Tom Petty – Wildflowers

Tom Petty has many albums, but in the mid-90s I was transfixed by two of his efforts – the soundtrack for She’s The One, and the absolute gem that is Wildflowers.

The reason that they go together in my mind is I got them around the same time, but as it turns out many of the songs that ended up on She’s The One were written for this album.* It’s his second solo record. As it turns out, it was an incredibly fertile time for him.

It’s a little weird calling this a solo record, since most of the Heartbreakers are on this one anyway. No matter, let’s talk about the music! It’s classic Petty bliss-out jams, you know that sound. Every song here should have been a single – you’ll certainly know You Don’t Know How It Feels, of course, and maybe the great rock tune You Wreck Me. However, and I say this a lot, this whole thing is genius. Put this on and let it take you away. I love how each song has a clear vision, standing solid on its own, but then when you step back you see the overall picture. Album perfection.

I cannot say enough good about this entire thing. If you own it, you’ll know what I mean. If you don’t own it, get it. Now. In fact, get it and She’s The One and play them together. You can thank me later for sending you to these goldmines of great music.

 

* Petty also wrote Leave Virginia Alone during this time, but gave it to Rod Stewart, who recorded it for his Spanner In The Works record.