Wildflowers is the second solo studio album by American musician Tom Petty, released on November 1, 1994. The album was the first released by Petty after signing a contract with Warner Bros. Records (where he had recorded as part of the Traveling Wilburys) and the first of three albums produced by Rick Rubin. The album was certified 3x platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Three singles were released from the album between 1994 and 1995, the most successful of which, “You Don’t Know How It Feels”, reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Album Rock Tracks chart for one week.
The album features all members of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, with the exception of drummer Stan Lynch. Steve Ferrone plays drums on Wildflowers and would join the band officially the following year. However, the album was not credited to the Heartbreakers because, in Petty’s words, “Rick (Rubin) and I both wanted more freedom than to be strapped into five guys.” Freedom notwithstanding, Petty chose to use most of his regular band as session players, demonstrating his comfort with that format. Rolling Stone placed Wildflowers at number 12 on their list of the best albums of the 1990s. Guitar World placed the album at number 49 in their “Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994” list.
In April 2015, when Petty’s back catalog was released in High-resolution audio, this was one of only two albums not included in the series (Songs and Music from “She’s the One” was the other one), but a hi-res version is available on Pono Music.
- “Wildflowers” 3:11
- “You Don’t Know How It Feels” 4:49
- “Time to Move On” 3:15
- “You Wreck Me” 3:22
- “It’s Good to Be King” 5:10
- “Only a Broken Heart” 4:30
- “Honey Bee” 4:58
- “Don’t Fade on Me” 3:32
- “Hard on Me” 3:48
- “Cabin Down Below” 2:51
- “To Find a Friend” 3:23
- “A Higher Place” 3:56
- “House in the Woods” 5:32
- “Crawling Back to You” 5:05
- “Wake Up Time” 5:19
Tom Petty – vocals (all tracks), acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmonica, bass guitar, harmony vocals, Hammond organ (14), piano (15)
Mike Campbell – electric guitar (tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 9–14), bass guitar (1, 3, 5, 6, 12, 13–15), slide guitar (3), acoustic guitar (8), coral sitar (11), harpsichord (1)
Benmont Tench – piano (tracks 1, 3–7, 9, 10, 12–14), grand piano (2), electric piano (2), Hammond organ (4, 6, 9, 12, 14), Mellotron (6, 14), tack piano (11), harmonium (1, 6, 12), zenon (11), orchestron (12)
Howie Epstein – harmony vocals (tracks 2, 4, 5, 13, 14), bass guitar (4, 7, 10), backing vocals (7)
Steve Ferrone – drums (tracks 1-7, 9, 10, 12–15)
Lenny Castro – percussion (tracks 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14)
Brandon Fields – saxophone (track 13)
Greg Herbig – saxophone (track 13)
Jim Horn – saxophone (track 13)
Kim Hutchcroft – saxophone (track 13)
Phil Jones – percussion (tracks 4, 10)
Michael Kamen – orchestration, conductor (tracks 1, 3, 5, 12, 15)
John Pierce – bass guitar (track 9)
Marty Rifkin – pedal steel guitar (track 13)
Ringo Starr – drums (tracks 11)
Carl Wilson – backing vocals (tracks 7)
This week we feature NEW music from: Blair Lee, Ya Tseen Feat. Portugal. The Man, Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors, Timothy Moore, Dylan Cartlidge, Shaed, Eric Hutchinson, Ollee Owens, Eric Hutchinson, Noga Erez Feat. Rousso, Genius Aretha Cast Feat. Cynthia Erivo, Katie Toupin, Jack Ingram and Miranda Lambert and Jon Randall, Tom Petty and more . . . 
Wildflowers is the second solo studio album by American musician Tom Petty, released on November 1, 1994. The album was the first released by Petty after signing a contract with Warner Bros. Records (where he had recorded as part of the Traveling Wilburys) and the first of three albums produced by Rick Rubin. The album was certified 3× platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America.
This week on the Sounds of The 80s we feature music from: Tom Petty, Steely Dan, Toto, Huey Lewis and The News, Steve Perry, Styx, Billy Idol, Stars On 45, Traveling Wilburys, Michael Jackson, George Harrison and many more . . .
Consider The Best of Everything a companion piece to An American Treasure, the first posthumous Tom Petty compilation. Weighing in at four CDs, An American Treasure was designed as a gift to the devoted who were still in mourning. In contrast, The Best of Everything is aimed at the fan who didn’t dig quite so deep, or perhaps to listeners who always liked Petty but never bothered to purchase an album. The Best of Everything relies on the hits that were largely absent on the box set but it takes a similar non-chronological approach to sequencing, a move that emphasizes Petty’s consistency as both a songwriter and recording artist. This distinguishes The Best of Everything from 2000’s Anthology: Through the Years, which also spanned two discs and contained four fewer songs than this 2019 set. Apart from that notable aesthetic choice, there is a considerable amount of overlap between the two double-disc collections — namely, all the hits Petty had with and without the Heartbreakers between 1976 and 1993, when he switched from his longtime home of MCA to Warner. The Best of Everything trumps Anthology in that it also includes hits Petty had for Warner — “You Don’t Know How It Feels,” “You Wreck Me,” and “Walls” — and extends to his strong last decade as a recording artist, adding two unreleased cuts for good measure (an alternate take of the title track which was heard in a shorter version on An American Treasure, the unheard “For Real,” which is laid-back and nifty). All this adds up to the best overall overview of — and perhaps introduction to — Tom Petty assembled to date. — AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Wildflowers is the second solo studio album by American musician Tom Petty, released on November 1, 1994. The album was the first released by Petty after signing a contract with Warner Bros. Records (where he had recorded as part of the Traveling Wilburys) and the first of three albums produced by Rick Rubin. The album was certified 3x platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Full Moon Fever is the debut solo studio album by Tom Petty, released on April 24, 1989 by MCA Records. It features contributions from members of his backing band the Heartbreakers, notably Mike Campbell, along with Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison (who died prior to its release), and George Harrison of the Traveling Wilburys. The record shows Petty exploring his musical roots with nods to his influences. The songwriting is mainly collaborations between Petty and Lynne, who was also a producer on the album. The album became a commercial and critical success peaking at No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and being certified 5× platinum in the United States and 6× platinum in Canada.
Into the Great Wide Open is the eighth studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, first released in 1991. The album was the band’s last with MCA Records. The album was the second Petty produced with Jeff Lynne after the success of Full Moon Fever.
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