Welcome!

By registering with us, you'll be able to discuss, share and private message with other members of our community.

SignUp Now!

Music

Does anyone remember the name of the band that McBoberts really liked?
 
TV on the Radio? That's the only one I can remember off the top of my head.

Saw them at Riot Fest, by the way. Great performers.
 


To me this was his best song/video. His expression at 2:50 when the big titted women walks up is priceless. Sums up what an unassuming star he was. He wasn't the stylistic groundbreaker Prince or Bowie was, but he was probably a better songwriter.


Not to take anything away from Petty, but his songwriting was pretty by the book. If you are learning covers, he's pretty easy to cover (so is Prince for that matter, Purple Rain is 2 chords) However, Petty managed to have a sound. Petty had influences sure, but realistically, he had an amazing run while only ever sounding like Tom Petty.

I think Bowie was an incredible songwriter, but he also chased all of the Pop music forms throughout his career. He had huge Pop hits that sounded current in whatever era or vibe was relevant at that time. Petty managed to make huge pop hits just sounding like Tom Petty. Pretty hard to do, IMO.
 
Well said Farmer - the man wrote so many memorable songs.

One of the few artists who cranked out decent records 20+ years into their career.

Wildflowers is just a great record - listened to it earlier tonight.
 
I was thinking lyrically. No doubt he was very conventional musically. I know 5-6 chords and could therefore cover half his shit. But his lyrics were a whole lot more accessible/sensible IMO. More in the Springsteen/Mellencamp, even Dylanesque mode. But fuck, they're all great. Petty just seemed so straightforward.
 
Farmer - is the simplicity of 'Purple Rain' more of an exception than the rule in Prince's songbook? Some of his stuff sounds pretty out there/difficult (e.g. guitar intro to When Doves Cry, Pop Life, Kiss), but that is from my non-musician perspective.
 
I was thinking lyrically. No doubt he was very conventional musically. I know 5-6 chords and could therefore cover half his shit. But his lyrics were a whole lot more accessible/sensible IMO. More in the Springsteen/Mellencamp, even Dylanesque mode. But fuck, they're all great. Petty just seemed so straightforward.

He was the non-pretentious everyman.

I actually have a lot of time for pretentious artists, but the accessible/straightforward approach was a notable characteristic of TP's body of work.
 
Farmer - is the simplicity of 'Purple Rain' more of an exception than the rule in Prince's songbook? Some of his stuff sounds pretty out there/difficult (e.g. guitar intro to When Doves Cry, Pop Life, Kiss), but that is from my non-musician perspective.
Well, Prince was an extraordinary guitar player. His solos, such as the intro to "Doves", are incredible. His song structures are pretty simple though. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The pop and punk and dance charts are filled with 2-4 chord songs.
 
I'll be honest. Don't get the appeal of Tom Petty. Admittedly I am not much into pop art in general. But his shit is just basic. And spare me the "it was popular so it must be good" arguments. Same with the "he was really good at working within a limited form." Way more impressed with popular musicians who manage to do something unique within that form. Quincy Jones is a genius. Tom Petty was not.
 
Last edited:
Heck, Billy Joel is much less respected than Tom Petty but his songs have 100 times the songwriting inventiveness. Also a better musician and singer.
 

Chat users

  • No one is chatting at the moment.

Chat rooms

  • General chit-chat 0
  • NCAA Tournament (Non-Duke) 0
  • Duke vs Houston 0

Forum statistics

Threads
1,056
Messages
417,201
Members
623
Latest member
ScheySchey30
Back
Top Bottom