Harold William HalbertAlways one to be against the music industry and record labels, Tom Petty is back with another CD that takes a swing at authority. After the stripped down success of the 2000 release, “Echo,” wasn’t as successful, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers hit the studio to produce a CD with their unique themes to produce their 12th CD, “The Last DJ.”
The CD opens with the title track about a DJ who will not change who is, no matter what the music industry wants. He is a fan of his own freedoms and ends up sticking to his guns and buys a radio station in Mexico that plays what the DJ wants to play.
Petty’s “damn the man of the music industry” feeling is also the heart behind “Money Becomes King.” The song is like a story told in the first person about a man and his buddies who used to save their money to see their favorite artist, but as time went on, the artist becomes greedy, singing commercials for light beer, raising ticket prices and looking to impress the VIPs in attendance. The song ends with the main character leaving before the concert is over, craving the light beer with an annoying ringing his head.
“Dreamville” slows the CD down about a small town that is close to perfect. The water is blue and the ground is green. Through the lyrics, it talks about this perfect world that is “light-years” away. There is a casual reference to a blue jay in Petty’s brain, which has been described as a nod to Petty’s former Traveling Wilbury band mate and friend, the late George Harrison.
The CD gets harder with a CEO in the track, “Joe.” The idea behind the song is about one man who controls everything about entertainment, but is out to line his pockets with gold. “You get to be famous/I get to be rich” is the constant through the refrain, including lines like “Or bring me a girl/They’re always the best/You put ’em on stage/And you have ’em undress.” The song’s point gets across and carries this song enough to make it one of the best of the CD.
Evil is the theme in “When A Kid Goes Bad,” as the song is about raising a kid to be innocent, but he ends up making his family upset with his angry demeanor. The song keeps the CD going fast and presents a good commentary on youth growing up in the world, sometimes feeling all alone.
The album slows down for “Like A Diamond,” which is reminiscent of the song “Echo,” but not as catchy. The drumbeat in the background keeps the track alive, but the song fails to steal the spotlight of this CD.
The opening guitar work of “Lost Children” is enough to draw you in to the rest of the CD. It picks up where “Like A Diamond” drops off. The song slows down from the opening and comes off as a prayer about watching over almost everyone, be it “children born to chase the hurricane” or “all those travelin.'”
“Blue Sunday” is about a man and a woman, “friend at first sight,” but could very well be about a hitchhiker and a Good Samaritan. The woman takes the man to 7-eleven, buys him cigarettes and takes him on a drive on a “blue Sunday.” He sleeps in the car, but when it is time to go, he realizes he does not know her and that “When it’s time to leave you go.” The song is almost about not overstaying your welcome with something and spoiling it.
After a song about leaving when something is over, “You and Me” almost says the opposite. The song’s lyrics describe two people with nothing to give each other except the chance to give it a shot. The singer is behind the other person, promising, “You know I will go with you.” The song is very upbeat and fits on the CD.
Taking an old sounding approach, “The Man Who Loves Women” is a song that keeps the heads nodding. The song is reminiscent of an old rock song or maybe one from the Wilbury’s. The song is about a man who loves women and falling in love, but that he will have to pay the price for it one day. The old sound and the background vocals make this song enjoyable and enough to stand out on the CD.
There is no question that “Have love Will Travel” is the best song on the CD, even having a video on the CD for computer use. The song is a simple ballad, but is an obvious single with enough of a catch to get more radio play than any other track. It is the classic Petty sound mixed with brilliant writing with Petty letting the main female character that she was “the one” and his “love with travel everywhere and always.”
The CD ends with the band aiming their sites at the record executives one last time with “Can’t Stop The Sun,” warning them that they cannot stop the band just like they “can’t stop the sun from shining,” “the world from turning” and “a man from dreaming.” Lines like “You may turn off my microphone/But you can’t steal/What you can’t feel.” The last lines of the song epitomize what the band has always been about-they are a band “Who won’t give in/Who’ll rise again.”
The CD is good, never really lacking substance, but remains short on tunes that will be major hits. Gone are the days of easy hits like “Free Fallin'” or “American Girl.” There is no last dance with Mary Jane on this CD, but that, however, is not the band’s motive. They are playing what they want to play, a line from “The Last DJ,” no matter how it is received. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers are certainly one of the best and longest running bands on tour now. In a television program put out to support the CD, Petty was asked how long the band would be around. With his own sense of wit, Petty remarked, “Well, we’re booked until December,” indicating that there is no real end in sight, a dream come true for any classic rock fan.
