Tom Petty: Damn the Torpedoes
A look at the creation of Tom Petty's Damn the Torpedoes, whose mix of rootsy rock 'n' roll and jangly guitars took Petty into the major league.
The third album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in 1979, has long been regarded as a classic and demonstrates the musical and songwriting virtuosity of a great frontman and his amazing backing band. A mix of rootsy American rock 'n' roll and the best of the British invasion, of jangling Byrds guitars and Stones-like rhythms, Damn the Torpedoes was the album that took Petty into the major league and redefined American rock.
This programme tells the story behind the conception and recording of the album and how it transformed the band's career. Using interviews, musical demonstration, acoustic performance, archive footage and a return to the multi-tracks with the main protagonists, it shows how Petty, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Ron Blair and Stan Lynch created their songs and sounds with the help of co-producer Jimmy Iovine and engineer Shelly Yakus. Additional comments from journalists and other producers and musicians help tell the story and put the album into its rightful place in rock history.
Recorded in secrecy at a time when the band was fighting for creative independence amidst a legal wrangle with their record company, the album is imbued with an anger and a gutsy attitude the situation had created. Many songs from the album are still played live and form an important part of Petty's body of work, including Refugee, Here Comes My Girl, Even the Losers, Shadow of a Doubt, Louisiana Rain, Century City and top ten hit Don't Do Me Like That.
Damn the Torpedoes hit number two in the US for seven weeks, initially selling over 2.5 million copies, and launched Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers onto the world stage and into superstar territory, standing as one of the great records of the late 70s and early 80s.
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Remembering a quiet, unassuming rock legend
Music Played
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Refugee
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Here Comes My Girl
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Even the Losers
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Don't Do Me Like That
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
American Girl
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Listen to Her Heart
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Refugee
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Albert King
Oh Pretty Woman
Performer: Mike Campbell. -
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Refugee
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Even the Losers
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
I Should Have Known It
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Here Comes My Girl
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Shadow of a Doubt (A Complex Kid)
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Century City
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Louisiana Rain
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Don't Do Me Like That
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
You Tell Me
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Director | Matthew Longfellow |
Series Producer | Nick de Grunwald |
Series Producer | Martin R Smith |
Broadcasts
- Fri 7 Jan 2011 21:00
- Sat 8 Jan 2011 02:45
- Sun 9 Jan 2011 23:40
- Sat 26 Feb 2011 00:00
- Fri 24 Jan 2014 23:00
- Sat 25 Jan 2014 03:00
- Mon 27 Jan 2014 02:05
- Sat 6 Sep 2014 00:40
- Mon 8 Sep 2014 01:00
- Fri 28 Nov 2014 01:35
- Fri 6 Oct 2017 22:00