Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Refugee/ It's Rainin' Again (MCA, MCA 41169, 1980)
Tom Petty came roaring out of the gate with I Need To Know in 1978 - full bull goose bozo. It seems to only last a minute as it makes it's hell bent guitar rush to the exit grooves.
To me in 1978 it had the punk energy in the air then, but clearly wasn't punk. It was a Byrds/ Springsteen hybrid with a southern twist. That sounds weird- it was Tom Petty, okay!
Refugee remains my favourite Tom Petty song. It has such passion, attitude and presence - even though it was describing the end of a relationship, everybody has the right to be free, felt like a clarion call to arms in 1980. You don't have to live like a refugee (i.e. a victim)!! The Heartbreakers play as a single organism-like The E Streeters, like a great band does.
Hidden gems: No Second Thoughts was also from parent album You're Gonna Get It! and has the Tom Petty twang and a vaguely eastern acoustic guitar vibe going for it.
It's Rainin' Again sounds like an experiment, an attempt to sound as much like Creedence Clearwater Revival in swamp mode as possible - doesn't come off though. Easy to see why it didn't make the parent Hard Promises album but it's turned up as a bonus track since.
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