TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS Released Their 6th Album ‘SOUTHERN ACCENTS’ 40 Yearsr Ago Today

Great longplayers from yesteryear

26 March 2025

Americana rock heroes TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS released their
6th longplayer SOUTHERN ACCENTS on 26 March 1985, today 40 years ago.
It peaked at #7 in the US.

Far Out Magazine says: “It’s one of the best risks Petty ever made. There may be
a handful of 1980s clichés in the production and sonic costumes that don’t suit Petty
the best, but with time, this is the kind of album that deserves to join records like ‘Damn
The Torpedoes’ and ‘Full Moon Fever’ as one of the greatest sonic adventures of Petty’s
storied career.”


R.I.P. Tom Petty, 1950-2017

KEY SINGLE : Don’t Come Here Around No More

The original inspiration was a romantic encounter that guitarist/songwriter David
Stewart
had, after a Eurythmics show, with Stevie Nicks who had just broken up with
Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh. Stewart explained that the title’s phrase was actually uttered
by Nicks. At first Nicks would sing the song until she heard Tom Petty‘s vocals. She felt
she could not do the song justice as Petty did.

ALBUM


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BIG BLASTS FROM THE PAST – 10 Classic Albums Turning 40 In 2025

Back in time

24 December 2024

Band: NEW ORDER
Album: Low Life
Their 3rd one,
#7 in the UK.

Melody Maker said: “The album boasts the most articulate sound
since The Cocteaus’ Treasure, elevating depression to ecstasy.”

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Band: THE POGUES
Album: Rum Sodomy & The Lash
2nd LP, #13 in the UK.

The album’s title is taken from a quotation attributed to Winston Churchill:
“Don’t talk to me about naval tradition. It’s nothing but rum, sodomy, and the lash.”

NME wrote: “A collection of free-ranging stuff to be sure. It’s never
sentimental, it’s rarely polite, and it’s certainly not ordinary.”

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Artist: TOM WAITS
Album: Rain Dogs
9th LP,
#188 in the US,
#29 in the UK.

The Village Voice wrote: “Waits worked out a unique and identifiable lounge-lizard
sound that suits his status as the poet of America’s non-nine-to-fivers.”

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Instagram – All Albums
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Band: THE FALL
Album: This Nation’s Saving Grace
8th longplayer.

AllMusic: “This collection is ample proof of the pure confidence the group had
at this time. The Fall sound mysterious, down-to-earth, and hilarious all at the
same time.”

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Band: THE CURE
Album: The Head On The Door
6th one, #7 in the UK.

Pitchfork: “Their most focused
pop album. A tight, terrific package.”

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Instagram – All Albums
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Artist: BRIAN ENO
Album: Thursday Afternoon

AllMusic: “Thursday Afternoon is an hour-long, uninterrupted ambient piece
created in Eno’s “holographic” compositional style, in which even the most brief
snippet of music is representative of the performance as a whole.”

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Band: TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS
Album: Southern Accents
Their 6th LP,
#7 in the US.

AllMusic: “An ambitious album, attempting to incorporate touches of soul,
psychedelia, and country into a loose concept about the modern South.”


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Band: THE CULT
Album: Love
Their second LP,
# in the UK.

AllMusic: “Considering the musical schizophrenia that would plague each
subsequent Cult release, Love just may be the band’s purest moment.”

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JesysCandy

Band: THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
Album: Psychocandy

NME said: “A great searing citadel of beauty whose wall of noise,
once scaled, offers access to endless vistas of melody and emotion.”

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Band: HÜSKER DÜ
Album: Flip Your Wig
4th longplayer
#1 Indie charts UK

AllMusic: “Flip Your Wig would be a remarkable record on its own terms, but the fact that it followed New Day Rising by a matter of months and Zen Arcade by just over a year is simply astonishing.”

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DOLLY PARTON Covers TOM PETTY On Upcoming Tribute Album For The Late Legend

9 April 2024

A TOM PETTY tribute album PETTY COUNTRY: A COUNTRY MUSIC CELEBRATION
comes out on June 21.

I’ll feature 20 covers by a star-studded cast of country artists such as George Strait, Steve Earle, Willie and Lukas Nelson, Marty Stuart, Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, Wynonna Judd, and Carly Pearce.

DOLLY PARTON was also invited. She covers
SOUTHERN ACCENTS, the title track of Petty’s
1984 LP.

Parton: “I was fortunate enough to get to know Tom over the years. He’s such
an iconic artist and important songwriter. I’m so honored to be a part of this
special album and to be able to share my version of one of Tom’s best songs,
‘Southern Accents’.”

At 78 Parton‘s voice is still as impressive as the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The accompanying video features some nostalgic Tom Petty home
footage.

WATCH/LISTEN

TRACKLIST

01 “I Should Have Known It” by Chris Stapleton
02 “Wildflowers” by Thomas Rhett
03 “Runnin’ Down A Dream” by Luke Combs
04 “Southern Accents” by Dolly Parton
05 “Here Comes My Girl” by Justin Moore
06 “American Girl” by Dierks Bentley
07 Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” by Lady A
08 “I Forgive It All” by Jamey Johnson
09 I Won’t Back Down” by Brothers Osborne
10 Refugee” by Wynonna Judd & Lainey Wilson
11 “Angel Dream No. 2” by Willie Nelson & Lukas Nelson
12 Learning To Fly” by Eli Young Band
13 “Breakdown” by Ryan Hurd feat. Carly Pearce
14 “Yer So Bad” by Steve Earle
15 “Ways To Be Wicked” by Margo Price feat. Mike Campbell
16 “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” by Midland
17 “Free Fallin’” by The Cadillac Three feat. Breland
18 “I Need To Know” by Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives
19 “Don’t Come Around Here No More” by Rhiannon Giddens feat.
Silkroad Ensemble and Benmont Tench
20 “You Wreck Me (Live)” by George Strait

(Tom Petty image: cover of his ‘American Treasure’ album)