Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

There’s so much better Tom Petty out there that Breakdown and American Girl aren’t enough to make up for an otherwise lackluster collection.

Filler be filling, hits be hitting

A good debut of Tom Petty and his Heartbreakers. American Girl really cemented the follow up albums from this.

American girl and Breakdown are classics but a lot of the rest is forgettable

Kind of an average album with a couple solid songs. I wanted it to be better than it was. Probably won't ever listen to the whole album again but the classics on there are classics for a reason.

I reviewed this 82 albums ago! Here is my analysis: This one is fun, but not my favorite Tom Petty record. It feels like a very formative album in creating the TP sound. I like the mix of old rock n' roll with singer songwriter and 70s rock influences. Some of they lyrics are a bit cheesy, but that feels intentional. Obviously, American Girl is the biggest and best banger on this record.

Pk

Actually really good. Didn't think I'd like this

Pleasantly surprised. Only knew one song. This would be great record if you are chilling outside by a fireplace. Good album.

Mid

Love Tom Petty. Just a great talent and a group that I have come to really like. Sad that he passed away. 5 stars because it's a great album.

Un excelente álbum de rock de los '70s. Sumamente pegajoso, Petty toma las tradiciones más clásicas de la producción de los 60s que dejaron como legado The Beatles, sumado por un claro aprecio y cariño por las tradiciones americanas de composición. Podría llegar hasta considerarse como un disco de "Power Pop". Lo escucharía de nuevo.

The two heavy hitters on this one alone get it to a 4. The American Girl riff is one of my top faves of all time. Great song and sustains the energy from the open all the way through. Solid debut for the greatest singer/songwriter of our generation. RIP Tom.

The opening track almost serves as a passing of the torch. You can hear Roger McGuinn passing the jangly Rickenbacker right into Tom’s hands which would go on to become Petty and crew’s signature sound. The two radio hits alone merit high marks for this one. A great debut for one of (if not the) greatest American songwriters of our time.

I def would not have guessed American Girl closed this was out. Feels like a classic track one side one. Anyways, definitely enjoyed this and have always loved Petty. Easy 4 for me

I was always amazed by ol’ Thomas Earl Petty. I don’t think you’d consider him a great guitarist and dude isn’t really an amazing singer (maybe even goofy at times). But god damn he could write a song and seemed to stay true to his own style that resonated during times when you’d think his music wouldn’t fit in. Wildflowers was one of my fave albums of the mid 90s and crazy to put that in context of all the other rock music of the time. All that to say, he’s pretty great. And this album is pretty great. American Girl is one of my all time faves.

Went into it thinking it’s likely a 5-banger but didn’t hit me like I thought it would. Also very interesting that American Girl is the last track on the album. Anyways, I’m rounding up cuz Petty rocks. 4/5

Not my favorite Petty album but still solid.

Easy listening + good classic rock. Not huge variation but that's okay, great vocals (almost beatles-y) and bluesy guitar riffs. Would listen to again

I hadn't heard the album and the band didn't sound familiar to me, but when I was listening to the album, it felt like I was listening to the Platonic ideal of 1970s rock. I recognise the final song of the album (American Girl) from an episode of Scrubs (My American Girl).

Great debut album.

Decent rock'n'roll record. A bit retro, even in 1976. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: American Girl Date listened: 10/04/24

Love Tom Petty, but not super familiar with album releases. Huge hits in ‘Breakdown’ and ‘American Girl’ but also some outliers that sounded out of place (‘Mystery Man’ and ‘Luna’). For a debut album it shows the promise of the great artist Petty will be, overall a solid album but not his greatest. 3.75/5

Solides Rockalbum mit einzelnen heraustechenden Songs und ein paar Fillern.

Whoever he is I've heard his name. hopefully not too rock. Tedious dad rock. not unlistenable but not great

Surprisingly likeable. It probably won’t make my playlist going forward but quite enjoyed listening to Tom Petty warbling away.

Never a bad time listening to some Petty. Couple songs that aren’t my fav on this one, but it all blends together so nicely for an amazing listen. My 5-star is still Full Moon Fever, but this was still a fantastic listen.

Legendary

The beginning of some fantastic albums.

So damn good. 5 stars.

Uplifting rock guitar, piercing harmonic vocals, playful guitar riffs. Throughout the whole album there's a recurring theme of lovey dovey lyrics and that standard pop-rock-band vibe. 7,5/10

Old fashioned rock and roll. Drive around your shitty small town with no specific destination. Drink beer. Pick up chicks. Get rejected by chicks. Fight. Drive. Nostalgia. 🤘

01) Rockin' Around (With You) - 7,5 02) Breakdown - 8,0 03) Hometown Blues - 7,0 04) The Wild One, Forever - 6,5 05) Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll - 7,5 06) Strangered in the Night - 7,0 07) Fooled Again (I Don't Like It) - 7,0 08) Mystery Man - 7,0 09) Luna - 7,0 10) American Girl - 8,5 TOTAL: 7,30 (73/100) It's an OK rock album from the seventies, but nothing spectacular and nothing we didn't hear before. Speaking of that, there isn't one song I've heard before on this album :-)

Very solid and quite enjoyable, even if it didn't make a super strong impression. Favorite track this time through: "Fooled Again."

