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Into the Great Wide Open

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 52.52.63.205 (talk) at 22:26, 27 August 2017 (I believe it should not list Universal as a label as the recording was issued prior to the parent company name change in 1996 & merger with PolyGram in 1998). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For the song, see Into the Great Wide Open (song).
Untitled
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[3]
The Essential Rock Discography6/10[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
MusicHound[6]
The New York Times(favorable)[7]
People(favorable)[8]
Q[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music[11]

Into the Great Wide Open is the eighth studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, first released in 1991 (see 1991 in music). The album was the band's last with MCA Records. The album was the second Petty produced with Jeff Lynne after the success of Full Moon Fever.

The first single, "Learning to Fly", became the band's joint longest-running No. 1 single (along with "The Waiting" from 1981's Hard Promises) on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, spending six weeks at the top spot. The second single, "Out in the Cold", also made No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart, albeit for two weeks.

The music video for the title song starred Johnny Depp, who had moved to Los Angeles as a teenager to seek rock stardom, along with Gabrielle Anwar, Faye Dunaway, Matt LeBlanc, Terence Trent D'Arby and Chynna Phillips.

Critical reception

For the most part, Into the Great Wide Open was warmly received by critics. Dave DiMartino, reviewing the album for Entertainment Weekly said that the album was the closest "classic" album Petty and the band had made in 15 years, saying that the album was a return to their first two albums. He feels that this is due largely to Jeff Lynne and that the songs are better than the ones on Full Moon Fever.[3] Rolling Stone critic Parke Puterbaugh called the album a cross between Full Moon Fever and Damn the Torpedoes, said that it features Petty's best lyrics and that it is much better than Let Me Up (I've Had Enough).[10] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic was less impressed, saying that Into the Great Wide Open sounds too much like Full Moon Fever. He said that the album was "pleasant" but was not his best.[1] In his Consumer Guide, Robert Christgau gave the album a one-star honorable mention,[12] indicating "a worthy effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well like".[13]

Track listing

All songs were written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, except where noted.

  1. "Learning to Fly" – 4:02
  2. "Kings Highway" (Petty) – 3:08
  3. "Into the Great Wide Open" – 3:43
  4. "Two Gunslingers" (Petty) – 3:09
  5. "The Dark of the Sun" – 3:23
  6. "All or Nothin'" (Petty, Mike Campbell, Lynne) – 4:07
  7. "All the Wrong Reasons" – 3:46
  8. "Too Good to Be True" (Petty) – 3:59
  9. "Out in the Cold" – 3:40
  10. "You and I Will Meet Again" (Petty) – 3:42
  11. "Makin' Some Noise" (Petty, Campbell, Lynne) – 3:27
  12. "Built to Last" – 4:00

"Hello, Cassette listeners ..."

At the end of the cassette format of Side One, there is a brief spoken interlude by Petty. It is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the "Hello CD Listeners" interlude from Full Moon Fever, this time instructing cassette listeners on how to properly flip over their tape and prepare it for side 2.

Personnel

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

  • Tom Petty – vocals, 6- and 12-string acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, percussion, bass guitar, producer
  • Mike Campbell – lead guitar, 12-string guitar, bass guitar, Dobro, keyboards, slide guitar
  • Howie Epstein – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Benmont Tench – acoustic and electric pianos, accordion
  • Stan Lynch – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

  • Jeff Lynne – guitars, bass, vocals, piano, synthesizer, percussion, sound effects
  • Roger McGuinn – backing vocal on "All The Wrong Reasons"
  • Richard Tandy – synthesizer on "Two Gunslingers"

Charts

References

  1. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Into the Great Wide Open - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  2. ^ Kot, Greg (September 1, 1991). "Through The Years With Tom Petty". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  3. ^ a b DiMartino, Dave (July 19, 1991). "Into the Great Wide Open Review". Entertainment Weekly (75). ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  4. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2006). The Essential Rock Discography. Edinburgh, UK: Canongate. p. 816. ISBN 978-1-84195-827-9.
  5. ^ Cromelin, Richard (June 30, 1991). "SUMMER ALBUM ROUNDUP : A Wilbury's Further Travels". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  6. ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 870. ISBN 1-57859-061-2. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ Schoemer, Karen (January 1, 1992). "The Pop Life; Top 12's, or So". The New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  8. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Full Moon Fever". People. 1991-12-08. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  9. ^ "Tom Petty / Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Into the Great Wide Open CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  10. ^ a b Puterbaugh, Parke (July 11, 1991). "Into the Great Wide Open". Rolling Stone. Jann S. Wenner. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  11. ^ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Into the Great Wide Open". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  12. ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  13. ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG 90s: Key to Icons". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  14. ^ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  15. ^ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  16. ^ "100 Albums (CDs & Cassettes)" (PHP). RPM. 54 (12). August 24, 1991. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  17. ^ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  18. ^ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  19. ^ "トム・ペティ＆ザ・ハートブレイカーズ-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック" (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved May 1, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  21. ^ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open". VG-lista. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  22. ^ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  23. ^ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open - hitparade.ch" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  24. ^ "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Artist: Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
  25. ^ "Into the Great Wide Open – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  26. ^ "RPM 100 Albums (CDs & Cassettes) of 1991". RPM. December 21, 1991. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  27. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Tom Petty – Into the Great Wide Open". Music Canada.
  28. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Tom Petty; 'Into the Great Wide Open')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  29. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17.
  30. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Into the Great Wide Open')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  31. ^ "British album certifications – Tom Petty – Into the Great Wide Open". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Into the Great Wide Open in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  32. ^ "American album certifications – Tom Petty – Into the Great Wide Open". Recording Industry Association of America.
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