Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Southern Accents (Japanese Pressing) CD Track Listing

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Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Southern Accents (Japanese Pressing) (1985)
Southern Accents (Japanese Pressing)\nTom Petty & The Heartbreakers\n\nOriginally Released April 1985\nCD Edition Released April 1988\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Produced by Dave Stewart, Southern Accents is an ambitious album, attempting to incorporate touches of psychedelia, soul, and country into a loose concept about the modern South. Occasionally, the songs work; "Rebels" and "Spike" are fine rockers, and "Don't Come Around Here No More" and "Make It Better (Forget About Me)" expand The Heartbreakers' sound nicely. But too often, the record is weighed down by its own ambitions. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nMy favorite Petty venture., August 31, 2005\nReviewer: R. Hansen (Waynesville, MO United States)\nI'm a true blue Yankee but I love the sentiment of this work: the dichtomy of longing for your roots but being weary of them too. These two themes are explored nicely in both "Rebels" and the title track. Petty does a good job of expressing his love for his roots without giving us typical good ol' boy bombast or treacle. In fact he is so effective that one could argue that his themes are universal and that the fact that he mentions the south at all is simply coincidental. \n\nThe title work is a great acheivement from Bentmont Tench's mornful piano to TP's heartful delivery of some great lyrics. I must say that the imagery of the dream about his mother coming to him is very touching. All of the song's are great here and contain some fine riffs, words and twists (like Tench's off key piano--recorded while he was unable to hear the mix through his head phones and just tinkered away as a joke--but later included because it's discordant result seemed to fit). Two overlooked gems are also here (both in my Top Ten fave Petty tunes) "Dogs on the Run" and "The Best of Everything". The former stands tall in the great tradition of metaphoric stories over a great rock chord progression and the latter a very sentimental look back with a fantastic opening line: "She probably works in a resturant, that's what her mama did". How many of us have not pondered the lives of someone we lost track of?\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nGreat album but for one song, May 26, 2005\nReviewer: R. L. MILLER (FT LAUDERDALE FL USA) \nThe mega-hit "Don't Come Around Here No More", to be exact. Many of the other songs are the reason I don't drop this album to two stars. "Rebels" starts you thinking this album is a worthy follow-up to "Hard Promises". The title track later on is a powerful, introspective piano-voice ballad. Some listeners looking for a continuation of driving rock may find it "boring", but don't get me started on that type of "boredom". Believe me, this song kicks booty. But that MTV-drivel "Don't Come Around Here No More". The lyrics are contrived, you get the sense that the main aim was for the lines to rhyme. That mid-Sixties sitar arrangement is more consistent with the pointless psychedelia renaissance than with a Tom Petty album. That sort of crapola is lame even as a parody. And the video! Ever since that came out, everyone looking to depict Petty for whatever entertainment purpose has him in that dorky Mad Hatter hat. I'm sure there were trick-or-treaters the following Halloween wearing "Tom Petty" costumes. The chief advantage of the CD is that you can program around that song. Which I suggest you do as you listen to this album's good stuff.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nMy favorite Tom Petty album, November 19, 2004\nReviewer: Joe "Sick Boy" (TExAS)\nI am shocked at the negative comments directed at this album. I have every Tom Petty album made and this one became my favorite after the very first time I listened to it. The album opens with "Rebels," a powerful song about Civil War feelings not yet gone. Tom then goes directly into another song about discontent, "It Ain't Nothin' to Me." Tom stays in a bitter and somber mood with "Don't Come Around Here No More," the biggest hit of the album. However, the best song on the album is next, with the classic title track, "Southern Accents." This song sounds penned from Faulkner, with vivid references to the pride Tom feels for his Southern roots. The rest of the songs are all solid, with "Dogs on the Run" balancing out the album as the last great song. Music is subjective and to each their own. But for my money, this is Tom Petty's masterpiece.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nGood idea gone bad, November 19, 2003\nReviewer: A music fan\nAs a southerner in exile and someone who'd bought every Tom Petty album to that date, I was thrilled to pick up Southern Accents the week it was released. I enjoyed it, and liked Petty going in a new direction and trying a theme album after the previous album seemed a bit uneven. Most of the tracks didn't stand up to repeated listening, though, and some are just plain annoying.