Tom Petty...Looking for some recommendations
 

I downloaded a few Petty songs (Running Down a Dream, Mary Jane, Free Fallin') and now I want to get into more of his stuff. Does all of his stuff have the same feel as these songs?

Any Petty albums considered a must have?

Just get this and you're all set. $15 on Amazon. 2 discs, 34 songs.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...yL._AA240_.jpg

If you want a great CD buy Full Moon Fever. That has to be his best. Into The Great Wide Open and Wildflowers are good too. But as Guesswho said the one he pictured is an awesome start if you are into Anthologies. If you want a bunch of Tom Petty you could also get Playback.
I also highly reconmend The Traveling Wilburys set if you like Tom Petty, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne (ELO lead singer), Bob Dylan (which I'm not a big fan of but I like him on here), or Roy Orbison (who's just on V1)

If you like what you've heard, dig in. Tom Petty is extremely consistent, IMO. He always delivers at least three or four quality songs on each album, many are great all the way through.

I'd buy Damn the Torpedos first which is a straight up classic, IMO. Every song is great. Then I'd get Hard Promises, then the debut and last Full Moon Fever.

Even then, you're not getting everything. There's some great stuff on Long After Dark ("Straight Into Darkness" is my favorite obscure Petty track), Into The Great Wide Open ("King's Highway" is another unsung classic) and Southern Accents is a really interesting listen. His newest one is a true return to form after a (relatively) weak patch. Even his B-sides are really good.

Ah yes, a youngster who thinks Petty's career started when Jeff Lynne started softening his sound to increase sales. You came in a little late in the game if you think his Jeff Lynne produced albums are his best.

Damn the Torpedoes is Petty's most essential studio album. An American rock and roll classic in a league with Born to Run and Night Moves.

He did the entire soundtrack for "She's the One" ('97 or so), I like that album. The old stuff is good too of course.

I started listening to Petty in the 70's and believe "Full Moon Fever" is right up near the top of his best recordings. The hits on that album aren't even the best ones included.

Having said that, "Damn The Torpedoes" all the way. That 2 disc set looks fantastic as well.

I see they put Waiting For Tonight on that Anthology. I bought Playback when it came out just to get that song. Damn The Torpedos, Long After Dark and Full Moon Fever are the best. I've always been mystified that Long After Dark isn't held in higher regard. Practically every song is a rocker and sounds like a hit yet only one song is well known. Even a casual listener should like it beginning to end. My essential list:
Playback-all the big hits and album tracks up to that point on first three discs plus some reaaly good stuff on the other three.
Long After Dark-only a few tracks are on Playback
Wildflowers-All but 2 or 3 are great songs
She's The One- not great but a couple of hits and a song I love called "Grew Up Fast"
Echo- not a great album but good. The last one I bought. Jusy wouldn't grow on me, except a song I really like called "Counting On You"
There is a duo with Stevie Nicks of a Petty song called "I Will Run To You" that's pretty good. It's on a Nicks album but you could probably download it.

Playback is really all that is needed of his MCA years. I managed to snag it for $25 on eBay a few years back.

Echo and Wildflowers are both great albums, start to finish

Wildflowers is my favorite

Into the Great Wide Open is my favorite Tom Petty album. She's The One OST and Wildflowers comes highly recommended.

Damn the Torpedoes, Full Moon Fever, and Wildflowers.

I love Petty's music. I guess I'm one of those who prefers his "softer" stuff. Top albums in my view are:

1. Into the Great Wide Open (1991)
2. Echo (1999)
3. Full Moon Fever (1989)
4. Hard Promises (1981)
5. You're Gonna Get It (1978)

Worst:
1. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (1976)
2. Long After Dark (1982)
3. She's the One (1996)

Top songs:
1. American Girl (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers)
2. Free Fallin' (Full Moon Fever)
3. Don't Come Around Here No More (Southern Accents)
4. All the Wrong Reasons (Into the Great Wide Open)
5. No More (Echo)
-Even the Losers
-King's Road
-The Dark of the Sun
-Learning to Fly
-Echo
-Room at the Top
-I Won't Back Down
-Here Comes My Girl
-King's Highway
-Runnin' Down a Dream
-Insider
-Into the Great Wide Open
-Runaway Trains
-How Many More Days
-Angel Dream (both versions)
-Southern Accents
-When the Time Comes
-No Second Thoughts
-I Won't Back Down

As you can see, I like to make lists.:)

Dude I was born in 1973 and from a house who grew up on the rock of the 60s - 80s. I have all Tom Petty's CDs on MCA & WB and I just happen to like those best. As you can see, there's a few more who also listed Full Moon Fever and Into the Great Wide Open . So :p ... you are Jammin' Me!!! ;)

TP&TH Greatest Hits & Wildflowers are all I ever listen to, it keeps me happy

Over-all, that's probably my most favorite album of his. It took me awhile to get into him, because I generally hate radio overkill songs, so I despised Petty for awhile based on those. I missed out on a lot!

