Tom Petty is gone.

[Scott Dolan]

1 hour ago, B. Clugston said:

There aren't too many examples of rock and rollers who were so consistently good for so long as Tom Petty. 

You know, you are 100% correct.

I don't think I appreciated him enough throughout most of his career, because FM radio shoved his music down our throats. But stepping back and looking at the bigger picture, I can't help but agree with you. 

It's odd. When Bowie died I suddenly had an urge to go back and revisit his career/catalog because I thought I'd truly missed out on something special. And while he DID put out some great tunes, I found overall that my opinion of his career really didn't change. Not so with Petty. Been hearing some of his older stuff on the radio today, and realizing that, yeah, I should have been paying closer attention. 

Edited October 3, 2017 by Scott Dolan

[catesta]

The recording quality/sound is also pretty damn good.

[Scott Dolan]

Absolutely. The stuff he did with Lynne was a bit too glittery, but the tunes were strong enough to overcome it, IMO 

[Soulstation1]

 

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

saw him 6 weeks ago.  6 weeks ago.

[felser]

9 hours ago, mjazzg said:

or Whispering Bob? 

Channel 4 News just ended with a montage of Petty. I was surprised by that, didn't think he was that recognised to merit national news coverage.Maybe the producer watched OGWT too

'Full Moon Fever', 'Into The Great Wide Open', and 'Hypnotic Eye' were all top 10 albums in the UK, with 'Into The Great Wide Open' going to #3.

[sidewinder]

23 hours ago, mjazzg said:

or Whispering Bob? 

Indeed !!

 

[Scott Dolan]

17 hours ago, felser said:

'Full Moon Fever', 'Into The Great Wide Open', and 'Hypnotic Eye' were all top 10 albums in the UK, with 'Into The Great Wide Open' going to #3.

Wow! Into The Great Wide Open charted higher than Full Moon Fever?! That's surprising. 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I thought that this was a nice tribute...

[Scott Dolan]

Heh. Very nice. 

[Dmitry]

When I read this, I found it very powerful. Not being able to play an instrument is a curse I've had to endure since I've been aware of myself, so him saying this is illuminating.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-ent-tom-petty-dead-1003-story.html

“Music was a safe place to be,” Petty told the Tribune in 2002. “I think that in many ways I had a pretty tough childhood, and the music actually became a safe haven for me. That was where I escaped to. It really is the only true magic I’ve found in this world. Most magic is a trick of some kind. But music is actually a healing thing. It has this power to heal and inspire and to lift you right up.”

Music..is the only true magic I’ve found in this world.

[GA Russell]

Petty's family thinks he died from a drug overdose.

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/01/19/rock-legend-tom-petty-may-have-died-because-accidental-drug-overdose-family-members-say.html

[clifford_thornton]

Ah, dang -- yeah, he struggled with heroin addiction earlier in life, and it doesn't surprise me that sobriety was a struggle.

[Dave Garrett]

On 1/20/2018 at 6:21 PM, clifford_thornton said:

Ah, dang -- yeah, he struggled with heroin addiction earlier in life, and it doesn't surprise me that sobriety was a struggle.

I don't think this was an accidental overdose related to recreational use - I've seen some comments that indicate that the combination of physical ailments he was suffering from had led him to rely on the mixture of multiple very potent pharmaceuticals that ultimately killed him just to manage chronic pain. The implication was that he felt compelled to continue performing, and couldn't do so without some pretty heavy opioids to cover up the messages his body was trying to send, which for most people would be a strong indication that it was time to slow down. At his age and physical condition, when those kinds of drugs are involved the threshold between a deep sleep and a fatal overdose narrows considerably.