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| Mudcrutch | 
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| Artist: Mudcrutch
Label: Warner Bros.
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $6.86
You Save: $12.12 (64%)
New (58) Used (17) from $5.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  82 reviews
Sales Rank: 275
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 455868
UPC: 093624987338
EAN: 0093624987338
ASIN: B0015FHDS6
Release Date: April 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A classic country rock record May 9, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
When I heard that MUDCRUTCH was an instant classic, I had my doubts. I shouldn't have--Tom Petty has done it before, has he not?--but I did. Petty, Benmont Tench, and Mike Campbell reuniting with their pre-Heartbreakers band? Exciting and interesting, yes...but perhaps a bit too much of a geezerfest?
Well, I'm an idiot for having any doubts. Mudcrutch--band and album--is great. This is a country rock record like we haven't heard since the Eagls' heyday. The album kicks off with the traditional "Shady Grove," then slides through 13 other numbers, mostly written by Petty (with one apiece from Tench and guitarist/vocalist Tom Leadon, as well as a cover of Roger McGuinn's "Lover of the Bayou" and the country classic "Six Days On the Road," plus another traditional). I won't bother going song-by-song: think of the Eagles, or the Byrds, or the Flying Burrito Brothers, or any other seventies country rock act. Then add in Tom Petty. I can definitely understand this album being called an "instant classic;" no doubt the years will prove that term correct. Whether these guys make another record or not--and I truly hope they will--this self-titled debut will serve as a reminder that great musicians come from great places. Tom Petty and company have proven once again that rock 'n roll still thrives...even if it's with a country shuffle.
The Most Recent Rock Classic! July 22, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Having been a long time follower of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, I was excited about the release of this album, mainly for nostalgic reasons. And then something curious happened... the day before the release, I lost the excitement. You see, I'm among the few Petty fans that feel his latter work blows away his more commercially aimed music of the seventies and eighties. That's right, I'll take Echo over Damn the Torpedos. There. I said it.
To me, Petty's lyrics have improved with time, and the quality of production has been much more interesting in the past 10-15 years. Because I hold this opinion, I began to fear Mudcrutch would be a throwback to his seventies style of music. But much to the contrary, Mudcrutch DOES NOT sound like mudcrutch from the seventies, but rather like a band of sometimes rowdy, sometimes bluesy, experienced rockers from the swamps of Florida. And that they are.
Bootleg Flyer and Lover of the Bayou seep and bleed with raunchy southern stomp and swagger, while Crystal River is a luscious, delightful trip on a lazy summer day. Ledon and Cambell play off each other like they've been doing this together for years. The album is full of unexpected gems like Ledon's "Queen of the go-go girls" and Tench's "This is a good street". Perhaps most impressive is the bands hoppy rendition of June Apple, delivered with an Allman-esqe style held up by the delightful shuffle of Marsh's Snare. All five musicians shine on this album, but none more than Petty whose sneering vocal on "Scare Easy" is filled with more attitude than anything he's done since "Honey Bee".
I bought the album worried I might be disappointed. Now, as I listen to it for the 100,000th time, I'm worried they won't make another one. This is album of the year for me, and I hope and pray they release another. It would also be really nice to see them play here in Georgia...
 Mudcrutch July 27, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
For an album made in 10 days it has good sound quality and the music is also of good quality, what more could you ask for? A little bit of the "Heartbreakers" sound is there but what I hear is something more down to earth almost like a great garage band playing and the neighbors are opening their windows instead of closing them.
FINE MUDCRUTCH April 30, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Being a big fan of Petty and his Heartbreakers,Wilbury's,had to give this album a listening and did like it a lot.I'm in my thirties,but well aware of 60's rock. Unaware of his pre-Heartbreaker days,though,am a new comer to the name Mudcrutch.A nice mix of original and cover songs of folky rock.From beginning to end,petty and the boys hit you with real well produced songs.Shady Grove,Scare Easy,Orphan of The Storm,The Wrong Thing to Do,Topanga Cowgirl and Bootleg Flyer highlight this rich effort of American songs.If you like Tom Petty,there is no reason not get this album.It had trademark Petty styles.It's very Pettyesque with different styles thrown in.
A solid 4.5 for rich American rock!!!
Great Musicians Having Fun Making Great Music May 4, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Mudcrutch After thirty-something years this formerly obscure Gainesville, Florida band that includes Tom Petty (bass guitar and vocals), Mike Campbell (lead guitar) and Benmont Tench (keyboards and vocals) from TPATH, plus original MUDCRUTCH members Tom Leadon (guitar and vocals) and Randall Marsh (drums) has finally released it's first album. If you are looking for a hard core, strictly rock'n'roll album typical of early TPATH records, it's time to move on. If, however, you enjoy hearing a tight rock'n'roll band venture into country, R&B, and traditional folk music intermingled with rock'n'roll, read on.
"MUDCRUTCH" explores swamp, stomp, twang, and Southern psychedelic elements intermixed with rock'n'roll throughout its 14 tracks. Early influences on the band are represented by several of the capably-performed covers that are included: "Six Days on The Road" previously done by the Flying Burrito Brothers and others, and "Lover of the Bayou" by Roger McGuinn and the Byrds. The frogs audible at the beginning of "Lover of the Bayou" performed gratis and are not credited in the liner notes. Tom Leadon reprised the only original MUDCRUTCH song on the album "Queen of the Go-Go Girls", which has a country sound and recounts numerous gigs played by the band during the early 1970s at Dubs, a topless bar and steakhouse in Gainesville.
The band's rendition of an old Applachian folk song "Shady Grove" is beautifully done with Petty and Leadon sharing lead vocals and harmony. They are familiar enough with each other from the early days such that their phrasing and harmonies sound as if they have been singing together for much longer than is actually the case. Playing bass appears to free up Petty to do some of the most interesting vocals that he has shared with us in years. The arrangement, guitar work and keyboards on another old traditional song "June Apple" are all right on.
New original songs including "Scare Easy", "The Wrong Thing To Do", and "Bootleg Flier" are enjoyable and reminiscent of earlier TPATH songs. Another new song "House of Stone" reflects Tom's appreciation of good country music played by a capable band (versus "country music" played by bad rock bands with a fiddle)."Orphan of the Storm" is another new song with a country sound that is noteworthy. The distinctive beat and great bass work of "Topanga Cowgirl" has made it one of my favorite tracks on the album. The album also features a nice lead vocal done by Benmont Tench on an upbeat rock song that he wrote for the album "This Is a Good Street". Additionally, Benmont's fantastic keyboard work throughout makes a significant contribution to every track. The epic "Crystal River" may not survive being cut for radio play because of its length, but it alone is worth the price of the album. After multiple plays, I come away convinced that there is not a single weak track on the album.
The best endorsement for buying this album may be Mike Campbell's comment that it is his favorite of all of the albums that he has contributed to. This from a musician that may well be the best lead guitarist working today. The entire album was done in ten days at Petty's home studio in Malibu without a single overdub on any of the fourteen tracks. "There are no ornaments," Campbell says of the music. "We performed without headphones in the studio, all live takes, playing in a circle." The members of MUDCRUTCH really enjoyed making this music and it clearly shows.
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