PETTY, TOM AND THE HEARTBREAKERS – Damn The Torpedos

Damn The Torpedoes, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' third album (and first on Backstreet/MCA,) proved to be the breakthrough for the singer-songwriter-guitarist and his band (guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, bassist Ron Blair and drummer Stan Lynch). The album was released on October 19, 1979, after a highly publicized lawsuit in which Petty made a groundbreaking stand for artist rights, refusing to be sold by one record company to another without his consent. Damn The Torpedoes became the group's first Top 10, remaining at #2 for seven weeks (only Pink Floyd's The Wall kept it from the top). It sold over 5-million copies, and had 3 top 40 hits and 4 top 5 rock-radio hits. The album was an immediate critical success, with Rolling Stone declaring Damn The Torpedoes "the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album we have all been waiting for." Produced by Petty and Jimmy Iovine, the album reached double platinum quickly and catapulted the band to arena performances where t