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The Tom Petty Project
Cabin Down Below
OK, so is this the most complex and musically challenging song that Tom ever wrote? OF course not. Is it have emotional weight or narrative clarity? No and not really? Does it rock, make you want to move your feet, and make you smile? Yes, yes, and yes. The economy and simplicity of the song is what defines its almost sleazy vibe. And I don’t mean sleazy in the creepy sense, more in that horny teen kind of way.
Today’s guest conversation sees the return of my good pal and co-host on the Ultimate Catalogue Clash, Corey Morrissette. Corey used to host a brilliant podcast covering the music of Aerosmith and as I was looking through the track and guest list, I knew this one would be a perfect song to talk to him about.
Check out Corey's outstanding podcast, And The Podcast Will Rock.
To listen to the song, check out the official lyric video here: https://youtu.be/tOsSW9Y02RY
And to listen to the alternate version, check that here: https://youtu.be/RsPX5ilcip8
Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject
All music other than the piano version of Wildflowers, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com
The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.
A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".
Producer: Kevin Brown
Executive Producer: Paul Roberts
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15. Angel Dream
22:51||Season 11, Ep. 15“I dreamed you, I saw your face. Caught my lifeline, went drifting through space”. What an incredible way to say “I fell in love with you the moment I saw you and my life would never be the same again”. I was talking with my pal Corey on our show The Ultimate Catalogue Clash about lyrics a couple of episodes ago and we’ve had an ongoing discussion since about how to appraise lyrics. Well, one of the ways that you can say a lyric is “strong” or “good” is if it immediately evokes an emotion in you. And boy does this one ever. I think most people have had that happen in their life when they’ve just immediately fallen in love. If it’s not happened with a romantic partner in this specific way, I daresay that anyone listening who is a parent had it happen the first time they laid eyes on their first child. You know in that moment that nothing will ever be the same and that you immediately can’t live without that tiny person.If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find the official video here: https://youtu.be/HSOKVghuiIgIf you want to check out Jeff Slate's fantastic album, The Last Day of Summer, you can find that here : https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k0c_chbHsywab6UUOpX3s1lI7V3u3KD78And if you want to check out Matt Jaffe's killer new record, Gone Enough To Miss, you can find that one here : https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n2ngTjPQB1HHTsrfNuEGq82ttxcOFJY6wDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyprojectYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyprojectThreads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyprojectAll music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.comThe Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul Roberts14. 2024 In Review + Favourite Albums
01:00:54||Season 11, Ep. 14I wanted to say a quick (well, not that quick!) goodbye to 2024 before kicking off the new year and figured I'd follow the lead of a great many music podcasters by telling you about some of the albums that I discovered this year that I've been enjoying a lot! I own 7 of the 8 on vinyl and have a very close relationship the one I don't through slightly unusual circumstances. I hope you enjoy this brief sojourn into non-Petty territory!The albums I'm talking about are: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers : Long After Dark (Deluxe Edition)Metallica : Master of PuppetsSturgill Simpson : Cuttin' Grass (Volume One)Bjork : HomogenicVan Halen - Van Halen IIIGreen Lung : This Heathen LandThe Black Crowes : Happiness BastardsMark Knopfler : One Deep RiverMentioned in the episode: Master of Puppets (with the SF symphony orchestra): https://youtu.be/oy0J2u1BlTAMisty Music Podcast - Homogenic Episode: https://go.goodpods.com/z6CwMJDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyprojectYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyprojectThreads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyprojectAll music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.comThe Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul Roberts13. Christmas All Over Again
17:11||Season 11, Ep. 13It’s a wonderful little piece of fluffy Christmas fare. There’s no big message here, it’s just a nostalgic, whimsical throwback type song and I’m almost surprised that it wasn’t a co-write with Jeff Lynne because it has a bigger ELO feel to it than it does a Heartbreakers feel! And with the addition of all those additional musicians, I do wonder if the rest of the band played on it. One to ask a Heartbreaker if I ever get to speak to one I guess!If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/qPoHul8ngNwDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyprojectYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyprojectThreads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyprojectAll music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.comThe Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul Roberts12. Matt Jaffe (Gone Enough To Miss)
01:19:14||Season 11, Ep. 12The second installment of my Artist Conversation Series sees Matt Jaffe return to the show to talk about his fantastic new album, Gone Enough To Miss. It was a joy to nerd out over broad aspects as well as details of the album and our conversation took in some excellent diversions regarding Tik Tok, superstition (not the Stevie Wonder song!) and how to release an album in the Gen-Z era! Matt was incredibly articulate, thoughtful and completely open and generous with his time and insights as always and this was a fantastic chat, which I hope you enjoy. I'd recommend giving the album a listen first if you haven't heard it and you can find links to it below! https://music.apple.com/us/album/gone-enough-to-miss/1769142611 https://open.spotify.com/album/5LOa0kF0TwbGCpMdrFqJe6?si=YQtdVt6STRKWAPzky4nFvg https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n2ngTjPQB1HHTsrfNuEGq82ttxcOFJY6wYou can also buy physical copies of "Gone Enough To Miss", as well as Matt's other releases and mech, from his website, which you can find here: https://www.mattjaffemusic.comDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyprojectYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyprojectThreads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyprojectAll music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.comThe Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul Roberts11. Change the Locks
