Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

New Song: Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs Return With Wistful “Heart Of The Heartland”

~ Kenneth Corsini ~ 2 Comments

I was surprised to see on social media that Mike Campbell and his intrepid Dirty Knobs (guitarist Jason Sinay, bassist Lance Morrison and former Heartbreaker Steve Ferrone on drums) were releasing a new album this year. I was surprised but certainly delighted. I’ve been a big fan of this band since their debut album, 2020’s Wreckless Abandon. It’s only been year since I saw the Dirty Knobs in concert, and a little more than a year since their last album came out, Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits. Of course that album was preceded by the great single “Dare To Dream” which featured fabulous harmony vocals from none other than Graham Nash. The Knobs had been putting out new albums, almost like clockwork, every two years, 2022’s External Combustion followed the debut by two years, and preceded their last album by two years as well. The band plays ol’ time rock n roll so I guess they decided why not crank out an album every year like they used to back in the 70s! Any more, bands take decades to put out new music (the Cure, the Stones, Peter Gabriel). Thankfully Mike and the Knobs are working a little harder! I mean, “time is a jet plane, it moves way too fast,” so seize the day.

The Dirty Knobs not only play meat-and-potato rock n roll they’ve touched on country rock and even blues at different times over their three sensational albums. Many of their songs call up ghosts of Tom Petty for me. Mike Campbell was such an integral part of Petty’s sound, it’s hard not hear echoes of that in Campbell’s solo music. This new song, “Heart In The Heartland,” is a fabulous country song. It starts with a swirl of strings and then the acoustic guitar and Mike’s vocals kick in. The track asks the musical question, “Where is the heart of the heartland?” It’s awfully hard to find any compassion out here in flyover country these days. The track is so picturesque… “Yellow school bus under skies of blue, You could find your purpose, you can see the truth, Wild tornadoes, John Deere tractors…” I’ve spent a lot of time driving around the plains filled with wheat fields and silos and those lyrics hit home for me, like seeing a Thomas Hart Benton painting. The song rolls along on an easy groove.

Here’s a lyric video of the track:

It’s not an “official” video and the footage of farms and farmland is pretty grainy, but it gives you the gist of the song. Campbell name checks John Steinbeck’s Of Mice And Men, but I think The Grapes Of Wrath might have fit it better but that’s probably just me. High school English class still haunts the back corners of my mind, I suppose.

This is a great, quiet, little single that likely signals another great Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs album is on the way. I love it when an artist sneaks up on me with a new album. I remember collecting all those old Faces albums back in the day and in the liner notes Rod Stewart always said something to the effect of “See you next year…” As if a new album every year was just the assumption. The world needs great rock n roll and let’s hope other bands start upping the production schedule! It’s been a rather slow 2025 for new albums with really only Ringo, Billy Idol and the newly released Neil Young tribute album Heart Of Gold (check out Eddie Vedder & Fiona Apple’s covers) catching my attention… perhaps this new song signals that the dam is about to break on new music?

This is a good, late night reflection kinda song. Put it on the headphones and enjoy!

Cheers!

Doc Review: Cameron Crowe’s ‘Heartbreakers Beach Party’ – Tom Petty’s Long Lost Doc Finally Streaming!

~ Kenneth Corsini ~ 4 Comments

After all these many years, I finally got to see Cameron Crowe’s documentary, which he calls a “profile,” about Petty & the Heartbreakers circa the Long After Dark album, entitled Heartbreakers Beach Party. I’ve been wanting to see this since last fall when it was announced, along with the deluxe version of the aforementioned Long After Dark, that it was being re-released in theaters. I don’t think it was in any theaters near me out here in fly over country. When I saw it was streaming on Paramount+, I was certainly “all in.” Although now that I’ve seen the roughly 90 minute doc, which was apparently broadcast a few times on MTV in 1983, I’m perfectly content to have seen it in the friendly confines of the B&V lab. It’s probably too short for a trip to the cinema.

There have been a lot of great rock n roll-centric viewing this year from Norman’s Rare Guitars to the 50 Years Of SNL Music special, but I didn’t think anything would catch my eye the way Becoming Led Zeppelin did… I actually did see that one in the theater, as everyone should… but this Tom Petty documentary certainly grabbed me from the opening. You can always trust Cameron Crowe when the subject is rock n roll. What a life that guy has led…writing stories for Rolling Stone magazine in high school, friends with Lester Bangs, marries Heart lead guitarist Nancy Wilson, and winds up directing films. His semi autobiographical Almost Famous is a Rock Chick fav. If I could come back as anybody in another life it’d be Cameron Crowe… well, not the married to Nancy Wilson thing, I’m already married to the Rock Chick. With no disrespect to Nancy, I’m just spoken for.

