Tom Petty: Full Moon Fever CD Track Listing

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Tom Petty Full Moon Fever (1989)
Originally Released April 29, 1989\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Although Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) found the Heartbreakers regaining their strength as a band and discovering a newfound ease at songcraft, it just didn't sell that well. Perhaps that factor, along with road fatigue, led Tom Petty to record his first solo album, Full Moon Fever. Nevertheless, the distinction between "solo" and "Heartbreakers" is a fuzzy one because Full Moon Fever is essentially in the same style as the Heartbreakers albums; Mike Campbell co-wrote two songs and co-produced the record, and he, along with Benmont Tench and Howie Epstein, all play on the album. However, the album sounds different from any Heartbreakers record due to the presence of former Electric Light Orchestra leader Jeff Lynne. Petty co-wrote the lion's share of the album with Lynne, who also is the record's main producer. In his hands, Petty's roots rock becomes clean and glossy, layered with shimmering vocal harmonies, keyboards, and acoustic guitars. It's a friendly, radio-ready sound, and if it has dated somewhat over the years, the craft is still admirable and appealing. But the real reason Full Moon Fever became Petty's biggest hit is that it boasted a selection of songs that rivaled Damn the Torpedoes. Full Moon Fever didn't have a weak track; even if a few weren't quite as strong as others, the album was filled with highlights: "I Won't Back Down," the wistful "A Face in the Crowd," the rockabilly throwaways "Yer So Bad" and "A Mind With a Heart of Its Own," the Byrds cover "Feel a Whole Lot Better," the charging "Runnin' Down a Dream," and "Free Fallin'," a coming-of-age ballad that could be Petty's best song. Full Moon Fever might have been meant as an off-the-cuff detour, but it turned into a minor masterpiece. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nAmazon.com essential recording\nTen years had passed since Petty's last solid outing (Damn the Torpedoes in 1979), and Full Moon Fever fully resuscitated the artist's career, which--some would say "arguably"--had been losing steam. With the album's four major hits and rave reviews from the critics (these things do not always go hand-in-hand), Petty must have breathed a sigh of relief. He left the Heartbreakers behind, hooked up with musician, writer, and producer Jeff Lynne, and rocked out with "Runnin' Down a Dream," got mellow and introspective on "Free Fallin'" and "A Face in the Crowd," and paid tribute (finally) to the Byrds with a cover of "Feel a Whole Lot Better." He perfected the sing-along guitar-pop song on "Yer So Bad" and had a wild time on "Zombie Zoo." Pure Petty perfection! --Lorry Fleming \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nOutstanding Work From Petty - With the Help of Some Wilburys, October 11, 2006\nReviewer: L.A. Scene (Lawrenceville, NJ USA)\n\nAs the music scene progressed in the 1980s, things began to change in the pop music landscape. The synth-pop sound that had dominated the 1980s was now being replaced by a more "natural" guitar-laden sound. This trend was promoted by such artists like John Mellencamp and John Fogerty who would enjoy commercial success as well as critical acclaim. Five musicians in the 1980s would also find themselves at the center of this movement on the music landscape. Jeff Lynne of ELO was working with George Harrison on his "Cloud Nine" album. At the same time Lynne was working with Roy Orbison.. The story goes that Lynne, Harrison, and Orbison all agreed to sing on Orbison's song. They needed a place to record, so they contacted Bob Dylan to use his studio. Meanwhile word is that George's guitar was with Tom Petty (who was also working with Lynne). The rest is history and a supergroup called "The Traveling Wilburys" was born. The Wilburys would enjoy enormous success. While some people felt that Lynne was the weak member of the Wilburys, he was the man who also brought them all together. As mentioned, Lynne was also working with Tom Petty at the time on a "solo project". That project would turn out to be his highly successful 1989 album, "Full Moon Fever". "Full Moon Fever" not only encapsulates the guitar-laden sound that had now taken over the landscape, but it also brings 3 of the 4 other Wilburys (the exception being Bob Dylan) into the fold. \n\nThe Traveling Wilburys would release two albums - "Volume 1" and "Volume 3". There was no "Volume 2". However over the years, "Full Moon Fever" has unofficially become "Volume 2". In fact there is a Russian Import version that actually labels "Full Moon Fever" as "Volume 2". As mentioned this was technically a "solo album" by Tom Petty. For years, Petty had recorded with his band - "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers". While this was a "solo album", there are many of the Heartbreakers that are present on this album. Howie Epstein lends background vocals to two songs - "Love is a Long Road" and "I Won't Back Down". Benmont Tench lends his piano for "The Apartment Song". Finally, Mike Campbell - possibly one of the most sought after musicians in the business contributes throughout the whole "Full Moon Fever" collection - including guitars, mandolin, bass, and keyboards. \n\nWhen Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers burst on the music scene - they appealed to a wide variety of musical styles including Classic Rock, New Wave, and even Punk. However, I feel that Petty's roots were still in Southern Rock. "Full Moon Fever" definitely isn't