Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - You're Gonna Get It!

You're gonna listen

After the stunning Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers debut, I have to admit that "You're Gonna Get It" was a bit of a letdown. The songs, while still good, were not as uniformly excellent as the first album. Over the years, however, their sophomore album has grown on me to the point where it's stayed in my library both as an album and as this CD, re-issued and remaster in 2002.

The album pretty much followed the format of the first: 10 tight songs clocking in at under 30 minutes, following a classic rock blueprint. You'll hear the new-wave energy backed by the Stones/Byrds riffs and Petty's nasally vocal drawl. There are two Petty classics here, "I Need To Know" and the near perfect Roger McGuinn imitation "Listen To Her Heart" (to the point of McGuinn even covering it in concerts). There's a seeming follow-up to "American Girl" with "Baby's a Rock and Roller" and the dark title track, both standouts.

Even with that to recommend it, Petty's second album is not one of his strongest. Both the debut and Damn the Torpedoes are full-on classic from end to end, and Southern Accents captures the gothic sound of the south that "Magnolia" and "Restless" seem early runs at. Ultimately, it is the two singles that lift "You're Gonna Get It" away from the dreaded sophomore slump, and make Petty's second album a keeper. July 10, 2008

Short, but full of great songs

The second album by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, this CD clocks in at only about half an hour, putting it roughly on a par with some of those early albums by The Beatles. And as with The Beatles (for most of their albums anyway) this is an album where you won't want to skip any of the songs. As to the album itself, it's less intense than "Damn The Torpedoes" (which followed this one) but the somewhat more relaxed feel works well here. And compared with the first album (self-titled), this album flows better from start to finish. Which stands to reason, as the first album was originally a solo project for Petty which became a band album (as well as Petty & the Heartbreakers becoming a band, at the same time); while this album was start to finish meant as a band album. The "we are a band" feel is even more evident from the front cover, the only TP&HB album which fully pictures all five original band members on the front.

If you already have one of the anthologies, especially "Playback" which has six out of these ten songs, you may wonder if you "need" this album. Or more to the point, whether it's worth the money. My guess is that if you have an anthology, even Playback, and are considering this one too - then you'll be very glad if you do buy this too. After all, just considering this in addition to an anthology means you are a pretty big fan of the music, and the additional songs here (that you don't already have) won't let you down. Actually I feel that "Magnolia" is one of the best songs they've ever done (very cool lyrics and vocals, you can almost feel the air of that "Southern night") and "Hurt" is terrific also (I especially love the acoustic sounding guitar part around mid song). "Restless" and "You're Gonna Get It" are worthy additions too, they really are. Especially for the interesting electric guitar sound of "Restless" and the nifty repetitive-echo drumming on "You're Gonna Get It", but really all the song parts are great - making a great whole. Which of course showcases why this is/was such a great artist and great band. And of course if you don't have some of these songs already, all the more reason to buy this. Any true fan should have this, the original album in the original order; the remastering is very well done also (I have the original CD mastering too, it's not bad but this is a noticeable improvement, especially for the bass sounds). Accept the sentiment of the title... and get it. October 17, 2007

The Forgotten Tom Petty Masterpiece

YOU'RE GONNA GET IT! is Tom Petty's forgotten masterpiece, and helped bridge the Eagles-Allmans-Steve Miller mainstream and the punk/new wave of such artists as Elvis Costello and Graham Parker. It had two minor hit singles with two of his best songs ever, "I Need To Know" and "Listen To Her Heart", and also featured two songs that are polar opposites- "When The Time Comes", one of the most compassionate vows of loyalty ever, and the title cut, which given Petty's opposition to Indonesia's trumped-up 2005 drug-smuggling conviction of a young Australian tourist, could currently be seen as him saying to his girlfriend, "If you don't change our vacation plans from Bali to Hawaii, I'm gonna bust your head!" Petty's advocacy of sanctions against Indonesia in retaliation for this incident makes this overlooked release an essential discovery and purchase for both your ears AND your conscience. April 21, 2007

Excellent, Often Overlooked Album

This album is often overlooked, but is a gem. Before he got the production values that went with higher budgets, the band achieved a well-produced work with great arrangements and harmonies. I'm a huge fan of the song "Magnolia," which brings me to another point. As a devotee of Southern rock, this album sounds more Southern than many of his other works (esp. "Magnolia").

Unfortunately, while I've seen him twice in concert, he seldom plays many cuts from this album. Go see him anyway, because he plays for a long time and really relates to his audience. It also helps that he comes off as a nice guy. April 11, 2006

Jangling beauty

This album is worth its price for the opening track When The Time Comes alone - a flaming beauty of a song with a stirring emotional resonance and poetic lyrics that must count as one of the greatest rock songs ever written. It is anthemic, like Springsteen at his best, in its jangling guitar-driven onslaught and cascading riffs.

The album's exuberant rock is infused with the guitar-style of the Byrds. Other great songs include the title track and the tender I Need To Know while the intense Listen To Her Heart is equally catchy and memorable. The rest of the songs are good, solid rockers but none of them reaches the awesome grandeur or impressive tuneful heights of the aforementioned masterpieces.

I would strongly recommend getting this album as the aforementioned opening track is not included on any Tom Petty compilation album as far as I know. If you like the melodic power rock and pop of the late 1970s like The Cars, Patti Smith, Mink DeVille and Blondie, you'll love this great album.
March 11, 2006

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