A pretty impressive outing for the group! I only knew 2 songs going in, but the whole album rocked! Great guitars and a positive vibe. Definitely will stay in my collection. A solid 5

Disappointingly generic. American Girl is an all timer, but the rest of the album is forgettable. Still fine to listen to, but I expected more.

I really like that this is a short album (31 minutes) of snappy songs. There's plenty of musical hooks and excitement, the production is crisp. Ok maybe the songwriting is fairly basic, but Petty does sing them well. My main criticism is the snare drum, which sounds like a drum machine, probably not helped by it being so loud in the mix. On the upside, at least the groove is tight.

Bored Tom petty and the excitement breakers

Bet Lemmy wasn't a fan

Sigh. Roll over and go back to sleep. Not worth waking up for.

Looks like I'm the fool again, I don't like it, no.

No clue about Tom Petty (Only thing I've ever listened from him was his rendition of why my guitar gently weeps on the George Harrison memorial), but after the last three albums I got (A soulless record, a scary record and a record that I have personal problems with) I have a gut feeling I'm going to like it. I dig the vocals (Sometimes sounding like Bowie, other times like the Beatles) and it's indeed a more pleasant listen than the last few records. I'm not the biggest fan of the more classic rock n roll and the country music influenced songs are a big miss to me, but I can admit that it's a really well done record. The more rock ish songs like The Wild One, Forever or strangered in the night were probably my favourites. Overall a fun kind of shorter record from an artist I had never heard a song from. Some good solos and catchy songs here and there but since I can't say I was blown away by anything in here and I got major Dad Rock vibes from listening I'm going to give it 3 stars (AKA good but doesn't get to enter my spotify library). Best Song was strangered in the night Worst song was breakdown

So fucking cool. Tom Petty's twangy, rocky sound is perfect here. Every song has a different vibe from the others, but they're all so perfectly Tom Petty. His voice really shines and some of the grooves are just super cool and clean. Production quality is also quite good, as well as just absolutely stellar performances on all instruments (and vocals, of course). This album is very good, but the sound can be a tad grating after a while. Four stars.

A few really big hits in this consistent, but typical, rock album.

Good, I thought this was going to be a smash the like button... 5 stars... fire... 100 100 100, but the actual album was just an excellent album, not mind blowing emoji level awesome.

It's pretty good. Really liked Breakdown and American Girl. Nothing else really caught my attention though.

I like Tom Petty, with or without the Heartbreakers, I really do. I was lucky enough to see them live on one of the relatively few (I believe) UK tours they did (the Into The Great Wide Open tour I think it was called), and the music has some real high points. Having said that, there is also a lot of very humdrum, standard Southern rock / boogie rock / by-the-numbers rock on this album. Its nowhere near bad, but it's not amazing.

Loved this!

Strong album, probably a 3.5 for me. I like his 80s output more.

Definitely has that 70s vibe to it but still sounds timeless.

Rockin' around (with you), the wild one, forever, and especially Mystery man I liked a lot. Some of it seems like they're working toward an idea of rocknroll more than just writing songs that call themselves into existence. Other Petty stuff seems more urgent somehow than this first album, but it's good.

Rockkia ja ei tylsää åomputusta vaan mukavasti variaatiota ja käytetään ajastani kohteliaat 30 min

Great first album and a great kick off to this me of the greats. Straight ahead rock and roll with some excellent lyrics.

Alright

It was pretty solid. I've never listened to any early Tom Petty, it was much better than I expected.

Just good old Rock n Roll

How is this his debut?!?! Oh man so many good songs, it’s no wonder they’re legends! Listen again: yes Purchase for my collection: I think I have it on vinyl already Favourite Song: Breakdown. Still one of my all time faves.

There it comes to light - the unique Tom-Petty-sound. And there are the first of his hits: "Breakdown", "Anything That´s Rock´n´Roll" and "American Girl".

3.5

Good album! 4 stars

Super short album. All the songs were short, like it was inspired by the 50s, which a lot of sound seemed to pull from. Reminded me of Eddie and the Cruisers soundtrack...

Good album

The whole album doesn't really push the creative boat out. I gotta say off the bat Petty really isn't a strong vocalist. He's got this restrictive tone that really doesn't speak to me. The songwriting is fine but feels so middle of the road americana. The very heights of the album are only decent which doesn't bode well for me listening to any more Tom Petty. Fairly egregious amounts of mid.

