tom petty and the heartbreakers

Samantha Fish on Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' "American Girl"

Samantha Fish on Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' "American Girl" - Hooked

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The blues-rock star revisits the American storyteller's song that spoke to her as budding songwriter and showed her the magic of layering and mixing memorable guitar parts.

What Tom Taught Me About Petty Guitar Prejudices

Rig Rundown Best Ofs: Vintage Amps

Rig Rundown - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell

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We go inside Mike Campbell's drool-inducing lineup of vintage guitars and amps he brings on the road. Campbell's guitar tech, Steve Winstead, walks us through every guitar, amp, and pedal and lets us in on Campbell's time-tested formula for great tone. Here are some highlights.

We go inside Mike Campbell's drool-inducing lineup of vintage guitars and amps he brings on the road. Campbell's guitar tech, Steve Winstead, walks us through every guitar, amp, and pedal and lets us in on Campbell's time-tested formula for great tone. Here are some highlights.

Guitars
One side of Campbell's guitar arsenal covers all the bases. From the left side we have "Little Ricky," which is a Rickenbacker-style mandolin with a whammy bar. Next is a recent Fender Custom Shop Tele with a B-Bender used as a backup, then a pair of Rickenbacker 12-strings—the one on the right is used on "Free Fallin’." A pair of ‘50s Teles follows those as well as a Gretsch 6186 Clipper tuned to open-G for "I Won't Back Down." Finally, there’s a mid-’60s Gibson SG that Campbell’s been favoring for this tour after recently digging it out of storage.

DVD Review: Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker - "Damn the Torpedoes"

A documentary covering the creation of the "Damn the Torpedoes" album from the Classic Albums series

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.

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