Mudcrutch

I'm amused at the way people say things like "worth the 30 year wait," as though people have been holding their breath for a Mudcrutch reunion. The truth is, this doesn't sound much like the original Mudcrutch, as can be heard on the box set Playback. The original Mudcrutch sounded a lot like the early Heartbreakers, and for good reason: the core of the band, Petty, Campbell, and Tench, were working together. The reunion of Mudcrutch is actually a much more democratic band. Petty was and remains the leader, but he lets Leadon and Marsh take more of the spotlight here. The songs are more countrified and traditionalist, and the album is mixed in a way that allows every instrument its own space, so all five personalities show through very clearly.

What this reminds me of is not so much the original Mudcrutch or Heartbreakers - but the Traveling Wilburys. The Wilburys existed because the musicians involved wanted to enjoy making music in a loose environment, to play without the pressures of their exisiting careers, and to enjoy playing as friends, and that's exactly what we've got here. The best part of this album is the sound of five friends making music for all the right reasons.

It's not a perfect cd. Some of the songs kind of blur together, "Crystal River" is a bit overlong at nine and a half minutes, "Queen of the Go-Go Girls" is kind of weak, and the melody of "Oh Maria" is too much like "Lost Children" from The Last DJ. Still, the criticisms pale in comparison to the virtues: Mike Campbell remains the absolute best guitar player out there, always playing the perfect part for the song. Tench still has that perfect touch on the keyboards. And Leadon and Marsh are no slouches themselves, more than acquitting themselves among their legendary former bandmates.

There are some really good songs here. "Scare Easy" is strong latter-day Petty, and "The Wrong Thing to Do" has lyrics that are absolutely vintage Petty. The main highlights of the album, for me, though, come towards the end. The cover of "The Lover of the Bayou" is probably the closest to what the original Mudcrutch was all about. The Petty-penned "Topanga Cowgirl" is the best on the album, and the Petty/Campbell "Bootleg Flyer" is also a good swinging rocker.

It's clear, especially after having seen the documentary Runnin' Down a Dream, just how much the act of making music means to Petty and the other members of the band. Ultimately, it's this love of making music that made this album happen, and it's that spirit that elevates it from being just some side project. As with the Wilbury CDs, it's the intangible sense of joy that comes through the most, making this another strong entry in the brilliant Petty catalog.

In the early `70s a young band from Gainesville loaded up the van, drove to southern California, got signed, and cut a single that went nowhere. The record company liked the singer though, a skinny bass player, so the band reformulated around him and was rechristened Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The rest, as they say...

Recently Petty got the old band together--- moving back to bass, bringing along Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell, and enlisting original drummer Randall Marsh and singer-guitarist Tom Leadon, and the result is this record. It is a joy, the best one Petty has made in years. Mudcrutch is almost a time capsule, harkening back to that place and time when the Gram Parsons Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, and Eagles were inventing Country Rock in the late `60s and early `70s (they cover both the Byrds and the Burritos, and Leadon's brother was an Eagle.)

When the first Petty record came out in '76, the jangle of "American Girl" did indeed have critics making Byrds comparisons (and McGuinn covering the song soon after didn't hurt.) Mudcrutch is far more solidly encamped in country rock than the Heartbreakers were, kind of like an alternate universe without the New Wave flavor. In concert at the Fillmore they were loose and easy, the whole band clearly having a blast, playing the whole record plus 2 Dylan covers and encoring with three classic 50s rockers. And Tom Leadon was the happiest guy west of the Mississippi.

Petty does most, but not all of the singing; Campbell is his usual spot-on perfect self, and he and Leadon manage to rekindle the twin-guitar sound that they surely honed playing dives and topless bars in the early `70s (hence "Queen of the Go-Go Girls.) Tench lays down his honky tonk boogie woogie throughout the record.

There is precedent for this sound in the Heartbreakers early work; songs like "Magnolia" or "What Are You Doing in My Life" could fit easily into the Mudcrutch oeuvre and both point toward this alternate universe, and the Heartbreakers have covered "The Image of Me," also covered by the Burritos, on the Playback box.

In concert, Mudcrutch played "Crystal River" as the second-to-last song of the set. ("This is a song about a river that runs through Florida," said Petty, "and occasionally my mind.") It is a long simmering percolation, a sort of power ballad that feels like it is about to turn into "White Bird" at almost every turn. Petty's bass anchors the groove, while Campbell embarks on some divine exploratory guitar work with Leadon. I've seen others compare this song to the Allman Brothers, but to me the touchstone is Neil Young's "Down by the River." At nine minutes it is the set piece of the record.

The triumph here is simple--- a record that sounds like fun, that you want to put on at your next summer barbeque, that manages to sound straight out of 1974 without sounding retro. It is one of the best records of the year, and I wouldn't object too strenuously at all to Mudcrutch II.

Put in the CD Changer on shuffle with: Desparado, Sweethearts of the Rodeo, The Gilded Palace of Sin, You're Gonna Get It

What I enjoy the most with "Mudcrutch". Is that it feels and certainly sounds as though everyone is having a great time. The music is loose and filled with groove and tasty instinctive playing by Tom Leadon (Bernie Leadon's brother. ie; see The Eagles) and Mike Campbell. While Benmont Tench, Randall Marsh and Tom Petty all lock into a very solid backing rhythm and beat. That sounds as though it is felt. Not just played by numbers. Good musicians playing good music.
There is an optimism in Tom Petty's lyrics throughout. A bar-band feel. But, also a sentiment, a yearning. He is a great, great songwriter.
It is simply a tasty record. There is a freedom to Tom Petty's tone and very satisfied vocal delivery. He just sounds like he is happy and hanging out with some old friends.
I have listened to it repeatedly and I enjoy it more and more as the songs gain familiarity. The Byrds, "Lover Of The Bayou" is great! Benmont takes a lead vocal spot on one of his own tunes, " This Is A Good Street". It is one of my favorites on the record. He has a really cool voice. Tom Leadon also contributed an original in, "Queen Of The Go-Go Girls". His voice is alot like his brother's. Which is good thing.
"Crystal River" is a new classic! It's an emotionally melodic taste of his true southern spirit, like nothing I have heard TP tap into before. With a graceful, Grateful Dead/American Beauty-ish type of flow.
Plus, "Orphan Of The Storm". This tune is like the long lost CCR tune. Randall Marsh swings with a really sweet driven groove and flow. "Shady Grove" is a traditional bluegrass number that is spun off here with exactly the type of back-porchy type of feeling it was first conceived on a long, long time ago somewhere far away. But, not too far from Gainesville Florida where these guys first found their way.

So far, one of my favorite records of the past 5 years. I repeat, 5 YEARS! And one I have been really excited about hearing upon release. Dig in. I love it!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 93 reviews  4.6 out of 5 stars