Okay? I guess?

Good album. 30 min run time wins it for me

It was well produced rock

Didn’t realize this was old as it is. Some big hits mixed with eh.

Good jams. This album feels like it flys by.

Such a fun rock and roll album

Tom Petty was always cool, this was a solid album aside from Anything That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll, that song sucked. Mystery Man, kinda caught me off guard, I liked it but it sounded like Petty was doing a Van Morrison impression. Breakdown has always been a favourite of mine, American Girl is another classic. This album has some cheese to it for sure, starting with the cover art but it’s fun to hear a vocalist switch things up several times within. This is great, 4 stars

7/10

Classic

listened a couple times. He’s just great

I liked it

Pretty good album. Not a Tom Petty fan but the album was good. Short and sweet.

The blueprint for making a risk-avoidant and derivative album with minimum artistic effort. 1.0/5.0: Embarrassing

Not familiar with Tom Petty at all but quite bopping

Pretty cool

It's an ok average album.

Excellent, especially the closer, American girl!

Nice! Gitarren schrummen und „gmögige“ Melodien. Genau so hatte ich Tom Petty in Erinnerung von den wenigen Songs die ich kenne.

Rock in seinen Anfängen ... und heute wirkt das halt verstaubt.

Lots more Fun then expected! Kinda short tho

Solid 3/5 from me. A good song or two, but not an album I would want to listen to in full again. 3/5

Never been a big Tom Petty fan, this did not change that opinion. Songs are fine but nothing particularly creative, they seem to be chasing after Rolling Stone and David Bowie sounds but never quite get there. Predictable beats. Production value is quite good.

1. rocking around - 0 2. breakdouun - 1.5 3. bluez - 0 4. uuild one - 0 5. rock n roll - 1.5 6. night - 0 7. fooled again - 0 8. myztery man - 1 9. luna - 1 10. american girl - 1.5

Pleasantly surprised that while this is generic 70s/80s rock, it also slaps.

Soft rock, pop, country.... un po' di tutto e sempre molto leggero... la voce di Petty ricorda o ha influenzato tanti altri... il problema con il sottoscritto è che ricorda anche Riccardo Fogli dei Pooh...

The thing about Tom Petty is that he started in a pretty good spot. It's hard to hate on him or his music. He didn't have to 'evolve as an artist' or grow into his audience. He just kept cranking out pretty much the same album over and over for 30-some years and died as a pretty well-regarded entertainer. This is a pretty good album from early in his career, and you're not going to shock your ears if you play his last album right after this one.

Nothing too exciting for most the album

A solid debut by Petty et al. "American Girl" will always be one of his best tracks.

Breakdown & American Girl get a perfect 5, but the rest of the album lags. You can hear the beginning of something great, though. When I think of my favorite artists of all-time, Tom Petty is in my top 20. He's sorely missed, but at least we'll always have his music.

Not a great Tom Petty album. But it was ok, I guess.

Damn the torpedoes is better but this one is good too

I mean it's fine but that's it

I totally missed this album in '76 as I was heavily into Northern Soul and the birth of Punk in the UK. Finally got around to appreciating Tom Petty as one of the greatest singer songwriters the US ever produced. One of the few artists I never managed to see live.

not my cuppa

Day63 - thank you tom petty for leaving us with such great albums

Great album!!

Tom is really great. I never gave him a fair chance when I first heard his music in the 90s. It's still not really my thing, but I have a lot of respect for it.

This album felt timeless. I put in on while I did my homework and found myself moving along to the beat. It doesn't have a distinct 70's sound, and really sounds like some of the songs could have been made more recently. The vocals were good, so was the guitar and the drums. I am not rating this album higher because it don't think it blew me away. It was average, fun listen.

8/10 - 4/5 Pretty solid early rock. Good sound, fun influences. I knew more songs than I thought I would.

Okay to listen to, not more not less.

This album takes a smidge of country, a sprinkling of southern rock and a decent helping of good old rock ‘n’ roll to create something that sounds timeless, and if you didn’t know when it was created you probably wouldn’t guess it’s from the musical doldrums of 1976. Pretty good stuff all the way through, and one bona fide classic hit with American Girl at the end of its succinct 30 minute run time.

I forgot it almost as quickly as I listened to it. I did not have the time to rate it right away, and now I'm having hard times saying anything about it. I vaguely remember that some songs were entertaining, some others bored me. Sorry Tom Petty.

It's not a sensational album, but I enjoyed it.

Breakdown 🔥 Hometown blues- summer chill Wild one forever- happy love Anything that’s rock and roll- upbeat Strangered in the night- good driving Fooled again- don’t like it- pretty chill, nice Mystery man- good love song Luna- did not like American girl- 🔥

Solid tom petty album

Enjoyable 1970s vibes. I hadn't heard much Tom Petty before and he has such a unique voice!

