Drive Down to Five

So, don’t really have much in the way of news or history for you right now.  What I do have is a little treat: an old recording from 1990 of Tunnel 18 (Chris, Chris, and Don) doing a 4-track recording of “Bus Ride”. The recording was live for bass, drums, and guitar; vocals were added as an overdub.

There are a few other lovely old recordings I’ve been able to dig up, but I’m not yet sure if they’ll see the light of day anytime soon.

*****

#5 – Damn the Torpedoes (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 1979)

There are a few bands and albums in this list that I got introduced to by others, but a few that I discovered on my own.  And by discovered, I do not really mean through any particularly rigorous practice – just me listening to the radio and hearing music that really talked to me.  Musically it felt right, and the words told me something I needed to hear.

Damn the Torpedoes is right in the heart of that category, and songs like “Even the Losers” and “Refugee” could become personal anthems to any teenager, especially one that was pretty shy and awkward. Seeing Mr Petty on MTV, slinging a Telecaster or a Rickenbacker, also gave me a completely different, relatable (attainable?) image of what a singer/songwriter/rock star could be.

I’ve listened to the entire Tom Petty catalogue since then and can honestly say that I have never hit skip or fast forward. Each song rewards the listener, both musically and through real human understanding.

There’s an upcoming Tunnel 18 song that I wrote just after Petty’s death.  Hopefully it’ll be ready to share with you all soon.

(Next album in a few days. Really trying to accelerate this if I can!)