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Rating: I preface by saying that Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers are undoubtedly among the best entities in American Rock, and the fact that I didn't find any reviews left me somewhat perplexed... so I remedied that with this album from 1991.
For those who don't know him (and if that's the case, rush to buy this album because it's even nice price!!!), he's been on the scene since 1975 and his musical influences are mainly Byrds and Dylan (with whom he did an entire tour, the legendary "True Confession Tour"), Stones and Chuck Berry, all sprinkled with Noble Pop (vaguely Beatles-like, if you will) and Southern Rock.
The album opens with "Learning To Fly" and it starts off great! A track characterized by very meaningful lyrics and a captivating, sunny instrumental section as only Petty can create. The following "Kings Highway" is another great track to listen to all in one go! It's time for the Title-Track "Into The Great Wide Open", an excellent melody; rarely have I heard such a rich and expansive sound. A pearl of rare beauty (some of you will certainly remember the video broadcast repeatedly by MTV in the early nineties, the one with Johnny Depp to be specific).
Then comes "Two Gunslingers", another great song, and the quality remains high and unchanged with the subsequent tracks "The Dark Of The Sun", "All Or Nothin", "All The Wrong Reasons" (a perfect pop song with a very catchy chorus), "Too Good To Be True", "You And I Will Meet Again" (where we find the presence of the Rickenbacker of the great Roger McGuinn), "Built To Last".
Finally, "Out In The Cool" and "Makin' Some Noise" (great Rock songs with an abrasive sound). The entire album is a triumph of guitars and choruses, not to mention the presence of the excellent Jeff Lynne as a musician and co-author (see E.L.O. or even the Supergroup "Traveling Wilburys", rings a bell?)
In my heart, this album deserves a 5, but wanting to be objective and seeing as I don't give out 5s like I've seen some DeReviewers do, we'll give it a solid 4... but a very full one!!!!
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 Learning To Fly (04:02)
Well I started out down a dirty road
Started out all alone
And the sun went down as I crossed the hill
And the town lit up, the world got still
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing
Well the good ol' days may not return
And the rocks might melt and the sea may burn
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing
Well some say life will beat you down
Break your heart, steal your crown
So I've started out, for God knows where
I guess I'll know when I get there
I'm learning to fly, around the clouds,
But what goes up must come down
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
Coming down is the hardest thing
06 Into The Great Wide Open (03:43)
Eddie waited 'til he finished high school
He went to Hollywood, got a tattoo
He met a girl out there with a tattoo too
The future was wide open
They moved into a place they both could afford
He found a nightclub he could work at the door
She had a guitar and she taught him some chords
The sky was the limit
Into the great wide open
Under them skies of blue
Out in the great wide open
A rebel without a clue
The papers said Ed always played from the heart
He got an agent and a roadie named Bart
They made a record and it went in the chart
The sky was the limit
His leather jacket had chains that would jingle
They both met movie stars, partied and mingled
Their A&R man said "I don't hear a single"
The future was wide open
Into the great wide open
Under them skies of blue
Out in the great wide open
A rebel without a clue
Into the great wide open
Under them skies of blue
Into the great wide open
A rebel without a clue
09 All Or Nothin' (04:07)
(Tom Petty/Mike Campbell/Jeff Lynne)
Your daaddy was a Sgt. Major
You didn't wanna but he made you
Wipe his brass from time to time
It left a picture in your mind. You know? You know?
CHORUS
You want it all, you want it all
All or nothin'
Here am I a fallen arrow
My load is wide, my street is narrow
My skin is thicker, my heart is tougher
I don't mind workin', but I'm scared to suffer
You know? You know?
CHORUS
Sweet chariots of L.A. swing low
At twilight time the smog makes a rainbow
So keep one eye on the weather
You had it good, you wanted better
You know? You know?
CHORUS
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