Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Hard Promises
Rare & Collectible Vinyl Records

1981 original with inner sleeve. Hard Promises is the Tom Petty album that somehow gets treated like the record between bigger records, which is ridiculous once you actually put it on. Coming off the monster success of Damn the Torpedoes, Petty and the Heartbreakers could have simply chased another round of arena-ready hits. Instead, they made a leaner, moodier, more lived-in rock record, full of bruised confidence, sharp hooks and a band playing with the kind of chemistry that can’t be manufactured. “The Waiting” is the obvious knockout, but “A Woman in Love (It’s Not Me),” “Nightwatchman,” “Something Big” and “King’s Road” prove there’s far more going on here than one radio staple. Mike Campbell’s guitar work cuts and curls around the songs, Benmont Tench adds color without crowding them, and the rhythm section keeps everything snapping forward.