Wildflowers

Wildflowers

by Tom Petty
Wildflowers

Wildflowers

by Tom Petty

CD

$12.99 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Temporarily Out of Stock Online
  • PICK UP IN STORE
    Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Related collections and offers


Overview

Following a half-decade of collaborations with the ornate Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty decided it was time to strip things back for 1994's Wildflowers. He swapped Lynne for Rick Rubin, the Def Jam founder who started cultivating a production career outside of hip-hop and metal in the early 1990s, then hunkered down with a team of musicians anchored by his longtime lieutenants Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench. Together, they achieved a sound that was lean and sinewy, fulfilling the goal of getting Petty back to the basics, but the singer/songwriter wrote too much material for a single album. After toying with the idea of releasing a double CD, Petty whittled Wildflowers down to a single disc that ran the length of a double album, a considerable indulgence for a rocker who usually restrained himself to a tight 40 minutes (or, on the case of the first two Heartbreakers albums, a quick half hour). The extra space allows Petty to stretch out and breathe, to spend as much time strumming sun-kissed folk tunes as he does rambling through ramshackle rockers and heavy-footed blues. The Heartbreakers specialized in clean, efficient rock & roll, and while this solo project echoes their sound -- how could it not with Campbell and Tench aboard -- Wildflowers is distinguished by its casual gait. Whether it's the highway anthem "You Wreck Me" or the stoner shrug of "You Don't Know How It Feels," the performances benefit from this space to breathe, while the larger canvass helps steer attention to the character sketch of "To Find a Friend," the sardonic wit of "It's Good to Be King," and the bittersweet undercurrent of "Crawling Back to You." Other, earlier albums provide a greater rock & roll wallop, but thanks to its extra space, Wildflowers captures the full range of Tom Petty as a singer, songwriter, and rocker. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date: 11/01/1994
Label: Warner Bros.
UPC: 0093624575924
Rank: 2355

Tracks

  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

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Tom Petty   Primary Artist,Bass,Lead,Organ,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Soloist,Beat Box,Harmonica,Tambourine,Harpsichord,Lead Vocals,Guitar (Bass),Vocal Harmony,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Benmont Tench   Piano (Electric),Vocals (Background),Organ,Piano,Harmonium,Keyboards,Mellotron,Orchestra,Chamberlin,Tack Piano,Harp Guitar,Harpsichord,Synthesizer,Piano (Grand)
Phil Jones   Percussion,Tambourine
Jim Horn   Saxophone
Brandon Fields   Saxophone
Ron Blair   Guitar,Guitar (Bass)
Charley Webb   Vocals (Background)
Hattie Webb   Vocals (Background)
Mike Campbell   Bass,Drums,Organ,Piano,Guitar,Soloist,Mandolin,Coral Sitar,Harpsichord,Slide Guitar,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Michael Kamen   Conductor,Orchestra
Gary Herbig   Saxophone
Stan Lynch   Drums
Steve McLaughlin   Orchestra
Steve Ferrone   Drums
Kim Hutchcroft   Saxophone
Carl Wilson   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
John Pierce   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Ringo Starr   Drums
Lenny Castro   Percussion,Tambourine
Howie Epstein   Bass,Vocals,Guitar (Bass),Vocal Harmony,Vocals (Background)
Scott Thurston   Guitar,Harmonica,Vocal Harmony,Vocals (Background)
Marty Rifkin   Pedal Steel,Guitar (Steel)

Technical Credits

Benmont Tench   Scientific Assistant,Orchestration
Jeff Sheehan   Assistant Engineer
Brian Scheuble   Engineer
Ryan Ulyate   Mixing,Producer,Recording
Kenji Nakai   Assistant Engineer
Alan Weidel   Logistics,Equipment Manager
Robert Sebree   Photography
Martyn Atkins   Design,Photography,Art Direction
Robert Scovill   Engineer,Recording
John Hausmann   Engineer,Recording
Kenji Nasai   Mixing Engineer,Mixing Assistant
Steve Holyrod   Assistant Engineer
Richard Dodd   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Rick Rubin   Producer
Mike Campbell   Composer,Producer
Michael Kamen   Orchestration
David Bianco   Engineer
Tom Petty   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording
George Drakoulias   Consultant,Instrumentation
Steve Holroyd   Assistant Engineer
Joe Barresi   Assistant Engineer
Stephen Marcussen   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Steve McLaughlin   Engineer
Biff Dawes   Engineer,Recording
Bob Loftus   Assistant Engineer
Kim Hutchcroft   Producer
Clif Norrell   Engineer
Greg Looper   Engineer,Recording
Jim Scott   Engineer
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews