Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers – Refugee
1979 MCA 1486
Photographic memory in tact, this was my third record record purchase. (Musicland) The one before was Queen, “News of The World.” The first one – best left unsaid. You either love this dude, or not. There is no middle ground. Perhaps it’s his love of The Byrds, Rolling Stones, and his decision to avoid the colorful, yet fleeting New Wave explosion. HappyParts could use some of that luck too.
Brendan Benson’s debut album “One Mississippi” came out in 1996 on VRA. It’s been in my top 100 releases ever since. In HappyParts world- this record is a classic. Recorded in San Francisco in the Tenderloin @ Hyde Street Studios- It’s chock full of classic tunes that are timeless in sound, and shape. It’s a shame about ray, but deeper. More rock, than pop- the production, (Ethan Johns) the performance, the true soul revealed in 12 lovely tracks. Brendan’s future looked bright- so much so that Tom Petty’s manager signed on too. The record floated a away into collectible obscurity- in a world where Big Star, Raspberries, Hüsker Dü, and other power-pop exhibitions rest- brilliant, resilient, and always resurfacing in a new song.
HappyParts would have never guessed that Jack White would collaborate with Benson- perhaps it was a label mate thing (V2) – and the result- The Raconteurs Jack White’s star meets Brendan’s soul. They will make some big records together- the future again feels bright. “One Mississippi” starts out with 3 tracks- I am not skilled at linking all three – “Tea” + “Bird’s Eye View” + “Sittin’ Pretty” roll out like a mini-pop rock opera- all killer, no filler- here’s grand finale of the beautiful triptych- “If I point my gun at you, are you gonna see it my way ? ” Rock Noir at it’s best, baby. As always- Brendan-if you want me to take the track down, Just let me know.
HappyParts 