Performer Notes

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Tom Petty (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Mike Campbell (guitar); Ron Blair (cello, bass); Benmont Tench (piano, organ); Stan Lynch (drums).
Recorded at the Shelter Studio, Hollywood, California. Originally released on Shelter (52006). Includes liner notes by Bill Flanagan.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Personnel: Tom Petty (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Mike Campbell (guitar); Ron Blair (cello, electric bass, bass guitar); Benmont Tench (piano, organ); Stan Lynch (keyboards, drums); Phil Seymour (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Noah Shark.
Liner Note Author: Bill Flanagan.
Recording information: Shelter Studios, Hollywood, CA; The Shelter Studio, Hollywood, CA.
Photographers: Ed Caraeff; Andee Cohen; Adrian Boot; Michael Putland; Zox; Chris Walter; Marty Jourard.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Stan Lynch ; Benmont Tench.
The debut of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers came at a crucial time in American rock & roll history. Punk hadn't hit yet, and bloated rock dinosaurs like Bad Company and their ilk were still making life miserable for real rock & rollers. All the first generation roots-rock bands were gone. Petty's appearance marked the return of pure, unpretentious rock & roll that wasn't afraid to wear its '60s influences on its sleeve. The band's eponymous first album is full of Byrdsian ringing guitars, Dylan/McGuinn-style drawling vocals and pure pop hooks of the kind that hadn't been heard since the first Big Star album (and how many people heard Big Star at the time?). Petty also proved himself to be a world class pop songsmith on instant classics like "American Girl" and "Breakdown."

Professional Reviews

Q (9/91) - 3 Stars - Good - "...two stand-outs ("Breakdown" & "American Girl")..."

Uncut (8/02, p.114) - 5 out of 5 - "...Innocently infusing Southern psychedelia with a shot of poppy, punkish energy, Petty's debut was one of the 1976/7's ubiquitous LPs..."

Pitchfork (Website) - "[A]ll the elements that later made Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers one of America's most agreeable and enduring music institutions were clear and present on the band's self-titled debut."

Album: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Rockin' Around (With You)
2)	Breakdown
3)	Hometown Blues
4)	Wild One, Forever, The
5)	Anything That's Rock 'N' Roll
6)	Strangered in the Night
7)	Fooled Again (I Don't Like It)
8)	Mystery Man
9)	Luna
10)	American Girl

Album: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Rockin' Around (With You)
2)	Breakdown
3)	Hometown Blues
4)	Wild One, Forever, The
5)	Anything That's Rock 'N' Roll
6)	Strangered in the Night
7)	Fooled Again (I Don't Like It)
8)	Mystery Man
9)	Luna
10)	American Girl