Damn the Torpedoes | ||||
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Studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | ||||
Released | October 19, 1979 | |||
Recorded | Sound City, Van Nuys Cherokee Studios, Hollywood 1978–79 |
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Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 36:40 | |||
Label | Backstreet/MCA | |||
Producer | Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty | |||
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers chronology | ||||
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Damn the Torpedoes is the third album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released in 1979. This was the first of three Petty albums originally released by the Backstreet Records label, distributed by MCA Records. It built on the commercial success and critical acclaim of his two previous albums and peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart.[1] In 2003, the album was ranked number 313 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[2]
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Petty's recording contract was re-assigned to MCA from his previous label Shelter Records and its distributor ABC Records when ABC was sold to MCA in 1979. Petty was furious about the change in label and struggled to legally detach himself from MCA, resulting in his bankruptcy. In the end the record company backed down, and he negotiated a deal that allowed him to release his recordings on the new Backstreet Records label, manufactured and distributed by MCA. The album was recorded at Sound City in Van Nuys and Cherokee Studios in Hollywood.[3] The title is a reference to a famous quote by Admiral David Farragut: "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!". All of Petty's Backstreet recordings were re-issued by MCA in the late 1980s.
Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [4] |
Robert Christgau | B+[5] |
Rolling Stone | [6] |
Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
The album was a breakthrough for Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was their first top 10 album rising to #2 (for seven weeks and kept from #1 by Pink Floyd's The Wall) on the Billboard albums chart.[1] It yielded two songs that made the top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, "Don't Do Me Like That" (#10) and "Refugee" (#15).[8][9] Thanks to the new co-producer Jimmy Iovine, Damn the Torpedoes proved to be a major leap forward in production.[4]
Critical reception generally reflected the commercial success of the album. The original review in Rolling Stone raved that it was the "album we've all been waiting for — that is, if we were all Tom Petty fans, which we would be if there were any justice in the world".[10] Subsequent reviews have continued this trend calling it "one of the great records of the album rock era"[4] and culminating in its placement in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time[2].
The album was digitally remastered by Joe Gastwirt and reissued in 2001.
On November 9, 2010, a deluxe edition of the album was released on three formats, a 2xCD set, a 2xLP (180g) deluxe package and a Blu-Ray Audio disc package. All the tracks (original and unreleased) were remastered from the original analog master tapes by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios in Hollywood, CA.
All songs were written by Tom Petty, except where noted.
Tracks 5-7 were recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England on March 6, 1980 and featured the same mix and production team as The Live Anthology. "Nowhere", "Surrender", "Casa Dega" (Demo) and "Refugee" (alternate take) were mixed by Mike Campbell and Ryan Ulyate in late 2009/early 2010, while "Casa Dega" and "It's Rainin' Again" were the same versions featured on the Playback box set.
Additional credits:
Year | Chart | Position |
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1979 | US Billboard 200 | 2[1] |
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