Tom Petty ranked? You bet. His whole catalog? Ha! What do you think I am, insane? No, I’m just ranking the songs on Full Moon Fever.
There’s an argument to be made that Tom Petty‘s solo debut isn’t just his best solo album, but the best album in his entire catalog. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers included. And Mudcrutch, too.
But again, I’m not here to dive deep into the catalog and debate. I’m here to celebrate this amazing album. But before I do, I have to talk to you about how it almost wasn’t released.
Tom Petty Ranked: Azoff Hated Full Moon Fever
Petty recorded Full Moon Fever in 1987 and 1988 for MCA Records. Upon submitting the album to label head Irving Azoff, it was shelved. Azoff felt there were no hits on the album. I can’t type that without laughing.
Lucky for Petty (and the rest of us), Azoff resigned from MCA a few months after turning the record down. When new label management took over and heard what they had on their hands, they couldn’t put it out fast enough.
Full Moon Fever hit shelves on April 24, 1989. It yielded 5 charting radio singles; almost half the album! In the last 35+ years, it’s sold 5 million copies. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1989. Azoff wept.
Tom Petty Ranked: Full Moon Fever‘s My Fave
In 1989, I was 12 years old. My dad drove a GMC Jimmy. We took a lot of trips to New Hampshire in the summer of ’89 and the winter of ’90. Full Moon Fever on cassette was our soundtrack.
I guess it’s my favorite Tom Petty album because it’s the one I’ve heard the most. Which puts me in a decent position go song-by-song, Tom Petty ranked-style. So let’s get runnin’ down the track list, shall we?