A short, economical album of blistering rock. What a debut album! Solid hooks and dynamic performances! It is all here. The only complaint I have about this album is that classics like "Breakdown" at only 2:42 are far too short. I could have used one more verse and chorus for all of the classics.

Do we need to have a Tom Petty album on the list? Without a doubt. Do we need to have multiple Tom Petty records on this list? Perhaps not. Petty and various incarnations of the Heartbreakers spent a career cranking out decent rock records, each with a single or two to rise them a little above the crowd. Does it need to be THIS Tom Petty record? Breakdown and American Girl both stand apart as surprisingly strong for a band's debut. However, the remainder of the songs are forgettable. He had better albums, and I’d rather the spit have been left open for another artist.

Erstes Album des Gitarrenrock/ Gitarrenpop der 70er und 80er Jahre. Manche Songs erkennt man nach den ersten Takten, manche "spult" man einfach weiter, wie früher im Kassettendeck...

Like listening to the classic rock station.

Yeah! I was surprised to find I knew practically all these.

I love Tom Petty and I love his debut. What an introduction to one of America’s premier rock artists.

Solid for chill listening. Lyrics are a little hard to understand at times, like he’s drunk (which he probably was lol). I am a Gainesville girl who loves this Gainesville boy though.

Solid debut record from Tom Petty, but the hits are so far above everything else here. They’re not bad songs, just a little bland and generic.

Nothing crazy, not a very memorable album but not bad.

Own it

Gear: Hifiman Arya Mix: fantastische Details und Ortbarkeit (grenzt an Overkill für diesen beliebigen Rock and Roll) Musik: 🆗 Wertung: 💔💔(💔)/5 (inkl. +1 für "American Girl")

Tom Petty's debut feels a lot like the debut from Lynyrd Skynyrd - just instead of waiting for 'Free Bird', you're waiting for 'American Girl'. It's almost unfair to the rest of the songs, because they are by no means bad. They are just completely dwarfed by the closing monster track. And had the record been one song longer, the anticipation would have been too painful. "God it's so painful, Something that's so close, And still so far out of reach"

Tom Petty’s debut album is quite good, not the best in his catalogue, but it’s never truly great. I mean, up until “American Girl”. What a track!

Helt udemærket 70 rock. Kunne sagtens høres igen.

Good album, never listened to the whole album before. Enjoyed it a lot.

Opener sounds like a demo for “America Girl”. 2nd tack is breakdown. What a groove. Home town blues is a great track. This is a fatatstic album.

Love this album, classic rock at its best

The first half of the album works really well. A good catchy Tom Petty song always hits for me. The second half loses a little momentum with longer and more shapeless tracks before finally ending on a high note with American Girl. Overall, good stuff!

Ég hef alltaf vitað af Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers en hef eiginlega aldrei hlustað á þá. Það eru kannski engir dúndursmellir á þessari plötu en þetta er vel þétt plata sem ég mun alveg pottþétt setja á fóninn af og til. Ég fílaði þetta stöff.

A mix of his early hits and lost tracks.

Good stuff.

Ckassic rock

Meh

So funny-- some of it "holds up"-- obviously "Breakdown" and surprises like the timeless (but not familiar?) "The Wild One, Forever", but some sounds soooo young and like generic southern rock. Definitely a giant in his/their infancy...

Great album. Wasn’t sure at first about a couple of the songs. They didn’t sound “Tom Petty-ish” enough. As I listened, though, there were some hidden jewels that I had not heard. Mystery Man, Luna and Strangered in the Night are really good songs that I wasn’t even familiar with.

Good album

It was pretty good, a couple of songs I had never heard

I knew I'd love this one. Fave Songs "Breakdown", "American Girl", and "Hometown Blues" 5/5

Not a bad RnR debut album. Nothing remarkable, but solid. Later releases were better.

Need to listen more.

Unremarkable.

Meh

I mean, duh

American Girl

Tom Petty is a legend. His songs are either outstanding, or pretty crappy.

me gusta mucho

Nothing wrong but pretty forgettable

Forgot how much I love Tom Petty! This was great.

Amazing debut album by a legend! 4/5

Great album that was followed by so many other gems! 4

Solid Rock album, nothing exciting

A really great debut album for this group, but it sounds like they are still finding their stride on a few tracks. Some amazing guitar work and soundscapes on a few tracks, and the song Luna specifically stands out for me as something totally different sounding. What a great tune. Not a perfect album, but extremely good. Favorite tracks: Rockin' Around (With You), Breakdown, Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll, Strangered in the Night, Fooled Again (I Don't Like It), Luna, American Girl.

