Big Blue Sky

As it's written above, the first verse doesn't make much sense if it really is Well, are youse gonna stand?  Unless maybe... It might make more sense if we hear this as an old-style blues call & response. And if we do, then who's in the first verse & what's giving them their grief? 
We got two men talkin' right outside my door. Yeah. We got two men talkin' right outside my door. Said they made my boy a soldier. Sent him off to war. Said they made my boy a soldier. Sent him off to war. Well, are youse gon uh'stand?  No, I can't say for sure. No, I can't.  No, I can't say for sure. No, I can't. Military police on the front steps outside family's screen-door. They're saying the son's army unit is being deployed to a war zone. Maybe also, this is happening during compulsory military conscription, such as during the Vietnam War? They made my boy a soldier
Emotional response within parents... trying to come to terms with this news. Understand makes more sense than just stand. So, full sentence might be: Well, are you going to understand? But with TP singing with an accent & fitting the words into the rhythm it begins to sound more like: Well, are youse gon uh'stand? 
Then sense of family being overwhelmed in grief & crying "No, oh no, no... I will never understand why my son has to go off to war"
(Could easily be wrong, but kinda feels true for me.)
 

We got two men talkin' right outside my door. Yeah. We got two men talkin' right outside my door. Said they made my boy a soldier. Sent him off to war. Well, are youse gonna stand? No, I can't say for sure. No, I can't. 
Well, I got one wheel turning. One that's off the tracks. Well, I got one wheel turning. One that's off the tracks. I can put all I own inside a paper sack. Well when the hard times come, you're gonna see who's got your back. Sure will. 
Yeah, I lost that good woman. Lord, she left me twice. Yeah, I lost that good woman. Lord, she left me twice. Well, I shoulda tried much harder. Tried to treat her nice. I used to be someone that I don't recognise. Ain't that true.
Well, we got two men talkin'. Talking by the rule. Well, we got two men talkin'. Talking by the rule. Well, they put me  down. And it hurt more than it showed. I heard one man laugh. Said "Brother, we tread a heavy load." That's right. 
 
... Is my guess. Hope this helps you! 
 

We got two men talkin' right outside my door. Yeah. We got two men talkin' right outside my door. Said they made my boy a soldier. Sent him off to war. Well, are youse gonna stand? No, I can't say for sure. No, I can't. 
Well, I got one wheel turning. One that's off the tracks. Well, I got one wheel turning. One that's off the tracks. I can put all I own inside a paper sack. Well when the hard times come, you're gonna see who's got your back. Sure will. 
Yeah, I lost that good woman. Lord, she left me twice. Yeah, I lost that good woman. Lord, she left me twice. Well, I shoulda tried much harder. Tried to treat her nice. I used to be someone that I don't recognise. Ain't that true.
Well, we got two men talkin'. Talking by the rule. Well, we got two men talkin'. Talking by the rule. Well, they put me  down. And it hurt more than it showed. I heard one man laugh. Said "Brother, we tread a heavy load." That's right. 
 
... Is my guess. Hope this helps you! 
 

... Check Mike Campbell's Instagram because ... he says they're in LA making a record!!!

Might be a dumb question... but who is the dancing bear?

I'd say it's Bruce - sans bass, con mufti complex. But it could just be a bear. Not sure.

I have had the Vox Pithon strap for years, but Vox just came out with 3 new straps for the 60th Anniversary. 1 is all leather, black with gold side stripes (I did not buy that one). I did buy the all leather black with black diamond pattern and the 60th Anniversary all leather black with brown diamond pattern. I ordered the brown from Amazon that will be shipped by Chicago Music Exchange and the black with black diamond pattern from Northcoast Music that was already shipped today (NCM was the only place I found the black diamond pattern). Both straps were $59, free shipping and no tax from Amazon, but NCM has no tax with $7 shipping. Links to see and buy the straps I bought are listed below.
Brown Diamond Pattern
https://www.amazon.com/Vox-60th-Anniversary-Strap-Diamond/dp/B06ZZTQVXL/ref=sr_1_6?crid=4LNP4BNAJ9OO&keywords=vox+guitar+strap&qid=1561999176&s=gateway&sprefix=vox+guitar+strap+%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-6
 
Black Diamond Pattern
http://www.voxshowroom.com/northcoast/shopping/index.htm

 

Those are cool, but I want this one....

