Description
Book SynopsisBy 1985 Tom Petty had already obtained legendary status. He had fame. He had money. But he was restless, hoping to stretch his artistry beyond the confining format of songs like The Waiting and Refugee. Petty's response to his restlessness was
Southern Accents. Initially conceived as a concept album about the American South,
Southern Accents's marathon recording sessions were marred by aesthetic and narcotic excess. The result is a hodgepodge of classic rock songs mixed with nearly unlistenable 80s music. Then, while touring for the album, Petty made extensive use of the iconography of the American Confederacy, something he soon came to regret. Despite its artistic failure and public controversy,
Southern Accents was a pivot point for Petty. Reeling from the defeat, Petty reimagined himself as deeply, almost mythically, Californian, obtaining his biggest success with
Full Moon Fever. Michael Washburn explores the history of
Southern Accents and how i
Trade ReviewMichael Washburn, in his first book, [
Tom Petty’s Southern Accents] argues that we can glean significant cultural understanding from [Tom] Petty’s failure. * LA Review of Books *
This is a great read that digs hard into the background of the making of the album … This is a book that every Tom Petty fan should read – but you don’t have to be a fan to appreciate it. Washburn has written an assessment of the creative process that anyone could appreciate. Creativity is not just about the great artistic successes; it’s often just as well served by the flawed visions as the realised masterpieces, something that Michael Washburn clearly understands and conveys through this book. * Americana UK *
In Michael Washburn’s new book for the 33 1/3 project — a series of insightful, deep dives into albums — he confronts the conundrum that swirls around [Tom Petty’s]
Southern Accents. * Leo Weekly *
Table of ContentsTrack Listing Introduction Down South Who Did You Expect to Meet? Southern Accents Rebels Born in the CSA Free Fallin' The Best of Everything Acknowledgements Endnotes