\n"Rebels" remains a nicely done anthem, "Don't Come Around Here No More" was a good break in the theme that brought back the original Heartbreakers sound (plus sitar of course), but I don't think it would have become quite so popular over the years if not for the contrast with the rest of the material here that is so weak, or if it hadn't been sold to us by a memorable video (yes, money is king). The title track remains deeply moving, and is the standout here. The rest of the songs are forgettable, and it's hard to believe that a typical Tom Petty fan would think this CD is one of his best. I suspect those who review it as such are largely not huge fans of his earlier or later music, but to each his or her own!\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nTriggers Wonderful Memories, September 24, 2003\nReviewer: Bryan Rosengarten (Seminole, FL) \nI grew up in Florida and went to school in Gainesville (University of Florida). Every DJ loved to mention that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were "Homegrown" music. Even though the cliche was way over used, when I put this album on and blasted "Southern Accents", the only thing I ever thought of was Gainesville and the South (no matter where I was). \nThe entire album is fantastic, but the shiner on here is the title track. Cash thought so and so do I. Feelin an itch to be in South, put on this album. Now, if I can just get it back from my friend who has had it for the last 10 months.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nOne of Tom Petty's most interesting and varied albums, June 7, 2003\nReviewer: JWP "Uncle Jesse Tanner" (San Jose, CA) \nThis didn't produce as many hits as many of his other albums, but I thought it was nearly as good, although it's more experimental in places.\nThe most famous song is "Don't Come Around Here No More" with its sitars creating a slightly psychadellic angry rocker with a slow beat, that changes to a fast, harder one at the end. Also, who could forget that weird Alice In Wonderland takeoff video? In fact, that's one of the few things that really actually scared me (and still does sometimes). The more typical, Lynard Skynard styled, fun southern rocker "Rebels" was a hit that should've been bigger. "Make It Better (Forget About Me)" was an almost New Wave kind of fast, jumpy catchy song that also was, I believe, a minor hit.\n\nThe other songs are pretty good too, even if they're not what you'd expect from Tom. The catchy, mid-tempo pop/rocker "Dogs On The Run" is another song that could've been on one of his earlier albums. Also there's a couple really good ballads here. The soft, emotional title track talks about southern life, and mention's Tom's mother, who died shortly before this album was made. I also really liked "The Best Of Everything" which is a country sounding power rock ballad that is more lighthearted with Chicago type horns in the middle. "It Ain't Nothin To Me" is an uptempo rhyming song that also has some New Wave sound to it. "Mary's New Car" is a mid tempo, country sounding song with horns. "Spike" is a bit strange, it's a dark, slower song about creepy southern hicks. Funny enough, Tom is singing the song himself sounding like a 60 year-old hillbilly, but maybe that was the point.\n\nI wouldn't get this as a first album, I'd recommend the single disc "Greatest Hits" and decide which of the songs you like best, or if it had to be a studio album, probably "Damn The Torpedoes." I personally liked his 80s albums (as I'm partial to that decade's styles), "Torpedoes" and anything before it had more of a garage rock/classic rock sound, whereas "Full Moon Fever" and everything afterwards has more of a middle-aged, less rocking, modern day Bob Dylan sound. This is right in the middle of those periods.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nWorth It Just For 'Spike', August 20, 2002\nReviewer: The Orange Duke "orangeduke" (Cupertino, Ca United States) \nIn the eighties Petty could do no wrong, as this excellent album amply demonstrates. Petty's Byrds' infected roots rock predicts the whole alt-country/no depression movement of the nineties, especially with this countrified offering. Petty is rightly grouped with trad rock troubadours like Mellencamp and Springsteen, and as a songwriter he is practically peerless. Whether he's writing songs to express the prejudices of small town hicks (as in the irresistible, criminally overlooked `Spike') or creating an anthem for a generation (as in `It Ain't Nothin To Me') Petty never misses. All the tracks are excellent, so much so that the album could serve as a greatest hits for a less gifted artist, but worthy of special note are `Rebels' and `Don't Come Around Here No More'. This album is so good that even the rejects, like `Two Room Apartment' (later on FULL MOON FEVER and PLAYBACK) were superb. An excellent place to start for those unfamiliar, especially recommended to fans of Uncle Tupelo and Wilco.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nPetty's essential recording., August 5, 2002\nReviewer: A music fan\nFollowing on from "Hard Promises" and the commercial failure (at least in Australia) "Long After Dark", Tom Petty, previously known for solid, stripped-down rock and roll (which makes his failure to ever rise above #15 in the Australian charts most surprising), took a sharp left turn with "Southern Accents".\nOne might think that Petty's collaboration with Dave Stewart would be likely to improve his commercial stocks. However, "Southern Accents" failed to reach the Top 40 in Australia (probably due to its rather dark, "wintry" feel), and was not greeted well by many critics who expected solid rock'n'roll from Petty and the Heartbreakers. Yet, other critics have seen this album as Petty's masterpiece, and indeed I can only agree. This album, though indeed dark, is beautifully graceful yet passionate and intense.\nThroughout the album, the other Heartbreakers have a reduced role, with Howie Epstein being credited only as a backing vocalist on many tracks where David A. Stewart takes over the bass role. The tone, as said above, is much darker than any other Petty album, espcially on "Don't Come Around Here No More" (which I think of as a track Tori Amos should have included on "Strange Little Girls"), the beautiful title track, and the synth-heavy "It Ain't Nothing To Me". Petty also adds a strong funk element, aided by the presence of David A. Stewart as co-writer and producer on "It Ain't Nothing To Me" and "Make It Better (Forget About Me)". "Southern Accents" is sparser than any previous Petty album, especially on "Spike", which manages to surprisingly retain Petty's usual passion in a very sparse acoustic setting. The driving "Dogs On The Run" is the nearest "Southern Accents" gets to Petty's earlier albums, whilst "Rebels" and "The Best Of Everything" take the funk element to its furthest point.\nPetty's lyrics complement this album very effectively and give an insight into his own background in Florida much more deeply than any of his other recordings. The album does have great contrasts in lyrical tone, particularly when one compares the despair of "Don't Come Around Here No More" with the lighthearted "Spike".\nIf you are a Petty fanatic, this album will surprise you. For other listeners, however, "Southern Accents" is the album to buy to get the best understanding of Petty.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nPsychedelic, horns - wow! Great album!, May 1, 2000\nReviewer: A music fan\nThis is a very interesting album by one of the greatest rock and roll bands ever. This is the sixth album by the band; the first five were all fantastic rock & acoustic albums, but evidently Petty and the boys wanted to stretch out with some new sounds on this one. Southern Accents was originally supposed to be a tribute to the band's roots in the Southeastern US, but wound up being a melange of psychedelia, horns, violins, etc - much like the Beatles of 1967/68. This is a very creative and enjoyable album, even though the individual tracks can be dissimilar in style - leaving it a bit less of a "piece" than some other albums. A lot of the songs do borrow a bit here and there from other bands, yet are unmistakeably their own. "Dogs on the Run" sounds a good bit like Springsteen, the horn laden "Mary's New Car" and "Best of Everything" might be at home on a Chicago (the band) album, the piano and violin driven title song "Southern Accents" (partly a tribute to Petty's mother, who had died a few years prior to its writing) is a bit like the Beatles "Let it Be", while "Don't Come Around Here No More" and "It Ain't Nothing to Me" are psychedelic, with very interesting sounds, rhythms and textures. \nThe opening song "Rebels" may be the best on the album - one of the best the band has ever done - and it sets the tone for the whole album. "Rebels" is anthemic, combines the intended Southern theme with Petty's own feisty "I Won't Back Down" mentality, is appropriately laced with trumpets, yet remains a strong rocker as well.\n\nI have to disagree with the reviewer from Texas who feels Petty and the band had a "weak period" after Hard Promises and before Full Moon Fever. Actually the 3 albums of that period - Long After Dark, Southern Accents, Let Me Up - are among the very best work the band has ever done, or that any band has ever done for that matter. When you buy this album realize that it doesn't sound much like any other Petty/Heartbreakers album. But like virtually all other Petty & Heartbreakers albums, it sounds terrific, and has the very interesting and thoughtful lyrics one can always expect from Petty.