Listening Post: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - The Last DJ

With the end in site, we arrive at the concept album (rock opera) about the state of the music industry, which AllMusic gave 1 star. Is it that bad?



Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - The Last DJ - 2002 (Buy It)

In 2002 I was listening to radio late one night. The DJ, Jim Ladd, was talking about the problem with management taking over the reins of all radio. How bad it really is to have all the stations owned by one corporation. How you can't fight with the suits because you can't go to a competing station, since they own them all.
The early 00's were a dark time. The suits, management, the labels, none of them knew what to do or how to control piracy which was still in it's infancy. And Ladd was going on and on and then he played this song, "the Last DJ". It made sense to me. It wasn't until I researched the album that I learned that the song was written ABOUT Ladd.
No matter. He was right. Corporate America destroyed radio. It can't gobble up the internet, can't control the blogs, so it is forced to eat itself.
And Petty made a concept album about what it was like at the time.
Is it any good?

Look, whatever you think of Petty, you gotta hand it to him. He just hates the hands that feed him. He barely suffers them. From the battles on Hard Promises to Last Dj, this is not a guy who wants the untalented unwashed to touch his music or, even, him.
Money Becomes King is like a piece of an opera. From the nosebleed seats to the over priced tickets to the heartbreaking disdain for his hero, the singer of the song laments what it's like to be a rock fan, when money became king and lite beer was the star. It's not a great tune, by far, but the sentiment and approach is somewhat more powerful than 90% of what passes for music these days.
AllMusic called "Joe" the worst song Petty ever wrote. I don't agree. It's pretty angry but it's just a screed about the music industry. Feels like it's about that fat impresario that created NSync. Is it a good? No. Is it indulgent? Yes. But I applaud Petty for writing about something with a passion.
If the album loses direction and strays from it's central theme it isn't all bad. The lush ballad "Like a Diamond" with it's infectious chorus and Lost Children aren't as unlistenable as reviewers have made this album out to be.
Some of it is quite fun, actually. Like the goofy Man who Loves Women, a terrible song, but at least Petty is trying to have a good time.
This album isn't nearly as terrible as some would have you believe.

Grade C+
A Side: The Last DJ
BlindSide: Money Became King, Dreamville, Like a Diamond, Blue Sunday
DownSide: When the Kid Goes Bad