Hard Promises

Infobox Album | Name = Hard Promises
Type = Album
Artist = Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers


Released = Start date|1981|5|5
Recorded = 1980–81
Genre = Heartland rock
Length = 39:33
Label = Backstreet
Producer = Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:39ftxqr5ldhe link]
Last album = "Damn the Torpedoes"
(1979)
This album = "Hard Promises"
(1981)
Next album = "Long After Dark"
(1982)|

"Hard Promises" is the fourth album by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers released in May, 1981. Its original working title was "Benmont's Revenge". [Goldstein, Patrick. "Pop Eye" "Los Angeles Times" Sept. 21, 1980: T80.] It features guest vocals from Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac on the duet "Insider." They would also record the hit "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" for Nicks' album "Bella Donna".

This was the second Tom Petty album on the Backstreet Records label. The album's release was delayed while Petty and his distributor MCA Records argued about the list price. The album was slated to be the next MCA release with the new list price of $9.98, following Steely Dan's "Gaucho" and the Olivia Newton-John/Electric Light Orchestra "Xanadu" soundtrack. This so-called "superstar pricing" was $1.00 more than the usual list price of $8.98. [Goldstein, Patrick. "Petty Battling MCA Over Record Price Hike" "Los Angeles Times" February 1, 1981: N72.] Petty voiced his objections to the price hike in the press and the issue became a popular cause among music fans. Non-delivery of the album or naming it "Eight Ninety-Eight" [Marsh, Dave. "Tom Petty" "Musician" July 1981: 43.] were considered, but eventually MCA decided against the price increase.

The album's title comes from a line in the chorus of "Insider".

Track listing

ide one

# "The Waiting" (Tom Petty) – 3:58
# "A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)" (Petty, Mike Campbell) – 4:22
# "Nightwatchman" (Petty, Campbell) – 3:59
# "Something Big" (Petty) – 4:44
# "Kings Road" (Petty) – 3:27

ide two

# "Letting You Go" (Petty) – 3:24
# "A Thing About You" (Petty) – 3:33
# "Insider" (Petty) – 4:23
# "The Criminal Kind" (Petty) – 4:00
# "You Can Still Change Your Mind" (Petty, Campbell) – 4:15

Personnel

*Tom Petty - Lead Vocals, 12 & 6 string guitar electric & acoustic guitars, bass & electric piano on "Something Big"
*Mike Campbell - 12 & 6 string guitar electric guitars, auto-harp, accordion, harmonium, & bass guitar
*Benmont Tench - Organ, piano, & background vocals
*Stan Lynch - Drums & background vocals
*Ron Blair - Bass

Additional Musicians:
*Phil Jones - Percussion on all tracks
*Stevie Nicks - Harmony on "Insider"
*Donald "Duck" Dunn - bass on "A Woman in Love"
*Sharon Celani & Stevie Nicks - Background Vocals on "You Can Still Change Your Mind"
*Alan "Bugs" Weidel - piano on "Nightwatchman"

References