1979-10-19
Damn The Torpedoes
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
By Maeve C.
A contract fight came before Damn the Torpedoes. When MCA acquired ABC Records, Tom Petty argued that his deal could not be transferred without his consent, went as far as declaring bankruptcy, and settled by signing with Backstreet, an MCA subsidiary.
Jimmy Iovine produced the album with Petty at Sound City in Van Nuys and Cherokee Studios in Hollywood. “Refugee” opens it, followed by “Here Comes My Girl”, while “Don’t Do Me Like That” became the first single. The record climbed to number two on the Billboard 200, held off the top by Pink Floyd’s The Wall.
Sources
Rights-holder metadata (℗ 1979 Geffen Records, Universal catalogue): release date October 19, 1979.Independent corroboration: "released on October 19, 1979"; Backstreet (MCA subsidiary); producers Iovine and Petty; Sound City and Cherokee Studios; ABC/MCA contract dispute and bankruptcy tactic; singles; Billboard 200 No. 2 behind The Wall.