Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Angel Dream (She’s The One OST reissue)

If we are counting the studio version of “Drivin’ Down To Georgia” as a pre-WF session, then should we have the first pass at “A Higher Place” as part of these since both feature John Mellencamp’s drummer, Kenny Aronoff? Both were part of the box set’s Disc 5. Or are there attempts at “Drivin’ Down To Georgia” and “Lost Without You” from the August 1992 sessions still in the vaults?

Again @ryan de topanga would be the one to know…

 

@McCool

Ok, using the list of recordings you provided me yesterday, other than Lost Without You (which I don't have yet) here's my take at sequencing a "Summer 1992" album using the tracks available.

Does this all look Kosher? Also, the tracks you listed as "Version 1" are the versions on the Finding Wildflowers/Alternates disc, correct?

48 minutes. Killer set of tunes!! This sequence flows pretty good to me.

1. Come On Down to My House
2. Honey Bee
3. House in the Woods
4. God's Gift to Man
5. You Saw Me Coming
6. Driving Down to Georgia
7. Crawling Back to You
8. Wake Up Time
9. One Of Life's Little Mysteries
10. Cabin Down Below
11. You Get Me High

 

I'd listened to a few recordings of Tom and the boys performing "Thirteen Days" and was always underwhelmed. When I finally heard the studio version on "Angel Dream," the song magically opened up and took me to another place. The performance, production and mix are perfect. Musically and lyrically, it would fit on any configuration of "Wildflowers." If I didn't know Tom hadn't written it, I wouldn't have suspected it.

 

This is a multi-tiered question so I'll try to tackle it in small increments. To begin with whatever sequence you deem to be viable for your own needs is the one you should go with. Playlists are like flavors of ice cream, best dictated by personal preference. In regards to your query about sources/versions, only where a source is specifically designated can that particular version of a selection be located on disc. When no source is listed, unfortunately that selection is not available for review at this time.

The listing I shared with the forum yesterday, collates together both the known recordings and the known compositions that have been confirmed to have been in Tom Petty's songbook prior to the move to Sound City in late 1992. This is an important distinction to make because it signifies the transition from Tom Petty/Heartbreakers working on a collection of material that could've conceivably formed the follow-up album to "Into The Great Wide Open", to Tom Petty and Mike Campbell deciding that they wanted to take a different approach with the music that TP was writing at the time.

To begin with at least four of those listed compositions date back to a period of time that existed within the interim of the domestic and international legs of the "Touring The Great Wide Open" tour. The international leg of that particular tour commenced in Oslo, Norway on March 4, 1992 by which period of time, Tom Petty had added at least four new compositions to his songbook. There was "Driving Down To Georgia", "Lost Without You", "You Get Me High" and "Come On Down To My House", of which the last three were in varying degrees of compositional gestation during the run of shows that the band would perform in Europe. Upon returning home from Europe roughly around a month later, one of the first things that Tom Petty/Heartbreakers would find themselves thrust into was an unexpected recording session brought about by the Los Angeles Riots which took place in late April and early May of that year. Tom Petty was so affected by the sight of his adopted city burning and the violence that was springing forth from every television screen and radio speaker that he immediately penned a song entitled "Peace In L.A." both in response to the riots themselves and also as a plea for cooler heads to prevail and a cessation to the violence. The song was issued as a rush-released single and was receiving radio airplay within days of outbreak of the riots.

From this point, there is seemingly a break in the action in terms of recording activity which may have allowed Tom Petty to add further compositions to his songbook while refining others. There was also one contractual obligation that existed on the dockets at this time which Tom Petty/Heartbreakers were committed to address and that was to compose a seasonal tune for an upcoming holiday collection entitled "A Very Special Christmas 2" that was to be issued to market by years end with proceeds benefiting the Special Olympics.

With this in mind, Tom Petty/Heartbreakers reconvened during the end of the summer of '92 at Mike Campbell's home studio which by that point Tom Petty's songbook had expanded not only to include the eventual seasonal composition ["Christmas (All Over Again)"] but at least the twelve compositions listed in posting #774. I should emphasize that there may have been other compositions in addition to what has been listed but those are the twelve selections that I have been able to confirm as of this writing. Of these sessions, Petty would later tell Bill Flanagan, "The band came in and worked for about a month. We had a great time jamming around and working with song fragments and ideas. Then when it came time to start putting down some tracks, it completely fell apart." While there are indeed several jams and song fragments that were explored during this period, some of which were later broadcast as part of Ryan Ulyate's "Behind The Glass" series on SiriusXM's "Tom Petty Radio", there were clearly also a number of fully formed compositions that began to raise their hands up as possible contenders for the next Tom Petty/Heartbreakers record.