Enjoyable enough nostalgia

peppy

has that one song on it

Highlight: American Girl, Breakdown. In a nutshell: clumsy country rock There are some good elements on this album. Odd choice for the opener. Great closer. In my opinion, Damn The Torpedoes should be on the list instead. Overall: 2/10

I really like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, but this is not their best album by a long shot. It's still good, and all the songs are solid, but there's definitely other solo or Heartbreakers albums that should be on here instead of this one.

Decent album, but not quite a 4 or 5 star. Some great tracks. Breakdown - fantastic The wild one, forever - a typical Tom Petty song. Similar to Springsteen Fooled Again - decent track American Girl - quite good It's a 3 star

Rating: 8/10 Short and sweet, a lot of great riffs and catchy melodies. Favorite songs: Breakdown, Hometown Blues, The Wild One Forever, Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll, Strangered in the Night, Luna, American Girl. Worst song: Rockin' Around (With You).

Great storytelling album with some of the hits

Great reflection of the promise the band would later fulfill time and time again. Their musical chops were already on display and Tom’s legacy as one of the best songwriters ever began with this album. In a sad coincidence “American Girl” closes out the album and was the last song the band played before Tom Petty’s tragic death. Both the man and his song are American classics.

más old school rock, pensé q no me gustaría nada pero sus hits no estuvieron mal (american girl especialmente xq sale en Silence Of The Lambs)

Was ok. Not something I would seek out again.

Not too exciting but Tom Petty is great

listened 2x - 3.4/5

why he sound like that

Finally some good old rock and roll on this list. Great riffs, catchy tunes, and the unique sound of Tom Petty. Waiting for gems like this to pop up is what keeps me going on this list.

Not a fan of Tom Petty. No denying the greatness of his bangers Breakdown and American Girl. The rest just kinda stinks to me. 10 songs in 30 minutes is just odd too.

Fantastic- one of the best of all times

Achei muito gostoso de ouvir. Um álbum de 74 que parece bem atual. Vocal e guitarras interessantes. Sonzinho gostoso! Flui muito bem! Rock/blues/country/Hard rock.

I generally like their music, but their sound had not been developed to that stage on most of these songs.

A sign of great things to come but ultimately not a particularly noteworthy album.

Bas feel good

meh, poslusao sam mu i druge pjesme osim ovog, ima tu i tamo neki hit. Sve u svemu 2.5/5

good vibes

Volim rock al ima mi i boljih

Jako simpa

I like Tom Petty so I was looking forward to this. But after a couple of listens, the only tracks that hooked me are the well known ones: Breakdown and American Girl. The rest was just meh.

"Break Down" and "American Girl" are the obvious standouts. The rest is middle of the road Petty. Though I do appreciate it feels looser and less produced than some layer stuff.

Tom Petty is always great.

I prefer wildflowers but there are some good bops on this one. Fits great as a self titled as it seems to really encapsulate all of the band's styles well. I don't know if I love it as a whole album experience but a good introduction to the band.

Ля как он ухмыляется на обложке, ох уж этот сердцеед Том Петти. Сладкий мистер рокнролыч. не знаю что сказать про этот альбом. Послушался легко на заднем плане. Три звезды.

Wow. I'm pleasantly surprised by how good this album was. While many of the lyrics come across as quite dated, the vibes are through the roof this album. Really outstanding. Would I come back to these? Well, maybe not. It's not my favored genre of music. But I sure won't forget any of these songs.

Etwas mau

Debut from Tom Petty, classic American rock'n'roll from one of the best to do it. This record is a little uneven with some very forgettable tunes but boasts two monster tracks -- Breakdown and American Girl, the latter being one of the most recognizable songs from the entire decade of the 70's. Quality guitar and percussion work overlaid with Tom's unmistakable voice. I'm a big Tom Petty fan -- this album is not his finest work but it's solid and you can hear the first steps of a fantastic journey

Enjoyed, just wish it was Wildflowers instead.

Not a big fan though there are some moments that are pretty memorable. I don't think I would have listened to this back in 1979. This is more like a 2.5 than a 3

Amazing how this record encapsulated who Tom Petty and his band were. And American Girl is one of the best songs ever written.

I didn’t really listen to Tom Petty much but he was a talented artist, and I liked some of his music.

While I don’t totally vibe with Tom Petty’s music, I do respect its place in the pantheon of American music. This is the definition of suburban rock. It requires teenagers in cars and keggers in the woods. It’s what the kids in Fast Times at Ridgemont High listened to. Not a bad thing. Just can’t relate.

American girl wins the 5!

Good old school rock and roll

Completely unoffensive, but just not great. Slow, easy listening. Decent background music. Not at all captivating, exhilarating, or enjoyable. Just... not bad.

Not bad just mid. It's listenable but not really exciting.

The most underwhelming rock record I've ever heard

Tom Petty is classic and deserves to be on the list. However, these aren’t my favorite songs of his. I guess that’s why they’re called the Heartbreakers. Don’t always live up to the expectations.

