Album of the Week - Vol. 12

Wildflowers TOM PETTY (1994)
Week: Mon 13th to 19th May 2019
Format: CD
Producer(s): Rick Rubin, Tom Petty, Mike Campbell
Track listing:
1. Wildflowers *
2. You Don't Know How It Feels *
3. Time to Move On
4. You Wreck Me
5. It's Good to Be King *
6. Only a Broken Heart
7. Honey Bee
8. Don't Fade on Me
9. Hard on Me
10. Cabin Down Below
11. To Find a Friend *
12. A Higher Place 
13. House in the Woods
14. Crawling Back to You
15. Wake Up Time *
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 62:48


Tom Petty's second solo effort is a classic 90's album full of his trademark drawled vocals and melodic pop/rock tunes. Although it's touted as Petty working solo, all the Heartbreakers play on the record, except for drummer Stan Lynch. Steve Ferrone handles most of the drum work here and would join the Heartbreakers officially in 1995. His first whole album with the band would be 1999's excellent Echo. The only drum part not performed by Ferrone is on To Find a Friend, which features old mate Ringo Starr.

As the project wasn't a Hearbtreakers affair, Petty was free to focus on his own creative desires and arrangements. Recorded at the legendary Sound City studio in L.A., the album took over two years to get in the can. Which is bizarre, because it sounds like the record was done over a weekend. The tone and feel of Wildflowers remain consistent, even when the genres shift. Rockers like You Wreck Me and Honey Bee sit comfortably alongside stripped-back ballads Don't Fade on Me and the title track.

Picking my five favourite songs here was quite tough, as everything is so good.  As much as Full Moon Fever is highly revered as THE Tom Petty solo record to have, I'm a bigger fan of this album. Not only is it nearly twice the running time, but the songs are stronger, in my humble opinion. While Full Moon Fever has classic Petty tracks like Free Fallin', Runnin' Down a Dream and I Won't Back Down it runs out of steam by the end. Can't say I'm the biggest fan of Zombie Zoo, for instance. Wildflowers is a joy to listen to from beginning to end, and it almost flies by. 

When Wildflowers was released, I was right in the middle of an age of Petty discovery. I had bought 1993's Greatest Hits album the year before and gained knowledge of more of his earlier hits. I think my earliest memory of Petty is Don't Come Around Here No More, which I'm sure I watched on Countdown as a young six or seven year old. Or it could have been the group's duet with Stevie Nicks, Stop Draggin' My Heart Around, from some various artists compilation LP. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers provided the soundtrack to the 1996 Edward Burns film She's The One and I bought that based on the strength of the excellent Walls (Circus) single. I still haven't seen the film, but I feel the soundtrack is quite solid. Apparently some of the Wildflowers outtakes were added to fill the record out a bit. Not sure which particular tracks they are though.

There's so much to love on this album. The title track is a wonderfully jaunty ballad with heart and a nice bouncy feel. I still remember seeing the video clip for the album's first single, You Don't Know How It Feels, and wondering if there was something wrong with the audio. He he he...turns out the video edit reversed the end of the couplet "Let me get to the point/Let's roll another joint". I wonder if that lyric would be so controversial today. The wonderful mini-epic It's Good To Be King has lush production without sounding overdone, and the fable-like To Find a Friend benefits from a playful but sparse arrangement.

One of my highlights, closing track Wake Up Time, has become a little tinged with sadness for me in recent years. When news of Tom Petty's heart attack broke in early October 2017, his death was falsely reported numerous times. I remember going for a walk after hearing that Petty had been hospitalised, but he was unconscious, not dead. I dialed up some of his music on my iPod and hoped for good news. Wake Up Time came on after a few tunes and it really hit me, although the lyrics weren't hugely pertinent. It was the chorus: "And it's wake up time/Time to open up your eyes/And rise/And shine..." that gave me a lump in my throat. I was almost filled with a sense that he would be okay, but it turned out to be a sinister omen when Petty's passing was confirmed at the day's end. 

If you've not heard this album, I recommend it to anyone who likes rootsy rock and pop. If you're familiar with Tom Petty, you kinda know what you're in for. Seeing as it's celebrating its 25th birthday this year, maybe a fancy anniversary edition is on the way soon? 

That'd be nice.