The dichotomy of such was an intermingling of content that was specifically written for the Heartbreakers alongside a standard of material that was beginning to reveal itself as being antithetical to what the band was trying to accomplish, at least under these auspices. How does one draw a line from the garage rock of "Come On Down To My House" and "God's Gift To Man" to the soft touches of "Time To Move On" and "One Of Life's Little Mysteries"? In some cases, you attempt to compromise and bend the material to where the musicians want to take it such as the guitar-heavy interpretation of "Wake Up Time" as later heard on the 2018 archival release, "An American Treasure". Other compositions such as Tom Petty's ode to cannabis, "You Get Me High" and sexually charged lyrics of "Honey Bee" needed no such alteration. There was however already evidence of sweeping majestic landscapes that were beginning to spring forth from the Tom Petty songbook as expansive songs such as "It's Good To Be King" and "You Saw Me Comin'" had already cropped up, each one demanding far more consideration than perhaps could be afforded to them from a five-piece band arrangement. The former would eventually be the beneficiary of such embellishments while the latter was regrettably forgotten for over two decades.

It's impossible to listen to the music recorded during this period whether it's the improvised jam of "God's Gift To Man" or the alternative arrangement of "House In The Woods" with it's Grateful Dead inspired bridge and not come away feeling that these are recordings which retain their own sense of identity. It is therefore not surprising that when selecting material for the "Wildflowers" album that Tom Petty did not venture back to this earlier period in order to draw content. While Tom Petty's assertion to Bill Flanagan that everything fell apart once the band began to put down tracks is understandable, it is equally a misnomer. For there is a cohesiveness to this music, albeit not one that would lend itself to a proper album assemblage. That notwithstanding there are clear musical links which bind together the forceful velocity of "Driving Down To Georgia" with the early version of "House In The Woods". Selections such as "Wake Up Time", "Time To Move On" and "It's Good To Be King" which would later find their form over the next two years were first heard here, demonstrating what would be the next phase in their author's songwriting and raising questions as to how to best cast compositions that would seemingly not be serviced by conventional methods. So play these songs, heck play them all together if you like. They all come from the same place and from the same pen. Some of them would make it to the next phase while others would not. They are if nothing else dually a reflection upon what might have been and a window into what would be.

 

Wow. As ever, McCool, you provide wonderful context and background info that reads like a book. Thank you for posting this.

 

Yes, @McCool , when do you start accepting preorders?

For real, wow. Thank you. Learned even more from you yet again! I'm just a slovenly little newbie trying to learn/contextualize everything I can and posts like yours make my day. I love history, so being able to put things "in their right place", as best as possible, is always cool to me for that. Hell, that's why I love collecting live music - it's like a time machine to a place and date.

I'll try not to badger this thread much more - it's all just so interesting and new to me. Thank you again.

 

I don't think I would call it "badgering". We are all here on the forum to share info we have and learn more from others...

[at least, I think that's why we're here... ]

[I guess some just come around to complain but I don't pay them much attention...]

Anyway, it's a treat to have McCool and Ryan on here sharing their knowledge, but even without them, this is a great place to share and chat with other Petty fans...

 

Heck yes!!!

 

All these

 

The great thing about it is that there are so many ways to skin the cat. You can make a list of just the completed, original, non-album songs with Stan from that time, you can add in cover songs, you can add in Stan's versions the Wildflowers material, you can add in the unfinished jams.

For fun, I recently took a Tattoo You approach and put together the best songs scattered around, going back to pick up a few outtakes from the last Heartbreakers session or two.

Here's that playlist I think would've made a great Heartbreakers album in 1995:

1. Mary Jane's Last Dance
2. Travelin'*
3. Waiting For Tonight*
4. Lonesome Dave
5. God's Gift to Man
6. 105 Degrees
7. One of Life's Little Mysteries
8. Driving Down to Georgia
9. Lost Without You
10. You Get Me High
11. Come on Down to My House
12. You Come Through*
13. You Saw Me Comin'

No, those songs weren't all from exactly the same period — "Travelin'" and "Waiting For Tonight" go back to the late '80s. Stan doesn't play on "You Come Through." We don't have the studio versions of DDTG or LWY, so I used the Live Anthology versions for this particular playlist. You can surely quibble with my criteria.

But that is one rockin' set. And TP specifically cited a bunch of those tracks as among his favorites. Plus, the cool thing is that tracklist wouldn't cannibalize Wildflowers at all. None of those tracks are outtakes specific to any previous or future album.

