Full Moon Fever

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Ten years had passed since Petty's last solid outing (Damn the Torpedoes in 1979), and Full Moon Fever fully resuscitated the artist's career, which--some would say "arguably"--had been losing steam. With the album's four major hits and rave reviews from the critics (these things do not always go hand-in-hand), Petty must have breathed a sigh of relief. He left the Heartbreakers behind, hooked up with musician, writer, and producer Jeff Lynne, and rocked out with "Runnin' Down a Dream," got mellow and introspective on "Free Fallin'" and "A Face in the Crowd," and paid tribute (finally) to the Byrds with a cover of "Feel a Whole Lot Better." He perfected the sing-along guitar-pop song on "Yer So Bad" and had a wild time on "Zombie Zoo." Pure Petty perfection! --Lorry Fleming

Tracks:

Free Fallin'
I Won't Back Down
Love Is A Long Road
A Face In The Crowd
Runnin' Down A Dream
Feel A Whole Lot Better
Yer So Bad
Depending On You
The Apartment Song
Alright For Now
A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own
Zombie Zoo

Amazon.com essential recording

Ten years had passed since Petty's last solid outing (Damn the Torpedoes in 1979), and Full Moon Fever fully resuscitated the artist's career, which--some would say "arguably"--had been losing steam. With the album's four major hits and rave reviews from the critics (these things do not always go hand-in-hand), Petty must have breathed a sigh of relief. He left the Heartbreakers behind, hooked up with musician, writer, and producer Jeff Lynne, and rocked out with "Runnin' Down a Dream," got mellow and introspective on "Free Fallin'" and "A Face in the Crowd," and paid tribute (finally) to the Byrds with a cover of "Feel a Whole Lot Better." He perfected the sing-along guitar-pop song on "Yer So Bad" and had a wild time on "Zombie Zoo." Pure Petty perfection! --Lorry Fleming

Customer Reviews:

it doesn't get much better than this.......2007-03-08

I recently started to listen to Tom Petty's music and i have to say this record is fantastic. from the heartbreakers to bob dylan to george harrison to Jeff Lynne its all here and its an amazing creative piece of work.

Petty's first solo hit ranks behind most of his other discs.......2006-11-05

This is one catchy album which saw Tom step away from the Heartbreakers brand of rock and roll and venture into a more pop orientated scene. Jeff Lynne co wrote tracks and produced this album, one of a string of his successes as a producer.

This album, is catchy from start to finish, some of the songs are below par but such as the musical spirit, lightheartedness and joy, they come across, each as catchy radio hits.

Free Fallin', I Won't Back Down and Running Down a Dream were solid hits from this release and are up there with his most popular songs especially for the 2nd generation of Petty fans. They are concert staples and are songs that gained him further respect as a songwriter and thrust him to the top, all over MTV, he was hip again and rode the wave of success well into the 90's.

The Apartment Song was a left over from the early to mid 80's and the rest of the songs were written with Jeff. Initially rejected by the record company, this album turned out to be his 2nd highest charting and one of his best selling albums that was nominated for album of the year at the Grammy's.

This album for me ranks in the middle of his catalogue, there are alot of better albums, including his most recent and his earlier works. Pop fans will love this for the songs they always heard on radio, it is a good introductory/early album to buy for new fans. This album is in need of a remaster.

Pretty good..........2006-11-05

Unlike most of the other reviewers, I didn't think this album was 100% gold. In fact, it seemed to me the album (side A) started out with the strongest material (the three big singles are all in the first 5 songs) and then it went downhill for me. Overall, side B was kind of bla for me, and sounded rather unfinished (notice the average song on side A is much longer than side B, and Mike Campbell's contributions are all on side A). There wasn't much guitar work, maybe owing to the fact that this was more a solo effort, and songs like "A Mind With a Heart of Its Own" and "Zombie Zoo" replace Mike Campbell's guitars with organs and excessive backing vocals. "Alright for Now" is a really short lullabye that never really goes anywhere, stays in the lull it begins with and has some pretty uninspired lyrics. "Depending on You" and "The Apartment Song" are the same for the entire song and has the same drums and guitars the whole way through and are very repetitive, along with "A Mind With a Heart of its Own."

