I reread this…..
It’s quite good but I think like a lot of books the first years and records are covered much better than the last ones which after Echo just races to the end. Book is about 300 pages but really could have used at least 100 more. Also, it’s an authorized biography with Petty’s full cooperation and that results in pitfalls and limitations.
I find Petty’s career arc fascinating in that over 40 years he continued to write and perform at a top level. It’s a pretty rare thing. I can find albums by Petty that are significant to me - that have been significant- from each decade and in each decade.
I think in a way he suffers from too much popularity to get taken seriously as one of the great American songwriters. And his songs are just everywhere.
When one thinks of the great songwriters one tends to think of Dylan, Garcia-Hunter, Joni, Simon, Chuck Berry, Bruce, or even the Canadians Young and Cohen and forget about Petty. Maybe it’s cause his songs are so immediate and catchy and we don’t see them as having depth. It’s also notable just how long the band lasted together…with the exception of Stan Lynch. When Howie Epstein got kicked out cause he lost control due to heroin they replaced him with the original Hesrtbreakers bassist who had been let go twenty years prior!
The only other American band that comes to mind in terms of longevity and impact is the Grateful Dead.
