Tom Petty ~ Highway Companion
By haniel45
Tom Petty's new album, Highway Companion, debuted at No. 4 in the top 200 albums on July 25, 2006. It is a first for him.Jeff Lynne, leader of ELO (Electric Light Orchestra - Strange Magic/Turn To Stone/Roll Over Beethoven '72) produced the album. He also produced the Beatles/Anthology and Petty's first solo album in 1989, "Full Moon Fever". In the music industry, Mr. Lynne has been accused of overdoing in the production department with a "wall of sound", but he doesn't do that with this album. According to a musician friend of mine: "Lynne keeps that to a minimum." --As a "lay" person, I agree-- he also told me: "Mr. Petty (remarked earlier) wished to make an album that any musician could pick up and play. I think he has accomplished his mission because there is no overdubbing. I think it's the best, lyrically, and there's some nice hooks in it. There's also a bit of Dylan and The Traveling Wilburys interspersed." Hmm, let's see, is there anyone left that I can throw in?
To me, for the most part, and in a regular listener's words —It's pure and simple— There are 12 tracks: Saving Grace; Square One; Flirting With Time; Down South; Jack; Turn This Car Around; Big Weekend; Night Driver; Damaged By Love; This Old Town; Ankle Deep; The Golden Rose
HIGHLIGHTS
His guitar intro in Saving Grace reminds me of ZZTop's "La Grange" — it's the guitar right after the first verse....to the home out on the range, they got a lot of nice girls...and you know how it goes...the rockabilly geeetar and the percolatin'. Sorry, Petty purists, I don't have a tin ear, it's what I hear.
It also reminds me of The BOSS. So very cool and effective, I'd say. I love the refrain: “And it’s hard to say who you are these days / But you run on anyway / don’t you, baby?” It's sweet and kind of "smirky" if you know what I mean.
Flirting With Time gave me cold chills, it is superb: "a flash of light reminded me of you / hold the sunlight in your hand / spread your fingers / I've done all I can do, it's all up to you." I'm telling you the guitar is straight out of the '60's and makes me want to cry. How pitiful am I? Short and sweet, it is the epitome of the modern folk and roots rock in the tradition of The Byrds and the Beatles, for sure!
Then there's Down South: he's going to seek out his daddy's mistress to ask for her forgiveness.... "if I come to your door let me sleep on your floor /I 'll give you all I have and a little more" sounds like the old Petty. He goes on to tell about looking up his former mentors... "create myself down south impress all the women / pretend I'm Samuel Clemmons...wear searsucker and white linens ~ how "South" is that? The sound of Petty's 12-string Rickenbacker guitar raises the hair on my arms. He sings of Spanish moss, finding heros of childhood / carve their names in Dogwood...spirits across dead fields, mosquitos hit the windshield....I'm in love with Tom Petty. There, I've said it! At 55, he's still as good as he can get...yep, he's not as smooth as he used to be, but then who is?
Damaged By Love, reminds me of a part of me, way back when and now, I suppose: "She don't care about time / time gets in her way / fades into wind, days roll into days / she's got nothing to hide and she hides it so well / keeps broken dreams to fix up and sell....damaged by love. There's rain on the road...(whooo whooo (backup singers) there goes that impeccable, soulful guitar again...in a crowd all alone ....guitar. Sorry, I get carried away!
Ankle Deep is a little strange, IMHO. Probably because I'm a little dense sometimes and I didn't get this one. It's about a jumping horse (I think) owned by a "midwest bible thumper"/ his preacher was a Louisiana drummer/ took all winter into summer / field hand flipped the switch(?) and stumbled / outside engine rumbled / stolen horse spooked and tumbled / she didn't speak for a week just kind of mumbled. Caught up in a lie he half-believed....that's enough of that.
The intro in This Old Town sounds like the guitar player of "Audioslave" believe it or not. Don't laugh, I pick up the itsy-bitsy pieces of sounds. It's just me and my love for the guitar.
Night Driver....sexy beginning...a little too "tinny" but I got used to it, could have been the way I have the properties on my speakers adjusted, but I don't think so.
The Golden Rose.....not crazy about it.
This album speaks to me --not all of it-- but the majority of it. It's as if I'm back in the '60's again. Maybe I'll remember it this time.
Peace and Love
~ Cindy ~
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