Petty's Flowers!

I must admit I was never a huge Tom Petty fan, but then again I heard the repetition of his songs on the classic rock radio. They were always the same song from his golden era. Yea, they might have a feel of Byrds and Dylan, but to me Tom Petty's music is the songs that you don't hear on the Classic Rock Radio. One day I took all those albums that they do play and I decided to make a mix of those songs. I did not do a chronological but a random catalog mix. I realized after all the songs I got to about 20 songs. I picked songs like "Strangered In The Night," "Even The Losers," and others like "Insider" and "Yer So Bad." All these songs just had so much better feel and showcase of his songwriting talents.

I wanted to pick a popular record, but then again I wanted also pick an album that was even fresh when it came out. Petty's music is so recognizable that sometimes you have to find the few gems to get the bigger one. When I looked at his albums I wanted something that had a classic feel and at sometimes a real rocker. I could always go to his first album, still considered his best. But that is the one those Classic Rock stations play way to much. I could even go with his tow late 80's and early 90's albums. Both again were commercially great but way overplayed. I decided to go with an album that really saw one song of many overplayed. It was on heavy rotation on the radio and on MTV, but that was not the representation of the album. The rest of the fourteen songs are pretty damn' good. I decided on Wildflowers.



It was his debut for Warner Bros. and an album my guess he wanted to make. He hired an icon Rick Rubin. The rest is history right? Yes, because it's his most laid-back, natural and really fun album. It's stripped down and subtle and has some of the best songs he has ever done. It's an album that really appreciates and the respect of Tom Petty. His songwriting skills are top notch. I only wish I could write like him. When you hear this album you don't get his signature sound, but something that is fresh and great.

Tom Petty has always played great music. It's Classic Rock radio that has overplayed his hits, but if you go beyond the hits and see the real songs you see an artist with a great talent. There are about four great albums that he has put out and those are worth a listen. Even better is the live box set showcase how great his music is. Even better, the box set is a great way to hear the music that he loved as a child. There is covers by Booker T. and the MG's, early Fleetwood Mac, and even the Blues greats. I saw him once and he played for three plus hours. His sprinkling of covers was great and a good change up from hearing his hits.



So for a change of pace I recommend a Tom Petty album. It's something different for my blog. I think that Wildflowers is something different and very mellow. It's not a way to start into his collection, that is great. Enjoy! An album that is wonderful and got some classic sounds and rockers too. The best thing about Tom Petty is that this album is the one that changed his image and Classic Rock percepetion. Enjoy!