auto

Petty finishing solo album; plots tour, film

LOS ANGELES/NASHVILLE (Billboard) -
Tom Petty is putting the finishing touches on a new solo album, "Highway Companion," expected to be released in June.

Also in the works is a documentary about Petty and his longtime bandmates the Heartbreakers, with director Peter Bogdonavich chronicling their career for a film due later this year, their 30th together.

Petty previously said the solo disc would be released by Rick Rubin's American Recordings label, but confirmation of the deal is still pending.

"I'm reaching there to try and find a theme," Petty told Billboard of the project, which he previously described as being about the passage of time. "It's just a really nice collection of songs. I think it does have an underlying theme of time and what it does to you."

In support of the album, Petty and the Heartbreakers will tour extensively in 2006, with dates concentrated in the June-July and September-October time frames. True to form, they will try something different.

"What we're trying to do is a bunch of shows with different artists that either we like or think would be an interesting show," Petty manager Tony Dimitriades told Billboard. "One of the main things we're doing is a bunch of shows with Pearl Jam. We're also talking to
John Mayer about doing some dates, as well as the Strokes."

MAKING MOVIES

Bogdanovich admits that he had not closely followed the band's career when he was approached late last year by producer George Drakoulias -- who has worked on several of the group's albums and Petty's solo material -- about a potential documentary. He became intrigued by the group's story, and, after having a meeting with Petty about it, he was hooked.

"Tom is really a child of the rock 'n' roll age in the sense that when he was 11, he was introduced fleetingly to
Elvis Presley and it changed his life," Bogdanovich says. "You can't listen to Tom's music without knowing that he's heard a lot of other music like the Beatles, Elvis, the Byrds and
Bob Dylan. But he's made a niche for himself, and he understands that it's important to know what preceded you. I agree with that sensibility, and we really got along intelligently."

Bogdanovich expects the film to be released close to the anniversary of the band's debut in November. It will also air on TV or cable around that time; details are still being determined.

"We will be as candid as we can in the film," Bogdanovich says. "We want to explain what impact the group had on the world and the world on it. We will try to put their career into perspective, and we will really get into what Tom meant by his songs."

Why did the famously private Petty allow for such unfettered access?

"I think it's a worthwhile project, and I think it's good that he's going to finally tell this story completely. Sometimes, giving up your privacy is a little like going to the dentist, and we have let him have access that no one's ever had."

--------------------

I a big Petty fan but I hope this is better than the lackluster "Last D.J." lp.

Mikael79

Thanks for the news! I'm also a big Petty fan, and I actually really liked The Last DJ. I saw him live a few years ago in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and while I'll likely skip the next tour (he's got too many pothead fans), I'll be there on release day to get the new album.

chsidwel

Looking forward to this as well. Thanks for the news!!!

Norm de Plume

Ditto, but I hope this won't be tantamount to what Springsteen does every few years, when he goes solo and releases an album of countryfied, introspective songs with many repetitions of the entreaty, "Hey Mister...".

cungar

Heard the leak of this over the weekend. Some nice stuff but he appears to be ripping his own songs and other songs like crazy. One song (Down South) sounds like a rewrite of Love Minus Zero by Dylan. Another song (Jack) cops a riff off Jethro Tull (which they ripped off from Love's Bummer in the Summer). Turn this car around takes the big guitar riff from Into the Great White Open almost note for note. Big weekend is a rewrite of Yer So Bad. Overall a nice album but you'll be playing "where did I hear that before" all over the place.

Dr. Henry Jones, Jr.

should've ripped off a chili peppers song

cungar

Yeah I was thinking that. But Tom did have a cool response saying that ripping people off in rock songs has been done since Chuck Berry. Now I see why he felt that way.

astrochimp

I dont think Tom Petty has or was ever accused of being original Good music though nonetheless

cungar

Yep in the beginning he was always accused of knocking off the Byrds. But he proves that great songwriting sometimes trumps an original sound. No one sounds like him vocally though.

The Antipodean

I've been listening to an advance and it's good stuff, not groundbreakingly original but his best since "Wildflowers" definitely.

xmiyux

I picked this up yesterday and have been listening it pretty consistantly and am very pleased with the album. It definately has echoes of Wildflowers (which was one of my favorite albums of his) so that probably affects my enjoyment of it to some extent.

Geofferson

The more I hear the new tune (Saving Grace), the more I dig it. May have to pick this up.

Frank TJ Mackey

It's a decent album but a little too mid-tempo at times. It'd be nice to hear Petty try some different things.

db27

i really dig this disk, and the title is appropriate as i find it to be excellent driving music.

Hiro11

It's the best Tom Petty since Full Moon Fever, IMO. I like it a little more than Wildflowers (which I liked a great deal). Best songs:
Down South
Saving Grace
Big Weekend
Ankle Deep

dave-o

I love this album and I can't stop listening to it. Glad to see Tom is back. I think that this is the best album he has put out since Into the Great Wide Open (slightly better than Wildflowers). I haven't really enjoyed his last two he released, so I am really glad to see him come out with such a strong album.

djbrown

I'll be at his concert tonight

xmiyux

My jealousy knows very few bounds.

I looked into his current tour and was stunned by the ticket prices on some of the venues.

Mikael79

I finally bought this disc yesterday, and gave it a full listen last night. Like many others here, I heard a very similar style or sound to Wildflowers (also one of my favorites of his), and I'm sure Highway Companion will keep growing on me.

GuessWho

I'm seeing him twice in September as I do PR at the venue

LiquidSky

I purchased the CD this past weekend and love it. Grade: A.

atlantamoi

I like it as well. I never put Petty in my faves category, but he's been very consistent over his career (save the past few years I guess). I'll be listening to Highway quite a bit.

LiquidSky

This is the first Tom Petty album I've purchased.

xmiyux

Well if you liked this one then do yourself a favor and go pick up Wildflowers.

cungar

Or his first album or Damn the Torpedoes or Southern Accents or Hard Promises or Full Moon Fever or Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) etc. etc.