Long After Dark - TP & yellow guitar? Never seen this so are you sure?

An internet search turns up ...
Nothing.
Well, nothing remotely close to complete.
Looking for everything that has been officially released, both studio and live,.
Albums, b-sides, compilations, VHS and DVDs, fan club releases, even "gray area" stuff like the King Biscuit Flower Hour shows sent to radio stations
If it's by Tom Petty or Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers., I'm trying to chase it down
Has anyone compiled the list of all lists?
I would be so appreciative for the help in finding out what I'm still missing!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Oh no - blocked? 
What about this one? Nice sharp focus / high resolution. 
 
 

That one worked perfectly! Thank you! Looks like I have a project for the day 😄

Call it what you like... it was a high point before things took a different direction, and therefore a goodbye. Which was great in its own right, but different.
Not sure about the "hype" part, though. Sounds like there was not much of substance behind Tom, the band, and/or their music. I think we're all on the same page here that the period between 1988 and 1995 is among their best - commercially and creatively.
I didn't.

OK, so basically my notes missed their marks on all accounts.. Sorry about that.
Bottom line is that you are right. It was very special. A high point. Extremely great.
But that is beside the point with my post. Basically I just wanted to nuance the communicated opinion that this tour, this film, feature the "original band". At least to me, realizing that it's not, makes the whole TPATH enterprise stand out a bit more as "ever-changing", "ever-evolving" and as such less dramatic, is all. If there is one before and one after, I would suggest that there is several befores and several afters too, the way it goes with time, people as with art. I just tried to put some perspective on you guys' built up, really. I know that is none of my business, and I should have saved myself the problem of excusing myself and explaining, not to mention the unpleasure of offend people, had I just let it all be, but I got stuck on the wording there (which was initially not even yours!). Again sorry. Your take on history is your take. Never mind me.
I realize (or counted on) you were not actually crying, that was just a silly way to say "if you still find it melancholy, that's fine of course, I do see the overall idea here". After all these years, I should have know better than trying attitude in my writing, right. Point taken.  
As for hype - I just meant that TPATH were on a commercial peak, very "cool" and very "happening" in most music press and among most rock fans. At least around here, that was the case around 91/92. He seemingly could do no wrong, he was the cat with the hat and everybody, including people who really didn't have much clue, loved him for the time being. Everybody was taking turns in praising him. Tons of good will, cool vibes, sunshine and sing along radio hits.. he was even a friend of Bob's, Roy's and George's (sure, Jeff's too) and that was cred by most standards around that time.. It was "hip" to like Tom Petty around here in 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992.. and still pretty awesome in 1993, 1994, 1995 too, before all the coolness of it all, all the writing and record selling, slowly started to dwindle some.. (None of this did ever imply that there was no substance to back it up, surely!! Or that all the love or the product itself was in any way superficial! No! There can be content behind a hype, can it not?)
So, instead of writing all that right there ^, I went with the word "hype". (Just ponder that most words I write carry that kinda s*it with them... oh golly.. no wonder there are mishaps in the transmission..) Again, I probably shouldn't have. Apparently I don't know what hype even mean. How about "peaked in general popularity on all levels"? That works?

