Suvarna Garge (Editor)

Hard Promises

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Recorded
  
1980–81

Hard Promises (1981)
  
Long After Dark (1982)

Label
  
Backstreet Records

Producers
  
Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty

Length
  
39:33

Release date
  
5 May 1981

Genre
  
Heartland rock

Hard Promises httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaenthumb1

Released
  
May 5, 1981 (1981-05-05)

Studio
  
Sound City, Van Nuys, Cherokee Studios, Hollywood, CA and Goodnight, LA

Artists
  
Tom Petty, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

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 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.

Side one
  1. "The Waiting" – 3:58
  2. "A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)" (Petty, Mike Campbell) – 4:22
  3. "Nightwatchman" (Petty, Campbell) – 3:59
  4. "Something Big" – 4:44
  5. "Kings Road" – 3:27
Side two
  1. "Letting You Go" – 3:24
  2. "A Thing About You" – 3:33
  3. "Insider" – 4:23
  4. "The Criminal Kind" – 4:00
  5. "You Can Still Change Your Mind" (Petty, Campbell) – 4:15

Personnel

The Heartbreakers

  • Tom Petty – lead vocals, 12 & 6 string guitar electric & acoustic guitars, bass guitar & electric piano on "Something Big"
  • Mike Campbell – 12 & 6 string guitar electric guitars, auto-harp, accordion, harmonium, bass guitar
  • Benmont Tench – organ, piano, background vocals
  • Ron Blair – bass guitar
  • Stan Lynch – drums, background vocals

    • Additional musicians

  • Phil Jones – percussion on all tracks
  • Donald "Duck" Dunn – bass guitar on "A Woman in Love"
  • Alan "Bugs" Weidel – piano on "Nightwatchman"
  • Stevie Nicks – harmony vocal on "Insider", background vocal on "You Can Still Change Your Mind"
  • Lori Nicks - background vocal on "Insider"
  • Sharon Celani – background vocal on "You Can Still Change Your Mind"

    • Songs

    1The Waiting3:58
    2A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)4:23
    3Nightwatchman4:01

    References

    Hard Promises Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA