Echo
Studio album by
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
ReleasedApril 13, 1999
GenreHeartland rock
Length62:06
LabelWarner Bros.
Producer
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers chronology
Songs and Music from "She's the One"
(1996) 		Echo
(1999) 		Anthology: Through the Years
(2000)
Singles from Echo
  1. "Free Girl Now"
    Released: 1999
  2. "Room at the Top"
    Released: 1999
  3. "Swingin'"
    Released: 1999
  4. "This One's For Me"
    Released: 1999
  5. "Accused of Love"
    Released: 1999

Echo is the tenth studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Released in April 1999, the album reached number 10 on the Billboard 200 aided by singles "Free Girl Now", "Swingin'" and "Room at the Top", which hit numbers 5, 17 and 19 respectively on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks in 1999. The album was the band's last collaboration with producer Rick Rubin, and was also the last to feature contributions from longtime bassist/vocalist Howie Epstein, who died of a heroin overdose in 2003. Despite still being a member of the band, Epstein is missing from the album's cover photo because he failed to show up for the photo shoot, and Petty ordered it to commence without him.[1] It also marks the first to feature longtime touring member Scott Thurston. Echo was certified Gold (500,000 copies sold) by the RIAA in July 1999, only three months after it was released. Echo is the only Heartbreakers' album to feature a lead vocal from another member of the band, namely lead guitarist Mike Campbell on "I Don't Wanna Fight".

"Free Girl Now" is also notable for being the second single by a major artist to be made available for free internet download in MP3 format by the artist. Petty's marketing decision caused concern at Warner Bros., and the download was pulled after two days, but propagated thanks to services like Napster.[2]

Reception

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2023)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[5]
The Essential Rock Discography5/10[6]
The Harvard Crimson(favorable)[7]
The Music Box[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
USA Today[10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tom Petty, except "I Don't Wanna Fight", written by Mike Campbell

No.TitleLength
1."Room at the Top"5:00
2."Counting on You"4:05
3."Free Girl Now"3:30
4."Lonesome Sundown"4:32
5."Swingin'"5:30
6."Accused of Love"2:45
7."Echo"6:36
8."Won't Last Long"4:22
9."Billy the Kid"4:08
10."I Don't Wanna Fight"2:47
11."This One's for Me"2:42
12."No More"3:15
13."About to Give Out"3:12
14."Rhino Skin"3:57
15."One More Day, One More Night"5:37

Outtakes

Personnel

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Singles

Chart performance for singles from Echo
Year Single Chart Position
1999 "Free Girl Now" US Mainstream Rock[17] 5

Certifications

Certifications for Echo
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[19] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Matthews, Tom (March 16, 2011). "Heart Breaker". Milwaukee Magazine. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  2. ^ Nelson, Chris (March 11, 1999). "Best of '99: Downloadable Tom Petty Single Pulled from 'MP3.com' Site". MTV.com. MTV. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  3. ^ "Echo - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Tom Petty - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th edn). London: Omnibus Press. p. 2005. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  5. ^ "Echo - EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2014-04-20. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
  6. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2006). The Essential Rock Discography. Edinburgh, UK: Canongate. p. 816. ISBN 978-1-84195-827-9.
  7. ^ The Harvard Crimson review
  8. ^ Metzger, John. "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Echo (Album Review)".
  9. ^ "Echo". Rolling Stone. 29 April 1999.
  10. ^ "Rebellious ring to Petty's 'Echo' Bocelli right to return to pop, but John's 'Aida' simply tragic".[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Echo" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  12. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Echo" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  13. ^ "Charts.nz – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Echo". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  14. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Echo". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  15. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Echo". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  16. ^ "Tom Petty | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  17. ^ a b "Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  18. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  19. ^ "American album certifications – Tom Petty – Echo". Recording Industry Association of America.
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