You can see that Petty is heading somewhere, but he's not fully developed yet.

Early TP, some of his biggest hits.

Some great tracks but not my favorite Tom Petty

While some of the songs were as good as I remember, others just didn’t make the cut.

Can't listen to classic rock'n role

Classic

An extremely good song with some filler.

strong 3

Great album. Highlights are "Breakdown" and "American Girl".

I personally like this album! "Breakdown" is one of my favorite songs from this era, and definitely from this album.

It's good for a debut album, even tho it's not the most shocking debut album. The songs are pretty forgettable, but there are some that are good, my personal favorites are Anything That's Rock N' Roll and American Girl. It's not really hard to listen 'cause it last a bit more than 30 minutes, so that gives it a bit of a point.

one of the GOATs

Good, and as importantly, short

Una sorpresa de disco!. Tiempos medios (breakdown, luna) junto con latigazos de rock (Hometown blues, American Girl o Anything that's rock'n'roll )

I listened while driving and found the album wholly underwhelming. In my short time of doing this, I've been able to find a hidden gem (song I enjoy more than the released singles), but this album had no standouts to me. 2/5

Eclectic album, a lot of different genres/sounds on here. Enjoyed it for the most part, but got a bit weak near the end (apart from American Girl of course). If it had kept the quality of the earlier tracks I would have enjoyed it more, but I ended up just waiting for American Girl. Also a very weird placement of that track, feels like a perfect opener. Tom Petty's guitar work is quality, without being overly technical or complex.

This is my first proper listen to any of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers albums and I was not disappointed. There was a lot of variety in the scope of the tracks from this classic rock behemoth. I found it an enjoyable and easy listen. My standout track was American Girl the album closer.

American girl worth 4 stars alone.

5/5 for Breakdown and American Girl alone.

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Rock around (with you)

Not my type of music☝🏻🤓 Está bien, no es que me encantara la verdad, but it was okay. 6/10 (Me super encanta la portada del disco tho)

No soy mucho de este estilo pero me sorprendió para bien. Mi favorita strangered in the night 👍

WOW ha sido el que más me ha gustado hasta ahora sin ninguna duda, rockerito de los 70 mi personalidad favorita. lo volvería a escuchar 100%. 9/10. canción fav: rockin around (with you)

good!

3.5/5. Good, easy listening.

Eigentlich ok, aber nicht dieses Album

uneventful but cool vocals

3.5 actually, but I'm sticking with 3

I always knew I liked Tom Petty, but had never sat down to listen to a full album. This whole thing was great, start to finish.

I'd never really listened to Tom Petty before outside the singles and I really dug this album! Straight rock and roll played well and earnestly. Tom Petty himself is weirder of a vocalist than he gets credit for

So average, I zoned out both times I tried to listen to the album. Not awful, but Pettys little smirk on the album cover pisses me off. Significant 34/102 Liked 16/102 Added 4/102 NNN

Not really my thing. The majority of the album was very disappointing and the high points weren't anything I'd go back for.

A tasty chunk of American rock and roll. Mike Campbell is an unsung secret weapon.

What I appreciate about this album is it's simplicity. The songs are on average around three minutes, say what they're trying to say, and get out. In an era that was defined by sprawling proggy epics, it is nice to see a release so concise and to the point. Another great part of this album is that while it doesn't seem to be tied to the concept Rock & Roll fundamentalism, it's too aloof to be part of the then burgeoning punk movement, and not committed enough to the traces of Southern Rock that creep out in the second half. The boys just want to rock out and play their show, ideals (in either direction) be damned.

Not really able to be completely unbiased on this one. This album, and especially "Breakdown" and "American Girl" and a slew of other Tom Petty tracks were background music in my house growing up. Tom Petty is my parent's shared favorite artist. Hell, my dad looks like a brunette (and unaddled by drugs) tom petty. That said, it was nice to revisit it as a whole album, something I havent done on my own. The lyrics are sometimes a tad shallow, but undoubtedly fun, and the guitar work is solid. Its not the best Tom Petty album but it got the train started.

Elvis Castillo-like. 2/10

The more I listen to this album the more I like it. The beats are simple but really catchy. I’m not the biggest fan of Tom Petty’s voice but it’s not off putting enough to hurt the score. I swear the opening singing to “Breakdown” Tom sounds like he is singing with a mouth full of mashed potatoes. Still my favorite song on the album. 8/10

Pretty mediocre for as good that Tom Petty is. The debut album is shorter and a bit more raw with 2 good hits sprinkled in there but most of the tracks fall flat and are skippable. Tom Petty in general might not be the best front to back album kind of artists. Stick to the hits. 5/10

Like Elvis Castello, The Rolling Stones and Van Morrison had a threesom and out popped Tom Petty. Rather annoying vocals backed by some very unimpressive instrumentals. Not the worst thing we have listened to but pretty low down on the list. 3/10

Not so bad.

