Southern Accents [MCA, 1985]
Tom Petty's problem isn't that he's dumb or even that people think he's dumb, although they certainly have reason to, it's the way he can't stop feeling sorry for himself. Defending the South made sense when Ronnie Van Zandt penned "Sweet Home Alabama" but in the Sun Belt era it's just pique. The neoconservative aura of side one is mitigated somewhat by producer Mike Campbell's modernizations. Side two is less consequential and therefore more significant. Do note however that its real show-stopper is "Spike," in which a couple of redneck--I mean good ol' boys prepare to whup a punk. It's satire. Yeah, sure. B-

>>127057188 (OP)
No one thought anything like this except this weirdo. It literally had MTV hits. Petty was a rarity who thrived well past the 70s, where someone like Cuckdau wanted him to stay.

>Robert Palmer of The New York TimespraisedSouthern Accentsas "the most adventurous and musically accomplished album of the band's career."He later included it in his list of the year's ten best albums (1985), ranking it at #5 while calling it "an exquisitely crafted reassessment of personal and geographical roots by an established group that probably includes the finest American musicians playing the stadium circuit."

Seems like a contentious record

>>127057188 (OP)
lol his main issue with the album is that it triggers PTSD attacks of his high school bullies

>>127057243
Petty was very good at adapting to the times and riding trends. In the 70s he sounded like Springsteen in the 80s like John Mellencamp in the 90s like Hootie and the Blowfish in the 2000s like Nickelback.

he gave high marks to Full Moon Fever, you happy?

>>127057188 (OP)
Not sure how anyone could say anything shitty about Tom Petty and his band. They weathered 3 decades and managed to remain relevant. The guy had hits for days and this particular album was a welcome departure from his usual breakup rock warbling. For all the ones like Christgau he pissed off by genuflecting to the heartland, he brought back into the fold with Full Moon Fever and Wildflower with the ultimate stoner anthem “You Don’t Know How it Feels”