Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – “Damn The Torpedoes” [DVD Review]

For more than three decades Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have written and recorded music that is widely considered to be classic and iconic. Petty has one of the most recognizable voices in all of Rock and Roll past or present and this is the album that launched the band into the stratosphere. Tunes such as, “Refugee” and “Don’t Do Me Like That,” both come from the Damn The Torpedoes record and in my opinion they are two of the best classic rock songs of all time. In fact, years later these songs are still in regular rotation on classic rock stations around the globe.

On this DVD, the writing and recording process for one of the greatest albums of all times is deconstructed, song by song, in great detail by Petty and the rest of the band members. I really like the behind the scenes look into the creative process of these songs. In this day and age of recording we have become so used to recording everything on computers that have the ability to change pitch, tone and key with the click of a mouse. These songs were written many years before the advent of modern technology and listening to the band members explain the recording process was for me, very interesting. Most bands, even armed with today’s technology, could only aspire to create something with as much longevity and staying power as Damn The Torpedoes.

The bonus material carries on the behind the scenes theme and the making of the record, but just delves a little deeper. This portion of the DVD covers more of the technical and procedural aspects as well as the methodologies used in creating the sounds that make up the songs. There are detailed descriptions of the processes involved in obtaining the drum sound, the guitar sounds and the organ sounds. All of this might sound a bit sterile to someone who does not consider themselves an audiophile or audio engineer, but trust me it is not boring at all. The interviews and narratives are laid out in such a way that they are informative and enjoyable.

At the end of the day, I feel that this DVD is worth checking out. It offers a fly on the wall perspective into the making of a record that truly took the music world by storm. Even though these songs are over thirty years old, they still seem as fresh and vibrant as ever. They are timeless Rock and Roll classics that never seem to lose their relevance.

Run Time: 56 minutes
Release Date: August 3, 2010

Check out the: “DVD Trailer”