"Thirteen Days" and "Something in the Air" could surely be included as well, though I excluded cover songs for this already-longish 13-song set. Maybe for a bonus EP

 

Yes!

 

I second this, as well, and would be more than happy to take the reigns/assist with this is possible/anyone in Perry’s camp is interested and willing. I’d love to do something similar to my Neil Young discography and make it even more in-depth with overdub and mixing dates: Neil Young Sessionography.docx

 

I wish there was a Heartbreakers’ version of this, The Beatles Gear….

https://www.amazon.com/Beatles-Gear...ocphy=9007927&hvtargid=pla-448452449462&psc=1

 

Is there a more dynamic version of Angel Dream (No. 4) other than the one on She's The One?

 

No. For what it's worth, both mixes of "Angel Dream" derive from the same take of the song with the numbers designating the deviating mixes, placed trailing the song title being of a somewhat arbitrary nature.

 

I think this has been answered previously, but can anyone tell me which recordings remain unique to She's the One, with Angel Dream & All the Rest both issued. I believe the tracks that went on All the Rest are all alternate versions, so they aren't replicating those tracks.

If I'm thinking correctly, these are the unique tracks:

Walls (Circus)
Angel Dream No 4
Hope You Never
Supernatural Radio
California
Hope on Board
Hung Up and Overdue
Airport

 

I'm a newbie and I know we went over this in the last month or so, but I'm like 90 percent certain just those 3 tracks are all that is still unique. Glad to be corrected.

 

I think the ones that went on All the Rest are all listed as alternate versions, so that makes three more tracks unique to She's the One (Hope You Never, California, and Hung Up and Overdue).

I don't think Angel Dream No 4 was issued anywhere else, and Supernatural Radio is different because of the extended version that is on the Angel Dream album.

So I think all 8 tracks I mentioned are unique to She's the One. I was hoping to confirm that too.

(also, I know Walls (Circus) is on The Best of Everything, but i'm not really considering best of compilations)

 

Well the versions of those songs on All The Rest ARE different, but the versions on Angel Dream are the same as were on the original album as far as I recall. But again, I am a newbie and his discography makes my head hurt trying to figure it all out so don't take my word as gospel

 

I agree with you. That's why I think the 8 tracks I mentioned are still unique to She's the One (although Supernatural Radio is different on the Angel Dream album, since it's extended. So I am still counting the version on She's the one as unique).

 

The tracks that share commonality between "Songs And Music From The Motion Picture: She's The One" and "Wildflowers And All The Rest" are largely differentiated in regards to their mixes. The mixes heard on the soundtrack were performed [somewhat hurriedly] in 1996 and Tom Petty was never entirely satisfied with those mixes. So in 2015, he asked Ryan Ulyate to prepare fresh remixes of those songs for "Wildflowers And All The Rest".

All of the selections emanate from the same master recordings with the exception of "Climb That Hill" which is presented on "Wildflowers And All The Rest" as it was originally recorded for "Wildflowers" in the autumn of 1993. It was subsequently tracked again several years later and that version is found on both the soundtrack and it's subsequent remix ["Angel Dream (Songs And Music From The Motion Picture: She's The One)"].

Additionally "Angel Dream (No. 4)" is a mix of that selection that is unique to the original soundtrack, although as previously stressed still emanates from the same root as "Angel Dream (No. 2)" [see posting #790]. The bits of score ["Hope On Board" and "Airport"] are also unique to the soundtrack. "Walls (Circus)" is not unique to the soundtrack as it also appears on the 2019 compilation, "The Best of Everything".

In terms of the remaining material, there are some deviations in terms of the mixes originally issued on the soundtrack and the twenty-first century remixes of those tracks. Most notably, "Supernatural Radio" as heard on "Angel Dream (Songs And Music From The Motion Picture: She's The One) while emanating from the same master as heard on the soundtrack does not edit out a sequence heard between 04:24-05:08. On "Wildflowers And All The Rest", "Hung Up And Overdue" moves Carl Wilson's and Howie Epstein's harmony vocals towards the front of the mix while "California" removes a counter-melody that is heard during the coda on the soundtrack. In truth there a bunch of interesting deviations to hear if you know where to seek them out.

 

Thanks for that explanation! That pretty much confirms what I thought about what tracks/mixes remain unique to the original She's the One soundtrack.

 

Bump cuz this is a great thread

What does everyone think of this release/material now with some time having passed?

 

I'm digging it! Played it several times on arrival, probably should revisit soon....

 

Hadn't really looked into this release, but a friend let me know that there is a limited edition LP/Coke bottle green, available for the next hour or so. I ordered!
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