As I mentioned, this documentary was filmed around the time Long After Dark came out which was 1982-1983. I don’t know how to view this as anything other than a promotional vehicle for that album. Much of the interview sections with Petty are he and Crowe riding around Los Angeles in a limo. Petty has a cigarette and a tumbler full of dark and murky fluid… probably a cola but a man can hope it was bourbon. The interviews with Petty and other members of the band are insightful to their creative process at the time. Guitarist Mike Campbell probably gets more airtime than the other guys but they talk to everybody from Howie Epstein (bass/harmony vocals) and Benmont Tench (keyboards) to Stan Lynch (drums).

What really grabbed me about this film – and I’m talking full on goosebumps – was the live footage of the band playing in front of a crowd. Yes, there was some early footage of the band on tour for the debut and second album, but much of it is from ’82. The first live shot they show is of the band tearing through a fabulous version of “Refugee.” I’m so mad at myself for not going to see Petty and the boys in ’82. I was a freshman in college and money was… sparse. I was turned on to Petty early on, through the local rock radio station but more so through my younger brother who had a copy of Damn The Torpedoes. I’d go in his room to listen and yes, taped it to cassette. For Petty, the “third album was the charm” and Torpedoes shot him to the big time. I certainly got on board. I purchased Hard Promises – so named because Petty had been battling his record company… they wanted to increase the price of that album to $9.89, and Petty held firm that the then prevalent $8.98 should be the price…he threatened to call the album $8.98. He was indeed keeping hard promises.

The live shots of Petty playing songs from Long After Dark are worth the price of admission here. There’s a raucous version of “Change Of Heart,” which I just love. The trope about Long After Dark is that the band was exhausted by constant touring and the album suffered. Frankly, I think it suffered from producer Jimmy Iovine’s excessive influence over the song selection. As an aside, I was delighted to see they covered Stevie Nicks‘ involvement with the band. She had asked Petty to write her a song and he responded with “Insider” which she ended up letting Petty keep, while she ended up singing harmony vocals on… she eventually ended up with Petty giving her (and performing the duet with her) “Stop Dragging My Heart Around.” I think she did ok in the deal. That all helped to keep Petty in the stratosphere of rock n roll at the time.

But back to Long After Dark… I was delighted they include the entire video for “You Got Lucky” in the movie. The post-apocalyptic scenario is iconic in my mind. Petty and the Heartbreakers tearing around the desert, Mad Max style. The show ends with Petty playing a song that, despite a dark theme of a relationship that has ended, has an optimistic ending with the lyrics “I don’t believe the good times are over, I don’t believe the thrill is all gone…” from “Straight Into Darkness.” I wish I’d paid more attention to that line in 1982/1983.

Seeing these old, iconic shots of Petty and the band from the early 80s stirred up a lot of emotion for me. Is it Becoming Led Zeppelin, well, no. But it’s a great trip down memory lane. And if you’re not that familiar with those early days of Petty – his first album didn’t hit until 1976 – it’s quite informative. I can’t say enough about Cameron Crowe’s handling of this… although his interview style is a bit cheesy. This is certainly a good hour and a half that feels like you’re spending it with old friends. I still miss Tom Petty.

If you’ve got time between binge watching episodes of Adolescence, put this on and turn it up loud… maybe pour a tumbler of something strong…smoke ’em if you got ’em. I’m still kicking myself in the ass that I didn’t see Petty until 1985‘s Southern Accent tour. Oh well, what’s done is done.

Cheers!

Review: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, ‘Long After Dark (Deluxe Edition)’ – Revisiting The Oft Overlooked Gem…

~ Kenneth Corsini ~ 14 Comments

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I woke up this glorious fall morning thinking, “Man, it’s Friday, it’s beautiful outside, it just might be a perfect day?” Just when I thought today couldn’t get any better, I remembered Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers released Long After Dark (Deluxe Edition) today. The Deluxe Edition boasts 2 CDs, the first has the original album, the second disc is 45 minutes of previously unreleased music from that late 82/early 83 time period. There is also a Blu-ray but I typically don’t comment on those and in this case, I can’t… my physical copy hasn’t arrived yet. But as long time readers know… I’m focused on the tunes here at B&V. And have no fear, focusing on these bonus tracks is all I did today…well, besides some pesky work.

By the time of the release of Long After Dark, Petty & his Heartbreakers were on a white-hot streak. After two solid albums (the self titled debut in 1976 and You’re Gonna Get It in 1978), Petty released his commercial breakthrough in October of 1978 in Damn The Torpedoes. I remember going into my brother’s room and listening to that album and just staring at the picture of the blonde guy on the inner sleeve smokin’ a cigarette. Talk about making smoking look cool, but I digress. I recorded that album to cassette but didn’t buy it until I was in college… thus were my skinflint ways back then. I still don’t know where my brother was getting all this cash for vinyl back then? Petty’s follow up to that album was no less fabulous in 1981 with Hard Promises. Add to that, Stevie Nicks released her duet with Petty, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” which was written by Petty & his “first mate” Mike Campbell, and it was a high time for the Heartbreakers.

Needless to say, anticipation for Long After Dark was running high by late 1982. I’ve commented in these pages before about the curse of anticipation. That intense anticipation has caused many an artist to take a creative or stylistic left turn to avoid the crush of the expectations – Fleetwood Mac on Tusk after Rumours, or Prince on Around The World In A Day after Purple Rain – to name but a few. Petty didn’t really change things up on this album, it was still that jangle Byrds-ian rock n roll we’d all expected. He added some touches of synth, especially on the lead single “You Got Lucky,” but this was a straightforward Heartbreakers’ album to my ears.

One of the major changes the Heartbreakers did make was on bass guitar. Founding member bassist Ron Blair had quit the band, purportedly at the time because of burn out. It was rumored he went back to Florida to open a bathing suit shop. There are worse things than selling bikinis to sun worshiping spring breakers. Ron was replaced with Howie Epstein who not only took up the bass guitar but provided some wonderful harmony vocals. You can hear him all over this record. The rest of the band’s line up remained stable: Petty (guitar/vocals), Campbell (guitar/any other stringed instrument needed), Benmont Tench (incredible keyboards) and the irascible Stan Lynch (drums).

Sadly, back in ’82 Long After Dark was seen as a critical and commercial disappointment. It wasn’t a failure by any stretch of the imagination but it didn’t keep the Heartbreakers stunning momentum going. The common trope about this album is that the band had been on the record-tour-record-tour-rinse-repeat cycle so intensely for 6 years that they were just plumb worn out. The exhaustion from the constant touring led to sub par song writing, blah blah blah. The album was produced by Jimmy Iovine and he guided the band on some questionable choices in terms of what to include and what to leave out. “Keep A Little Soul” was a great song that Iovine talked them out of including that didn’t see the light of day until An American Treasure. One of Petty’s favorites, “Keeping Me Alive” met the same fate and wasn’t released until Petty’s first box set, the excellent Playback.

At the time, in ’82, I actually loved this album. It’s a dark little record chalk full of break up songs. I listened to his album a lot this week in anticipation of the Deluxe Edition, and I think it’s aged incredibly well. Probably better than Southern Accents, but then I’m quite fond of that record too. When this album came out I had graduated from high school and was in the midst of my first, rather disastrous college semester. I loved the first single “You Got Lucky” with it’s futuristic video.

Since I lived in a college town with the absolute worst radio station situation, MTV was how I first heard “You Got Lucky.” “Change Of Heart” was a spectacular rock song, and helped me through some tough times in the early part of 1983. “Between Two Worlds” was sort of a theme song for me that first college semester – I was trapped between my happy youth, where I was on top of the world as a senior, and the horror show it was when I became a freshman, on the bottom of life’s ladder. I was admittedly way too immature for what life was throwing at me, thankfully I had Tom Petty to comfort me. “Finding Out” is just a great, rocking Heartbreakers deep track. “Deliver Me” is another track that I think should have been a single. I love the riff on that song.

“We Stand A Chance” is another great overlooked rock song on this album, complete with what sounds like a talk box. “Straight Into Darkness” features great piano from Tench and was coincidently where my relationship at the time headed. “The Same Old You” has a raw guitar edge that I always liked. “I remember you back in ’72 with your David Bowie hair and your platform shoes…” “One Story Town” became a favorite jam of mine when I was exiled to Ft. Smith for obvious reasons. The only tune I didn’t connect with but have grown to appreciate is “Wasted Life.” It’s a nice goodbye.

