He's had a good career. His voice is barely discernible from Dylan's. The songs I like from Petty include: "I Won't Back Down," "Refugee," and "Learning to Fly." "Free Falling" so overplayed and I'm sick of it.

I've never understood the appeal. . .and yes Tom, I 'know how it feels'. . .

A handful of decent tunes in a 30 year career doesnt warrant more than 2 stars. After 'American Girl' it's been pretty much downhill all the way. Of course the biggest handicap is having a voice that sounds like he's in the bog straining after several weeks of chronic constipation.

Nothing this guy ever did sounded original. It seems like he's always trying to copy some other artist, and not very good artists at that.

I always had mixed feelings about Petty. When he first came onto the scene, I thought he was a corporate-designed response to punk-rock/new-wave, a lightweight who had stolen the name of his band from the former NY Doll Johnny Thunders. I never found Petty's stuff actively distasteful, but most of it I found bland, and far too overplayed. Some of his songs stand out, though, in my opinion. I absolutely love "Don't Come Around Here No More" and "I Need To Know." Not my favorite performer, but there have been far, far worse over the years. Let me put it this way...if his stuff comes on over the radio, I don't turn it off. From me, that's high praise indeed these days.

i give this man credit. in the 1970's when rock and roll began to divide into genres, Tom Petty came out of the box w/a traditional rock sound that still sneered as good as any Sex Pistols album. uneven overall, Tom Petty and the HEartbreakers are responsible for some of the finest late 1970's-1980's rock on the radio. the music was classic. it got even better when Petty branched out from the band and recorded Full Moon Fever(1988) incorporating his love of spectorish 1960's rock and Jeff Lynne inspired Beatles structurings, and Wildflowers(1994) a out and out stoner rock classic of an album. the band came back strong with Echo, probably the best TP&Hrs; album since 1982. the Last DJ, on the other hand, showed this band was begining to crack and show their age. not too shabby to begin showing age around 50.

Tom Petty's music ranges in categories and styles He has a song for everyone young and old. I don't think I have heard a song from him that I didn't like

I love most of the songs this man has come out with, they are truly original and sound great. I liked the older stuff alot better than his newer stuff, but overall he is ok. Am curious what his next album will sound like.

take a bath, comb your hair out of your eyes, get your teeth fixed.

Never liked Tom Petty. I want to pass him a box of Kleenex so he can blow his nose and cough up the phlegm so maybe he won't sing so nasally. His popularity astounds me.

4 stars just for "Mary Jane's Last Dance."

Consistently good. He has always done his own thing and done it well. He does not get the credit he deserves.

A great modern-day Bob Dylan. Great songs and he never seems to get dull as he gets older. In fact his songs seem to be more fun to listen to.

The story telling ability of Bob Dylan, with a voice to match. HEY, MY 500TH COMMENT!

petty thief by record company, tom put a stop to it!

The man, the band, is great. If you haven't really listened to them, go to the used record store, pop the $3 for an old albulm, and prepare to be blown away.

Any son of a !#&@!%& who does not love Tom petty and the Heartbreakers music, and cant fathom the pure magic, integrity, and wisdom that idwells the sacred chords and voice of the ultimate Mad Hatter of Rock'n'roll, can go poop on a popsicle and suck on it till they puke up their own entrails (consisting of clueless teeny boppers or talentless "hardcore rock" bands who beat up on their guitars with no melody or structure, spouting out ignorance at the drop of a hat!) Petty is the zenith of Rock n ROLL!! He is the real deal and rocks with the best of them! Nuff Said! Gotta go look at myself in the mirror now, later!

Poor Tom, never got over that Wulberry sound

Tom Petty is hands down THE greatest songwriter/singer ever. All one has to do is listen to his lyrics and they will understand the 5-star rating. I would not give this rating lightly. There is no one who even comes CLOSE to Tom Petty (& the Heartbreakers) with the possible exception of the Beatles. He is an American treasure, and still going strong after 25 years!!!

When i think of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers i think of pure American rock and roll that will never grow old. I enjoy his solo work, but his work with the Heartbreakers is awesome. Not only is Tom a great musician, but each of the heartbreakers are excellent musicians- Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Howie Epstein, etc. Pure , straight-ahead rock and roll. Highly recommend "Damn the torpedoes"- a shot in the arm that the late 70's needed.

wow....this amazes me. ova 200 votes and a 2.80 rating? what in tha hell? britney and nsync rated higher than tom petty? are they rated higher than tha beatles too? jesus. wish some of these 14 year olds who rated tom petty terrible actually posted a reason here as to why. tom petty and the heartbreakers are rock n roll legends. their career spans nearly 30 years and they are yet to compromise what they stand for or do. never have they tried to blend in with conventional mainstream, yet continue to put out extremely meaningful, emotionally relevant and relatable ablums. toms writing gets better and better with each one, and the band continues to grow together to the point that they should be held on a pedestal by any new band just starting out today. if this rating does not improve, im sorry....but im gonna hafta label this site a teenie-bopper joke....

