NEW LP
New sealed copy. 2017 remastered reissue.
Hard Promises is the fourth studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released on May 5, 1981 on Backstreet Records. Its original working title was Benmont's Revenge, referring to the band's keyboard player, Benmont Tench. The album features guest vocals from Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac on the duet "Insider". The Heartbreakers also recorded the hit "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" for Nicks' album Bella Donna around the time Hard Promises was recorded.
This was the second Tom Petty album on the Backstreet Records label. The album's release was delayed while Petty and his distributor MCA Records argued about the list price. The album was slated to be the next MCA release with the new list price of $9.98, following Steely Dan's Gaucho and the Olivia Newton-John/Electric Light Orchestra Xanadu soundtrack. This so-called "superstar pricing" was $1.00 more than the usual list price of $8.98. Petty voiced his objections to the price hike in the press and the issue became a popular cause among music fans. Non-delivery of the album or naming it Eight Ninety-Eight were considered, but eventually MCA decided against the price increase.
Hard Promises was the last full album to feature bassist Ron Blair until Mojo, although he would make guest appearances on Long After Dark and Southern Accents and, after rejoining the band in 2002, played on select tracks on The Last DJ. He was replaced by Howie Epstein, who continued to play until his removal in 2002 due to deteriorating health. In 2000 it was voted number 968 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.
TRACKLIST:
A1 The Waiting
A2 A Woman In Love (It's Not Me)
A3 Nightwatchman
A4 Something Big
A5 Kings Road
B1 Letting You Go
B2 A Thing About You
B3 Insider
B4 The Criminal Kind
B5 You Can Still Change Your Mind
