10 Amazing Bouncebacks In Rock History
3. Damn the Torpedoes - Tom Petty
As the '70s reached its end, Tom Petty finally seemed to be on the right track. While albums like his self-titled debut and You're Gonna Get It helped him build up some steam, he really seemed to have a hit on his hands when he got around to making Damn the Torpedoes. Not an bad position to be in...too bad the record company got in the way though.
In the middle of the sessions, Petty was also fighting a battle with his record company, who were stealing the copyright to his songs right under his nose. It's not uncommon for acts like this to sign a bad deal with they're young, but it's even more rare when they come out on the other side with their property. During all the proceedings, Petty managed to play the legal game with MCA records, filing for bankruptcy and even going so far as to hide the masters of his new album so that the lawyers couldn't seize his material.
The win ended up being that much sweeter when Damn the Torpedoes became the most profitable album of his career, giving the Heartbreakers hit singles like Refugee, Here Comes My Girl, and Don't Do Me Like That. Even though this industry can be a fickle business, Petty wrote the textbook on how the strong can survive.