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Rating: Tom Petty himself says that the second album is the strangest thing in the world. The second album is indeed the ultimate test to confirm success because the artist has to prove not to be a shooting star that came into the world to shine in the limelight of success for just one album. Moreover, according to the artist, to write the pieces that will go into the first album, one has all their youth at their disposal, while for the second album, they have only six months. But Tom and the Heartbreakers succeeded with honors.
Mainly written in Europe during their first tour, "You're Gonna Get It" is the classic and typical second album. It indeed follows the self-titled debut with more adept tones but precedes with less maturity what many consider the best work of Tom's entire career, "Damn The Torpedoes." In short, a very interesting work that lasts a little over half an hour but knows how to entertain every single minute from the first listen.
The influences are always the same: Byrds in full swing, a touch of the early Bruce Springsteen, and a pinch of Bob Dylan, with the addition of their own ironclad and solid personality and the rage of being in your twenties. It is indeed the most aggressive and fierce album in the entire career, played with chest and impulse. How can you not believe it by looking at the cover: five serious faces that scrutinize you menacingly in the blue-dark semi-darkness.
Curious is the fact that no one in the group liked the name of the album or the cover; in fact, they would have preferred to call it Terminal Romance and completely change the image, yet they received their first gold record. I think all in all they later came to like it.
The album contains two of the classics that Tom Petty would perform in almost all of his concerts, and are essential in every compilation. The first that must be mentioned is "I Need To Know", a fantastic song with punk influences, played and sung with the typical disdain and sorrow of the genre, still seasoned with keyboards and guitars leaning toward rock'n'roll. Fantastic. The second piece that entered the Petty tradition is "Listen To Her Heart" with its sweet Roger McGuinn-style guitar. The sweet and melodic singing blends naturally with the rest of the instruments, creating an extraordinary atmosphere.
The aggressiveness is also felt in the harsh title track, "You're Gonna Get It!", you'll be punished! And the heartbreaking stories of, I gave you my love and you never returned it, I crawled on the floor for you and nothing... but you were so beautiful... Overall, the harrowing story already makes Tom's anger clear. Dramatic tones echo in the calm "Magnolia" which gathers sweetness and sadness together, the poor heart of the Heartbreakers seems truly broken in two.
The sound that will characterize Tom's subsequent albums is perceptible in the interludes like "Hurt" or the lively "Too Much Ain't Enough", classics that take shape in what will become the style of masterpieces like Full Moon Fever and Into The Great Wide Open.
The songs that close the album brighten the tones and the rhythm becomes warm and compelling. "Restless"
Makes you want to move your hips and the fun "Baby's A Rock'n'Roller" leaves a happy and satisfying mood on the ear. Fantastic. Truly Fantastic.
In 1978, the album had moderate success, and for Tom Petty and his company, it can truly be considered the calm before the storm. The legal troubles they faced during the third album threw the band into a dark period, while the record label appropriated their songs with the right granted by a contract signed too quickly by boys eager to become famous. The young Tom was tough even back then and managed to win the war, obtaining his own label under the record label itself. And with this atmosphere, they released one of the most fascinating albums of the genre.
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