Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers nail it on 1976 debut

• The band's debut album rose to No. 55 on the US music charts, and No. 24 in the UK.
• The record has earned gold certification in the US.
• The album boasts three singles: "Breakdown," "Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll" and "American Girl."

Unless you're incredibly lucky, or incredibly skilled, it's unlikely your debut album is going to be a front-to-back winner.

You have to have the songs. You have to have the sound. You have to have the pacing (never underestimate the power of sequencing).

And it helps to have the talent, too.

On Nov. 9, 1976, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers released their self-titled debut album, and it's solid all the way through.

The initial reactions to it were positive, but it wasn't exactly a chart climber or a source of radio hits at the time of release. It took success in Europe and building a solid following through touring for a year before the album cracked the charts.

Maybe it just got lost in the mix. Also released around this time in 1976 were:

• Styx's "Crystal Ball" album. Released on Oct. 1, the album includes "Mademoiselle," "Crystal Ball" and "Shooz." This record was the debut of Tommy Shaw as guitarist and vocalist with the band, kicking off the group's classic lineup.
• The Scorpions' "Virgin Killer" album. Released on Oct. 9, the album cover drew more controversy than the songs on the album. Still, if you only have so many column inches, you probably chose the cover controversy over a debut album.
• ABBA's "Arrival" album. Released on Oct. 11, this record made the group global superstars. It features the hits "Dancing Queen," "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and "Money, Money, Money." Around this time, ABBA became one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, groups in the world.
• Elton John's "Blue Moves" was released on Oct. 22. This was John's second double album, and it ended up climbing pretty high on the charts. The best known-track on this one is "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word."
• Led Zeppelin's "The Song Remains the Same" was released on Oct. 22, also. As a soundtrack to the concert film, this release arguably signals the end of Led Zeppelin's world dominance. "In Through the Out Door" and "Coda" would follow, and none of these last three albums stand among the band's best work.

That's some pretty stiff competition, right? There's more! Also in October, Kansas released "Leftoverture," which features "Carry On Wayward Son." George Harrison (Petty's future bandmate in The Traveling Wilburys) released "Thirty-Three & ⅓" on Nov. 24 in the U.S. Jackson Browne's great "The Pretender" also was issued in November.

To wrap up the year, The Eagles released their masterpiece "Hotel California" on Dec. 8, Queen released the splendid "A Day at the Races" album (featuring "Somebody to Love") on Dec. 10, and Paul McCartney and Wings released "Wings Over America" (a triple live album) on Dec. 10, too.

Whew.

It's hard to make a splash with a debut album on a smaller label (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers were signed to Shelter Records) with that kind of competition, especially heading into the holiday-shopping season.

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I promise you, it wasn't a lack of great material or great performances that kept Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers off the charts at first.

Even the most casual of fans know the songs "Breakdown" and "American Girl." These are anthems, fan favorites, concert mainstays. They deserve all the praise that gets showered on them, they are great American rock classics.

But the debut album features many other great songs. Opener "Rockin' Around (With You)" establishes the band's credentials, with punchy drums, a jumping bass line and harmonized vocals. The band sounds so fully formed already.

And there's "The Wild One, Forever" and "Strangered in the Night" that stand as the blueprints for the slower rock anthems ("The Wild One, Forever") and the zippy guitar pieces ("Strangered in the Night") that the band would hone and perfect on albums to come.

Two of my favorite tracks on the record are "Hometown Blues" and "Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll," which I first heard on the band's box set "Playback." I picked up the box set in the early 2000s, to fill in gaps after falling in love with the albums "Wildflowers," "Songs and Music from 'She's the One'," "Echo" and their greatest hits.

Hearing these songs, experiencing that box set, convinced me to pick up all the early albums.

Have you heard "Hometown Blues" and "Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll?" If not, check them out. Seriously, I'll wait, give them a listen.

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"Hometown Blues" almost has this old 1950s feel in the intro, a skiffle bop meter to it. But the vocals are so urgent, so earnest, it's not a period piece that recalls bygone days. It's a perfect juxtaposition of style and substance, sounding retro while still being valid.

That track tends to be included on any CD or playlist that I make for folks who want to dig deeper into the band's materials after they've gone through the hits. It's punchy, it's fun and it's almost impossible not to sing along with the "blue-oo-oos" refrain. 

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And then there's "Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll," just one heck of a great rock number. When the album was released, some folks tried to slot the record and the band into "New Wave" in the post-punk soundscape. But man, the group always was rock and roll, southern accents and all.

Listen to the vocal interplay when it comes to the chorus, that's as traditional a vocal arrangement as you can get. And it rocks, it packs energy.

Is every track on the album a gem? Well, I'm not terribly infatuated with "Mystery Man" or "Luna," but the songs are never less than tuneful, they are never less than enjoyable. And to do all of that on a debut album? That's impressive.

And here we are, almost 40 years after the album's release. Tom Petty may be touring with Mudcrutch (a pre-Heartbreakers band that features Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench) right now, but Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers remain an active musical powerhouse. The group has released 13 studio albums together (Petty has issued three solo records, and Mudcrutch just released a second album), and they continue to be a touring juggernaut.

Looking for a good time? Give the Wilburys a try

And it all started here, with these early songs, these album tracks and fan favorites.

Hey, you know, "Breakdown" really is all right!

Go ahead, guys, give it to me.

This is the opinion of music enthusiast Chris Shields. Follow him on Twitter @clshields1980. Read more at www.sctimes.com/cshields.

Tom Petty is many things, but he's not second tier