Mudcrutch

its the best sounding cd i've heard in a long time. the banjo, steel guitar, awesome sounds.

Tom Petty has had upwards of thirty years in the limelight with his excellent band The Heartbreakers and as a solo artist. What is not so well known is that when little Tommy Petty came to L.A. from Gainesville Florida to seek same and fortune it was part of a fine club band called Mudcrutch. Mudcrutch consisted of eventual Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, Tom Leadon and Petty himself. Drummer Randall Marsh joined when the band reached L.A. in the early seventies. Mudcrutch would disband in the tough years that ensued with Petty eventually going on to fame and fortune with the Heartbreakers. Tom Petty reunited Mudcrutch in 2007 and recorded their long delayed debut album which was released April 29th.

The first thing that strikes me is how loose and grooving this music feels. These guys are obviously having a great time. Despite the excellent production you get the feeling these guys were in the same room jamming and smiling at each other when this was recorded. The whole thing feels as contrived as the weather despite being carefully and lovingly made. The primary sound here is 'Avocado Mafia' country rock with obvious hints of the Burrito Brothers, Byrds, Grateful Dead and Gram Parsons. This is not surprising given that Tom Leadon is former Burrito Brother and Eagle Bernie Leadon's brother and they shared similar influences. Tom's career high water mark was his writing of 'Hollywood Waltz' for The Eagles. There is also a smattering of bluesy rock that not surprisingly can be compared to Gainesville contemporaries The Allman Brothers Band.

Petty's Rickenbacker is absent. With two fine lead guitar men in the band, Petty plays bass just as he did in 1972. Tom Leadon is every bit as good as famous brother Bernie though he never experienced the fame his brother did. The two trade hot licks on "June Apple," play Allman Brothers guitar harmonies on the boogie-rock "Bootleg Flyer" and trip out Grateful Dead-style on "Crystal River" which includes a great organ track from Tench. Randall Marsh's tasteful drumming completes the musical anchor. Petty's age ravaged voice sounds reborn on these tracks-as if he really has reconnected with the reality of his youth in a meaningful metaphysical way. The harmonies with Leadon add a different dimension to Petty's sound that is striking and effective.

The songs are drawn from classic American myths. Petty's songs create a compelling image of road warriors, exotic dancers and drugged out losers that can favorably be compared to Gram Parson's caricatures of the bible thumping south or even Dead lyricist Robert Hunter's ethereal western thumbnail sketches. The Byrds' "Lover of the Bayou" and the Burritos' interpretation of "Six Days on the Road," are revisited here to great effect. The garage band enthusiasm of this group carries these songs to within an iota of matching the power of the originals.

This is a must buy for anyone who is a Petty fan or a fan of Avocado Mafia superstars such as The Eagles, The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Poco or Gram Parsons.

Mudcrutch. Four stars out of five.

Good album. Very nicely paced, good selection of songs, same Petty type formula with a little more experimentation. 'Scare Easy' is a very catchy first single, one of the best on the album. Other really stand out tracks include - Orphan, Shady grove, House of stone, Wrong thing to do. I agree with most of the reviews here... Mudcrutch is good stuff. Hopefully this won't be the first and last of em!

As someone who has purchased all Tom Petty's albums I am little let down by this one. It just sounds right but there's something missing. It sounds like "we have to make a record", although there are a couple of good songs. Just an average record. To me, it sounds very country, I prefer the old Petty sound!!

Mudcrutch is as refreshing as the Traveling Wilbury's. It is so wonderful to hear some good from the heart music. With all the rap crap on the airways it's great to hear real music again. Tom seems to never run out of great tunes. Mike Campbell is one of the finest guitarist's in the history of music and Tom Petty is blessed to have him around. Get this LP now!!! It grows on you from the very first note.
Rusty