The Bluemoon Song Cup 2023

[bennyboy]

David Fricke (American) and David Hepworth (British) spring to mind, but perhaps it more informative to look at the list of musicians paying tribute to Petty following his death. Or maybe look at the Peter Bogdanovic documentary and see the musicians who held him in high esteem.

The comment about modern "rock n roller" alludes to the fact that his music is more in the spirit of Elvis, Buddy Holly or The Byrds and Dylan than it is with the other artists that you mention. His music wasn't of the 70s or the 80s or the 90s (even though this was his popular period) - the point is that it could have been written at any time since the 50s. There's nothing in it that ties it to AOR or punk or grunge or any other sub-genre of rock. He knew how to write a good melody, a great middle-8 and brilliant choruses. He also had a great band, Mike Campbell (guitar) and Benmont Tench (keybboards) who played with him for all of this career.

Look, we all like different artists, but the point is, Petty is not some AOR artist who came and went in the 80s. He was big from the mid-70s to the 90s and well respected for all of his career until his untimely death.

I liked Tom Petty but was he ever really big over here.

 

[BlueHammer85]

I liked Tom Petty but was he ever really big over here.

sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best selling artists of all time.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Go on then define terrible in your opinion, surely everyone's taste and opinion is subjective and one man's meat is another man's poison.

You posted this recently, I presume this is your opinion rather than scientific, proven fact.

Personally, bands who are AOR, such as eagles, petty, john by jovi, kiss etc. As bad as i think this monotonous shit is they sell enough (if not more) to keep tour/playing/recoding.

So again, explain what is is objective terrible music, rather than subjective terrible music

Perhaps you could start with what you think is good, better, best

Well, let’s start with something simple.

Have you ever heard a two year old attempt to play a song on a violin?

If someone asked me to write a concerto for bassoon, how good a job could I do?

Feel free to argue if you think these outcomes would be “good” or if you think (m)any objective observers would . . .

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

David Fricke (American) and David Hepworth (British) spring to mind, but perhaps it more informative to look at the list of musicians paying tribute to Petty following his death. Or maybe look at the Peter Bogdanovic documentary and see the musicians who held him in high esteem.

The comment about modern "rock n roller" alludes to the fact that his music is more in the spirit of Elvis, Buddy Holly or The Byrds and Dylan than it is with the other artists that you mention. His music wasn't of the 70s or the 80s or the 90s (even though this was his popular period) - the point is that it could have been written at any time since the 50s. There's nothing in it that ties it to AOR or punk or grunge or any other sub-genre of rock. He knew how to write a good melody, a great middle-8 and brilliant choruses. He also had a great band, Mike Campbell (guitar) and Benmont Tench (keybboards) who played with him for all of this career.

Look, we all like different artists, but the point is, Petty is not some AOR artist who came and went in the 80s. He was big from the mid-70s to the 90s and well respected for all of his career until his untimely death.

I never thought Petty had much important to say but that never mattered much as he had a terrific knack for the ol’ gee-tar hook over a very long career. Gonna take a stab and guess that since Orbison, Harrison and Dylan could hang out and make music with whomever the hell they wanted, they probably weren’t going to choose shite. So whatever one thinks of Petty (or Lynne for that matter), some pretty important artists enjoyed collaborating with them for some reason and thought the end product would be worthwhile.

But, you know, we live in an era where a lot of folks “do their own research” and “don’t trust experts”, so what do they know, eh?

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Apparently more here were feeling that BOC "explored the space" better in their song from what I was reading between the lines in the replies.
View attachment 95937

I don’t think it’s possible to overstate how iconic this track is to white America, and this sketch — arguably the best and funniest a show with a near 50-year history of sketches ever did — didn’t hurt its place in the pantheon at all.

 

[Black&White&BlueMoon Town]

I never thought Petty had much important to say but that never mattered much as he had a terrific knack for the ol’ gee-tar hook over a very long career.

