Damn the Torpedoes (album)

Damn the Torpedoes
Studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Released	October 19, 1979 (1979-10-19)
Recorded	Sound City, Van Nuys Cherokee Studios, Hollywood 1978–79
Genre	Rock
Length	36:40
Label	Backstreet/MCA
Producer	Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers chronology
You're Gonna Get It! (1978) Damn the Torpedoes (1979) Hard Promises (1981)

Damn the Torpedoes is the third album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released in 1979. This was the first of three Petty albums originally released by the Backstreet Records label, distributed by MCA Records. It built on the commercial success and critical acclaim of his two previous albums and peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart.^[1] In 2003, the album was ranked number 313 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.^[2]

Background and Recording

Petty's recording contract was re-assigned to MCA from his previous label Shelter Records and its distributor ABC Records when ABC was sold to MCA in 1979. Petty was furious about the change in label and struggled to legally detach himself from MCA, resulting in his bankruptcy. In the end the record company backed down, and he negotiated a deal that allowed him to release his recordings on the new Backstreet Records label, manufactured and distributed by MCA. The album was recorded at Sound City in Van Nuys and Cherokee Studios in Hollywood.^[3] The title is a reference to a famous quote by Admiral David Farragut: "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!". All of Petty's Backstreet recordings were re-issued by MCA in the late 1980s.

Release and Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[4]
Robert Christgau	(B+)[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
Rolling Stone Album Guide	[7]

The album was a breakthrough for Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was their first top 10 album rising to #2 (for seven weeks and kept from #1 by Pink Floyd's The Wall) on the Billboard albums chart.^[1] It yielded two songs that made the top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, "Don't Do Me Like That" (#10) and "Refugee" (#15).^[8][9] Thanks to the new co-producer Jimmy Iovine, Damn the Torpedoes proved to be a major leap forward in production.^[4]

Critical reception generally reflected the commercial success of the album. The original review in Rolling Stone raved that it was the "album we've all been waiting for — that is, if we were all Tom Petty fans, which we would be if there were any justice in the world".^[10] Subsequent reviews have continued this trend calling it "one of the great records of the album rock era"^[4] and culminating in its placement in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time^[2].

Re-releases

The album was digitally remastered by Joe Gastwirt and reissued in 2001.^{[citation needed]}

On November 9, 2010, a deluxe edition of the album was released on three formats, a 2xCD set, a 2xLP (180g)deluxe package and a Blu-Ray Audio disc package. All the tracks (original and unreleased) were remastered from the original analog master tapes by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios in Hollywood, CA.^{[citation needed]}

Track listing

All songs were written by Tom Petty, except where noted.

Side one

1. "Refugee" (Petty, Mike Campbell) – 3:22
2. "Here Comes My Girl" (Petty, Campbell) – 4:27
3. "Even the Losers" – 4:01
4. "Shadow of a Doubt (A Complex Kid)" – 4:25
5. "Century City" – 3:45

Side two

1. "Don't Do Me Like That" – 2:44
2. "You Tell Me" – 4:35
3. "What Are You Doin' in My Life?" – 3:27
4. "Louisiana Rain" – 5:54

Deluxe Edition Disc 2

1. "Nowhere"
2. "Surrender"
3. "Casa Dega" (Petty, Campbell)
4. "It's Rainin' Again"
5. "Shadow of a Doubt (A Complex Kid)"
6. "Don't Do Me Like That"
7. "Somethin' Else" (Eddie Cochran)
8. "Casa Dega (Demo version)" (Petty, Campbell)
9. "Refugee (early version)" (Petty, Campbell)

Tracks 5-7 were recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England on March 6, 1980 and featured the same mix and production team as The Live Anthology. "Nowhere", "Surrender", "Casa Dega" (Demo) and "Refugee" (alternate take) were mixed by Mike Campbell and Ryan Ulyate in late 2009/early 2010, while "Casa Dega" and "It's Rainin' Again" were the same versions featured on the Playback box set.

Personnel

• Tom Petty – 6 & 12 string guitars, lead vocals and harmonica
• Mike Campbell – 6 & 12 string guitars, slide guitar, keyboards, accordion, bass guitar
• Benmont Tench – piano, organ, harmonium and vocals
• Ron Blair – electric bass guitar
• Stan Lynch – drums and vocals
• Donald "Duck" Dunn – bass on "You Tell Me"
• Phil Jones (uncredited) – percussion
• Jim Keltner (uncredited) – shaker on "Refugee"

Additional credits:

• Greg Calbi – mastering
• Lynn Goldsmith – photography
• Shelly Yakus – engineer
• John Mathias – assistant engineer
• Thom Panunzio – assistant engineer
• Gray Russell – assistant engineer
• Skip Saylor – assistant engineer
• Tori Swenson – assistant engineer
• Tommy Steele – art direction
• Aaron Rapoport – photography
• Glen Christensen – photography (front cover)
• Dennis Callaghan – photography

Charts

Year	Chart	Position
1979	US Billboard 200	2[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Damn The Torpedoes - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums at Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
2. ^ ^{a b} Levy, Joe; Steven Van Zandt (2006) [2005]. "313 | Damn the Torpedoes - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers". Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (3rd ed.). London: Turnaround. ISBN 1932958614. OCLC 70672814. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/damn-the-torpedoes-tom-petty-and-the-heartbreakers-19691231. Retrieved 26 February 2006. 
3. ^ "Sound City Studio's Client List". Sound City Studios. http://www.soundcitystudios.com/cli_indx.html. Retrieved 2009-05-01. ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ ^{a b c} Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Damn the Torpedoes (album) at Allmusic. Retrieved 8 November 2005.
5. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers > Consumer Guide Reviews". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=tom+petty+and+the+heartbreakers. Retrieved 26 February 2006. 
6. ^ Zanes, Warren (September 16, 2004). "The Rolling Stone Hall of Fame: The Greatest Albums Ever Made Damn the Torpedoes > Album Review". Rolling Stone (957): p. 83. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/damn-the-torpedoes-20040916. Retrieved 7 August 2007. 
7. ^ Brackett, Nathan with Hoard, Christian, eds (2004). "Tom Petty > Album Guide". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. London: Fireside. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/tom-petty/albumguide. 
8. ^ "Billboard Don't Do Me Like That Chart Listings". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=379&cfgn=Singles&cfn=The+Billboard+Hot+100&ci=3071086&cdi=8890896&cid=03%2F01%2F1980. Retrieved 2009-05-01. ^{[dead link]}
9. ^ "Billboard Refugee Chart Listings". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=379&cfgn=Singles&cfn=The+Billboard+Hot+100&ci=3071082&cdi=8890516&cid=02%2F02%2F1980. Retrieved 2009-05-01. ^{[dead link]}
10. ^ Swartley, Ariel (December 13, 1979). "Tom Petty and the Heartbreaks Damn the Torpedoes > Album Review". Rolling Stone (306). http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/damn-the-torpedoes-19791213. Retrieved 14 September 2011.