Got Tom Petty on Blu Ray!

[(JakeK)]

The stolen guitars absolutely hurts me all the way to my core. All of the guitars are special to the band and I really haven't heard of guitars being stolen from them until now. We need to believe they will get them back. As I said in another thread, hopefully, the band's good friend Norm Harris is on the lookout for the stolen guitars or is looking for/has replacements.

We need a lighter note in the Tom Petty world. To begin with, I am going to see him on April 28 when he comes to Jazzfest. I'm really excited, as this is my first Tom Petty concert. I've seen and own countless videos and own The Live Anthology box set, but I've never actually experienced the band first hand. I will try to document what Rics he plays, no doubt he'll be using the new ones the company just made for him.

After working, I managed to buy a Blu Ray player (did anyone know that KMart employees get a discount at Sears, too?) that will also play back SACDs (but that's an entirely different story) but I' own no Blu Ray discs. So I bought two seasons of The Big Bang Theory and two Tom Petty albums that current producer Ryan Ulyate mixed for PCM Stereo and 5.1 surround sound, Mojo and Damn The Torpedoes [Deluxe Edition]. I've always loved the standard stereo editions (if you get over the Loudness War), but I'm excited to hear what Ulyate claims "you can hear at home what we hear in the studio". I was impressed with The Live Anthology on Blu Ray, both PCM and 5.1, so I'm sure Mojo and Damn The Torpedoes [Deluxe Edition] will not disappoint. Once they come in, I'll be giving a full review on both, should anyone be interested.

Since January, I'd been hard into The Kinks, digging into The Kinks in Mono box set since I got it, but now I better get my Petty on for the concert and Blu Ray discs!

[(jdogric12)]

I look forward to your reviews, Jake.

Petty got his guitars back!

[(ken_j)]

...(did anyone know that KMart employees get a discount at Sears, too?)...

Since Kmart Corp. is now called Sears Holdings, in a way, it doesn't surprise me but I thought all discounts at Kmart had ended. I have a close friend that works for the corporate HQ and I thought she said that there were no discounts. She used to email us a family and friends pass for a given weekend but that hasn't happened since the bankruptcy.

Enjoy your discs Jake.

[(Ric_MEL)]

Hey Jake,

You're going to love the Tom Petty show. I've seen him a half dozen times over the years. Tom and the Heartbreakers put on an really great show..

No baloney.. No stage antics.. just rock and roll.. a live band making incredible music before your eyes. Their music isn't studio / digital slight of hand..

and you'll get to see lots of guitars as he and Mike get new guitars handed to them .. A LOT !

[(Ric_MEL)]

and if I recall correctly,

Mike plays his custom 350 - black.. 24 fret two pickups ( humbucker in the bridge ) on Refugee. and it rocks !

[(JakeK)]

Mike plays his custom 350 - black.. 24 fret two pickups ( humbucker in the bridge ) on Refugee. and it rocks !

That guitar was made in 1988 or '89 and was not around when Refugee was recorded in 1978. Mike recorded "Refugee" with his Red Dog Telecaster or 1968 Les Paul Goldtop with P-90s (covers removed). He has used his 350 on "Refugee" from 1991-93 and 2005-present, and it does indeed sound good.

Hey Jake,

You're going to love the Tom Petty show. I've seen him a half dozen times over the years. Tom and the Heartbreakers put on an really great show..

No baloney.. No stage antics.. just rock and roll.. a live band making incredible music before your eyes. Their music isn't studio / digital slight of hand..

and you'll get to see lots of guitars as he and Mike get new guitars handed to them .. A LOT !

Yep, I'm well aware of that from all the videos I have seen and own of the band performing. My favorite performance of his would have to be this:
http://www.amazon.com/Tom-Petty-Heartbr ... 075&sr=1-1

Always have loved this video. It could be that the band were in another dark period (the first being 1984-85 during Southern Accents and made something really good come out of it, that the band were getting back to their roots of playing in small theaters or just because the songs are really good and the band were hot that night. Whatever the case may be, that is probably what I think was Tom's best live performance...








...but that may all change next Saturday. I'm also *SLIGHTLY* hoping I get to meet Mike Campbell, but you never know...

[(frickengruvin)]

High Grass Dogs was a "bad" time for TP&HB. This disc was released approximately at the same time as Echo was being completed, as evidenced of the playing of Room At the Top and Swinging.
Tom was going through a nasty divorce and this was the last tour Howie was on, as he was recognizably affected by his heroin addiction.

