A lot of bands have great debut albums, and then follow it up with derivative stuff that doesn’t sound fresh nor enjoyable. After 3-4 albums, they often disappeared from recording studios as that band.
Not Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Shelter Records was pleasantly surprised by their debut album, with charting songs such as Breakdown and American Girl. But what would they do in round 2?
Their second effort, “You’re Gonna Get It”, was their last effort on Shelter, as the parent company was sold to MCA and lead to some legal issues between the band and MCA. It was their first “gold” record, and had several hits, but my favorite cut is “Hurt”. Love when songs sound like they are almost a tuneup and fit perfectly into the song. Hurt does that.
It never received the attention given to “I Need to Know” or “Listen to Her Heart,” but “Hurt” is every bit as immediate—and sounds as if the Heartbreakers stumbled into a great performance before anyone announced that the session had begun.