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Archive 1

Not Petty article

I have been asked to explain why I deleted certain information on the heartbreakers article. This was because it was information on Petty,s solo records. This is a band article and not intended for a tom petty article. --Feeling free (talk) 00:08, 11 October 2008 (UTC)Feeling Free

While the article is not about Petty by himself, a single sentance describing occassional side projects and works by other members of the band does not, IMHO, detract from the overall article, but it DOES help to provide context for how the band has worked together over time, especially since all of Tom Petty's "solo records" have featured some considerable contribution from the all of the other members of the Heartbreakers. If these albums had been recorded entirely independent of the rest of the band, then that would be one thing. Especially on Full Moon Fever, the decision to release the album as a "solo" record did not occur until late in the recording process, mainly based on the "sound" of the songs more than the amount of contributions from the individual Heartbreakers. While I would agree that we should not include tons of detail on these solo projects, it does not seem to be out of place to simply place their occurance within the chronology of the band. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 00:45, 11 October 2008(UTC)
I see where your coming from. perhaps we should include a brief section on stuff members did without the heartbreakers --Feeling free (talk) 01:00, 11 October 2008 (UTC)User:Feeling free
That would be a cool idea. Perhaps a section titled "Band members other projects" or something.--Jayron32.talk.contribs 19:53, 11 October 2008 (UTC)
Yeah that would be a good title. i like that. --Feeling free (talk) 20:13, 11 October 2008 (UTC)

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--CactusBot (talk) 17:49, 1 January 2011 (UTC)

Band name spelling

It seems there's a bit of confusion about how to write the name of the band. Some use 'and' and some use '&'. So now I'm wondering which is the correct one. :-) --62.16.186.44 (talk) 03:59, 27 June 2015 (UTC)

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Timeline graph

I would like to see where consensus lies on the inclusion of the graph. This article has done fine without one, I oppose the inclusion. Mlpearc (open channel) 00:51, 12 November 2015 (UTC)

Oppose inclusion. Pointless duplication of information already in the article. Piriczki (talk) 15:07, 12 November 2015 (UTC)

Formation of band... other sources

Someone recently removed a source about the band forming in 1975, stating "that source is wrong". If it is, these other sources are wrong too:

Also, I'm not sure why Warren Zanes's biography is unacceptable; he has written or co-written a few books about Petty, including the companion book to Peter Bogdanovich's documentary Running Down a Dream. Can someone explain why this source, and the date, are unacceptable? --Jayron32 20:29, 15 November 2016 (UTC)

Petty points to a demo session by Benmont Tench at Village Recorders as the genesis of the Heartbreakers. That session took place on February 10, 1976. Prior to that Petty was working on a solo album. Their first gig, as Tom Petty and Nightro, was on March 19, 1976. Piriczki (talk) 21:03, 15 November 2016 (UTC)
Do you have a source for that? If we had a statement by Petty himself saying the official founding date, it would be helpful. Most sources that say 1975 note the first sessions when Tench and Campbell joined Petty, Lynch, and Blair, which occurred in 1975. If a source DOES say something about 1976, they generally seem to be referring to the first released work, not the actual founding of the band. If you have a source which directly notes Petty's statements on the matter, we'd be better off as a whole. --Jayron32 21:15, 15 November 2016 (UTC)

Hilburn, Robert. "S.F. Smitten by Heartbreakers" Los Angeles Times April 26, 1977

He tried a solo album in 1975 but didn't like its feel. He thought it was too laid-back, too much like an L.A. session album. He kept writing, getting encouragement from musicians around town. But things moved slowly. Last May he met some members from rival Gainesville bands who had also migrated to California. Their sound together seemed what he was looking for. Cordell, too, was excited and the Heartbreakers band was formed. Petty wrote most of the album's songs the day they were recorded. The LP was finished in two weeks.

McShane, Rod. Dark Star August 1977

The Heartbreakers were all guys Tom knew in Florida. Benmont Tench (keyboards) was called up by an engineer who could get him some studio time to see if he had any songs he wanted to cut. He called up all the musicians he know who happened to be from Gainesville. Finally, Tom came by the studio to do a demo, heard the band, did a few tracks with them, and immediately decided to stay. They did “Strangered In The Night,” Tom rushed off to Malibu to play the tapes to Denny. Denny dug it and they went straight to work on an album, acting as guinea pigs in an unfurnished new studio Shelter were building in Hollywood. That was last June of 1976.

With only two songs, “Strangered In The Night” and “Hometown Blues,” in his pocket plus rehearsal standards by Bo Diddley, The Yardbirds, Stones, Bobby Fuller, Slim Harpo, recording was completed in just fifteen days — fifteen songs, fifteen consecutive nights. From his days from Leon Russell, Petty had learned to write quickly and what happened was that he’d come into the studio in the late afternoon and sit down and write a song. When the band turned up with Cordell at about nine, they’d spend the rest of the night working the song out, arranging and recording until dawn; one night, one cut.