I've attended TP&HB's shows in every decade of their existence, and they are at the top when it comes to performance. I've never experienced a bad show from these guys. My choice for their best show on disc is the Soundstage show recorded in Chcago. They performed many of their hits, but, lots of covers of other stars b sides, which TP&HB always adds their monicker to, and improve upon. This disc is very organic sounding as well. Highly recommended to have in your collection of TP&HB cds/dvds.

Another great release is Take The Highway. This was released on VHS and Laserdisc (which is what I own), and is a fantastic show as well. Lineup of TP, MC, BTIII, HE, and SL. One other fantastic release is Hard To Handle when the Heartbreakers backed up Dylan. It is not available on dvd officially...I have the laserdisc. It is a fantastic show, and for those folks that don't know Bob Dylan can conduct a show, they are in for a treat. Mike Campbell is quoted as saying that "Dylan made us a better group-he would change a song on the fly, and we had to be on our toes at all times and not "go with the flow"-making each show a different, exciting event for us as a band"....
I saw this tour. It was amazing. $20 got me into a show that opened with Night Ranger, Bob Dylan (solo), Tom Petty & HB, and close with Dylan and TP&HB. It was magnificent!!!

[(Ric_MEL)]

re: the 350 / Refugee

Indeed: referring to what I saw him use live last time I saw him at the Gorge, in Washington state ( not referring to what guitar he used on the recording ).

Man, it sounded awesome.

[(JakeK)]

All right, time for the reviews of Live Anthology and Damn The Torpedoes...

The Live Anthology
(I actually listened to this mix last year) A straightforward surround mix, with the band occupying the front speakers and the crowd and hall ambiance in the rear speakers. Whether your listening to a concert hall in 1978 or an arena in 2006, it feels like you're truly at a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers concert. Everything is mixed clearly and everything sounds good...better than CD and better than the PCM stereo mixes, which is also better than CD. There are too many good ones to list, but I've always loved "Melinda", "Goldfinger" and "Friend of the Devil". 9/10

Damn The Torpedoes
As everyone probably knows, this is my favorite Heartbreaker album. I owned an HDCD in 2004, wore it out and replaced it in 2010, gave the replacement HDCD remaster to our own Paulie Azpeitia in 2011, and currently own the original vinyl, the Classic Albums documentary, the two CD Deluxe Edition, a sheet music songbook and now the Blu Ray of this album. There's something about this album I just love. In Blu Ray surround sound, the album is heard the way it's needed to be after 31 years. Instruments are isolated, but mixed, if that makes sense. Benmont Tench on keyboards is heard crystal clear (in the rear speakers) in surround sound, tearing up several tracks on keyboards that he's practically buried on in stereo, "Here Comes My Girl", "Shadow of a Doubt", "What Are You Doing In My Life" and "Century City" explain it best. Of course, Mike Campbell and Stan Lynch are heard well too. A very good surround sound mix that lets you hear the album the way it was supposed to be heard. 9/10

In other words, if you own a Blu Ray player, have a surround sound system and like Tom Petty, there's no good reason why you shouldn't pull the trigger and enjoy Tom Petty on Blu Ray audio!!

Mojo will be reviewed a little later in time, but I've had Live Anthology done for almost a year, and just did Torpedoes today and decided to get those out the way now.

Wish me well to Jazz Fest, as I'm going to see my heroes play their tails off!

[(JakeK)]

Finally heard the Mojo surround mix today.

As with Torpedoes, Mojo keeps with that illusion that the band has set up in the living room and is playing right there. The front speakers are reserved for Tom's rhythm guitar, Mike's Les Paul, Scott Thurston's harmonica and Steve Ferrone on drums, while the rear speakers feature Benmont Tench's keyboards galore and Scott Thurston's rhythm guitar. There was a second rhythm guitar on "Good Enough" I never knew existed, and there was a piano track on "I Shoulda Known It" that doesn't present itself well in stereo at all, but is heard crystal clear in surround. For all three albums, the uncompressed audio also shows the dynamic range of the band.

In short for all three albums, if you're a Petty fan and own a Blu-Ray player with surround system, buy these discs. Blu-Ray audio is the way to go. It's similar to DVD Audio and SACD, but can work on a standard Blu-Ray player, whereas, IIRC, the other two formats need special players.