"Echo" and "Full Moon Fever" are also wonderful. I never really got into "The Last DJ".. I don't think I finished it yet.

Give his latest release Highway Companion a try.The opening song Saving Grace ,IMO,is one of the best he's done in years.

Thanks for the recommendations. I just eBay'd Wildflowers and I'll give that one a listen and go from there if I like it.

He used to annoy me so much in the 80s, when I was a kid. But I heard Running Down a Dream a couple months ago and I can't get that song out of my head.

Hell, I'll still throw my two cents in..

If you wanna go the easy way, just get the Anthology: Through The Years compilation, which will cover the MCA years. However, if you want "albums" then start with Damn The Torpedoes, it's absolutely essential!

After that, for the MCA years, get Hard Promises, Full Moon Fever, and I'll also throw some love to the much underrated Let Me Up (I've Had Enough).

For the Warner Brothers era, I like Wildflowers quite a bit, as well as his last album, Highway Companion - which is his best album in over 10 years.

I just watched the Runnin' Down a Dream documentary about a month ago, and it was a near religious experience for me. I've been listening to Petty since I was 10 (25 years ago), and I've seen him play three times. The documentary is a must-watch for the hardcore fan or someone just trying to figure out who he is. The doc itself is about 3.5 hours, plus all kinds of extras.

I generally try to stay away from Anthologies/Best Of's/Etc. A lot of the artists that I like that have Box Sets still have great songs left out of the set.

I finally got around to listening to Wildflowers. Every song is good to great. No filler.

I'm going to be picking up more Petty Cds.

Thanks for the suggestions.

If you don't mind using the BMG Music Club, they have most if not all of the TPH albums available as enrollment selections.

Between enrollment selections and them not locking down a sale code, I just completed my collection of Tom Petty and REM albums.

perfect... but you're missing "Hard Promises" as well. that one's a gem.

Also be sure to check out the video for "Into the Great Wide Open" if you haven't seen it. :)

Tom Petty - Anthology: Through the Years is now $9.72 at WALMART :up:

Re: Tom Petty...Looking for some recommendations
 

I was at a used media store today and saw a handwritten sign on the wall that said ‘285 days since we had a new Tom Petty album’. I tried to ask the staff about it, but whoever put up that sign apparently wasn’t working and those who were had zero interest in talking about Tom Petty.

Am I right in thinking that sign is out of date?

Re: Tom Petty...Looking for some recommendations
 

Do you consider the Wildflowers expanded box set a “new Tom Petty album”? I don’t but if you did that sounds about right. Loved this newly released song though

Re: Tom Petty...Looking for some recommendations
 

I tend to think of a new album as a collection of previously unreleased material. I was hoping to speak with the staff member who put up the sign to see what they considered to be the last new Petty album but no such luck.

Re: Tom Petty...Looking for some recommendations
 

You should tell them that Petty has been deceased for five years and their sign is tasteless.

Re: Tom Petty...Looking for some recommendations
 

^ I would think that folks working at a store that sells music would know a major star like Tom Petty is no longer with us. The fact is that we get posthumous albums often enough that it wouldn't be at all surprising if someone who had access to material Petty left on 'the cutting room floor' were to cobble together a 'new' record. It could be that whoever put up the sign is either hoping that unreleased material will surface or is deeply cynical about the music industry.

Re: Tom Petty...Looking for some recommendations
 

they also released a new version of She's the One soundtrack with about half a new albums worth of material this year. The new songs are more or left leftovers from Wildflowers and in my opinion, belong on Wildflowers All the Rest as some of them were at one point listed as songs for that Album. There is likely going to be a live release this year of songs from the Fillmore residency in 1997 as well, from what I have heard it's being mixed now.

• ANGEL DREAM (SONGS FROM THE MOTION PICTURE "SHE'S THE ONE")

RELEASED: MAY 17, 2021

the second disc of All the rest is fully unreleased tracks and a full album in its own right and was released as a stand-alone, 2 disc, 4 discs, and 5 disc set. :lol: