Full Moon Fever

Tom Petty

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: April 24, 1989
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B000002O5L
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,975 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Ten years had passed since Petty's last solid outing (Damn the Torpedoes in 1979), and Full Moon Fever fully resuscitated the artist's career, which--some would say "arguably"--had been losing steam. With the album's four major hits and rave reviews from the critics (these things do not always go hand-in-hand), Petty must have breathed a sigh of relief. He left the Heartbreakers behind, hooked up with musician, writer, and producer Jeff Lynne, and rocked out with "Runnin' Down a Dream," got mellow and introspective on "Free Fallin'" and "A Face in the Crowd," and paid tribute (finally) to the Byrds with a cover of "Feel a Whole Lot Better." He perfected the sing-along guitar-pop song on "Yer So Bad" and had a wild time on "Zombie Zoo." Pure Petty perfection! --Lorry Fleming

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prime Petty ... a definite desert island disc, February 28, 2006

By	Dr. Emil "Tom" Shuffhausen (Central Gulf Coast) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Tom Petty has produced many masterpieces (so far) in his long and brilliant career, but none more enjoyable than this rocking collaboration with producer and fellow Travelling Wilbury Jeff Lynne. It sounds so effortless and breezy, yet FULL MOON FEVER was a sales and airplay titan from 1989-1991, and remains a staple of classic rock radio to this day.

Listening to it, one is amazed that this is not a "greatest hits" collection, but a studio CD recorded over a relatively brief period of time while Petty and Lynne were also working on their Traveling Wilburys VOLUME ONE project, on the Roy Orbison MYSTERY GIRL album, Del Shannon's ROCK ON album, and numerous other sidelines. Petty, in his book CONVERSATIONS, says that he and Lynne were writing non-stop and recording a song a day in order to beat Lynne's travel deadlines. That sense of speed and urgency, coupled with Petty and Lynne's close friendship and unique chemistry, give this album a sense of sponteneity and fun that keeps it fresh every time you hear it.

Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, two of Petty's colleagues from The Heartbreakers also contributed significantly to FULL MOON FEVER. Campbell, in particular, demonstrates why he is one of the most respected guitarists in rock and roll with a brilliant, monster, "one-man Skynyrd" solo in "Running Down a Dream," a searing, atmospheric rocker that was a major hit single.

Other enduring hits include the ubiquitous and perfect acoustiCali-pop of "Free Falling," and the bluesy "I Won't Back Down," which has become something of an anthem for anyone who believes in their cause. "Love Is a Long Road" was another cut that garnered significant airplay, with it's stuttering keyboard and guitar interplay.

But the "famous" songs are not all there is to this long-play master work. There's the witty and sprightly "Yer So Bad," and the punky "Apartment Song," and the folk-rock "Feel a Whole Lot Better," which outflies the Byrds' original. "Alright for Now" is a gorgeous, spare lullabye, while "A Mind With a Heart of Its Own" rocks and rolls and tumbles with a Bo Diddley-esque jump. "A Face in the Crowd" aches with loneliness and longing while the giddy bounce of "Zombie Zoo" belies its own melancholy core.

In short, what's not to like? It's as good a folk-rock-pop confection as has ever been wrought, drawing on Petty's and Lynne's deep appreciation and experience with Brit-pop, California country-folk-rock, and even a touch of Southland swamps.

Without question, this is an absolutely essential recording for fans of all of the above. T Petty belongs in the pantheon of great singer-songwriters in the tradition of B Dylan, B Springsteen, B Seegar, J Mellencamp, N Young, J Cash, K Kristofferson, and W Nelson.

If you like this CD, you should also check out the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers CD entitled INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN, also produced by Jeff Lynne, and the upcoming Spring 2006 Petty/Lynne collaboration. Of course, the Traveling Wilburys VOLUME ONE and VOL. 3 recordings are a must, as is the Roy Orbison MYSTERY GIRL record. Finally, I highly recommend the book, CONVERSATIONS WITH TOM PETTY by Paul Zollo, which is a great read filled with revelations and great stories on every TP song.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tom`s masterpiece(Hi Jeff!), October 1, 2004

By	Odd Magne Granli (Southern Sweden) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Full Moon Fever, along with the later Into the Great Wide Open, are probably, and personally, Tom Petty`s best albums. They doesnt even break a sweat to accomplish it. The Melodies on Full Moon Fever, Written by Petty and my ever favorite Jeff Lynne, delivers to the max.

Can ANYONE who have heard Free Falling tell me they didnt love that song? From the moment he pulls out that guitar and strikes the first few strings, the wonderful music never stops to grab the listener.

The Best songs on this album are co-written with Lynne(The Mastermind behind ELO), and they are:

-Free Falling: Beautiful piece. Simple, yet so anthemic and good that it has become one of Petty`s most loved songs.
-I Wont Back Down: My Personal Favorite on this album. Upbeat and sweet, this song is about doing what you like and fighting for it, without giving up. One of Petty`s most catchy rockers ever with one of the worlds best Choruses, filled to the brim with a classic Petty&Lynne Sound.
-A Face in the Crowd: A beautiful song again penned by Petty&Lynne. Almost Dreamlike, with Slide guitars and typical Lynne influences all over.
-Yer So Bad: Love this song. So Catchy, with a funny lyric and a Killer Chorus. Once again, Petty&Lynne.
-The Apartment Song: Written by Petty Alone, this short but sweet little song has a catchy, accousticsounding style, and sounds refreshing and its just a pure fun song all around.
-Zombie Zoo: Incredible. The song is just so fun! Its supercatchy and the lyrics are totally hilarious, but the most important thing is that it just works. From the nearly horror influenced introriffs to the ELO throwbacks, it is a twister of fun. Penned by Petty&Lynne.

Those are the absolute highlights on this album imo. There arent a bad song here, and although the ones not mentioned are "weaker", they are not in any terms bad. Not quite my style of Petty, but still so good that they dont detract from a grand 5`er.

Petty and Lynne have continued to work together, and they recently appeared playing together. I`m still praying they will consider one more album together, as its pure magic.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Petty's Comeback - Terrific album overall, September 6, 2004

By	Twain - See all my reviews

I am such a big Petty fan that it was hard to give some of his prior albums less than five stars. But okay, I admit it, he had lost some of his brilliance. Full Moon Fever represents a thorough and effective restoration of Petty's rule over American rock music.

Perhaps this sounds like something of an oxymoron, but let me give this a try to sum up the album: In FMF, Tom Petty ties together a lot of the themes of his earlier albums and states implicitly a lot of the themes of ambivolence and confusion of modern life that he'd alluded to in the 70s and 80s. (My sister got lucky, married a yuppie, took him for all he was worth/Now she's a swinger, dating a singer/I can't decide which is worse.) But, as a subsequent line reads, "But not me, baby/I've got you to save me". Tom Petty, you save me every day and you conveniently also saved your career with this one.