CLASSIC 1979 PERFORMANCE BROADCAST FROM THE DAMN THE TORPEDOES TOUR Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers had weathered some tough times prior to the release of their 1979 breakthrough album, Damn The Torpedoes, and the tour that promoted it. The band's record company, Shelter Records, had been absorbed into MCA, and Petty was determined to get out of the contract. While he fought it to the point where he eventually was forced to declare bankruptcy, he and MCA eventually settled, and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers saw their greatest success on the label. Damn the Torpedoes, made under the duress of the lawsuit, would refine the band's sound, which became a terse and lean musical texture that blended the best elements of The Byrds, Petty's biggest influence, with The Rolling Stones, the primary inspiration for The Heartbreakers. This recording, made in Houston, Texas on 6th December 1979, features a not inconsiderable chunk of Damn the Torpedoes weaved into a set list generously peppered too with material from TP&H s debut and sophomore albums, 1976's Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and 1977's You're Gonna Get It! The result is testament to the early, and often brilliant, live shows of the group from this era. Shadow of a Doubt, Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll, and Fooled Again start the gig at the right pace. By the time they launch into FM classic Here Comes My Girl, the audience is more than ready to rock. A steady stream of hits and solid FM material follows, and includes Even The Losers, The Wild One, Forever, I Need To Know, Don't Do Me Like That, Refugee, and the poignant Listen To Her Heart. American Girl, which Petty wrote for Byrds front man Roger McGuinn before having a hit with it himself, is a highlight. The same can be said for the band's funky and dramatic version of Breakdown, which has been a core hit in Petty s live shows since day one. Too Much Ain't Enough is followed by a rousing remake of the 1965 Dave Clark 5 hit Any Way You Want It, as well as a tight version of I Fought The Law - originally released by one-hit-wonders The Bobby Fuller Four in 1966 and, concurrent with this performance, a feature too of UK punks The Clash s live shows. A final encore of Route 66 closes proceedings for Petty, bassist Ron Blair, guitarist and BV-ist Mike Campbell and drummer Stan Lynch, and following this spirited performance and quite dynamic show, those in attendance and the thousands listening in at home to the simulcast FM Broadcast were surely in a state of near euphoria. Thankfully, with the recording here released on CD for the first time some 35 years hence, the rest of us now have the opportunity to second that emotion.