All I'm really disappointed or upset about is the fact that this video has been blocked in my country (USA) 😭 

Except for Tom's dancing, sorry ladies I'm sure you liked it but...blehh. Terrible. Really? Some people might read that comment as you're sure ladies like Tom's dancing? What is this, the culture section of The Medieval Weekly? Or are you writing a review of people going crazy when Elvis Presley shakes his hips? Or when George & Paul shake their moptops and sing Yeaaaahhh into the one microphone?  I hope not. Obviously you are way more intelligent than that & realise that you, me, we, the people,     are a lot more nuanced.  So, I'm guessing it's just a throw away line in the middle of a post... not to be  taken as any more than it is. Sure, that's fine. 
However.
Surely the deeply-held principle is that any band's on-stage game (including dancing) is only part of their appeal. We (that's all fans, not just these mythical "ladies") can appreciate that. So: "gents" can appreciate dancing too; "ladies" can appreciate music technique too. Or, hey, radical thought, we can think of music audiences as people... & not go splitting them into groups unnecessarily. 
Signed by The People's Front or is it The Popular Front (you know, the Splitters! scene from Life of Brian)

Will there be a quiz at end of term?

Because when I think publications of great musical journalism, I think of VH1 and Billboard lmao. Hell, Rolling Stone had the gall to have Kurt Cobain be in their original "Top 100 Guitarist List of All Time".
You may not like them as much as other bands, music taste is subjective. However, The Byrds influence and defining role as an act is not subjective. Just because not as many people are aware of someone like John Prine who never has been a pop icon, doesn't mean his work isn't well respected and beloved by people who know music.
 

Will there be a quiz at end of term?

This song is always welcome in my speakers / earphones. 
Not sure I've ever shortlisted 10, 25, 100 bands as such... I like the way JakobDylan explored this as musicians "linked to Laurel Canyon in some way"... 
Guess if I absolutely had to choose, I'd start with core of all musicians appearing in The Last Waltz & Concert for Bangladesh & Concert For George & work outwards from there... Okay, sure, also musicians appearing on Hidden Treasures. Happy to assume overall it's (a) Heartbreakers followed by (b) all the others. 
 
 

No, I know. But that post is so hipster jibberish that it can only come from there lol.
It's all in jest and I got the joke, but it's just another reminder for that last post 

Time for some Jerry......
 

Roberts bankrolled the MCA lawsuit.  Petty credits him with giving him the pivotal career advice to focus on quality, not commercial success.  He told Petty all his albums couldn't be hits "but they can all be good." "Focus on the product."
Tom petty discusses at 21:50 here youtube.com/watch?v=q-Gegta0vRA and at 29:54 here youtube.com/watch?v=q-Gegta0vRA

Runnin' Down A Dream features Roberts at 2:17:00:  youtube.com/watch?v=QDKTccPDDTw
 
 

Strange days indeed / Most peculiar mama... 
Well, listen in, chaps, latest meeting of the music liberation committee.  Rick Rubin's vegan. Good news. So find him at his regular haunt at his localavore organic farmers market at dawn. Show him - let him taste - some new-harvest honey or biodynamic garlic. He's gonna be distracted. Piece of cake after that - swipe his phone from his home-knitted shoulder bag. Run. And dodge really fast through the crowd to getaway vehicle. Note: will need to find someone who can outrun a vegan. His beard might slow him down considerably.
The music can be liberated & immediately fly free.  It will thank us. We will thank us. This is the easiest plan ever.
Except ... hmm ... all my vegan friends tend to be, well, intense. So pack extra coconut extract to distract them too. 

Strange days indeed / Most peculiar mama... 
Well, listen in, chaps, latest meeting of the music liberation committee.  Rick Rubin's vegan. Good news. So find him at his regular haunt at his localavore organic farmers market at dawn. Show him - let him taste - some new-harvest honey or biodynamic garlic. He's gonna be distracted. Piece of cake after that - swipe his phone from his home-knitted shoulder bag. Run. And dodge really fast through the crowd to getaway vehicle. Note: will need to find someone who can outrun a vegan. His beard might slow him down considerably.
The music can be liberated & immediately fly free.  It will thank us. We will thank us. This is the easiest plan ever.
Except ... hmm ... all my vegan friends tend to be, well, intense. So pack extra coconut extract to distract them too.