Wreckless Abandon

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Wreckless Abandon
A train shining a light behind a railroad crossing sign with Mike Campbell swinging his arms and guitar out a window
Studio album by
The Dirty Knobs
ReleasedNovember 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)
StudioHocus Pocus Recorders, California, US
GenreRock[1]
Length56:16
LanguageEnglish
LabelBMG
Producer
The Dirty Knobs chronology
Wreckless Abandon
(2020) 		External Combustion
(2022)

“I never really had a solo record in mind. I have a lot of songs, and I would always give them to Tom [Petty]. If I was fortunate, he would write to the good ones. But I ended up piling up so many pieces of music that he couldn’t possibly ever write to all of them. That’s when I started just writing to them myself for fun, just to see what they would sound like.”

—Mike Campbell on songwriting and recording the debut Dirty Knobs album[2]

Wreckless Abandon is the debut album by American rock band The Dirty Knobs. Released by BMG Rights Management in 2021, the album has received positive reviews from critics. The album was largely recorded live to tape in frontman Mike Campbell's home studio and include compositions that he had written over the course of almost 20 years with the band.[3][2] The album also features Campbell's former bandmate Benmont Tench and the recording process helped Campbell grieve the 2017 death of longtime collaborator Tom Petty.[4][5] The Dirty Knobs had been Campbell's side project between Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch work and became his primary focus after Petty's death, leading to this recording[6] and Campbell's first attempts to find a unique voice as a songwriter and performer.[7]

Reception[edit]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Wreckless Abandon received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 72 out of 100 from six critic scores.[8] Editors at AllMusic rated this album 3 out of 5 stars, with critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine writing that "Wreckless Abandon is noisier, dirtier, and sometimes heavier than a Heartbreakers record, a tendency that's leavened by the group's fondness for melody and a distinct sense of good humor that bubbles up".[1] In American Songwriter, Lee Zimmerman scored this release 3 out of 5 stars, praising the group's rock pedigree, but criticizing that "it leaves little that hasn’t been rehashed dozens of times before".[9] In Classic Rock, Neil Jeffries gave this album 4 out of 5 stars, comparing the work to J. J. Cale, John Lee Hooker, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.[10] Glide Magazine's Steve Ovadia noted the similarities with Campbell's previous collaborations with Tom Petty, but finished his review stating that "Campbell chose to embrace his personal sound, owning it, and refining it. It’s not an easy task but Campbell and the Dirty Knobs take it seriously".[11] Writing for Relix, Jeff Tamarkin stated that this music is harder than Tom Petty and also features a country music influence.[12]

Track listing[edit]

All songs written by Mike Campbell, except where noted.

  1. "Wreckless Abandon" – 6:03
  2. "Pistol Packin’ Mama" – 4:10
  3. "Sugar" – 4:40
  4. "Southern Boy" – 4:46
  5. "I Still Love You" – 5:18
  6. "Irish Girl" – 4:25
  7. "Fuck That Guy" (Campbell and Chris Stapleton) – 3:10
  8. "Don’t Knock the Boogie" (Campbell and George Drakoulias) – 6:57
  9. "Don’t Wait" – 4:59
  10. "Anna Lee" – 3:43
  11. "Aw Honey" – 3:04
  12. "Loaded Gun" – 4:02
  13. "Don’t Knock the Boogie (Coda)" (Campbell and Drakoulias) – 1:00

Personnel[edit]

The Dirty Knobs

Additional personnel

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (n.d.). "The Dirty Knobs – Wreckless Abandon". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Budnick, Dean (January 8, 2021). "Track By Track: Mike Campbell on Tom Petty, Chris Stapleton and the Dirty Knobs' 'Wreckless Abandon'". Relix. ISSN 0146-3489. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  3. ^ Ryan, Jim (November 25, 2020). "Mike Campbell On Dirty Knobs Debut, A Look Back At Tom Petty's 'Wildflowers' And The Art Of Songwriting". Business > Hollywood & Entertainment. Forbes. ISSN 0015-6914. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  4. ^ Parker, Lyndsey (November 20, 2020). "Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell talks new(ish) band the Dirty Knobs, possible album with Fleetwood Mac and 'cathartic' reunion with Benmont Tench". Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  5. ^ Greene, Andy (November 19, 2020). "Mike Campbell on New Dirty Knobs Album, Possible 'Wildflowers' Tribute Tour". Music > Music Features. Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  6. ^ Bienstock, Richard (December 18, 2020). "The Dirty Knobs: Mike Campbell interview". Features > Classic Rock. Classic Rock. ISSN 1464-7834. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  7. ^ Farber, Jim (November 17, 2020). "Mike Campbell on life after Tom Petty: 'I think I found my own voice'". Music. The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. ISSN 1756-3224. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  8. ^ "Wreckless Abandon by The Dirty Knobs Reviews and Tracks – Metacritic". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. n.d. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  9. ^ Zimmerman, Lee (November 19, 2020). "Mike Campbell Moves Forward With 'Wreckless Abandon' as The Dirty Knobs". Reviews > Album Reviews. American Songwriter. ISSN 0896-8993. OCLC 17342741. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  10. ^ Jeffries, Neil (November 19, 2020). "The Dirty Knobs sound like old friends on Wreckless Abandon". Classic Rock. ISSN 1464-7834. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  11. ^ Ovadia, Steve (November 18, 2020). "Mike Campbell's The Dirty Knobs Keep It Rough & Tough On 'Wreckless Abandon'". Album Reviews. Glide Magazine. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  12. ^ Tamarkin, Jeff (January 26, 2021). "The Dirty Knobs: Wreckless Abandon". Relix. ISSN 0146-3489. Retrieved November 8, 2023.

External links[edit]

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