Peeples, Stephen. "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: hogtown boys make good" Rock Around the World October 1977

They signed a label deal, but the recording back in L.A. fell apart, and so did Mudcrutch. A Petty solo album in '75 was aborted becasue it was beginning to sound too much like a laid-back L.A. session album to him, so he hung around L.A. and starved for awhile. Finally, Petty ran into some fellow Gainesville players who also had fled its stultifying musical environment for hopefully greener pastures in L.A., and in May '76, the Heartbreakers band was formed.

Bereskin, Laurie. "Life Is Fine When the Heartbreakers Play" Valley News (Van Nuys, California) November 11, 1977

As far as history goes, the five Heartbreakers got together a year and a half ago in a Hollywood recording studio one night and eventually formed a band that grabbed the attention of Denny Cordell from Shelter Records. "Everybody has been out here for about four years," explained Blair who lives in the San Fernando Valley along with Petty and Campbell. "We all came out from Florida under different circumstances. One night three of us went to a recording session where Ben, our piano player, was demoing a couple of his tunes. Tommy showed up there and and the next thing we knew we were doing some sessions with him. It was at that point we realized we had formed a band and now we are almost ready to start recording our second album." The Heartbreakers wrote their first LP in about a month and recorded the tracks within two weeks. Blair reminisced, "We came into the studio every evening around 6 and we'd see the sunrise for sure. Tom would get there a little bit early and would be writing a tune. Then we'd come in and cut it."

Girard, Jim. Scene (Cleveland, Ohio) December 22-28, 1977

Although Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers recorded their first album, TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS, on Shelter Records in the summer of ’76, the band is just beginning to cut tracks for a second album.

I wrote "American Girl" on the Fourth of July, 1976, while I was cutting songs for the first album. The working pattern for the album was strange. See, we'd just gotten the group together, and I'd come in the studio in the afternoon to write a song for the session that day. The band would come in later and work it up, and we'd cut it.

Demorest, Stephen. "Tom Petty: Animus Americus Unpoliticus" Creem August 1978

Petty headed for L.A., where he became disillusioned with solo records when he couldn't get them to sound right with the session players available. "Then I ran into these guys and we played and I got real excited about it. And I guess the next day we started playing for the first album. They were building the Shelter studio at the same time — it was still boards and wires. I think we cut everything in about 15 days. It was all written in the afternoon and cut at night."

Marsh, Dave. Musician July 1981

Petty: The first record is probably right on the money, because when we did it, we'd only been a band for a week or so.

Bogdanovich, Peter; Zanes, Warren. Runnin' Down a Dream (2006) p. 43, 45

Tom Petty: After what seemed like a very, very long time, often waiting for Denny, a Mudcrutch single was released [February 1975]. One side was "Depot Street," and the other was "Wild Eyes," both written by me. It was an overwhelming flop, hit the dirt pretty hard. We had so many expectations in that time—and then to watch the single disappear. Amidst it all, Mudcrutch breaks up. Not much happened for a while. I was still under contract to Shelter and did a couple of sessions as a solo artist, with the best session musicians in town, Jim Keltner, Al Kooper, Jim Gordon. But I didn't like it.

Tom Petty: About a year after Mudcrutch split up, Benmont, who'd had his own ups and downs being in L.A., was thinking about making a solo record. He was cutting at this place called the Village Recorder, and he called me—asking if I'd play harmonica on his demo. I went down, and there Benmont had assembled in the studio what was essentially the Heartbreakers.

Piriczki (talk) 18:01, 17 November 2016 (UTC)

Good stuff. Cite them properly, and add it to the article! Dig it! --Jayron32 19:06, 17 November 2016 (UTC)
It would also be helpful if we could document when the first show under the "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers" name took place.Sylvain1972 (talk) 16:20, 21 November 2016 (UTC)
When the first album was released they were in Florida rehearsing and playing a few club gigs. The earliest documented show was November 30, 1976 (opening for Kiss) and their first shows were in the weeks just prior to that. The show on December 12, 1976, later issued as the promo LP Official Live 'Leg, was reportedly their sixth show together. Piriczki (talk) 19:28, 21 November 2016 (UTC)
They also played at George's Galaxy Lounge in Cocoa Beach, Florida on December 3 & 4, 1976. Piriczki (talk) 20:00, 21 December 2016 (UTC)

Band isn't Disbanded yet.

