Favorite, Least Favorite Tom Petty Album

[mjslakeridge]

Including Solo Albums, Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch Albums, I have a couple candidates for both most and least liked albums, but I will hold off until others weigh in (assuming this type of thread is OK in the General Discussion section and anyone has any interest).

Just found out a day or so ago that Petty released a new Mudcrutch album in April and toured for a couple of months to support it. Mudcrutch 2 is on Spotify and all 5 band members sang lead vocals on at least one song (generally not a good sign).http://duc.avid.com/images/smilies/eek.gif

[Top Jimmy]

Favorite: Damn the Torpedoes
Least favorite: Southern Accents (Tom wins the whiniest voice in rock award for this album)

Favorite album that Petty appears on: Traveling Wilburys Vol 1

[audioman1973]

Who cares. Tom Petty blows big chunks. Jajajajajajaja

[audioman1973]

Sorry all you Petty fans I couldn't help it. There are 2 songs I actually do like by him that he keeps the whine factor kind of low on. Last Dance With Mary Jane and Runnin Down A Dream are my 2 favorites.

[mjslakeridge]

I agree that Tom Petty doesn't have the greatest voice out there, but the same can be said about Bob Dylan and John Lennon. I think the song writing and arrangements make for a strong album. While Damn the Torpedoes was the breakout album for the group and produced 3-4 hit singles, I am leaning towards Wildflowers (1994 - "solo" album) or Echo (1999) as my favorites. Sandwitched between those 2 albums was the curious Songs and Music from the Motion Picture She's the One (1996). I never understood why Petty would do a motion picture soundtrack.

Southern Accents (1986) is probably a contender for my least favorite album. Those collaborations with Dave Stewart (except for Don't Come Around Here No More), just don't do anything for me. My guess is the band wondered about the direction they were going around that time. The follow up album Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) (1987) was also pretty weak in my opinion, with only the Petty, Dylan, Campbell song Jammin' Me getting any decent radio play at the time.

That period may have prompted Petty to do his first "solo" album - Full Moon Fever (1989) which produced a number of hits, Free Fallin, I Won't back down, Love is a long road, and Runnin' Down a Dream. My favorite songs from that album are I'll feel a whole lot better - a Byrds cover, and The Apartment Song (there is a demo version of The Apartment Song with Stevie Nicks on Playback Disk 5, which is not very good).

What is interesting to me is that the second album You're Gonna Get It (1978) wasn't a bust like so many artist's second album, producing 2 hits - I Need to Know and Listen to Her Heart. I don't know whether they intentionally held those songs off the first album to avoid the "sophomore slump", or wrote them after the first album.

Does anyone know where/when the first song on the newest Mudcrutch 2 album - "Trailer" first appeared?

[AlexLakis]

My favorite is Wildflowers, followed by Full Moon Fever, then Damn the Torpedoes.

I think he has a great singing voice, and a great band!

[mjslakeridge]

If you are a Petty fan and haven't already done so, watch the 2 DVD set "Runnin' Down a Dream." I think it's about 10 years old now, but I watch it about once a year because it is so good. (It's on Netflix).

Last year I had read they were going to release a 25th anniversary edition of Wildflowers with additional tracks at the end of 2015, but I have been unable to find any recent updates on that. If anyone knows anything on that, let me know.

Yes, he does have a great band. Mike Campbell is very underrated - overlooked when people start listing great guitar players. It is said "he never wastes a note".

What I like about Tom and Mike is that they enjoy the recording process. One of the lines in the documentary by Tom is that "nobody is interested in how a record is made." I think many of us on this forum would disagree.

[AlexLakis]

Originally Posted by mjslakeridge

If you are a Petty fan and haven't already done so, watch the 2 DVD set "Runnin' Down a Dream." I think it's about 10 years old now, but I watch it about once a year because it is so good. (It's on Netflix).

Checked it out, awesome stuff! It was nice to see footage of Roy and George.

Originally Posted by mjslakeridge

Last year I had read they were going to release a 25th anniversary edition of Wildflowers with additional tracks at the end of 2015, but I have been unable to find any recent updates on that. If anyone knows anything on that, let me know.

Warner Bros. released 24-bit masters on Pono in 2014. No additional tracks. Don't know if any "re-mastering" (processing) was done.

Highway Companion was re-released at the end of 2015 by American Recordings with bonus tracks, tho.

[mjslakeridge]

Hey Alex, glad you liked the Petty documentary. Tom did release a Wildflowers era song called "Somewhere Under Heaven", in June of 2015 and it was supposed to be part of the "Wildflowers - All The Rest" archival release upcoming. But that was a year ago and I have not found any more news on this.

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/tom-p...-all-the-rest/

I will look into the Highway Companion re-release, didn't know about that. I am trying to gather a complete compilation of all of Tom's studio recordings. I have most but am missing some songs from the first Mudcrutch demo, and a few obscure B-sides.

I asked this question a few days ago:

"Does anyone know where/when the first song on the newest Mudcrutch 2 album - "Trailer" first appeared?"

Either no-one knows the answer or isn't that interested (most likely the case), but I will answer my own question. "Trailer" was originally the B-side to "Don't Come Around Here No More", and was left off the Southern Accents album, presumably by the record label. So 30 years later it was re-recorded at a faster tempo, and with an extra verse added at the end of the song. It would have fit well on the Southern Accents album, better than the Dave Stewart collaborations.

[unkJE]

Originally Posted by mjslakeridge

"Somewhere Under Heaven"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqp6euOfd6E
Reckon that's when Tom got his mojo back after (my)
Least favorite: HYPNOTIC EYE (2014)

Favorite Album: FULL MOON FEVER
I Won't Back Down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvlTJrNJ5lA
Runnin' Down a Dream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1D3a5eDJIs
Free Fallin’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lWJXDG2i0A
A Face In The Crowd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_umeMtV4QU

Favorite singles:
Learning to Fly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5BJXwNeKsQ
Don’t Come Around Here No More
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0JvF9vpqx8

Best Wilburys:
End Of The Line
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwqhdRs4jyA
Inside Out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPAwrtm-JK8



Best “Sleeper”:
I Should Have Known It
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_iBKacXIA4