Needless to say, the strong points of this album make it worth getting, but if you already have "Anthology" you have every really good song on this album. Personally, although I thought the follow-up "Into the Great Wide Open" did not have as many really strong tracks, it was more consistent overall and had the catchy riffs which would have made up for what is lacking here. Clearly he developed a new style on this record and an ability to not take himself so seriously, but I just thought side B left a lot to be desired and each song kind of ended where it started staying the same throughout with some very throwaway lyrics ("I'm all right. I just feel a little lonely tonight. I'm OK most of the time. I just feel a little lonely tonight").

Check out "Echo" and the soundtrack to "She's the One" for some of TP's most underrated work, this I would say is a tad overrated.

Outstanding Work From Petty - With the Help of Some Wilburys.......2006-10-12

As the music scene progressed in the 1980s, things began to change in the pop music landscape. The synth-pop sound that had dominated the 1980s was now being replaced by a more "natural" guitar-laden sound. This trend was promoted by such artists like John Mellencamp and John Fogerty who would enjoy commercial success as well as critical acclaim. Five musicians in the 1980s would also find themselves at the center of this movement on the music landscape. Jeff Lynne of ELO was working with George Harrison on his "Cloud Nine" album. At the same time Lynne was working with Roy Orbison.. The story goes that Lynne, Harrison, and Orbison all agreed to sing on Orbison's song. They needed a place to record, so they contacted Bob Dylan to use his studio. Meanwhile word is that George's guitar was with Tom Petty (who was also working with Lynne). The rest is history and a supergroup called "The Traveling Wilburys" was born. The Wilburys would enjoy enormous success. While some people felt that Lynne was the weak member of the Wilburys, he was the man who also brought them all together. As mentioned, Lynne was also working with Tom Petty at the time on a "solo project". That project would turn out to be his highly successful 1989 album, "Full Moon Fever". "Full Moon Fever" not only encapsulates the guitar-laden sound that had now taken over the landscape, but it also brings 3 of the 4 other Wilburys (the exception being Bob Dylan) into the fold.

The Traveling Wilburys would release two albums - "Volume 1" and "Volume 3". There was no "Volume 2". However over the years, "Full Moon Fever" has unofficially become "Volume 2". In fact there is a Russian Import version that actually labels "Full Moon Fever" as "Volume 2". As mentioned this was technically a "solo album" by Tom Petty. For years, Petty had recorded with his band - "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers". While this was a "solo album", there are many of the Heartbreakers that are present on this album. Howie Epstein lends background vocals to two songs - "Love is a Long Road" and "I Won't Back Down". Benmont Tench lends his piano for "The Apartment Song". Finally, Mike Campbell - possibly one of the most sought after musicians in the business contributes throughout the whole "Full Moon Fever" collection - including guitars, mandolin, bass, and keyboards.

When Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers burst on the music scene - they appealed to a wide variety of musical styles including Classic Rock, New Wave, and even Punk. However, I feel that Petty's roots were still in Southern Rock. "Full Moon Fever" definitely isn't rooted in Southern Rock, but it does have a strong incorporation of the guitar-laden sound mentioned. This isn't an album where you are going to hear horns or a string section. While you hear some keyboards, it will be the guitars that are going to be the story of this album - whether it's electric or acoustic, every song will make an integral use of the guitar. On top of that, given Petty's unique voice - this really becomes something special. I give a lot of credit to Lynne for putting this all together. It's kind of ironic that Lynne was able to pull off producing both "Full Moon Fever" and the Traveling Wilburys. Lynne was known for his intricate orchestral arrangements with ELO, yet Lynne finds a way to make the natural guitar-laden sound work for Petty on this collection.

