Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A gem from the late 1980s , June 13, 2000
"Jammin' Me" begins this CD, full of well-produced vigor, big drums and desperately annoyed lyrics. Also of note is the amusing CD cover and album title, which display Tom Petty's humor amid difficult times. It's a little hard to grasp where this album may have stood upon its release in 1987. Far from disposable 1980s pop or over-the-top hair metal, Petty and his boys may have stood slightly alone in a sea of fluff and pretention back then.
"Jammin' Me" is an angry, first-rate observation about the all-encompassing aspects of celebrity in the world we live in, often shoved down everyone's throat. (It's even worse today than it was in the late '80s.) Other topics that make Petty's diatribe include politics, money and the environment. Co-written with Bob Dylan, "Jammin' Me" reveals a fed-up Tom Petty, and truthfully, he doesn't stop with just that song. Though "Let Me Up (I've Had Enough)" is filled with lighter weight musical fare sandwiched between the rocking opening song and closing song, many of these lyrics reveal pent-up frustrations voiced straightforwardly and in the open.
Hints of a glossy '80s sound come through on a song or two on "Let Me Up" (though never overbearingly), but this material transcends decades, like any good Petty album. In fact, "Think About Me" and "All Mixed Up" contain a retro 1960s vibe. "Self Made Man" is a country-tinged tune that is catchy and a little defiant. Benmont Tench plays a mean piano on "How Many More Days," and the rest of the Heartbreakers do their usual stellar job on their instruments. Many of these songs are low key and tuneful, guaranteed to get you happily humming along, tapping your toes with abandon or bobbing your head with enthusiasm. Though they've been put on the backburner of the Heartbreaker catalog, the songs on this CD are enjoyable and never get old, probably due to lack of airplay. Nothing is forced on this record. It's not overproduced or overhyped, and clocks in at just the right length.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Petty/HB's most underrated album, November 13, 2004
Each time a new Tom Petty compilation comes out, it baffles me as to why this album seems to get the short end. The first greatest hits disc has NOTHING from this album. Just about every Petty album opens with a few gems, and this one does as well. Most people know "Jammin' Me" and maybe "It'll all Work Out". You will be rewarded for buying this disc. "Runaway Trains" is one of the all-time best Petty songs. It did get some airplay in '87, and so did "The Damage You've Done". All of Side One is great, and Side Two isn't bad either. Hey, let's face it, every Petty album has a few so-so tunes, but this one less so than most. A very consistent album with some pleasant surprises. It's similar structurally to Full Moon Fever, but doesn't have any of that Jeff Lynne/ELO sound. If you like Full Moon Fever, you'll definitely like this.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Overlooked alblum that shouldn't be..., June 16, 2005
Don't be fooled by the one poor review here, this alblum ROCKS. It's probably my favorite of the Petty alblums after Torpedos and maybe Hard Promises but at any rate this is one great alblum. It's certainly of the earlier, more raw Petty sound found on his earlier workds. I for one prefer the older, more raw Petty sound to the highly produced sound that came out with Full Moon Fever. I own numerous Petty alblums, yet this seems to be the one I play most often of them all.
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