I'm incredibly fortunate to say that there's two musicians that I remember being the very first artists that introduced me to the broad term of "music" when I was younger. They were Bob Dylan and Tom Petty thanks to my mom. She loved them both more than anything, and called me only a short while ago crying to tell me that Tom had passed. He meant the world to her. The first "lyrics" of songs I ever remember even being able to sing at my young age were from his work with the supergroup The Travelling Wilburys. This is tragic. Won't be anyone who ever comes close. RIP.
Anyone who hasn't checked out Traveling Wilburys but likes his music, definitely check them out! I always listened to and loved his solo and Heartbreakers stuff growing up, but that ended up being my favorite project he was involved in!
Shocked and heartbroken about this one... Just finished listening to Wildflowers for the first time since learning of his death today. Bums me the fuck out.
Jammed Into the Great Wide Open and Southern Accents this afternoon. Going to be listening to mostly Petty this week, no matter what happens.
Hard Promises was one of the first records I bought from Goodwill when I was in high school. My uncle let me borrow his turntable and I couldn't get enough. I didn't really know Petty outside of Free Fallin' and Won't Back Down, but that record really turned me on to his music. I'll always have a special place in my heart for The Waiting. Listened to it again after hearing this news and it was just so sad.
I have no clue, but between her username and other Instagram posts, I don't think I'd like to spend any amount of time around her.
I am just destroyed by this. Listened to Hard Promises and was still so joyful, like I always am when I listen. And then so empty. First listen of Echo ongoing
I'm not a Tom Petty expert, but I know an amazing song when I hear it and he made a lot of them. R.I.P.
Working my way through his whole discography today. How insanely talented do you have to be to have "Breakdown" as your second recorded song ever and "American Girl" as the ending track for your first album?
Definitely a little trepidation about when I get to Highway Companion. Feels like the album (besides Wildflowers, obviously) that's going to be gut-wrenching in retrospect.
Imagine? Not to mention, he had already written "Don't Do Me Like That" by then, since I'm fairly certain that was an old Mudcrutch song.
Breakdown is probably my favorite Tom Petty song I've ever heard, but unfortunately, I only own his greatest hits vinyl and the Wildflowers CD (one of the first CDs I had when I was a kid), so I have to really dig deeper into his catalog.
i'm in that same boat, as far as physical copies of his music. i haven't listened to much besides though, unfortunately, but I will be (starting yesterday)
Making my way through The Live Anthology now, but can't wait to dive back into that Mudcrutch album. "Crystal River" is a classic Sunday morning song. PS has any other band done what Petty and co did with Mudcrutch? Revisiting thirty-year-old tunes and making something incredible? Maybe Dylan and Neil Young, but they're just releasing old ish.
Craig, good article. Thank you. As for his music, I always thought Long After Dark was just ridiculously under-appreciated. The fact that there are casual fans who don't know that album outside of You Got Lucky.......there are about 5 songs on that album that could've been HUGE radio hits. Change of Heart, Straight Into Darkness, One Story Town, Deliver Me......that stuff all stands with his BEST songs. Remarkably good and consistent artist. He lost me a little with Mojo and Hypnotic Eye but everything else in his catalog is just solid gold.