"Full Moon Fever" is known for the "hits" that were spurned off this album - these songs being: "Free Fallin", "I Won't Back Down", and "Runnin' Down a Dream (to a lesser extent "Yer So Bad" and "A Face in the Crowd" were also hits). These are good songs, but surprisingly, I found the "other songs" to be the strong points of this collection. Songs such as "Love is a Long Road", "Feel a Whole Lot Better", "Depending on You", "The Apartment Song", "Alright for Now", "A Mind With a Heart of It's Own", and "Zombie Zoo" were the albums strongest songs. Any of these songs could have easily been released as singles and could have achieved a high level of commercial success.

As mentioned, three of the Wilburys make contributions to this album Roy Orbison lends his background vocals to "Zombie Zoo". George Harrison lends Acoustic Guitar and Background Vocals to "I Won't Back Down". Lynne, while lending his hand at co-producing this album with Petty and Mike Campbell also lends Vocals, Bass, Guitar, and Keyboards to the effort. Who can forget the terrific vocal jam between Petty, Harrison, and Lynne on "I Won't Back Down" - i.e. the classic "Hey Baby!". While Harrison didn't directly contribute to the track "Feel a Whole Lot Better", I'd like to think he had some influence on the cover of the Byrds' "Feel a Whole Lot Better". This cover gives the song a distinct Beatle-sque quality. I give Petty a lot of credit for being able to pull this off. At the same time, Petty also remains true to his Southern Rock roots. "A Mind With a Heart of It's Own" definitely sounds like something Petty would have done with the Heartbreakers. Finally, if you want to hear Tom Petty do a lullaby, listen to "Alright for Now".

Perhaps the most interesting part is when Petty puts an interruption prior to the start of "Feel a Whole Lot Better". This interruption tells CD listeners to "wait" until LP or Cassette listeners are able to flip over their media on their player - most humorous.

The liner notes do include all of the lyrics and all of the musician credits and acknowledgements. Overall, fans of Tom Petty and the Wilburys will not be disappointed with this effort. Although this collection does have a guitar-laden sound, it will have a lot of appeal to the mainstream. This is one collection I highly recommend.

How can you go wrong with Tom Petty?.......2006-07-09

I was especially pleased with the cover of the Byrd's Feel a Whole Lot Better -- I didn't know that was on there.

Average customer rating:

Full Moon Fever / 4 ½
Tom Petty / The Traveling Wilburys
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
Similar Items:

Traveling Wilburys (2 CD / 1 DVD)
Traveling Wilburys (2CD/1DVD, Deluxe Edition)

ASIN: B000RIR242

Average customer rating:

Cool really really cool

Full Moon Fever
Tom Petty
Manufacturer: Mobile Fidelity
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
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Hard Promises
Damn the Torpedoes
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ASIN: B00000DCWR
Release Date: 1998-10-20

Tracks:

Free Fallin'
I Won't Back Down
Love Is A Long Road
A Face In The Crowd
Runnin' Down A Dream
Feel A Whole Lot Better
Yer So Bad
Depending On You
The Apartment Song
Alright For Now
A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own
Zombie Zoo

Customer Reviews:

Cool really really cool.......1999-10-22

i found his cd in a garage sale it's was excellent and tom petty is pretty cool. He's not relly much listened to but if it was a rating out 100 i would give him 100% i guess it's kinda rock but not really if you see this cd cheap get it!

Average customer rating:

Full Moon Fever
Dr Robert (Blow Monkeys)
Manufacturer: Fen Cat
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000LY9KRY

Bad Moon Rising; Full Moon Fever Special Mini Album [Japan Import]

Average customer rating:

Bad Moon Rising; Full Moon Fever Special Mini Album [Japan Import]

Manufacturer: Canyon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B0007W5FF6

Product Description

Very rare 5 track mini album, from Kal Swan & Doug Aldrich's post-Lion outfit.

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