20:24||Season 11, Ep. 11First of all, Changed The Locks by Lucinda Williams is a fantastic song and her delivery of it is sublime and very intimate - a tone that is enhanced by the arrangement that is used on that recording. The Heartbreakers amp up the anger by speeding the track up slightly, making the guitar tones heavier, and adding in that extra guitar phrase. So you have an interesting original song with a cool, atypical song structure, interpreted in a raucous, noisy way by members of the opposite sex, in a different musical genre. It’s one of those covers that adds to the original and makes it feel unique and authentic to the artist interpreting it. It’s a very simple song musically and the theme is well-trodden ground, but the way all of it is packaged and delivered really works for me.If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/Zi4FbohLSjsIf you want to check out Lucinda Williams' original version, you can find that here: https://youtu.be/sI6JoY_FrmYAnd if you want to check out the song, "Common People" by Pulp, which I referenced in the episode, you'll find that one here: https://youtu.be/lkpLbEM06qEDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyprojectYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyprojectThreads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyprojectAll music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.comThe Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul Roberts10. Climb That Hill
21:00||Season 11, Ep. 10This song was a little bit of a grower for me and it’s one that’s definitely gone up a little since I sat down to pull it apart to see what secrets it’s hiding. The fact that, yet again, there is a density to the guitars on this song along with a real simplicity to the parts themselves all accentuated by Tom’s excellent, at times forceful at times tentative delivery make for a song that com res together to be greater than the sum of its parts. It has a very specific mood and vibe to it that I really enjoy.If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/849zt3HSI_U If you want to check out the live version from Jan 14, 1997 at the Fillmore, you'll find that here: https://youtu.be/979R5fvQpuYDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyprojectYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyprojectThreads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyprojectAll music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.comThe Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul Roberts9. Zero From Outer Space
19:35||Season 11, Ep. 9“You think that you're above me. You think that you're so big. Well, I saw you kick that dog. When the wind blew off your wig” This is Tom’s brilliant whimsy, channeled through Dylan’s cynicism to fantastic effect. It really means nothing at all, just a very broad way of saying “you’re kind of a dick!” Again I’d love to have notes on this one from Tom because I wonder how much of this was written and how much of it was spontaneous. I could see there being about 7 or 8 more variations on these verses, with random thoughts or streams of consciousness coming in and out and the three that we get being taken as the best ones. We’ve all heard Tom messing around singing silly songs with his acoustic, like Them JuJu Beads, or I’m a dumbass baby. There’s a similar energy to this one for me. It’s just straight up rollicking good fun!If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/TmnJIccAAosDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyprojectYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyprojectThreads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyprojectAll music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.comThe Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul Roberts8. Grew Up Fast
23:39||Season 11, Ep. 8“We grew up fast and no-one seemed to notice. We grew up fast and we grew up alone”. All of us latch key kids can relate very easily to what he’s communicating here. Even though our parents loved and supported us, quite often we were just left to our own devices. During school holidays, once I was 9 or 10 years old we were just left at home, left to sort out our own lunches, let ourselves in and out of the house responsibly and hopefully not burn the place down trying to cook a Christmas pudding in the microwave. Top tip by the way, that doesn’t work! This idea of self-relience then morphs into emotional abandonment in the second half of this verse; “Mom and Dad Were never what we wanted”. And I think about this line differently now that I’m a parent too. We’re all just muddling through as best we can as parents, but we’re just as flawed and insecure as our kids, they just don’t see that!If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/coBgb7Ef9uoIf you'd like to read Phillip Larkin's beautiful "Church Going", you can find that here: https://www.thepoetryhour.com/poems/church-goingNOTE: There is some profanity in the poem, This Be The Verse.Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyprojectYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyprojectThreads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyprojectAll music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.comThe Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul Roberts7. Walls (Circus)
25:54||Season 11, Ep. 7“Half of me is ocean. Half of me is sky”. There’s something so brilliantly grand and epic about that line. The ocean and the sky are both vast and hint at the complexity of being human. You also have the contrast between something that is heavy, and anchored to a point in the ocean and the wide open, limitless possibilities of the sky. We’ve all said it before, but this is why Tom is a cut above most writers; his ability to express an idea that complex and that rich in such a seemingly simple yet abstract way is just remarkable.If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/_aoEIA38kTQAnd if you want to check out the fantastic video, you'll find that one here: https://youtu.be/ZfS6Nl962QgDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyprojectYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyprojectThreads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyprojectAll music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.comThe Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul Roberts