Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers
Damn the Torpedoes
Eagle Rock Entertainment
Classic Albums – Damn the Torpedoes
“Everything about this
album was difficult,”
says Mike Campbell,
lead guitarist for
Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers. But
to the listener,
Damn
the Torpedoes flows
smoothly like the
Mississippi carving
through the Midwest.
The organic groove of its rock ’n’ roll core
embodies what this quintet from Gainesville,
Florida, was all about—Southern blues and
’60s British rock. Its rockin’ guitars, catchy lyrics,
and solid rhythms created a lasting impression
that feels as fresh today as it did in 1979. With
the help of Eagle Rock Entertainment’s
Classic
Albums series, we get to explore the story
behind
Damn the Torpedoes.
The documentary opens with a mix of ’70s
performance footage and contemporary commentary
from various band members on the
context of
Damn the Torpedoes. It was their
third record and they needed a smash to survive
after two lukewarm releases. Then band
members, producers, and engineers pile into
a studio to dissect seven of the album’s nine
tracks. Seeing Campbell walk us through the
creation of the “Refugee” riff with one of his
’burst Les Pauls is one of the more special
moments. “F#m is the best key for a guitar
sound,” he begins, “I was stuck on that note
because of the Albert King riff in ‘Oh, Pretty
Woman.’” Co-producer Jimmy Iovine, Petty,
and Campbell then tear away and add each
layer of instrumentation on “Refugee.” They
end up all agreeing that Jim Keltner’s shaker—
recorded in the hallway—made the song.
With 98 minutes of footage, this is a no-brainer
buy for anyone looking for insight
into an album
Rolling Stone called one of the
greatest of all time.