Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 'Hypnotic Eye' Album Review _ Album Reviews _ Rolling Stone

8/12/2019 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 'Hypnotic Eye' Album Review _ Album Reviews _ Rolling Stone

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2/13

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Hypnotic Eye

Reprise/Warner Bros.

Rolling Stone: star rating

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By Jon DolanJuly 29, 2014

When Tom Petty emerged in the mid-Seventies, he was the perfect down-to-earth rock star for the times: ahungry Southern boy playing tight rock & roll in mellow Southern California, kicking against the eras soft-bellied complacency with hard-jangling realness. On Hypnotic Eye , the 63-year-old and his eternalHeartbreakers return to the scrappy heat of those early days with their toughest, most straight-up rockingrecord in many years, deepened by veteran perspective. "I feel like a four letter word," Petty sings on"Forgotten Man," which sounds like "American Girl" remade as a Bo Diddley roof-rumbler. You can besure as shit that four letter word isnt "darn" or "rats"

Hypnotic Eye took three years to make, but it often sounds like buddies out on a weekend garage-jambender. Its especially reminiscent of their first two records, 1976s Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and1978s Youre Gonna Get It! , before they hit on the crystal- line polish of 1979s Damn the Torpedoes . Itsalso of a piece with the foundational vibe of 2008s Mudcrutch , where Petty convened the country-rockband he and two future Heartbreakers (guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench) played

in Florida in the early Seventies before they hit L.A.

Yet there are few, if any, attempts to reenact Pettys vintage hits. This is the Heartbreakers four decades anda million shows later, deepening their attack with sturdy reliability. On "Faultlines," Petty and Campbellexchange snarling guitar phrases against a swamp-boogie swing from drummer Steve Ferrone and bassist

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Ron Blair. On "Red River," the bands trademark Byrdsy shimmer comes with extra crunch and deserthorizon beauty. Sometimes the intensity doesnt even need to be loud, as with the subdued "Full GrownBoy," where Tench plays jazz-shaded piano and Petty pushes his voice into a relaxed croon for the weesmall hours.

Petty populates these urgent songs with a cast of desperate dreamers, zealots, doomed lovers, loose cannonsand alienated zombies like the woman in "Red River" stockpiling powerless religious talismans, thedoomsaying town crier in the highway rocker "All You Can Carry," or Petty himself in the forebodingly

caustic "Shadow People," wondering what role he can play "in my time of need, in my time of grief."The most sympathetic of these characters is the defiant freefaller in "American Dream Plan B," clinging tohope against all evidence. "My success is anybodys guess/But like a fool Im betting on happiness," Pettysings over acrid blasts of distortion. You can imagine the guy hearing this song on his car radio and using itto steel himself for lifes next knee in the grapes. When the God touched chorus kicks in, full of Pettysringing chords and Campbells psychedelic fuzz, its like a backslap of brotherly reassurance. If a KatyPerry song had come on the radio, he mightve swerved into oncoming traffic. But not today. Tom Pettyhas saved drive time once again, just like hes been doing since he was a cranky young man himself.

Related

Hear Tom Petty's Old-School Rocker 'American Dream Plan B'- PremiereHear Tom Petty's Blistering New Songs 'U Get Me High' and 'Red River'Tom Petty's Maximum Rock & Roll: The Heartbreakers Hit the Studio

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Nick Khoury |45 minutes ago| Rating: star ratingFlag Comment

Tom just keeps going! This is a great addition to an already impressive body of work.

Benjamin Garrett |1 hour, 0 minutes ago| Rating: star rating

Flag CommentI'm quite impressed with the TPATH on this one. I'm a tried and true early 90's Petty fan, but of course love the cuts from the 70's/80's. I think this record brings a new sound to the discography,throws back to the old-school sounds, and ultimately satisfies the hardcore fans, casual listeners, andabsolutely does not offend the touch and go listeners.

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6/13

Juan Martinez Puig |6 hours, 50 minutes ago| Rating: star ratingFlag Comment

An instant classic with some very impressive lyrics and a cool guitar riffs. They sound as young as

they were in the early 80s but with far more experience!

John Troulis |6 hours, 54 minutes ago| Rating: star ratingFlag Comment

Listen to it! I like it more everyday (for 3 days). TP grows on you. I can't imagine a rock fan notliking this band. The Heartbreakers are incredible. My top 3 behind Queen & Zeppelin.

Wayne Payton |13 hours, 59 minutes ago| Rating: star ratingFlag Comment

The only good thing that Tom Petty has ever been a part of was The Wilbury's (lucky to even beincluded in that) other than that he's a middle of the road Dylan wanna be.

Kirk Angell |July 29, 7:01 PM ET| Rating: star ratingFlag Comment

I have loved TP & HB for decades now, having first seen them as a teenager on their Long AfterDark tour. The majority of their albums are about 3/4's classic with a clunker or two, and this one isin that same ballpark. But the 3/4's that's great is as great or nearly-as-great as his best. That's prettyremarkable for a band & a songwriter with so many tunes. "Fault Lines" sounds notably differentfrom anything in his vast catalog, and is probably my favorite on the album. Again, that's aremarkable thing to say at this point in his career. "Red River" is classic melancholy Petty;unfortunately, a couple songs later "All You Can Carry" is pretty much the exact same vocal linewith different lyrics and a nice riff in between each stanza. Still, Petty & the boys have earned theright to coast a little now and then. I ordered the Blu-Ray edition with the 5.1 surround sound mix,and it's nice that Petty still cares about High-Resolution audio. A few more points for that; and heeven thanks the consumer for caring about the audio in the liner notes. Thank you, Tom, forcontinuing to offer quality on so many levels after all these years. I'll never stop listening.


7/13

John DeCarlo |July 29, 5:28 PM ET| Rating: star ratingFlag Comment

It s a good album but there are no instant classics nor recognizable melodies at first listen. I love Tom

Petty but his last two albums dont have the same "Mojo" as usual, although hes a true legend anddoes not need to prove anything at this point. I'm Spanish and I will travel this year to Los Angeles tosee him live at The Forum. Cant wait to make this dream come true.

John DeCarlo |July 29, 5:15 PM ET| Rating: star ratingFlag Comment

It s a good album but there are no instant classics nor recognizable melodies at first listen. I love TomPetty but his last two albums dont have the same "Mojo" as usual, although hes a true legend anddoes not need to prove anything at this point. I'm Spanish and I will travel this year to Los Angeles tosee him live at The Forum. Cant wait to make this dream come true

Derrick Patterson |July 29, 3:45 PM ET| Rating: star ratingFlag Comment

Really digging his album. My favorite Heartbreakers release since Into The Great Wide Open and myfavorite music Tom has put out since Wildflowers. Great grooves all over the place between Steveand Ron while Mike rips it up with his tasty licks. Can't wait for Raleigh show in September.

Chuck Ungar |July 29, 12:17 PM ET| Rating: star ratingFlag Comment

Great album but the comments I've read about it resembling the first two Heartbreakers albums arestrange. The sound is much more blues and traditional rock based. Nothing close to the classic powerpop of the first two.

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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 'Hypnotic Eye' Album Review _ Album Reviews _ Rolling Stone