All The Rest

Vinyl Review: Tom Petty - Wildflowers, and all the Rest

Tom Petty’s final album ‘Wildflowers’ was released in 1994 and was lovingly produced by the legendary Rick Rubin, the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings and American Recordings.

 

25 album-worthy songs were recorded during the sessions which meant the record would need to be released as a double album. However, with Warner Brothers suggesting that a 25 song album was too long, the decision was made to cut 10 of the finished tracks. The album was released with its commercially viable 15 tracks and the remaining tracks were stored away (with some being featured on soundtrack projects such as 'She's The One').

The ‘Wildflowers’ record in its original form was a critically acclaimed album featuring exceptional tracks including ‘You Don’t Know How It Feels’, the delicate title track ‘Wildflowers’, the rocking pair ‘You Wreck Me’ and ‘Honey Bee’, and the piano-driven power of the introspective ‘Wake Up Time’.

In 2020, ‘Wildflowers & All The Rest’ was finally released with the missing 10 tracks restored as a double CD set along with a much anticipated 3 LP vinyl set in gorgeous packaging.

There is an excellent documentary about the recording sessions available on YouTube: Tom Petty: Somewhere You Feel Free - The Making of Wildflowers

 

The restored 10 tracks were well worth the wait with some beautifully crafted songs.

‘Leave Virginia Alone’ and ‘Hope You Never’ are both reminiscent of classic Tom Petty songs.

The humorous optimism of ‘California’.. ‘hoping it don’t sink into the sea..’

The intimate ‘Harry Green’ perhaps allows us to experience a time in the early life of Tom.

The monumental wall of sound on ‘Climb That Hill’ which is a refrain of the included ‘Climb That Hill Blues’ but fleshed out to its ultimate potential.

The album ends with ‘Hung Up and Overdue’ a beatlesque, Jeff Lynne tinged, arrangement that is a worthy bookend to this great collection of songs and musicianship.

Highly recommended.