rooted in Southern Rock, but it does have a strong incorporation of the guitar-laden sound mentioned. This isn't an album where you are going to hear horns or a string section. While you hear some keyboards, it will be the guitars that are going to be the story of this album - whether it's electric or acoustic, every song will make an integral use of the guitar. On top of that, given Petty's unique voice - this really becomes something special. I give a lot of credit to Lynne for putting this all together. It's kind of ironic that Lynne was able to pull off producing both "Full Moon Fever" and the Traveling Wilburys. Lynne was known for his intricate orchestral arrangements with ELO, yet Lynne finds a way to make the natural guitar-laden sound work for Petty on this collection. \n\n"Full Moon Fever" is known for the "hits" that were spurned off this album - these songs being: "Free Fallin", "I Won't Back Down", and "Runnin' Down a Dream (to a lesser extent "Yer So Bad" and "A Face in the Crowd" were also hits). These are good songs, but surprisingly, I found the "other songs" to be the strong points of this collection. Songs such as "Love is a Long Road", "Feel a Whole Lot Better", "Depending on You", "The Apartment Song", "Alright for Now", "A Mind With a Heart of It's Own", and "Zombie Zoo" were the albums strongest songs. Any of these songs could have easily been released as singles and could have achieved a high level of commercial success. \n\nAs mentioned, three of the Wilburys make contributions to this album Roy Orbison lends his background vocals to "Zombie Zoo". George Harrison lends Acoustic Guitar and Background Vocals to "I Won't Back Down". Lynne, while lending his hand at co-producing this album with Petty and Mike Campbell also lends Vocals, Bass, Guitar, and Keyboards to the effort. Who can forget the terrific vocal jam between Petty, Harrison, and Lynne on "I Won't Back Down" - i.e. the classic "Hey Baby!". While Harrison didn't directly contribute to the track "Feel a Whole Lot Better", I'd like to think he had some influence on the cover of the Byrds' "Feel a Whole Lot Better". This cover gives the song a distinct Beatle-sque quality. I give Petty a lot of credit for being able to pull this off. At the same time, Petty also remains true to his Southern Rock roots. "A Mind With a Heart of It's Own" definitely sounds like something Petty would have done with the Heartbreakers. Finally, if you want to hear Tom Petty do a lullaby, listen to "Alright for Now". \n\nPerhaps the most interesting part is when Petty puts an interruption prior to the start of "Feel a Whole Lot Better". This interruption tells CD listeners to "wait" until LP or Cassette listeners are able to flip over their media on their player - most humorous. \n\nThe liner notes do include all of the lyrics and all of the musician credits and acknowledgements. Overall, fans of Tom Petty and the Wilburys will not be disappointed with this effort. Although this collection does have a guitar-laden sound, it will have a lot of appeal to the mainstream. This is one collection I highly recommend.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nPrime Petty ... a definite desert island disc, February 28, 2006\nReviewer: Dr. Emil Shuffhausen (Central Gulf Coast)\n\nTom Petty has produced many masterpieces (so far) in his long and brilliant career, but none more enjoyable than this rocking collaboration with producer and fellow Travelling Wilbury Jeff Lynne. It sounds so effortless and breezy, yet FULL MOON FEVER was a sales and airplay titan from 1989-1991, and remains a staple of classic rock radio to this day. \n\nListening to it, one is amazed that this is not a "greatest hits" collection, but a studio CD recorded over a relatively brief period of time while Petty and Lynne were also working on their Traveling Wilburys VOLUME ONE project, on the Roy Orbison MYSTERY GIRL album, Del Shannon's ROCK ON album, and numerous other sidelines. Petty, in his book CONVERSATIONS, says that he and Lynne were writing non-stop and recording a song a day in order to beat Lynne's travel deadlines. That sense of speed and urgency, coupled with Petty and Lynne's close friendship and unique chemistry, give this album a sense of sponteneity and fun that keeps it fresh every time you hear it. \n\nMike Campbell and Benmont Tench, two of Petty's colleagues from The Heartbreakers also contributed significantly to FULL MOON FEVER. Campbell, in particular, demonstrates why he is one of the most respected guitarists in rock and roll with a brilliant, monster, "one-man Skynyrd" solo in "Running Down a Dream," a searing, atmospheric rocker that was a major hit single. \n\nOther enduring hits include the ubiquitous and perfect acoustiCali-pop of "Free Falling," and the bluesy "I Won't Back Down," which has become something of an anthem for anyone who believes in their cause. "Love Is a Long Road" was another cut that garnered significant airplay, with it's stuttering keyboard and guitar interplay. \n\nBut the "famous" songs are not all there is to this long-play master work. There's the witty and sprightly "Yer So Bad," and the punky "Apartment Song," and the folk-rock "Feel a Whole Lot Better," which outflies the Byrds' original. "Alright for Now" is a gorgeous, spare lullabye, while "A Mind With a Heart of Its Own" rocks and rolls and tumbles with a Bo Diddley-esque jump. "A Face in the Crowd" aches with loneliness and longing while the giddy bounce of "Zombie Zoo" belies its own melancholy core. \n\nIn short, what's not to like? It's as good a folk-rock-pop confection as has ever been wrought, drawing on Petty's and Lynne's deep