UNDERRATED ALBUMS: Great Album, Scary Cover

Tom Petty's blockbuster Greatest Hits CD was a neat collection of his hits from 1976 to 1993, and he had more than a few. But he has been an even more dependable album artist than hitmaker, especially now that mainstream radio has relegated him to the pop nursing home along with Paul McCartney and James Taylor. Petty has never released a bad album, a major accomplishment that often goes unnoticed. But if an album doesn't launch any hit singles, it's going to get short shrift, and one album was not represented at all by Greatest Hits.

That album was Let Me Up (I've Had Enough), an effort that failed to catch fire in 1987. The album's lead single, "Jammin' Me," made a disappointing showing (by Petty's standards), as did other singles from the record. "Jammin' Me", co-written by Petty with Bob Dylan and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, isn't Petty's best, but it's a solid, meat-and-potatoes rocker that still sounds better than most artists on their best days.

The rest of Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) is just as strong, and usually more interesting. "Runaway Trains" is the most modern-sounding song on the album, and therefore, the most dated. But ignore the synthesizers, and it's one of the finer Petty/Campbell compositions. "It'll All Work Out" is a pretty ballad, chiming with acoustic guitars and mandolin. The rest of the album is mostly stripped-down rock, the Heartbreakers' forte, the highlights being "Think About Me," the raucous title track, and the Johnny Cash-inspired "Self Made Man."

The Heartbreakers, who produced the album themselves, were somewhat disappointed by the final product. Drummer Stan Lynch complained that many of the best tracks were left off (he has a point; check out the Playback boxed set to hear some of them). But Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) is probably the simplest and loosest album of Petty's post Southern Accents career. No concept, no orchestras, no Jeff Lynne, just Petty and co. ripping it up as only they can do. Had enough? Never.

TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "It'll All Work Out" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
AVAILABLE ON: Let Me Up (I've Had Enough); iTunes