Been a lot of "Huey was fun and great - Petty was overrated - who was he to criticize???" comments...
Well. Huey Lewis probably not in line to have a 4 hour documentary made about him by a well-respected film director. I'm not sure how many takers there would be for a book called "Conversations with Huey Lewis" where the vast proportion of the pages are dedicated to the craft of songwriting. I am not sure how many obituaries will mourn the passing of an American Great when Huey Lewis dies. I am not convinced that there will be dozens of artists regularly performing covers of his songs in their shows in the wake of his death. But I could be wrong. Long may he live, by the way.
Tom is entirely free to have his own opinion. However, I think anyone in a position like that should realize that someone is going to call him mainstream sell-out over-produced garbage. And someone is going to call *that* musician inauthentic. And someone is going to call *that* musician artistically compromised. Once you go down that rabbit hole, you can never be "pure" enough, in the eyes of one group or another. Personally, I'll listen to Huey Lewis. It's catchy. I'll listen to Tom Petty. I'll listen to Johnny Cash. I'll listen to Metal Machine Music. I'll listen to whatever I like. I don't really care what anyone else likes.
I always thought Tom Petty was a poor man's Mcguinn/Springsteen/Dylan wannabe. Nothing special, really. Typical "rock format" stuff. Had a handful of good songs, but one of the most over-rated acts ever. So, it's fun to hear him speak about "production line" music. But, who knows, he could have been a nice guy, too. But it all comes around, doesn't it? He was very, very successful and housewives and dads and teenagers bought it like he was something great. Still do. And that is what makes the world go 'round. Personally, I find it kind of fun when musicians talk negatively about others in their field of work. Then we all get to choose our sides and circle the wagons. If the music moves ya in a good way, that's all that matters.
Yeah, Huey and Tom Jones. What's funny is that if Tom Petty were still alive, he wouldn't even remember saying that about Huey Lewis. It was one of a hundred thousand questions that he had to answer. There are threads about what Lennon said about ____ and what Keith Richards said about ____ and really who gives a flying $%#^? One thing I"ve noticed on the forum is that music and musicians that I've considered garbage all of my life and revered here by many people. So it just goes to show ya, one man's garbage is another man's treasure!
Tom Petty is an all time great. Huey Lewis is a footnote. Not sure why this is even up for debate...as with everything, people have their opinions, but this has already been decided.
True. However they did kinda market him that way a bit at 1st. Likely due to a few factors; the 1st 2 album covers had a slight New Wave/Punk appearance, & since he was influenced by the Byrds/Roger McGuinn, there was a jangle pop sound to his albums, so that fit in with the New Wave marketing at the time. Record companies will try anything to sell records.
TP thinks the Monkees are one of the greatest American Bands in popular music history.(And yes, they are an American Band w/ Jones). So his opinion has my ultimate respect.
This is neither here nor there, as I respect both artists, but I own more (and would much rather listen to) Huey Lewis records than Petty's. So I'm not sure why Petty's opinion should be taken more seriously than anyone else's. We all are entitled to like what we like. Not just Tom. Best to not throw stones and instead just enjoy your own windows. For all of our windows are made of glass.
I don't think anyone here claims the labeling of Petty as Punk or New Wave was accurate, and those classifications indeed look silly/bizarre 40+ years later. But that's where he occasionally got plopped back then!
Sonic Youth had zero "Hot 100" chart hits in the US, though they had a handful on the Alternative chart. They did better in your neck of the woods, with 3 singles that cracked the top 30. I never realized they had any hits ANYWHERE - I always thought they were total "underground band" territory! Anyway, I remain pretty sure the "Hits Are For Squares" title meant to self-mock their lack of traditional chart success...
People say crap when they're young. Tom's gone, Huey Lewis suffers from hearing issues that prevent him from ever performing again. Let's let it go. Lots of people loved Huey Lewis. I don't have any of his albums, but I loved the use of "The Power of Love" in Back to the Future. So great.
even at the time we referred to that as the "skinny tie syndrome". yes, marketing. so as i went about my business this AM i had a song echoing through my head that i had't heard in at least 25 years ( thankfully ). was it any of these gems i still remember and love? "Strangered in the Night - American Girl - I Need to know - Listen to Her Heart"?? No! it was "Heart of Rock and Roll" by Huey Lewis and the News. ( DETROIT! ) i hold each and every one of you personally responsible! irrespective of where you stand in this ( non ) debate. Ha!
I hate to sir up the pot again, but I noticed something else. Bashing other musicians seems to be a largely male thing. Except for Joni Mitchell and a few gen xers, women don't seem to really participate in that kind of thing. Speaking of Joni Mitchell, while I don't approve of of her comments, she seems to get a lot more heat for her critical remarks then the men do.
The hits that Phil and Huey cranked out in the 80s were prodigious. They tested great. Believe it or not, just because you're a big name doesn't mean you're popular. Michael Jackson and Madonna always tested poorly; their pop personas overrode the tunes. This was my station: wkrq.wordpress.com; that's my blog.