Yeah, I think I'm okay only listening to Tom Petty's hits. This album is good, but I don't think it's great. It's consistent, which I really appreciate, but Luna and American Girl are the only really highlights, and they're not dramatic highlights by any means.

Hard to go wrong with Mr Petty. Gone too soon.

Great

it's all right. I didn't realize he modulated his voice so much. I've heard a thousand petty songs, but always like at a ball park or grocery store, never focused on a whole album before. Some good, some bad.

duplicate

The two hit songs off this album are classic. The rest of the album is really solid. It's a short album. I listened through twice without even noticing. I owned this and Damn the Torpedoes on lp for years. The old days, when you could buy records in a parking lot for $1. Mostly this album sounds like a good time.

Not as many jams as you’d hope

A generous 2.5, carried entirely by American Girl

Too fuckboyish for me. Isn't he like 40 or something?? He definitely looks older than he is I'm just saying grow up dude pussy ain't everything

Finde ich nicht unglaublich ansprechend. Geht mit einfach nicht so ins Ohr. 4.0/10

Background music, nothing you'll remember later.

I've already listened to this. Nothing against Tom Petty but I think I may have been over exposed growing up.

I can see why this is a classic. It's engaging, catchy, and what you think a 1970's rock album should be.

Not my thing.

Definitely not my style. 2.

Classic rock smash. Nearly every song a hit!

Like Tom Petty but album was meh.

Felt like a solid 4 for most of the album, but American Girl pops up as a late banger to take all 5

Rock & roll canónico. Un megahit. Un 4, porque el resto de canciones no me han entusiasmado.

Songs are surprisingly short and feel like they could keep going, they have the energy and wouldn't be tiring. Decent album.

I like Tom Petty’s music but only a couple standouts on this album for me. I liked “Breakdown.”

- Die erste Tom Petty Platte beinhaltet mit "Breakdown" und "American Girl" zwei große Hits. Ansonsten ein grundsolides Album - v.a. für ein Debütalbum ziemlich stark! - Stimmig und stringet - An "Into the Great Wide Open" oder auch ohne die Heartbreakers an "Full Moon Fever" kommt er mit dem Album leider nicht ran. Dafür sind die beiden zu große Meilensteine. - Mein Geheimtipp: "Fooled Again (I Don't Like It)" - Insgesamt macht das Album Spaß und ich werde gern mal wieder abseits der 3-4 bekannten Songs darauf zurückkommen. Rating: 3,5-3,75/5

- Ich hatte (leider) nie viel mit Tom Petty am Hut und habe das bisher auch nicht nachgeholt - Rein musikalisch habe ich irgendwie nichts an dem Album auszusetzen, weil es runder, ideenreicher und spritziger Heartland Rock ist. - Dennoch war ich nach dem Hören total unbeeindruckt und unberührt. Auch bei American Girl musste ich feststellen, dass ich den Song (trotz 300 mio. Clicks) noch nie in meinem Leben gehört habe und es auch da keine "Offenbarung" gab. - Lediglich Breakdown hat mich zum Mitwippen/nicken gebracht. Ein richtig geiler, stilvoller Song. - Ich habe sogar das Gefühl, dass ich das Album gut finden MÖCHTE, weil ich theoretisch nichts dran auszusetzen habe. Aber wenn ich ganz ehrlich zu mir selber bin, muss ich leider feststellen, dass mich das Album insgesamt einfach gelangweilt hat. - Ich hoffe, dass mich irgendwann die Erkenntnis gegenüber der Genialität von Tom Petty wie ein Blitz trifft (vielleicht ja mit den sehr wahrscheinlich noch kommenden Alben). Bis dahin bin ich aber ehrlich. 2,75/5

- fands ganz geil, hat mir eine fiebrige halbe Stunde im Bett versüßt - allerdings stellenweise auch nicht die aufregendste Platte - nichtsdestotrotz würde ich sie wieder hören

Really good album. Great debut with Breakdown and American Girl. Not necessarily their best but still solid.

I didn't like it at first half but then it started to sound good

Can’t go wrong with Tom.

