On this day in music history: October 19, 1979 - “Damn The Torpedoes”, the third album by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers is released. Produced by Jimmy Iovine and Tom Petty, it is recorded at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, CA and Cherokee Studios in Hollywood, CA from Late 1978 - Mid 1979. Widely regarded as one of the best rock albums of the era, it will not have an easy birth. During the making of the record, Petty’s former label Shelter Records (distributed by ABC Records) is sold to MCA. Petty is unhappy with the change and will try to extricate himself from his contract, resulting in him filing for bankruptcy. The finished album will be a huge success spinning off three singles including “Don’t Do Me Like That” (#10 Pop) and “Refugee” (#15 Pop). “Damn The Torpedoes” will spend 7 weeks at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 (behind Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”) and is certified 2x Platinum in the US by the RIAA.