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nA record from the Heartbreakers' past..., March 8, 2000\nReviewer: "joenumber2" (The Midwest) \nSouthern Accents represents Tom Petty's homage to his Deep South roots. Sure, Petty is a Gainesville, FL native but that doesn't fool anyone. Gainesville is as much a part of the South as Atlanta, Montgomery and Mobile. This album is also a watershed moment for Petty and his bandmates as it embodies a burgeoning period of experimentation. It captures Petty in his rawest form when he is singing from his heart. You can hear the true-to-life lyrics of his past in "Rebels," "The Best of Everything" and especially the haunting "Southern Accents." The title track is the most personal of all of Petty's songs. In it, he speaks to his childhood and young adult years with the wisdom of a man that can acknowledge those aspects of his past. The collection of songs here is a big departure for the band. It is part country, part psychedelic (on the delicious mind candy that is "Don't Come Around Here No More"), part bluegrass rock and part funk. If you don't find something to please yourself on one track, wait a few minutes and things will change. New sounds abound as vocal distortion (It Ain't Nothin' To Me) and new instruments (big brass horn section and a sitar) make an impression. Some consider it an uneven effort but when taken in the context that it was supposed to be a double album, Southern Accents comes off as a "best of" collection of what Petty wanted to sing about. He selected these songs to give a wide palette of flavor to the listener and he succeeds as he transitions relatively flawlessly from the various styles on this excellent album.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nTired, April 22, 1999\nReviewer: A music fan\nThis CD was released in the middle of what I call Tom Petty's "tired period"--after Hard Promises and before Full Moon Fever. Like his other CDs from this period, Southern Accents is not without merit. There are a few mellow songs on this CD that may catch your fancy. They're not exactly beautiful songs, but they're relaxing, soothing, and make for decent mood music. "Mary's New Car" and "The Best of Everything" fall into this category. The title track tries to fit the category too, but the redneck sentiments of the song make it grow old in a hurry. Petty gets in trouble when he tries to get quirky here though. "Spike" sounds like stand-up comedy mutated into music. "It Ain't Nothin To Me" is basically an annoying limerick. When Petty has pop aspirations, it's a hit-or-miss affair. "Don't Come Around Here No More" sounded great at first, but has aged into a pleasant but not spellbinding song. "Rebels" and "Make It Better" are quite forgettable. The song "Dogs on the Run" doesn't seem to fit, especially right after another song with canine references ("Spike"). All in all, this is one of Petty's weaker CDs, but not without a few charms.\n\nHalf.com Details \nContributing artists: David A. Stewart, Garth Hudson, Marilyn Martin, Richard Manuel \n\nAlbum Notes\nTom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Tom Petty (vocals, acoustic, 12-string & electric guitars, piano, keyboards, tambourine); Mike Campbell (slide guitar, guitar, dobro, piano, keyboards, bass, background vocals); Benmont Tench (acoustic & electric pianos, keyboards, vibraphone); Howie Epstein \n(bass, background vocals); Stan Lynch (drums, percussion, background vocals).\n\nAddtional personnel includes: David A. Stewart (guitar, sitar, keyboards, bass); Daniel Rothmuller (cello); Marty Jourard, Molly Duncan (saxophone); Dave Plews (trumpet); Garth Hudson (keyboards); Dean Garcia (bass); Phil Jones, Bobbye Hall (tambourine); Jim Keltner (percussion); Stephanie Spruill, Sharon Celani, Marilyn Martin, Maxine Waters, Julia Waters, Clydene Jackson, Richard Manuel (background vocals).\nThe Heart Attack Horns: Jim Coile, William Bergman (tenor saxophone); Gregory Smith (baritone saxophone); Dick Braun (trumpet); John Berry Jr., Kurt McGettrick.\n\nProducers: Tom Petty, Jimmy Iovine, Mike Campbell, David A. Stewart, Robbie Robertson.\n\nFew musicians can manage to produce simple, pop-inflected rock & roll with as much integrity as Tom Petty. Possibly the definitive FM rock radio star, Petty has been combining great hooks, unabashedly straightforward arrangements and a Dylanesque, clenched-teeth-whine on great records since the mid '70s. SOUTHERN ACCENTS, though not up to the snuff of his earlier efforts, still delivers in suitable fashion. SOUTHERN ACCENTS is notable chiefly for the unbelievably great, sitar-drenched, drone-groove of "Don't Come Around Here No More," a song that manages to be distinctly Petty and, at the same time, like nothing he's done before. While not Petty's best, SOUTHERN ACCENTS is still an example of the thing Petty makes best: honest pop music.\n\nIndustry Reviews\n[The Heartbreakers] drop deftly into some sleek western swing, gliding from the speakers like a silver streamliner hurtling across Texas.\nUncut (05/01/2004)
This rock cd contains 9 tracks and runs 39min 51sec.
Freedb: 72095209
Buy: from Amazon.com

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