Nothing epitomizes this more than the work of guitarist Mike Campbell. They were just trying to rock out, and by doing so, they unwittingly provided one of the most effective antidotes to the very music punk was trying to usurp. In a pigeonhole, they were heartland rock like Springsteen or Mellencamp, but they weren’t interested in a massive, elaborate sound. Yet at the same time, there is some truth in that categorization. The Heartbreakers obviously shot for the arenas and the majors, and they weren’t really trying to rebel against anything. It surprises me when the band is categorized as “new wave.” Even early singles like “American Girl,” which is totally new wave, have more in common with the Byrds, the Stones, or other classic rockers from the previous decade. Its only purpose is to be a solid, fun rock n’ roll album, and in that, it succeeds marvellously. There is no ridiculous excess there is no artsy minimalism. It could be the least pretentious album in rock history, simply because it doesn’t try to be high art, satisfy critical intentions, rebel against anything, or conform to a set movement. Yet in the sense of it being a "rock n' roll" album, few albums come close to it. Heck, it’s not even the best album of Tom Petty’s career (see Wildflowers). It’s not the best album of 1979, a year that gave us The Wall, London Calling, Broken English, and Unknown Pleasures. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ Damn the Torpedoes isn’t the best rock album of all time. Review Summary: Damn The Torpedoes could be the least pretentious album in rock history.
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