Marty Stuart on Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers:

@bdp24:

"I know when I make my own statements (as apposed to Marty making his), I should use the term "my favorite" instead of "the best". But to tell you the truth, I choose to do that for a reason: I do it when I feel to do so is the only way I can make the point I am trying to make as dramatically as possible"

Well, OK-- at least you're aware of what you're doing. But there is so much hyperbole tossed around online and so many posters actually seem to believe that 1) if they like something it must therefore be "great" and 2) that art is a competition, like sports, that whenever I see such language used, I automatically assume the poster is just another aesthetically naive individual and move on. Others will no doubt respond differently.  

@roxy54:  

"...this is America, and in the USA, everything must be a contest, and there MUST be a number 1, a winner. That's probably one of the most unattractive things about American culture..."

So true, unfortunately and the stubborn persistence of this cultural attitude is evidenced by the "Best Of" category in this very forum!

As to Marty Stuart's assertion, well, that's a matter of taste.  If one is going to hold up Tom Petty, then why not J. C. Mellancamp?  Seems to me, JCM is every bit as good a songwriter as TP.  And it seems to me that it could be argued that neither is a better songwriter than Springsteen. 

For the record, none of them are favorites of mine. I don't have a horse in this race. My point is that I don't see, from a critical standpoint, how M. Stuart's assertion holds up, except as an expression of his admiration for T. Petty. 

... which brings us ful circle, back to the tendency for us to automatically conflate what we like with what is "good"...

Even though he isn't a showboat, Marty Stuart knows his way around a Telecaster and mandolin.

I remember a friend really into Tom Petty when he was still playing the local LA clubs-1976? Always reminding me to see him next show. Saw them on the "You're Gonna Get It" tour 1978, also my favorite TP album.

IMO, TP & the HB's were on the top of their game first 4-5 albums. I lost interest after "Damn the Torpedoes."

"The BEST?"  Marty Stuart must have some secret LP's that were never released to the general public.

@bdp24:

" Both The Band and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers toured with Dylan, and live recordings of some shows were released on albums. Compare the two. Both bands are playing similar music, in some cases the same songs. Which band do you think is "better"? Feel free to answer below."

I'd argue that these two bands had quite different perspectives. 

Tom Petty was very journalistic-- he reported on his direct experience of the nitty gritty school of hard knocks. He reported from deep within the belly of the beast and was able to make the listener feel they werer right there with him. He was a great, visceral  communicator of what was happening in the moment.

By contrast, as I see it, The Band viewed American culture as if from a mountain top and they seemed more interested in what might be termed a mythical dimension of America. Robbie Robertson's lyrics have more of the sense of a great novelist who creates and manipulates characters. It strikes me as a more "literary" approach. To what degree this might've been influenced by the fact he's Canadian is a question I'll leave for the more erudite to debate. 

My 2 cents...

stuartk,
I think that your view of these two bands is very interesting and thought provoking. I never thought of it in that way, but reading your words, I have to agree.

Excellent insights into the lyrics of J.R. Robertson, @stuartk!

Speaking of the American aspect: One reason I hold The Band in much higher regard than TP & THB is because of the depth of their musical roots. Organist Garth Hudson is a profound musician with an encyclopedic knowledge and appreciation of American Jazz and European Classical musics. Drummer/singer Levon Helm is deeply rooted in Blues and Hillbilly, having grown up listening to both musics on the radio in Arkansas. His first pro gig was as drummer in 50's Rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins band (the source of course for The Band's first name, The Hawks.)---Robertson's too. Bassist/singer Rick Danko loved traditional Country/Hillbilly, hearing it on The Grand Old Opry way up in Canada. Pianist/singer Richard Manuel had one of the greatest voices in the entire history of Rock 'n' Roll, deeply influenced by Ray Charles, Bobby Bland, and the other 50's black singers.

Not to downplay the talents of TP & THB, but to me they sound far less "substantial". They sound like a "suburban" group to me---the sound of which I am very familiar, if you know what I mean. Individually, they are rather ordinary. Pianist Benmont Tench has almost no style, nothing that makes his playing special .Reminds me of Paul Shaffer ;-) . The bassist and drummer, although sufficient, again: no distinctive style, no personality. Guitarist Mike Campbell is not bad, though I don't much care for his tone (too "thick", too distorted.). And Tom? I really don't like his voice, and the way he writes his songs in keys which require him to strain to reach the highest notes in the song melodies. And he sounds entirely too "white" for my tastes; not much soul or depth.

But that's just me. Sorry for sounding so negative, it's all good. I would say there is no bad music, but then there's Black Sabbath. ;-)