I’ve enjoyed listening to the original album all week, but for me in these Deluxe Editions, it’s all about the bonus material. I know “Keep A Little Soul” has been previously released, but it’s exclusion feels like a misstep to me. It’d be nice to hear in the context of the bonus material here but that’s probably a nit.

There are some real gems in this bonus stuff. There’s a version of “Stories We Could Tell” from some French TV broadcast – I don’t hear an audience so maybe this was like the McCartney “live in the studio” stuff on One Hand Clapping that he recently released. Anyway, this track reminds me of my late friend Tom, “And if this all blows up and goes to hell, I can still see us sittin’ on the bed in some motel, listening to the stories we could tell…” Oh, the stories Tom and I could tell…but those records are sealed. The track was originally released in a live version on Pack Up The Plantation, but this version is definitive.

The previously unreleased track “Never Be You” is just a stunningly beautiful song. I can’t believe it’s been in the vaults this long. It’s worth the price of this whole thing. I can’t hear it enough. A version of “Turning Point” with different drums has been released but it’s a great track and I wonder why it wasn’t considered for inclusion. “Don’t Make Me Walk The Line” is a jaunty Heartbreakers rock song. “One On One” is a nice riff rocker. It sounds like earlier era Petty but I really like it too. The set ends with the Heartbreakers covering perhaps the greatest garage rock song ever, the Troggs’ “Wild Thing.” I know many have covered it, Jimi Hendrix, the Runaways, and X to name but a few but it’s great to hear the Heartbreakers, a great garage band themselves, take on the greatest garage rock song ever written.

There are a number of tracks from the French TV show and I’ll just say they’re nice to have but if you have any of Petty’s previously released versions on box sets, they’re not essential. There’s a version of “Keeping Me Alive,” “Straight Into Darkness,” “Between Two Worlds” and “Finding Out” that fall into that category. There’s a longer version of “Heartbreakers Beach Party” that’s a fun novelty. There’s also a different version of “Ways To Be Wicked” recorded in Denver that is interesting.

Overall this is a great look back to an oft overly criticized album. It was a good album back in ’82, despite all the expectations dragging it down, and it’s even better on the ears now. Again, if you don’t have any of Petty’s big box sets the stuff from the French TV show will be new and fascinating to you. I didn’t mean to make it sound meh, it’s just I’ve heard it all before in another form. The other stuff from “Stories We Could Tell,” “Never Be You,” through “Wild Thing” are great additions to the wonderful Petty canon.

The folks down at the Petty archives are really doing some nice work. I’d advise all fans of Petty, especially the ones who might have overlooked this great album to check it out, post haste!! I can see pouring a strong one later and entertaining the Rock Chick with my stunning rendition of “Never Be You.”

Cheers!

“Looks like we finally found the turning point, Oh me, oh my, Looks like it’s time for me to kiss it goodbye, yeah kiss it goodbye…”

B&V’s 20 Most Disappointing Albums – Even The Great Ones Can Miss Occasionally…

~ Kenneth Corsini ~ 18 Comments

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As long time readers know, (obviously) we love rock n roll at B&V. And I have always tried to keep it positive around here when talking about the music we love. Heaven knows, there’s enough negative energy out there to sink us all. And at the heart of it, I’m a lover, not a fighter… but I digress. While I’m still as crazy about rock n roll as I was when I was 13, even I have to admit occasionally, some of my favorite rock artists have… well… let me down. I have indeed been disappointed by an album from a band/artist I had always depended on from time to time. It’s hard to explain the feeling… It’s a little like that scene in the Robin Williams/Nathan Lane movie The Bird Cage when Robin says to Nathan as they’re pretending to be macho, “How do you feel about those Dolphins,” and Lane replies, “I don’t know… betrayed?”

I have, on several occasions, spoken about the curse of expectations. When an artist puts out a really great album or better yet a string of great albums and we as the fans feel a connection to the artist and their music, expectations start to creep in with each new release. I’m sure the fan expectations are nothing compared to the expectations and pressure the artist puts on himself. It’s like the cliche about debut albums – you have your whole life to write your first album, and 6 months to write your second. It’s almost a rigged game. As our expectations climb (and our love, yes love, of the artist grows), and the pressure on the artist intensifies, it becomes a recipe for disappointment. When the artist stumbles creatively, we’re all left feeling… well, let down. We end up standing in front of the turntable like Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda, where he’s left standing over the empty safe he intended to rob and screams “Disappointed,” while firing his handgun into the safe.

