costello and Graham Parker. It had two minor hit singles with two of his best songs ever, "I Need To Know" and "Listen To Her Heart", and also featured two songs that are polar opposites- "When The Time Comes", one of the most compassionate vows of loyalty ever, and the title cut, which given Petty's opposition to Indonesia's trumped-up 2005 drug-smuggling conviction of a young Australian tourist, could currently be seen as him saying to his girlfriend, "If you don't change our vacation plans from Bali to Hawaii, I'm gonna bust your head!" Petty's advocacy of sanctions against Indonesia in retaliation for this incident makes this overlooked release an essential discovery and purchase for both your ears AND your conscience.

This album is worth its price for the opening track When The Time Comes alone - a flaming beauty of a song with a stirring emotional resonance and poetic lyrics that must count as one of the greatest rock songs ever written. It is anthemic, like Springsteen at his best, in its jangling guitar-driven onslaught and cascading riffs.

The album's exuberant rock is infused with the guitar-style of the Byrds. Other great songs include the title track and the tender I Need To Know while the intense Listen To Her Heart is equally catchy and memorable. The rest of the songs are good, solid rockers but none of them reaches the awesome grandeur or impressive tuneful heights of the aforementioned masterpieces.

I would strongly recommend getting this album as the aforementioned opening track is not included on any Tom Petty compilation album as far as I know. If you like the melodic power rock and pop of the late 1970s like The Cars, Patti Smith, Mink DeVille and Blondie, you'll love this great album.