You should undo that edit. This is due to Tom Petty is still alive, there is no way to say the band is disbanded unless his death is confirmed AND the fact that the other band members have not said they would disband. The band is still technically active. --2600:1009:B10E:B1B4:8DB4:C4B4:2EDD:AF8B (talk) 21:43, 2 October 2017 (UTC)

Sadly Tom Petty has now passed away, and whilst I agree that it is completely possible that the other members' could continue the band, given that the band was called 'Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' and not just 'The Heartbreakers' it makes more sense to consider the band inactive until a statement suggests otherwise than considering it the other way around. Tom Petty was considered the central musician in this band, a bit like Bruce Springsteen is with the E Street Band or Jon Bon Jovi is in Bon Jovi. Kind regards, 86.183.108.108 (talk) 19:04, 3 October 2017 (UTC)
No. It make "perfect" sense to wait for an official statement of their status. - FlightTime (open channel) 19:08, 3 October 2017 (UTC)
Well if your convictions are that strong on the matter then why not make the edits yourself and debate it with those in opposition in the edit history as opposed to having a rhetorical conversation with people who haven't made the edits here? There doesn't seem to be any kind of actual vote going on in the talk topics. Kind regards, 86.183.108.108 (talk) 20:47, 3 October 2017 (UTC)

JUmping the gun

Have protected the page till matters settle. Please request unprotection if they do.Dlohcierekim (talk) 20:04, 5 October 2017 (UTC)

@Dlohcierekim: Thank you. Not sure if I restored the changes correctly, but know we have some time to get it back to where it should be. - FlightTime (open channel) 20:26, 5 October 2017 (UTC)

Deceased after Tom's name in "past members" is misspelled. Please correct since someone locked this article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Momfromwi (talk • contribs) 05:20, 6 October 2017 (UTC)

RFC on "active"

It seems this is one of many pages where debate rages about what constitutes band activity. In the days since Petty's death, the "years active" parameter in the infobox has been set variously to 2015 (last album release), 2017, and "present". Can we discuss please and put this to rest? Personally I think a band is "active" as long as it says it's a band and hasn't made an official statement of disbandment. But not stuck in my ways and open to other opinions. --Spike Wilbury (talk) 18:30, 6 October 2017 (UTC)

Discussion

Someone moved Tom Petty's name from the first position in the navigation box (Template:Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) to the last position, presumably under the theory that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will continue as a band despite Petty's death. I have reverted that change pending some reliable source indication that they intend to do so. It is against both common sense and precedent (see the navigation box for the band Nirvana) to put Petty's name last. I invite any interested editors to comment about this change. User:Koavf seems intent on forcing this change in despite it being disputed; I invite him to come comment here too instead of going against the letter and spirit of WP:BRD. 28bytes (talk) 22:25, 6 October 2017 (UTC)

I did not assume that they would, simply that he's no longer a member. As you can see from many similar navboxes, when someone is no longer a member of a band, his name is put below and with normal font weight rather than bold. It is hardly "bold" to think that someone who is dead is no longer a member of a band. Furthermore, lacking any sources saying that they are breaking up, then we should actually assume that they are not and have the same members they had a week ago, minus Tom Petty. ―Justin (koavf)❤T☮C☺M☯ 00:31, 7 October 2017 (UTC)
It seems to me that if Petty was moved to past members in the infobox (which I agree with), the same move should be done in any navbox, however there is {{Eagles}} with Frey leading the list. - FlightTime (open channel) 00:47, 7 October 2017 (UTC)

By leaving Campbell, Tench, Blair, Thurston and Ferrone in bold on the top line without Petty, Wikipedia is giving the false and misleading impression that those five are pressing forward as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers despite Petty's death. This change should not have been made without a source saying they're going to do this (hint: they're not going to do this) and it especially should not have been edit-warred into place by User:Koavf despite no consensus to do so. Someone really needs to fix this. 28bytes (talk) 15:10, 7 October 2017 (UTC)

@28bytes: How is it false? Do you have a source that says that they are not? You fundamentally misunderstand sources: we need a source to say that something happened (i.e. the band breaking up) not that something didn't. ―Justin (koavf)❤T☮C☺M☯ 17:55, 7 October 2017 (UTC)

This is obviously a pretty silly case since Petty's name is in the name of the band and he's dead. Common sense to me would be just leaving the infobox alone until some announcement is made by the band. --Spike Wilbury (talk) 19:15, 7 October 2017 (UTC)

Now that the template's protection has expired, Koavf and another editor are trying to force Petty to the second line again, despite no consensus to do so. Can we please leave the template with Petty in the first spot until and unless the other musicians announce an intention to carry on as "Tom Pettysnd the Heartbreakers" without him (which I very much doubt they will do)? 28bytes (talk) 14:58, 26 October 2017 (UTC)

