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Hard Promises

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Hard Promises Audio CD

A fair review of the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers "Hard Promises" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers reviews here, or go back to the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers tabs.

Band: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Title: Hard Promises
Rating:

Release Date: 1990-10-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Waiting 2: Woman in Love (It's Not Me) 3: Nightwatchman 4: Something Big 5: Kings Road 6: Letting You Go 7: Thing About You 8: Insider 9: Criminal Kind 10: You Can Still Change Your Mind

Petty's best
The song structures in this one is far superior. While some say that Damn the Torpedoes is his best album, I tend to disagree. The album rocks a lot more and has some killer tunes which in my opinion seemes to lack on Damn. Anyway it is also an expensive Gold CD edition, which I never know if it is so superior in the end, but who cares since it sounds really great.

Worth the wait
From the opening Byrds riff of "The Waiting", every song is a winner, and several are absolutely breathtaking. This is without a doubt Tom Petty's finest recording. Two years after coming into their prime with what many would say is their best album, "Damn the Torpedoes", Petty and the Heartbreakers raised the bar lyrically while remaining at their musical peak. The worst songs were as good as their earlier material, while the best transcended anything done previously or since.

Some of the songs would have fit well on "Damn the Torpedoes" - the same sound, great performances, fine lyrics, and simply more of what TP fans loved 20-some years ago. Others went in new musical or lyrical directions and succeeded well, from the lighter pop sounds of "Letting You Go" and "You Can Still Change Your Mind" to the Dylanesque storyline in "Something Big". The icing on the cake, though, are the heartfelt and increasingly sophisticated lyrics that range from moving to passionate and even sublime on "The Waiting", "A Woman In Love", "Letting You Go", "You Can Still Change Your Mind", and especially the glorious "Insider".

"Insider", a duet with Stevie Nicks, is a quiet song that builds to a passionate, gutwrenching climax of understated but profoundly moving bitterness. I consider it the best song here (actually I consider it the best song ever written by Tom Petty), and the album title was taken from its lyrics. I can't imagine a better song about the pain of a relationship gone sour or lost.

"Hard Promises" was the last of 4 nearly-perfect albums of increasing quality between 1976 and 1981. This is Tom Petty grown up, but not old. After "Hard Promises" the band began a slow decline, producing 4 inconsistent and even bad albums before Petty's comeback with the Traveling Wilburys and Full Moon Fever. There were some really good songs even in that period of decline, and I respect the way TP tried going in new directions and took chances. But if you like the early sound of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, it simply doesn't get any better than this.

"Hard Promises" is REALLY "Something Big!"
This is evidenced in a majority of the selections featured on "Hard Promises". On this album, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers really come into their own, thus coming up with a variety of unique musical styles and arrangements. The album starts off with a rockin' flurry, courtesy of the first three numbers ("The Waiting", "A Woman In Love (It's Not Me)" and "Nightwatchman"), then mellows out with a soothing cool down, as noted in the tracks "Something Big", "Letting You Go" and "Insider". The CD almost ends just as it began, with the driven-homeness of "The Criminal Kind" and "You Can Still Change Your Mind". Even though Petty and the 'Breakers left a little of their Byrds and Dylan influences behind on "Hard Promises", this is still an outstanding effort, for the most part. Petty & crew really proved to the world they could stand on their own ten legs (even with a little help from Stevie Nicks, who provides backing vocals on "Insider" and "A Thing About You". Petty later returned the favor on Nicks' "Bella Donna" album, released later the same year "Hard Promises" came out [1981]), and it shows in the band's musicianship, as featured on this CD. Bob Dylan would be impressed with Tom Petty's awesome sound-alike vocalization on "The Criminal Kind". One of your first New Year's resolutions should be including this priceless musical gem in your CD collection. This should be one "Promise" that isn't "Hard" to keep, and thus, is one "Easy" sell!.

Cold Hard Petty..at their best
It rocks!!. If u are a fan of the band and want to get hold of some music which will touch many styles in one cd, then this is the one you want.

It's Hard to Top This Stuff
The drab cover shot of Tom Petty in a record shop typifies his non-glamorous style, yet his music has held up solidly from the very beginnning. If you enjoy Tom Petty's music, you simply can't go wrong with "Hard Promises;" some might even contend that Petty and his band have never sounded better than on this album in 1981. His tunes grab you with their tunefulness and hooks instantaneously, and his ability to make songwriting seem so effortless is unrivaled. Amazingly, no two Tom Petty songs usually ever sound that much alike, despite his unchanging style.

As for the actual songs on this great album, it's hard to go wrong with the leadoff 80's gem, "The Waiting," yet the album boasts even better songs. As usual, the lyrics are hard luck, the sound much brighter. "Nightwatchman," however, is a Tom Petty shot at humor and observation, a truly funny and astute song. His vocals sound great all over, yet particularly shine on "Something Big," where a tinge of typical Petty country-type sounds seep in. This album features its share of feel-good tunes as well, like on the bold sound of "Kings Road," where Petty flashes that classic jangly rock and roll that sounds perfect in the car as you're driving too fast on a beautiful day. "Kings Road" would sound awesome live, and actually is a precursor to future Petty classics off the album "Learning to Fly. " "Letting You Go" is an endearing 60's style breakup song, containing bleak lyrics, yet featuring another feel-good type sound. The awesome "A Thing About You" keeps up the frollicking rock and roll pace, with an immensely catchy chorus and a rocking/honky tonk sound; check out Petty really letting loose on the guitars midway through. "Insider" is a very pretty ballad with Stevie Nicks contributing her perfect accompanying vocals, upping the true emotion in the song and blending perfectly with Petty's own emotional voice. With greats like "Insider," it's hard to believe only one hit escaped this album. Even second rate Petty tunes like "The Criminal Kind" - with its lazy slide guitar and observational lyrics - have an engaging quality that appeals to many people.

"Hard Promises" ends dramatically with another emotional gem, "You Can Still Change Your Mind. " With such insightful and passionate lyrics, it's inexplicable why critics over the years have blasted Petty's words as being trite and meaningless. I happen to think he writes some of the best lyrics in the history of rock and roll. As I said, if you're looking for classic music, pick this one up.

You can see a complete list of all Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers discography, or go back to the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.