Tom Petty Full Moon Fever CD

Personnel: Tom Petty (vocals, acoustic, electric, 6 & 12 string guitars, keyboards, tambourine, handclaps, sound effects); George Harrison (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Mike Campbell (guitar, slide guitar, mandolin, keyboards, bass); Jeff Lynne (guitar, keyboards, bass, handclaps, sound effects, background vocals); Benmont Tench (piano); Jim Keltner (drums, maracas, tambourine); Phil Jones (drums, percussion); Alan Weidel (handclaps); Kelsey Campbell, Del Shannon (sound effects); Howie Epstein, Roy Orbison (background vocals).
Producers: Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Mike Cambell.
Engineers include: Mike Cambell, Don Smith, Bill Bottrell.
Recorded in Mike Campbell's Garage, Los Angeles, California.
There is a "special message" between tracks 5 and 6 which is found exclusively on the CD.
Personnel: Tom Petty (vocals, acoustic, electric, 6 & 12 string guitars, keyboards, tambourine, handclaps, sound effects); George Harrison (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Mike Campbell (guitar, slide guitar, mandolin, keyboards, bass); Jeff Lynne (guitar, keyboards, bass, handclaps, sound effects, background vocals); Benmont Tench (piano); Jim Keltner (drums, maracas, tambourine); Phil Jones (drums, percussion); Alan Weidel (handclaps); Kelsey Cambell, Del Shannon (sound effects); Howie Epstein, Roy Orbison (background vocals).
Producers: Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Mike Cambell.
Engineers include: Mike Cambell, Don Smith, Bill Bottrell.
There is a "special message" between tracks 5 and 6 which is found exclusively on the CD.
Although Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) found the Heartbreakers regaining their strength as a band and discovering a newfound ease at songcraft, it just didn't sell that well. Perhaps that factor, along with road fatigue, led Tom Petty to record his first solo album, Full Moon Fever. Nevertheless, the distinction between "solo" and "Heartbreakers" is a fuzzy one because Full Moon Fever is essentially in the same style as the Heartbreakers albums; Mike Campbell co-wrote two songs and co-produced the record, and he, along with Benmont Tench and Howie Epstein, all play on the album. However, the album sounds different from any Heartbreakers record due to the presence of former Electric Light Orchestra leader Jeff Lynne. Petty co-wrote the lion's share of the album with Lynne, who also is the record's main producer. In his hands, Petty's roots rock becomes clean and glossy, layered with shimmering vocal harmonies, keyboards, and acoustic guitars. It's a friendly, radio-ready sound, and if it has dated somewhat over the years, the craft is still admirable and appealing. But the real reason Full Moon Fever became Petty's biggest hit is that it boasted a selection of songs that rivaled Damn the Torpedoes. Full Moon Fever didn't have a weak track; even if a few weren't quite as strong as others, the album was filled with highlights: "I Won't Back Down," the wistful "A Face in the Crowd," the rockabilly throwaways "Yer So Bad" and "A Mind with a Heart of Its Own," the Byrds cover "Feel a Whole Lot Better," the charging "Runnin' Down a Dream," and "Free Fallin'," a coming-of-age ballad that could be Petty's best song. Full Moon Fever might have been meant as an off-the-cuff detour, but it turned into a minor masterpiece. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
This album is just damn good fun--a great collection of easy-going rock songs, crafted not to change the world, but certainly to make it just a little brighter. Petty's first solo project (without the Heartbreakers), FULL MOON FEVER shares the goodtime feel of the Traveling Wilburys' contemporary "Handle With Care." This is not altogether surprising; Jeff Lynne co-produced and George Harrison and Roy Orbison guest. The only non-Petty composition is a version of Gene Clark's "Feel A Whole Lot Better," while "Zombie Zoo," a bewildered parent's diatribe on the kids of today, comes perilously close to social commentary.Rolling Stone (11/89) - Ranked #92 in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Albums Of The 80s" survey.