Hypnotic Eye
2014 studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
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Hypnotic Eye is the thirteenth and final studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in the UK on July 28, 2014, and in the United States on July 29,[1] by Reprise Records.[2][3] The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the only Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album ever to top the chart. Hypnotic Eye was nominated for the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. It was the Heartbreakers' final studio album before disbanding in 2017, following Petty's death in October of that year.
| Hypnotic Eye | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 29, 2014 | |||
| Recorded | August 9, 2011 – January 24, 2014 | |||
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| Length | 44:36 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Producer |
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| Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers chronology | ||||
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| Tom Petty chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Hypnotic Eye | ||||
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Background
The first sessions for the album occurred in August 2011 at the band's Los Angeles-based rehearsal space, the "Clubhouse", where the song "Burnt-Out Town" was recorded. The album marks a stylistic return to the band's first two albums, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976) and You're Gonna Get It! (1978).[2]
Promotion
On June 10, 2014, the song "American Dream Plan B" was released as the lead single from the album, along with two additional tracks, "Red River" and "U Get Me High", from the band's website and digital stores.[4] A month later, a CD single with "American Dream Plan B" and "U Get Me High" and a coupon for $2 off the price of the album were released.[5]
"Forgotten Man" and "Fault Lines" were released for streaming on the band's website in early July 2014.[6] Additionally, all five tracks released in promotion of Hypnotic Eye were released on an "interactive radio" with a tuning dial that finds the tracks for listeners.[7]
Commercial performance
The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 131,000 copies in the United States; to date, it is the only Tom Petty (solo or with the Heartbreakers) album to reach the top spot on the chart.[8]
Reception
Hypnotic Eye was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 77, based on 31 reviews.[9]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 77/100[9] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Billboard |  [11] |
| Chicago Tribune | [12] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A–[13] |
| Exclaim! | 7/10[14] |
| The Observer | [15] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[1] |
| Rolling Stone | [16] |
| Spin | 7/10[17] |
| Uncut | 8/10[18] |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Tom Petty, except "Fault Lines" by Petty and Mike Campbell. All songs arranged by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "American Dream Plan B" | 3:00 |
| 2. | "Fault Lines" | 4:28 |
| 3. | "Red River" | 3:59 |
| 4. | "Full Grown Boy" | 3:26 |
| 5. | "All You Can Carry" | 4:34 |
| 6. | "Power Drunk" | 4:39 |
| 7. | "Forgotten Man" | 2:48 |
| 8. | "Sins of My Youth" | 3:49 |
| 9. | "U Get Me High" | 4:11 |
| 10. | "Burnt Out Town" | 3:05 |
| 11. | "Shadow People" | 6:37 |
| Total length: | 44:36 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Playing Dumb" | 4:13 |
| Total length: | 48:49 | |
Personnel
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
- Tom Petty – vocals (all tracks), rhythm guitar (all tracks but 10), lead guitar (right channel on track 9, track 10, track 11 outro), fuzz bass (track 3), high bass (track 7), bass (track 9)
- Mike Campbell – lead guitar (tracks 1–8, left channel on track 9, 11), rhythm guitar (track 10, 12)
- Benmont Tench – piano (tracks 1–7, 10–12), electric piano (track 1, 6, 11), organ (1–3, 5–9, 11–12), Mellotron (tracks 4, 8, 11), synthesizer (track 5)
- Scott Thurston – rhythm guitar (tracks 1, 3, 5–8, 11), 12-string guitar (track 4), harmonica (track 2, 10, 12), tambourine (track 9), lead guitar (track 12)
- Ron Blair – bass guitar (all tracks but 9)
- Steve Ferrone – drums (all tracks), percussion (track 6, 7, 12)
Additional musicians
- Josh Jové – fuzz guitar (track 7)
- Ryan Ulyate – background vocals (track 8)
Production
- Chris Bellman – mastering
- Mike Campbell – producer
- Jeri Heiden – art direction
- Josh Jové – assistant engineer
- Greg Looper – engineer
- Tom Petty – producer
- Chase Simpson – assistant engineer
- Nick Steinhardt – design, art direction
- Ryan Ulyate – producer, mixer, recorder
- Travis Weidel – back-line technician
- Alan "Bugs" Weidel – crew chief, back-line technician, equipment manager
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] | 30 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[20] | 1 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[21] | 5 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] | 5 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[23] | 49 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[24] | 36 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[25] | 13 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[26] | 68 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[27] | 10 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[28] | 6 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[29] | 8 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[30] | 6 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[31] | 7 |
| US Billboard 200[32] | 1 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[33] | 1 |
