Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open

Free Fallin'

This was the album that should have come before Full Moon Fever. Perhaps if it had, "Into The Great Wide Open" might not have been so disappointing. Where Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne seemed to capture a Heartbreaker's sound stripped down on the hits like "I Won't Back Down" and "Running Down a Dream," on this album, The Heartbreakers seemed compressed and smothered in layers of pudding. It made "Great Wide Open" the first Heartbreakers album for me to fall below excellence.

Things open promisingly with the cool single "Learning to Fly" and one of Petty's early music industry diatribe in the title track (shades of The Last DJ!). "Kings Highway" is an example of a song that could have been perfect had it not been slathered in Lynne's excess. And in all honesty, some of these songs echo "Full Moon Fever" a tad to closely. "For All The Wrong Reasons" plagiarizes "Free Fallin'," while the Ben E. King influenced "Built To Last" sounds like it came from a Traveling Wilburys session.

The heartbreakers also don't rock out all that much here. Only "Out In The Cold" kicks up any real dust, with "Making Some Noise" being a bit stunted. "All Or Nothing" is also a song that captures Petty and The Heartbreakers at their easy-going best, along with the great verse

"Your Daddy was a Sgt Major,
you didn't want to, but he made you
wipe his brass from time to time."

Unfortunately, the majority of ITGWO sounds too typical, to average for it to rise not just above its predecessor, but above TP&THB's work to this point. It's fine for completists (like myself), but you could just as easily start with Damn the Torpedoes or their Anthology: Through the Years. July 19, 2008

An OK album

This is an OK album,but it wasn't a huge seller like Tom Petty's previous two projects,1988's THE TRAVELING WILBURYS VOL. 1 and 1989's FULL MOON FEVER. This album is Petty's last to be released on the vinyl LP,but on a limited quantity and limited area basis. This album spawned only one Top 10 hit,LEARNING TO FLY. The other songs are good. August 1, 2007

classic rock returning in the 90's

Tom Petty is one of the few artists who've actually improved their songwriting skills as the years went on. I love Into the Great Wide Open. It's a solid collection of memorable songs. Somehow, Petty's ability to write catchy melodies has improved compared to his late 70's/early 80's days when the music he wrote back then was just acceptable, or above average. Into the Great Wide Open is truly a great album, from beginning to end. June 25, 2007

Petty at his best

Just a great great album or CD. A must have even
if you don't like Petty you will like this one. May 15, 2007

"I Don't Know How, I Don't Know When, But We Will Meet Again!"

This cd, a bit unexpectedly, has become one of my all-time favorite Tom Petty albums. Of course, "Learning To Fly" and the title track are bonfide classics that still can be heard on the radio, but there are some real hidden gems here that I am still wondering why they didn't become hit singles. These include the inspiring "We Will Meet Again", the powerful "Two Gunslingers" and also "King's Highway." In fact, there is not a bad song on the whole album. This is one of those dics that after one or two listens, you'll have most of the songs memorized. I did! One of TP's most overlooked projects, but one every Petty fan should hear. March 28, 2007

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