Yeah, they don't do a lot of self promotion....but then again they dont really need to!! Great working band, hope they never change! If your missing them.....well I feel sorry for you!

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers have shown that they are no one hit wonder! Through the years, their music has been consistently good. Lyrically, I'm amazed every time a new album comes out. Musically, I'm in awe of Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench. Hot DAMN these fellows rock! A five star rating is what they get from me!

Tom Petty is an American icon, and he Got Lucky not being thrust into the common - pop - mainstream. His live performances are incredible & the band has been tight for so many years - They didn't get voted into the R&R Hall of Fame for nothing, y'know! Go see them on tour this year - You won't ever regret it- and some of you may re-think your votes here!

What a great Musician and songwriter!!! He is Great!!

I Love Tom Petty!!!!!

Tom Petty is the most excellent sondwriter musician I have ever had the pleasure of not only listening to but seeing live and meeting. What a wonderful person he is!! Tom Petty is an American icon in Rock 'n' Roll history and we all need to pay him the respect he deserves!! Definatley a big 5 star rating from me!!

Tom Petty is a living God of modern rock music! If I ever were a dictator I would ban all other music and force people to listen to Petty all the time! (just kidding!) His sound is always fresh, his lyrics smart and his sense of humor somehow always finds room to pass through in his records. Everything Petty has done deserves some merit. From his first "Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers" album to the 1979 classic single "Refugee", to his 1989 solo album "Full Moon Fever" and evrything before and after you can find little rock'n'roll diamonds all over his work! Don't forget about his participation in the "Travelling Wilburrys" project in the 1980's -'90s.

I always liked Tom Petty because he never seemed like the flashy, high-maintenence rocker with the mansions and the rolls royces for every day of the week. To me, he always appeared to be the kind of guy you could talk with over an esspresso, or down shots with at the local pub. Yer average lanky, flaxen-haired, blue-jean-wearing, guitar-toting guy. Granted, his musical ability gives him plenty of excuse to wear feather boas and talk down to everyone, but Tom never really lost that "I'm just one of you only on stage" quality. I love him. Some of my fondest days were spent sitting on my front steps in the summer heat, listening to American Girl on my transistor with a bottle of Coke.

tom petty and the heartbreakers are THE ultimate band. no, this isn't sickening hero worship like you beatles fans, it's the truth. their music doesn't try to be too insightful, though it doesn't lack purpose, but it is by no means crap pop music. and even though i haven't counted it towards the final rating, (after all it's based on musical ability), he is, along with Bob Dylan, the best dressed musician ever. anyone who owns the 'High Grass Dogs' video filmed live at the Fillmore will know what i mean. also if you can find a copy of Take the Highway buy it, rent it, steal it, whatever it takes, just watch it, it's the greatest show on earth.

The man can ROCK!!! I see him every time he comes to town and I am never disappointed!

I love Tom Petty, he's one of the greatest song writers ever. He has managed to keep it simple but spectacular since the beginning. But where the heck can I get guitar tabs for Free Girl from his CD Echos. Nobody seems to have transcribed anything from it yet and I'm too drunk to figure out Free Girl. Any suggestions?

"It's good to be king and have your own way, Get a feeling of peace at the end of the day." -- Tom Petty . . . Enough Said. . . Mikey A Complex Kid http://mp3.com/acomplexkid

He's had a successful career, from 1976 to now, staying on the charts, and that's quite a feat. I must say that I've gotten quite tired of "Free-Fallin'" and "Refugee", but I still love tunes like "Learning To Fly", "Into the Great Wide Open", and "I Won't Back Down". He's invented a great distinctive American sound.

There sure is some real crap rated higher. Are these people for real? Rating Britney Spears, The Cars, etc. higher? WOW! Tom is the essential rock musician. There is very few people who are better, certainly not the 90+ all these folks picked higher.

I used to think Tom Petty was OK but a little dull. Then, maybe in college, I finally started to appreciate his music a little more. Nothing flashy, nothing too innovative, just good music you don’t easily get sick of. And you have to respect the fact that this guy has been at it for a long, long time. His “Greatest Hits” CD is a decent place to start, but if you’re just going to buy one Tom Petty CD I’d recommend “Pack Up the Plantation,” kind of a “Greatest Hits”-type CD, but live.

awesome great cool dude

Great musician, interesting videos.....needs to eat a steak or something, but talented nonetheless.

Tom petty is by far the absolute best musician of all times as far as I'm concerened. Once I saw him at the Fillmore in 1999, I got a whole new perspective on him and his music. Don't listen to just the hits, every song they have is as good as any single. If you can, definitly see them live, if not, watch High Grass Dogs. Awesome performance! Best album, Well...I can't decide!

The greatest. A real natural-born musician.

Full Moon Fever is great.

Great with the Heartbreakers. Wildflowers wasn't a bad solo effort. He's been missing a lot more in recent years, but he's certainly turned out his share of quality tunes over the years. Damn The Torpedoes is an incredible release.

The best

He's a rock'n'roll great! I saw him live at the Merriweather Post Pavilion, in Columbia Maryland this October. One of the best shows I've ever seen!