appreciation and experience with Brit-pop, California country-folk-rock, and even a touch of Southland swamps. \n\nWithout question, this is an absolutely essential recording for fans of all of the above. T Petty belongs in the pantheon of great singer-songwriters in the tradition of B Dylan, B Springsteen, B Seegar, J Mellencamp, N Young, J Cash, K Kristofferson, and W Nelson. \n\nIf you like this CD, you should also check out the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers CD entitled INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN, also produced by Jeff Lynne, and the upcoming Spring 2006 Petty/Lynne collaboration. Of course, the Traveling Wilburys VOLUME ONE and VOL. 3 recordings are a must, as is the Roy Orbison MYSTERY GIRL record. Finally, I highly recommend the book, CONVERSATIONS WITH TOM PETTY by Paul Zollo, which is a great read filled with revelations and great stories on every TP song. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA golden oldie showing its age, November 19, 2003\nReviewer: A music fan\nMaybe this CD is worth re-evaluating 14 years after being a big hit. This is where a lot of Tom Petty fans started out, though it's hard for me to imagine having discovered him at this late stage in his career. Now that he's reached an even later phase, maybe it's possible to put this CD into perspective. I guess nobody under 40 can imagine Tom Petty having been considered a hard rocker - even if they listen to his older material, it may fit into the same "pop" category to them as this CD - but to me, the Amazon reviewer had the gist of it right. There was this great rock artist who hadn't made a solid record since "Hard Promises" in 1981, and was losing steam as his youth faded.\nThen along came the Traveling Wilburys, and Petty got to join those even-older greats in recording some simple, fun, silly, throwaway music. The experience let him stop posturing as a rock star past his prime and to focus on just having fun, writing and singing songs with good musicians. I imagine the inspiration for the songs on this CD grew out of that experience. It has the same sound, and there are a lot of silly throwaway songs in addition to the hits that had some substance. At its best, there are fun summer songs like "Running Down a Dream" or anthems like "I Won't Back Down". This CD is extraordinarily consistent good pop music, and seemed like perfection in 1989. Among the guilty pleasures are Tom Petty covering a Byrds song and the nod to Buddy Holly noted by one of the other reviewers.\n\nAfter all this time, I rarely listen to this CD, though. For people who liked the hit songs here, the Wilburys, and Petty in general, "Full Moon Fever" probably is an essential recording. Personally, I overplayed and got over the same-sounding Jeff Lynne-produced CD's that came out around this time: the two Traveling Wilburys CDs, the two Tom Petty CD's, George Harrison's "Cloud 9", and Jeff Lynne's "Armchair Theater". It's all very melodic, has no rough edges, and is technically perfect to a fault. Much of it is overproduced fluff, though. "Free Fallin'", which gets a lot of praise here, is an overrated and overplayed video-and-radio-driven song that doesn't begin to stand up to the heartfelt lyrics of much of Petty's earlier and later work. I'd generally rather listen to less perfect Petty CD's that are less about hooks and more about feeling ("Wildflowers" and "Echo"), or to the earlier material that has more of an edge to it ("Damn the Torpedoes" or "Hard Promises"). For those who liked the hit songs but aren't Petty fans otherwise, the greatest hits compilations probably suffice. A great CD for its time; one star off for not aging any better than I have.\n\n\nHalf.com Details \nContributing artists: Benmont Tench, Del Shannon, George Harrison, Howie Epstein, Jeff Lynne, Mike Campbell, Roy Orbison \n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel: Tom Petty (vocals, acoustic, electric, 6 & 12 string guitars, keyboards, tambourine, handclaps, sound effects); George Harrison (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Mike Campbell (guitar, slide guitar, mandolin, keyboards, bass); Jeff Lynne (guitar, keyboards, bass, handclaps, sound effects, background vocals); Benmont Tench (piano); Jim Keltner (drums, maracas, tambourine); Phil Jones (drums, percussion); Alan Weidel (handclaps); Kelsey Campbell, Del Shannon (sound effects); Howie Epstein, Roy Orbison (background vocals).\n\nProducers: Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Mike Cambell.\nEngineers include: Mike Cambell, Don Smith, Bill Bottrell.\nRecorded in Mike Campbell's Garage, Los Angeles, California.\n\nThere is a "special message" between tracks 5 and 6 which is found exclusively on the CD.\n\nThis album is just damn good fun--a great collection of easy-going rock songs, crafted not to change the world, but certainly to make it just a little brighter. Petty's first solo project (without the Heartbreakers), FULL MOON FEVER shares the goodtime feel of the Traveling Wilburys' contemporary "Handle With Care." This is not altogether surprising; Jeff Lynne co-produced and George Harrison and Roy Orbison guest. The only non-Petty composition is a version of Gene Clark's "Feel A Whole Lot Better," while "Zombie Zoo," a bewildered parent's diatribe on the kids of today, comes perilously close to social commentary.\n\nIndustry Reviews\nRanked #92 in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Albums Of The 80s survey.\nRolling Stone (11/01/1989)
This rock cd contains 12 tracks and runs 40min 0sec.
Freedb: 98095e0c
Buy: from Amazon.com

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