Many things can contribute to this fan disappointment. Some artists change their music to slow down the runaway freight train of fame they’ve created. Springsteen did it twice with Nebraska and then later Tunnel Of Love, making more personal, smaller albums to counteract the commercial juggernaut that preceded it. Prince’s entry on this list is certainly an example of that “escape fame” thing. Sometimes the artist has a spark of creativity that takes them in a different direction like Lindsey Buckingham when he pushed Fleetwood Mac in the direction of Tusk…of course that might have been fear of having to top Rumours and maybe a reaction to punk. Sometimes the artist is just plain burned out and needs a break. But it’s hard not take my fair share of blame for my disappointment driven by those damn expectations I carry around.

While this list isn’t complete (even just for me), here are the albums that left me sitting on the couch, shaking my fist at the rock god’s above and wondering why I’d been a fool. In the early days I used to wait until I’d heard three good songs on a record before plunking down my hard earned lawn mowing money for an album, which was a weird rule. But as I got older certain artists – Springsteen, the Stones, Robert Plant, U2 among others – became “automatic buys” for me. They put out an album and I was at the record store on release day with my money in my hand. Or I’d read something about an artist or an album and I’d take a chance on something I hadn’t heard and sometimes the gamble just didn’t pay off. More typically it was an artist whose records I’d been buying for a while when I got “let down.” To really feel pain you have to have really loved somebody, or so I suppose.

While these albums are my disappointments, I realize that this list probably won’t match yours. I’ve already written about the “Dirty Dozen” albums that maybe only I like. There may be albums on this list that you like. There’s nothing wrong with that. I am in no way judging you for liking an album that I didn’t. Music is for everyone but it hits everyone differently. You may have a record that really disappointed you that I love. Season to taste, as the saying goes. Here are my heartbreakers:

  • Bad Company, Rough Diamonds – Bad Company put out Desolation Angels when I was in middle school and me and my pals loved it, it was “our” BadCo album. I was so excited when Rough Diamonds came out. Only to find other than “Electricland” there wasn’t a good song on this one.
  • Black Crowes, Amorica – After two fabulous records, Shake Your Moneymaker and Southern Harmony…, the Crowes dropped this musical disappointment. I knew from the second I heard “A Controversy” that something had gone wrong. I went from thinking they were the new Stones to worrying it was over for these guys…drugs were taking their toll. I was glad to be wrong about their career.
  • David Bowie, Tonight – For those of us too young for Bowie’s “Berlin Trilogy,” the smash hit Let’s Dance was our gateway to Bowie. It led me to ChangesBowie and then later deeper into his catalog. What a letdown this one was as a follow up. Although, there are some tracks on this record I still like. “Blue Jean” and “Loving The Alien” were great but didn’t prevent me from selling this one at the used record store.
  • Lindsey Buckingham, Law And Order – Everybody loved Fleetwood Mac. Stevie Nicks had launched an incredibly successful solo career and we all assumed when Buckingham ventured out of the Mac he’d kill it too. He took the experimentation of Tusk over a cliff on this one for me. I remember sitting in my brothers room listening to this album – he owned it – and scratching my head. All these years later… still scratching.
  • The Cars, Door To Door – On the heels of the fabulous Heartbeat City, and a few solo projects, the Cars returned with this lackluster effort. We didn’t have to read it in Rolling Stone magazine that this band was finished, you could hear it.
  • Don Henley, Inside Job – Henley arguably had the finest 3 album run of any artist from a big band who went solo with his first three discs. The man was a perfectionist and took years between albums. I bought Inside Job the day it came out… it did not last long in my CD collection.
  • Billy Idol, Whiplash Smile – I was finally on Billy’s bandwagon after Rebel Yell, and we all thought he’d go even bigger with his next album. The first single, “Forgot To Be A Lover” instantly bored into my brain. Then I got the album home and thought, “Where are the songs?” Billy lost focus.
  • Dave Matthews Band, Everyday – Like most folks in the 90s, I dug DMB. Their first three albums were in everyone’s collection. Then, in an odd decision to change directions, they dumped longtime producer Steve Lillywhite and hired Alanis Morrisette’s producer Glen Ballard…who had never heard their music. You could tell.
  • Paul McCartney, Push To Play – I suppose there are a number of 80s albums from McCartney that you could have chosen for this list, but this was the one for me. I love Paul, but this album – where you could tell he was putting in the effort – leaves me cold to this day. I bought it the day it dropped and thought it would be his big “comeback.” I was… wrong. Admittedly, it’s grown on me over the years but at the time… “Disappointed!”
  • Metallica, St. Anger – I had casually got into Metallica on the self titled “Black Album,” and a few tracks on Load. I never saw the painful listen that was St. Anger coming… This thing put me off Metallica for five years.
  • Stevie Nicks, Rock A Little – The way we all loved Stevie after Bella Donna and The Wild Heart, I often think of her as the mistress to my generation. I saw her live on the Wild Heart tour and could swear she was singing “Beauty And The Beast” directly to me… it would have fit. Then she goes all slick and synthesizer on this one, given to me by my college girlfriend who was trying to send a message with “You Can Talk To Me.” A critic at the time said, “It should be called “Rocks Very Little”” and that should be the definitive word.
  • Prince, Around The World In A Day – I got into Prince earlier than most kids from the suburbs. I was turned on to 1999 during my awful second semester in college. Everybody was on the bandwagon by Purple Rain. I bought this album the day it came out and couldn’t help but think, to paraphrase Greil Marcus of Rolling Stone speaking about a Dylan album, “What is this shit?” I tried to listen to this again a while ago, with more “mature” ears. It’s still an awful album with a few good songs. Not a worthy follow up to his masterpiece that we all wanted.
  • Queen, Hot Space – Everyone I knew in high school dug Queen. The Game had captivated all of us. “Dragon Attack” remains a favorite song. Then they follow that up with this synth-laden, “dance-ish” album. Even tacking on the Bowie/Queen duet “Under Pressure,” that had been previously released on a Greatest Hits album didn’t drive any interest in this album. “Body Language” killed them in America for years.
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Getaway – I still love that first single, “Dark Necessities,” from this album. The rest is meh. They should have stuck with Rick Rubin as their producer, maybe he could have saved this one. I love the Chili Peppers, but Josh Klinghoffer was not the right lead guitarist.
  • Lou Reed, Mistrial – After three great albums, including my first Reed purchase, New Sensations, I bought this drum-machine driven train wreck the day it came back. Lou’s decision to play lead guitar was…misguided.
  • U2, No Line On The Horizon – We should have known from the grim, grey album art this was going to be a drag. Having killed it with All That You Can’t Leave Behind and then How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, U2 reacting to the critics saying they’d been too “safe,” decide to experiment. Sigh. This album was very bad U2.
  • Beck, Colors – I believe I described this as an uneven disappointment. I stand behind those words and I love Beck. He’s a genius. This was a reach for me.
  • Bob Dylan, Down Into The Groove – Dylan, like McCartney, had a rough time in the 80s. This album caused me to finally get off his bandwagon, where I stayed until Time Out Of Mine.
  •  Neil Young, Landing On Water – Sadly, Neil follows the same story as McCartney and Dylan. This album featured Neil and Danny Kortchmar (great session guy) on keyboards and guitars. Steve Jordan, who later played with the Stones on Hackney Diamonds on drums and synth. Awful, just awful.
  • Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Last DJ – Tom was mad Echos didn’t hit the same way as Wildflowers did and he was down and out because of a divorce, vented his spleen on this angry record. It just didn’t work for me and I’d have run down a dark alley if Tom had asked me too.

If any of these are your favorites, we certainly don’t mean to cast any aspersions on you for liking that album. I just couldn’t connect with any of these records, save for a song or two. Are there any albums you’ve purchased, only to be disappointed? We all have one or two. If so, let me know in the comments section. I’m always interested to hear how people react to certain records. The good news here is that for each of the artists I mentioned above and the albums that disappointed me, the artist came back with strong music (eventually) that had me back up in the front seat of the bandwagon. What I’ve come to realize is that it’s fun to follow an artist through his whole career, warts and all…

Cheers!

Review: Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs ‘Vagabonds, Virgins, & Misfits’ – The Rock Music Keeps Rollin’!

~ Kenneth Corsini ~ 8 Comments

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Just when I thought I’d settled in on Slash’s new blues album Orgy Of The Damned as my “summer jam,” Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs arrive with their new album, Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits, to give Slash a run for his money as “King of My Stereo.” Nothing will help me get over the loss of Tom Petty in 2017, but having Campbell and his Dirty Knobs putting out albums every two years is indeed some rock n roll consolation. We were huge fans of the Knobs debut in 2020, Wreckless Abandon and the 2022 follow up External Combustion. There have been some changes with the band’s lineup on this record. Joining former Heartbreakers Mike Campbell (guitar/vocals) this time around are: Steve Ferrone (drums) also a former Heartbreaker…he replaces Matt Laug who is playing with AC/DC on their tour in Phil Rudd’s spot; Chris Holt (guitar) who replaces Jason Sinay who departed for solo pastures; and finally Lance Morrison remains on bass guitar.

