His Back Pages.

Mudcrutch was the band seventeen year old Tom Petty played with on the Gainesville, Florida bar circuit back in the early seventies. They never recorded an album and broke up shortly after they moved to California in 1975. After waxing nostalgic about the band in the Peter Bogdanovich directed bio-film “Running Down a Dream” the original lineup has, at long last, recorded their self-titled debut album. The country-rock vibe of that era is captured so perfectly that the album sounds like it could have been recorded thirty three years ago.

Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench reunite with guitarist Tom Leadon (Eagles and Flying Burrito Brothers founder, Bernie Leadon’s brother) and drummer Randall Marsh as Tom Petty slides over to bass. Most songs are Petty originals but tribute is paid to two highly influential bands with covers of “Lover of the Bayou” (The Byrds) and “Six Days on the Road” (Flying Burrito Brothers.) The loping Grateful Dead-like jam “Crystal River” and the rockin’ “Bootleg Flyer” place this album firmly in the company of seventies classics by the likes of The Dead, Poco, The Eagles, New Riders of the Purple Sage and The Band.  The one nod to modern times is “Orphan of the Storm”, a Hurricane Katrina themed song but even its arrangement sounds like it could have been recorded in the early seventies.

Tom Petty has never sounded looser and more at ease, it’s clear he’s enjoying this as much as his long lost band mates. Liner notes say the album was “recorded live with arrangements done on the studio floor, made in ten days, no headphones.” It’s almost like traveling back in time to when albums like these were as commonplace as 58 cents per gallon gas prices. 

Listen for songs from the self titled album by Mudcrutch all this week on Paul Shugrue’s new music show “Out of the Box” on Hampton Roads public radio 89.5 WHRV Mon. through Thurs. from 7 to 9 p.m., Sat. afternoon from 1 to 5 p.m. and on-demand at www.whrv.org/outofthebox.