American girl was a banger but overall didn’t leave a strong impression

Hmm :(

pretty ok

Good but there are bether ons

"What Jefferson was saying was, Hey! You know, we left this England place 'cause it was bogus; so if we don't get some cool rules ourselves - pronto - we'll just be bogus too!" I couldn't resist. Whenever I hear American Girl, I think of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I was really surprised how much I enjoyed this album. I am very familiar with Petty and (probably) the 2 most popular songs off the album, Breakdown and American Girl, but I though the entire album was solid from start to finish. American Girl is definitely in my top 3 all time Petty songs. Added bonus that it's part of the Fast Times soundtrack. I have listened this album a couple times before New Years, again today and think I enjoy it more and more with each listen. Other songs that stood out to me include The Wild One, Forever, Fooled Again, Mystery Man and Rockin around. There wasn't a song that gave me the urge to want to skip through. I leaned to 3.5, but after another listen today, I'm going with a 4. Maybe it was Petty memories from MTV days or Fast Times, either way, solid album. 4

3 Tom Petty isn’t one of my favorite artists, but he does have a good amount of songs that I enjoy, and this album didn’t do much to change my standing opinion on that. American Girl is still a great tune (though its placement as the closing track here felt kind of off to me), Breakdown is still kind of overrated, and every other song was just okay. It really feels like Tom Petty was still finding his footing here being that most tracks don’t really have a ton of energy or personality to them, especially compared to his later work (shoutout to Full Moon Fever - that’s a really good album, and I’m glad it’s been revitalized a bit with Love is a Long Road’s inclusion in the Grand Theft Auto VI trailer). Really don’t think there’s anything here I would go out of my way to revisit except for American Girl - a song I already knew prior - but I wouldn’t describe anything here as unenjoyable, and with a 30-minute duration, it definitely doesn't outstay its welcome by any means. That all being said, as I mentioned, this guy has better albums out there, so I hope this isn’t the last time we see him here.

Needs more heartbreak

Pretty mediocre but american girl rounded it up another star

I feel like I’m missing something with this album, like I like it but it’s not blowing me away. Like Pettys voice. Mystery Man was pretty cool. Really like American Girl, who doesn’t?

Upbeat and immensely fun. A bit too pop, if that makes sense.

I'm generally not a big Tom Petty fan, his voice is a bit annoying, and there's a lot of music out there that is better and more interesting to me. This record has two classic tunes on it "Breakdown" and "American Girl" but again, neither really does all that much for me, I like "Breakdown" more than "American Girl" I guess if I was forced to choose. "Fooled Again (I Don't Like It)" got a decent bit of airplay where I lived too. I don't think this is a bad record. I just don't particularly like it.

Love love love. American Girl will always be Silence of the Lambs to me.

Not bad, just didn't blow me away.

Rock

Not the most profound debut, but American Girl shows lots of future potential.

50s rock n roll with Beatles harmonies

Ein bisschen glatt, ein bisschen zu eingängig. Aber gut.

This one is fun, but not my favorite Tom Petty record. It feels like a very formative album in creating the TP sound. I like the mix of old rock n' roll with singer songwriter and 70s rock influences. Some of they lyrics are a bit cheesy, but that feels intentional. Obviously, American Girl is the biggest and best banger on this record.

Great Classic Rock Album.

Refugee was the first video I ever saw on MTV. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers were the first band I ever saw live (1982). This album, for the most part, sounds exactly like what it is - a bunch of teenagers trying to sound like their heroes. But then Breakdown. A preview of that iconic, instantly identifiable Heartbreaker's sound. And American Girl. Holy Macaroni.

Decent Album

This is the kind of album that will trick me into thinking it's way better than it is, because sonically it just *sounds* perfect to me. Everything about it, from the way the guitars and bass sits, to the vocals. It's just right. An absolute pleasure to listen to on my monitors. But American Girl is not enough of a record to lift up the rest of the album, which, though a really solid listen, feels a little meandering. I kind of tune out midway through and forget where I was. Maybe I'm hypnotized by those perfect 70's sonics. Definitely piqued my interest in Tom Petty, though, I hope we gt more from him. 3/5.

pretty good

it's alright but boomer rock doesn't really do it for me

Tom Petty was the most hugely disappointing live show I have ever seen. This guy was full of himself. Listening to this record, it's clear that there is a reason anyone ever only hears the hits. At least it was short.

One of the greatest

De sidste nummer er med i et afsnit af scrubs, men synes virkelig ikke meget af albummet ellers sagde mig noget. Kræver måske lyt mere ?

There are a few songs I'm really into and overall the quality is consistently good. But not much stands out as a must-listen

ace

Damn good album. Tom Petty came out of the gate firing hot.

Immediately before rating my previous album I thought to myself "It'd be nice to get Tom Petty" - imagine my shock when his debut appeared on my screen. And a solid debut it was.

Listened to this while playing Paperback Adventures. Game is still in progress. There were a few good songs on this album...but it is just not my favorite genre. Decent for what it was though!

Great songwriter. Didn't listen to it all though. 4/5

#PettyForever

What slightly let's this down for me is the production. It needs a fuller fatter sound.

While I recognize the impact of the arrival of Tom Petty, I just can't stand his voice.

I don't think I've ever listened to a Tom Petty album, but I'm glad I did now. I'm really only familiar with his biggest hits, but there are so many other great tunes that don't get the same airplay. 🔥

Not a bad album, but the released singles are probably the strongest songs from it.