Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 185 - Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

Into The Great Wide Open - Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

MCA

Produced by Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty and Mike Campbell

Released 2nd July 1991

US Chart #13

UK Chart #3

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
    Tom Petty – vocals, 6- and 12-string acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, percussion, bass guitar, producer
    Mike Campbell – lead guitar, 12-string guitar, bass guitar, Dobro, keyboards, slide guitar
    Howie Epstein – bass guitar, backing vocals
    Benmont Tench – acoustic and electric pianos, accordion
    Stan Lynch – drums, percussion

Additional personnel
    Jeff Lynne – guitars, bass, vocals, piano, synthesizer, percussion, sound effects
    Roger McGuinn – backing vocal on "All The Wrong Reasons"
    Richard Tandy – synthesizer on "Two Gunslingers"

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Into the Great Wide Open was the eighth studio album from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers and their final album for MCA Records.

It was also the second album that Tom Petty had Jeff Lynne produce (Full Moon Fever, Petty's first solo album had been a massive success). 

Learning To Fly and the title track were released as singles and personally I thought Learning To Fly should have gone much higher up the charts than it did (US #28, UK #46).

Opinion regarding the album was divided as some say it's one of the best and harps back to the likes of Damn The Torpedoes, whilst others dismissed it as sounding exactly the same as Full Moon Fever and therefore quite dull! I was a huge fan of Full Moon Fever and have to confess that I don't really hear the comparisons with it listening to Into The Great Wide Open. I guess we all listen with different ears!

Besides the title track, Into The Great Wide Open,  my favourite song on the album is For All The Wrong Reasons. Six of the twelve songs are co-writes between Petty and Lynne.

Dedicated to my friend Ceri

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!