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30 years of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
For three decades now, Tom Petty has been as reliable an American songwriter as anyone you care to mention, Leonard Cohen, Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen included. On this, the 30th anniversary of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' self-titled debut, and on the eve of Petty's tour (billed as his last) to support Highway Companion, here's a look at what makes the man and the group so respected:
1. The man writes a mean love song. As Stevie Nicks once told Billboard magazine: "[Petty] writes about everything. Love in theory. Love in euphoria. Love in disappointment. Love in how it affects everyone; love after a long time. Divorce and how that affects everyone. New love and old love and how that affects everyone. Then he writes about personal growth and how that ebbs and flows. He writes about the world."
2. That pose on the front of Damn the Torpedoes. As iconic to corn-fed lads everywhere as London Calling is to the metal-belt set.
3. Mike Campbell, Heartbreaker guitarist and one of the most tasteful shredders in rock. Ask any of his contemporaries, who place "Soup" in esteem right behind Petty.
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