Search - Tom Petty & Heartbreakers :: Into the Great Wide Open

Underrated is an understatement

Ben | Atlanta, GA | 07/30/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I simply can not believe some of the reviews that this album has gotten. I am a die-hard Petty fan, own and love all of his albums, and I have to say that this is one of my favorites. The songs on this album are reflective, and cover just about every mood and emotion. There is no better pleasure than listening to this album from beginning to end. Though his next album (excluding Greatist Hits) Wildflowers often gets the praise in Petty's newer works, I always felt that a few song were off on that one. On this album, they are all on target. My favorites are King's Highway, Two Gunslingers, You and I Will Meet Again, and All the Wrong Reasons (though it is a bit like Free Fallin', it is still great on its own). What a record!!"

"I Don't Know How, I Don't Know When, But We Will Meet Again

A Minstrel in the Gallery | Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA | 03/28/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd, a bit unexpectedly, has become one of my all-time favorite Tom Petty albums. Of course, "Learning To Fly" and the title track are bonfide classics that still can be heard on the radio, but there are some real hidden gems here that I am still wondering why they didn't become hit singles. These include the inspiring "We Will Meet Again", the powerful "Two Gunslingers" and also "King's Highway." In fact, there is not a bad song on the whole album. This is one of those dics that after one or two listens, you'll have most of the songs memorized. I did! One of TP's most overlooked projects, but one every Petty fan should hear."

And even better! (Hi Jeff!)

Odd Magne Granli | Southern Sweden | 10/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Full Moon Fever, produced and written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, is nothing short of a masterpiece. It must have been, because they teamed up again to create Into the Great Wide Open. Guess what, they did it again. While Into the Great Wide Open is a little bit different than Full Moon Fever, in my opinion they took the best parts of Full Moon Fever and turned it into Into the Great Wide Open, a album that is even BETTER.



Full Moon Fever had many fantastic songs, some of them far better than most here, but it had a bit too big difference between the fantastic, the good and the okay songs. The problem is almost non-existing on Into the Great Wide Open, where the album is far more consistent all over, a listening experience without stops, a journey through a musical soundscape perfected on the Full Moon Fever.



Once again, Petty and Lynne have written and produced it, but unlike Full Moon Fever, Petty has written some really great songs alone here too, but he really shines along with Lynne.



-Learning to Fly: This song really is beyond any explanation. It ranks just below I wont Back Down as personal favorite, and it can be seen as a sort of sequel to the song, in terms of sound and style. In any way, it is one of Petty`s best. As Always, Lynne made sure it would be as good as it became.

-King`s Highway: An Upbeat rocker by Petty, with a nice overall sound.

-Into the Great Wide Open: Legendary. Petty&Lynne created a smashing hit with this one, about a lucky guy who gets a shot at stardom in the music industry. The Chorus is fantastic.

-Two Gunslingers: Great upbeat song by Petty again, with a nice little story that is fun to listen to. In style with King`s Highway, which can only mean good things.

-The Dark of the Sun: A Beautiful song by Petty&Lynne, one of the best on the album. The Chorus and the build-up to it is great.

-All or Nothin`: Good Rocker with a chorus that have a bad habit of popping up in your head whenever you dont expect it.

-All the Wrong Reasons: A Nice song by Petty&Lynne, with a fun and sweet sing along Chorus.

-Out in the Cold: Ah, Best Rocker on the Album. Smashing Upbeat by Petty&Lynne, with roots back to both Petty`s and ELO`s older styles, while keeping a nice, clean sound with Petty`s unique vocal. One of the only songs with a real "solo", and it does one heck of a job with it too.

-You and I will Meet Again: I love this song. There is just something special about it, and it holds up well when compared to the co-written songs. Written by Petty.

-Built to Last: One of the best on the album. Petty&Lynne finishes their work on this fantastic album with this gem.



I am left speechless after a round with Into the Great Wide Open in my CD Player. It is for me, the absolute evidence of the magic between Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, something neither have managed to recreate alone, or with others. As soon as those two get together, something happens. They wrote several of Roy Orbinsons biggest hits too, including the ever-famous "You Got it" and "California Blue", and further evidencing what happens when two musicians have as much Chemistry as Flowers and Bees.



No one can ignore the importance of these two albums. While Lynne is in the background, and Petty is the face, they were equal parts that made up the sum that is one of the best Poprockers ever.

"