Recorded 1980–81 | Length 39:33 Release date 5 May 1981 Genre Heartland rock | |
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Released May 5, 1981 (1981-05-05) Similar Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers albums, Heartland rock albums, Other albums |
Tom petty and the heartbreakers the waiting
Hard Promises is the fourth album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released in May, 1981.
Contents
- Tom petty and the heartbreakers the waiting
- Tom petty and the heartbreakers a woman in love it s not me
- History
- Track listing
- Personnel
- Songs
- References
Tom petty and the heartbreakers a woman in love it s not me
History
Its original working title was Benmont's Revenge, referring to the band's keyboard player, Benmont Tench. The album features guest vocals from Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac on the duet "Insider." The Heartbreakers also recorded the hit "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" for Nicks' album Bella Donna around the time Hard Promises was recorded.
This was the second Tom Petty album on the Backstreet Records label. The album's release was delayed while Petty and his distributor MCA Records argued about the list price. The album was slated to be the next MCA release with the new list price of $9.98, following Steely Dan's Gaucho and the Olivia Newton-John/Electric Light Orchestra Xanadu soundtrack. This so-called "superstar pricing" was $1.00 more than the usual list price of $8.98. Petty voiced his objections to the price hike in the press and the issue became a popular cause among music fans. Non-delivery of the album or naming it Eight Ninety-Eight were considered, but eventually MCA decided against the price increase.
During the recording of the album John Lennon was scheduled to be in the same studio at the same time. Tom Petty was looking forward to meeting him when he came in. The meeting never occurred; John Lennon was murdered before he could ever make it into the studio. In order to pay tribute to one of their influences the band decided to etch "WE LOVE YOU JL" on the master copy of the album. To this day "WE LOVE YOU JL" is seen on every Hard Promises first issue US non-masterphile vinyl copy pressed. The album's title comes from a line in the chorus of "Insider."
This would be the last album to feature bassist Ron Blair until The Last DJ. He would be replaced by Howie Epstein, who continued to play with the band until 2002.
Track listing
All songs were written by Tom Petty, except where noted.
- "The Waiting" – 3:58
- "A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)" (Petty, Mike Campbell) – 4:22
- "Nightwatchman" (Petty, Campbell) – 3:59
- "Something Big" – 4:44
- "Kings Road" – 3:27
- "Letting You Go" – 3:24
- "A Thing About You" – 3:33
- "Insider" – 4:23
- "The Criminal Kind" – 4:00
- "You Can Still Change Your Mind" (Petty, Campbell) – 4:15
Personnel
The Heartbreakers
Additional musicians
Songs
1The Waiting3:58
2A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)4:23
3Nightwatchman4:01