Sometimes when you change band members you get a shift in chemistry or sound. I can say, I don’t notice a significant change in sound or tone on this new Knobs’ album. I think I’ve commented on both previous albums by Campbell and his outfit that they sound remarkably like Tom Petty’s music. I think I’ve finally come to realize that Campbell was so much a part of the Heartbreakers’ musical DNA – whether co writing a song, or just playing guitar – that of course his solo music is going to sound Petty-esque. I mean, if you listen to Keith Richards solo albums you don’t think, “Hmmm, this guy sounds Stonesy, that’s a surprise…” So, yes, when I listen to Campbell’s music I do hear echoes of his former employer and that’s a good thing.

The music on Vagabonds feels slightly lighter in the previous albums. He layers more acoustic guitar with the electric to wonderful effect here. So many times when a lead guitarist strikes out on his own the music becomes all about riffs and solo’s like Jerry Cantrell’s solo record Degradation Trip, for instance. The guy played everything he’d ever thought of on guitar on that album. Or the new record from Liam Gallagher and John Squire, it’s a great album but you can tell it was written by a guitar player with all the epic soloing. Campbell writes more like Petty, he writes complete, melodic rock n roll with great guitar solo’s as a bonus. There’s something so elemental about the Dirty Knobs music. It’s a straightforward rock n roll attack with vocals, two guitars, bass and drums. Is it weird that fundamental rock music like this almost feels like “roots music” these days? We need more rock bands with this kind of sound. These guys rock but they certainly know how to roll as well.

There’s so much to love here. I’ve already written about the first single “Dare To Dream,” so I won’t continue raving about that one, only to pause to say Graham Nash is a valuable secret weapon on any song he adds a harmony vocals on. There are a few other guest spots on the album – much like External Combustion with Ian Hunter and Margo Price guesting – and they’re both sensational tracks. Lucinda Williams shows up and duets with Mike on the great acoustic, country-ish ballad “Hell Or High Water.” These two were made to sing together much like Norah Jones and Keith Richards. Great country weeper. Chris Stapleton, a country guy I’m really starting to like, shows up for “Don’t Wait Up.” I was also happy to see Benmont Tench plays keyboards on the song. “Don’t Wait Up” starts with a little crying guitar that grabs me like a hook in a fish’s mouth…after that it’s off to the rock n roll races. These guys gen up some great guitar heat on this song. And it’s always nice to hear Ben Tench playing some boogie-woogie piano… “Daddy won’t be home until way past dawn…” indeed.

The album is not by any stretch subsumed by the guest appearances. There are so many great songs, I’m not sure which one is my favorite. “Angel Of Mercy” is a great rolling rocker that has that great blend of acoustic and guitar that propels the song forward and has a great solo. “So Alive” is what Petty used to call an old school Heartbreakers rocker. It’s a great meet-me-at-the-finish-line rocker. Campbell’s solo is sublime. “Shake These Blues” is a stomping bluesy rocker that wouldn’t have been out of place on Mojo. It’s a super guitar work out. “Innocent Man” is a nice jangly rocker that brings the Byrds to mind.

“Hands Are Tied” is a wonderful atmospheric ballad complete with spooky guitar. I will admit Campbell’s vocals sound like Petty… I can’t help it, Petty’s ghost is always close by for me. A contender for my favorite track is “My Old Friends,” which is a true B&V track. While it is a “farewell to drinking” song, Campbell manages to name check almost every liquor I can think of from Budweiser to Brandy Alexanders. It’s a very funny song…I love that Campbell has such a great sense of humor. Let’s just say I can relate to this song, “my misspent youth was nearly the death of me…” Yeah, I can’t deny that.

The album kicks off with “The Greatest” with crowd noise dubbed in. It’s a nice little tribute to the fans but probably would have worked better at the end of the album. It’s a bit of weird of a weird track to start the album on. I see “The Greatest” as a song they’ll likely play at the end of a set, or better yet, the end of their encore. The album concludes with “Amanda Lynn,” a short instrumental that sounds like mandolin? If I have any complaints about the album, if you take away “The Greatest” and “Amanda Lynn” you’ve really only got 9 tracks which feels a little slight. Other than that, this is a delight, start to finish.

Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs have a nice little rock n roll hot streak going here. I urge everybody to check out this album post haste. Turn this one up to 11. Between this album, the aforementioned Slash album and the Black Crowes’ Happiness Bastards it’s going to be a very rock n roll summer around the B&V labs…

Cheers!

New Song: Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs Return With “Dare To Dream” Featuring Graham Nash

~ Kenneth Corsini ~ 5 Comments

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Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs (Campbell, guitar/vocals; Mattt Laug, drums; Lance Morrison/bass; now Chris Holt, guitar) have released a new single “Dare To Dream” that features a wonderful backing/harmony vocal from none other than Graham Nash of CSNY fame. The song is from the Dirty Knobs upcoming album Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits. Is that not a fantastic album title? That title kind of sums up the whole B&V ethos… well, except that “virgin” part.

I think all of us were wrecked when we lost Tom Petty in 2017, but probably no one more than the members of the Heartbreakers – Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench in particular – as they had been on the ride with Tom for his entire career. I was so delighted that Mike Campbell, who I consider one of the greatest guitarist to ever strap the instrument on, has found himself a nice solo career after the passing of Petty. Sometimes a band leader passes and the other members are lost and fade away. Of course Campbell had guested on other people’s albums outside the Heartbreakers during their career, like Don Henley’s “Boys Of Summer” from way back in 1984, which he co wrote. With Benmont Tench he also formed my favorite ever surf band, The Blue Stingrays, which the Rock Chick discovered one night while musically spelunking. Well, I think Tench was involved in that project, it was pretty secretive. When Fleetwood Mac fired Lindsey Buckingham, they enlisted Mike Campbell – who was longtime friends with Stevie Nicks – along with Neil Finn to replace him. Finn for the vocals and Campbell for that fabulous lead guitar… he even brought back some of the great Peter Green era songs. Fleetwood Mac toured with Campbell, but they never went into the studio and with the passing of Christine McVie, it appears they’re done. I read somewhere that Christine told Campbell he “was fun to play the blues with,” high praise indeed.

While the thought of Campbell in Fleetwood Mac was cool, the guy was just too talented to be confined to just that as his post-Heartbreakers career. He co wrote so many great songs with Tom. I was thrilled in 2020 when it was announced that Mike Campbell and his band, the Dirty Knobs were putting out an album. Apparently the Dirty Knobs had been a live, side project to allow Campbell to play when he wasn’t busy with his “day job” for a while, prior to recording together. Campbell had stockpiled quite a few tracks and the result was Wreckless Abandon. The title track was the first song on the album and the first single and it was a great single that sounded, well, like Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. I really dug “Wreckless Abandon,” both the song and the album.

I was wondering if, like his stint in Fleetwood Mac, Wreckless Abandon was to be a one off. Thankfully, I was wrong. 2022 saw Campbell & the Dirty Knobs release External Combustion, another great rock n roll album. That album was preceded by the first single, “Wicked Mind,” which we loved down here at B&V. It was more of a road song, fast and rocking.

And now, here in 2024, we have a brand new song/lead single from the upcoming new album, entitled “Dare To Dream.” I’m so delighted Campbell and the Dirty Knobs are back. These guys are just a solid rock n roll band and we need those in 2024. “Dare To Dream” has such a great message. “These are the best of times, This is the good life and all you dare to dream can come true…” I like the sound of that. There’s a lot of negativity running around out there, it’s time for an uplifting message. The track itself is different than past first singles. It’s got a stab-y guitar riff. Campbell’s vocal is more prominent. I have to admit, it took me two listens for the track to click in my head. I had to get it first into the car for a good, windows down, volume cranked listen… and then I put it on the headphones. This track is utterly elevated by the amazing harmony/backing vocal of Graham Nash. That guy is an unsung hero…his vocals really make the vocals soar. I think I gave him short shrift on my post about CS&N solo/duo projects. Here’s the cool video:

Pretty cool stuff, and I don’t usually dig videos. Heartbreakers drummer Steve Ferrone is playing drums in the video, I do not think he plays on the song, but I could be wrong, we’ll have to see when the LP drops and I can read the liner notes. I do know there are other guests beyond Nash including Chris Stapleton and Benmont Tench. I love that Campbell says the theme of the song is “everything will be okay if you hold onto hope.” Seems like a very timely message.

I’m not sure what this means for Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits, but with Mike Campbell at the wheel, with his track record, this just might be my summer album this year. Rest assured, B&V will be keeping our ear to the ground for this one…

Cheers!