I think Tom Petty would even bow to Mike Campbell on lead guitar in his group, but yes, the sound with the full band on those songs and albums was something special.

Gonna take a stab and guess that since Orbison, Harrison and Dylan could hang out and make music with whomever the hell they wanted, they probably weren’t going to choose shite. So whatever one thinks of Petty (or Lynne for that matter), some pretty important artists enjoyed collaborating with them for some reason and thought the end product would be worthwhile.

Petty also collaborated with Stevie Nicks for the first single from her debut solo album (Bella Donna) with "Stop Dragging My Heart Around". She sang vocals on "Insider", a true gem from his 1981 Hard Promises album.

I have many artists that I enjoyed in the '80's, and some bands are still active today, but few among those will have had the lasting legacies and contributions to music that Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, and the Heartbreakers had. Throw in the Traveling Wilburys as you note, and that says it all to me.

But, you know, we live in an era where a lot of folks “do their own research” and “don’t trust experts”, so what do they know, eh?

Next to his solo album of "WIldflowers", I'd give "Damn the Torpedoes", "Southern Accents" (soooo very underrated), and of course the ever-popular and commercial solo smash "Full Moon Fever" a listen.

 

[RobMCFC]

I think Tom Petty would even bow to Mike Campbell on lead guitar in his group, but yes, the sound with the full band on those songs and albums was something special.

Petty also collaborated with Stevie Nicks for the first single from her debut solo album (Bella Donna) with "Stop Dragging My Heart Around". She sang vocals on "Insider", a true gem from his 1981 Hard Promises album.

I have many artists that I enjoyed in the '80's, and some bands are still active today, but few among those will have had the lasting legacies and contributions to music that Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, and the Heartbreakers had. Throw in the Traveling Wilburys as you note, and that says it all to me.

Next to his solo album of "WIldflowers", I'd give "Damn the Torpedoes", "Southern Accents" (soooo very underrated), and of course the ever-popular and commercial solo smash "Full Moon Fever" a listen.

Welcome to Blue Moon Fever, the forum's Tom Petty enclave - there's at least 4 or 5 of us now.

You never know. next time a "Top 100 artists of all time" vote comes around, he might actually be in it, or he might get past the first round of the next edition of the Blue Moon cup!

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

I think Tom Petty would even bow to Mike Campbell on lead guitar in his group, but yes, the sound with the full band on those songs and albums was something special.

Petty also collaborated with Stevie Nicks for the first single from her debut solo album (Bella Donna) with "Stop Dragging My Heart Around". She sang vocals on "Insider", a true gem from his 1981 Hard Promises album.

I have many artists that I enjoyed in the '80's, and some bands are still active today, but few among those will have had the lasting legacies and contributions to music that Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, and the Heartbreakers had. Throw in the Traveling Wilburys as you note, and that says it all to me.

Next to his solo album of "WIldflowers", I'd give "Damn the Torpedoes", "Southern Accents" (soooo very underrated), and of course the ever-popular and commercial solo smash "Full Moon Fever" a listen.

By “experts”, I meant the great (hell, iconic) musicians who decided to work with him. I like all those records (and Southern Accents has “Don’t Come Around Here No More”) plus Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough) — also underrated — which is the one record on which he DID have something to say (albeit not THAT much). However, there are a few clunkers on all his records too. I don’t think he was ever groundbreaking but he wrote enough good songs to fill a six-CD collection of greatest hits which is probably two CDs long. But still — how many artists can fill four? Not many. So you know what artist I compare him to? The Smiths — because like them, I listen to my own long curated list of favo(u)rite tunes of Petty rather than the records.

 

[hilts]

Tom Petty AOR? Good grief.

I like AOR by the way, but Petty is more of a modern rock n roller, as well as being one of the greatest songwriters of the modern rock era.
And before you ask who says so, I do (plus a hell of a lot of critics).

Tom Petty was fucking ace tis that simple.

 

[BlueHammer85]

Right! apologies for the delay . Just been unbanned by the dark powers.

Round 4 begins shortly.