Damn the Torpedoes

Damn the Torpedoes is the third album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released in 1979 by MCA Records. It was released to commercial success and critical acclaim becoming the band's breakthrough album. In 2003, the album was ranked number 313 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Damn the Torpedoes was the Heartbreakers first for MCA Records. Their old label, Shelter, had been sold to MCA. Petty struggled to ... more

Damn the Torpedoes is the third album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released in 1979 by MCA Records. It was released to commercial success and critical acclaim becoming the band's breakthrough album. In 2003, the album was ranked number 313 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Damn the Torpedoes was the Heartbreakers first for MCA Records. Their old label, Shelter, had been sold to MCA. Petty struggled to legally detach himself from MCA, resulting in his bankruptcy. In the end he was forced to settle and negotiated a deal that allowed him to release his recordings on the new Backstreet Records label, manufactured and distributed by MCA. The album was recorded at Sound City in Van Nuys and Cherokee Studios in Hollywood. The title is a reference to a famous quote by Admiral David Farragut. Damn the Torpedoes was released in November of 1979 to become a commercial success along with garnering critical praise. It became a #2 hit (for seven weeks... less