Echo (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album)

Echo is the 10th studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. First released in April 1999, the album reached #10 on the Billboard 200 aided by the singles "Free Girl Now," "Swingin'" and "Room At The Top," which hit #5, #17 and #19 respectively on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks in 1999. The album was the band's last collaboration with producer Rick Rubin, and was also the last to feature contributions from long time bassist/vocalist Howie Epstein, who died of a heroin overdose in 2003. Echo was certified Gold (500,000 copies sold) by the RIAA in July 1999, only three months after it was released. Echo is the only Heartbreakers' album to contain a lead vocal from another member of the band: Mike Campbell on "I Don't Wanna Fight." An outtake entitled "Sweet William" appeared as the B-side (or second song) on the "Room at the Top" CD single.

Only a handful of songs were played on the band's tour that year, and none have been played since 2001. The record was largely written during a period when Petty was going through a painful divorce (influencing the lyrics of songs such as "Lonesome Sundown" and the title track), and Petty has cited that as the reason for his preference not to play any songs from the album in concert. However, "Room at the Top", "Free Girl Now" and "I Don't Wanna Fight" all appear in the concert film "High Grass Dogs: Live at the Fillmore" and a version of "Billy the Kid" appears on "The Live Anthology". Out of all the songs on this album, "Billy the Kid" has been played the most in concert.

Track listing

All songs written by Tom Petty, except where noted.

1. "Room at the Top" – 5:00
2. "Counting on You" – 4:05
3. "Free Girl Now" – 3:30
4. "Lonesome Sundown" – 4:32
5. "Swingin'" – 5:30
6. "Accused of Love" – 2:45
7. "Echo" – 6:36
8. "Won't Last Long" – 4:22
9. "Billy the Kid" – 4:08
10. "I Don't Wanna Fight" (Mike Campbell) – 2:47
11. "This One's for Me" – 2:42
12. "No More" – 3:15
13. "About to Give Out" – 3:12
14. "Rhino Skin" – 3:57
15. "One More Day, One More Night" – 5:37

Personnel

• Tom Petty – guitars, harmonica, vocals
• Mike Campbell – lead guitars, bass, lead vocals on "I Don't Wanna Fight"
• Benmont Tench – pianos, organ, chamberlin, clavinet
• Howie Epstein – bass, harmony/background vocals
• Scott Thurston – acoustic and electric guitars, background vocals
• Steve Ferrone – drums
• Lenny Castro – percussion

• Martyn Atkins – art direction and photography
• Christine Cano – art direction and design

Notes