Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Tom Petty Albums

The pressure was truly on when Tom Petty began recording Hard Promises in 1980. His previous disc, Damn the Torpedoes, made him a rock superstar, but now he had to craft a follow-up. He wisely didn't mess with a winning formula, re-teaming with producer Jimmy Iovine and cutting songs that sounded like they came straight from the Torpedoes sessions. Kick-off song "The Waiting" became a Top 20 hit, and "A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)" also got a lot of radio love. He also began his long professional relationship with Stevie Nicks on their duet "The Insider."

Petty went to war with his label before the album came out, since they wanted to hike up the price to $9.98. He prevailed after a long fight, but it wouldn't be the last time he'd go after the powers-that-be in the music industry.