  • Move old members below current members without bold text - On templates such as {{Guns N' Roses}}, old members' names (i.e. Tracii Guns) are in plain text below current members' names which are in bold text. This should be done the same way here. If Petty is deceased, then he can not be a current member of the band. --Jax 0677 (talk) 15:10, 26 October 2017 (UTC)
Guns N' Roses is nothing like this case. {{Template:Nirvana}} is a much better example, for reasons that I hope are obvious. There is absolutely no evidence that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is going to continue without Tom Petty. Petty himself said fairly recently that if any band member died, the band is done. I have yet to see any sources that indicate otherwise. Please show me one if you have it. 28bytes (talk) 15:23, 26 October 2017 (UTC)
I agree with 28bytes on this. It's utterly ridiculous pedantic nonsense to insist on Tom Petty being moved to a former member status of this band because he died. Nirvana is a perfect analog. Let's use some common sense here, lest this be another example of Wikipedia being held up to ridicule because editors choose to follow template standards instead of doing what makes sense for the situation. --Spike Wilbury (talk) 15:46, 26 October 2017 (UTC)
Reply - WP:OSE. Once upon a time, I remember reading that for a defunct band, that all members should be listed as former members. If a ensemble has not broken up, the band is considered an active group until proven otherwise. If not, then every band in the known universe could be considered defunct. For now, this makes Petty a former member of an active band. --Jax 0677 (talk) 15:53, 26 October 2017 (UTC)
Citing other stuff exists when someone offers a counterexample to the example you originally offered is an interesting choice. 28bytes (talk) 16:55, 26 October 2017 (UTC)
Do you realize you're proving my point? --Spike Wilbury (talk) 17:14, 26 October 2017 (UTC)
I'm with Spike and 28, just leave it alone. I've commented in more detail at the template. This is rapidly heading into WP:LAME territory. Montanabw(talk) 17:29, 26 October 2017 (UTC)

Semi-protection expiration

The date when this article was no longer semi-protected expired yesterday, though it is still semi-protected with the expiration date shown. unsigned comment added by 139.62.86.209 (talk) 02:38, 7 November 2017 (UTC)

Band name

The article's status quo shows that the band spells its name two ways, both represented here, The highly WP:RS database AllMusic.com spells it with an ampersand and a cap T, as does the band itself on its social media, s footnoted in the article. Because there has been some back-and-forth today, I'm initiating discussion. --Tenebrae (talk) 01:47, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

I agree with User:Piriczki. "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (alternately styled Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)" is redundant and unnecessarily verbose. If "(alternately styled Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)" has to be in the article put it in a footnote. 28bytes (talk) 01:58, 6 December 2017 (UTC)
User:Piriczki wasn't doing that, but removing it entirely. In any event, it's the band's name per AllMusic and, well, the band, so it needs to be in the lead. Choosing one spelling over the other is POV. If "alternately styled as" is too wordy, I suggest a compromise used elsewhere: "(or [...] )". --Tenebrae (talk) 02:04, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

Past tense

I think it's time to change the "is" to "was" and otherwise update the article to indicate that the band is no more following Petty's death. Aside from Petty's statement (already referenced in the article) that the band would not continue if any of the then-members died, we have Mike Campbell telling Rolling Stone that he is "sad to think that I'm not going to play those songs again" [1] and the Washington Post referring to Campbell as "the former lead guitarist for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers" [2]. Allowing the article to pretend that the band is still active despite what the sources say is doing a serious disservice to our readers. 28bytes (talk) 04:09, 10 April 2018 (UTC)

love th8s band

Saddened when Tom passed (according to family doctors I believe from accidental opiate overdose). Oh well, guess this was ultimately not such a shocking end to a guy who sang paeons to drugs in many songs. Kenlongjr68 (talk) 11:58, 8 September 2020 (UTC)

Loved this band. Saddened when Tom passes, apparently from accidental opiate overdose.

Perhaps not too surprising for a man who loved singing the praises of drugs, though. Kenlongjr68 (talk) 15:51, 12 October 2020 (UTC)

Genres

Should Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers be classed as "rock and roll"? Much of their early (and later) music exemplified the base form of the genre, and Petty himself has insisted on the name in numerous interviews[1]. Strivial (talk) 02:36, 29 August 2022 (UTC)

References

  1. ^ Richard Robinson. "Heartbreakers and American Girls: Tom Petty Does It To Have Fun". Hit Parader. Retrieved 28 August 2022.

A legacy section?

Tom Petty And Heartbreakers are considered one of the most beloved American Rock N' Roll bands. In terms of the genre "Heartland Rock", he and the band are arguably right behind Bruce Springsteen. Maybe it'd be worth adding a legacy section talking about his and their impact? JohnRogers177 (talk) 00:04, 3 February 2023 (UTC)

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