After spending a few days with my beloved 9LP (finally!), I have to say I've been utterly floored by this incredible set. 1. Wildflowers itself sounds amazing. The Hi-Hat on YDKHIF still sounds like it's trying to rip out my speakers with the top end, but that's a part of the recording, and the rest of the album sounds beautifully smooth, free of noise, and with a balanced low end, though as noted, nothing huge. Again, this is a part of the album, and can't be added. 2. All the Rest is a wonderful experience, but Somewhere Under Heaven still feels out of place. I wish we'd had 13 Days here instead, or even Lonesome Dave tbh, but I also would hate to miss out on having this wonderful tune! I love Tom, but I think he made the wrong decision here. outside of that though, it flows beautifully, and works nicely as a companion. 3. The Home Recordings are a gorgeous listen, and wonderful for putting on in the evening and picking up a book. There's a incredibly intimate (but not LoFi) vibe here, and the LPs sound great of course. 4. Wildflowers Live is downright fun! It really does feel like a live experience, though a little more chatter would've been nice - but you're only got what's on the tape to play with! Given I'm not usually a huge Live Albums fan, this was the biggest shock to me here. 5. Finding Wildflowers is still the king of this set for me. Every track offers something new and exciting, and I still can't get enough of the Stan Crawling Back To You - this sounds EXACTLY like The Heartbreakers! Nothing trumps the original versions obviously, but things like hearing Ringo talk on 'Wildflowers' get me giddy. I only wished they'd maxed out the CD for this portion. All in all, an amazing set, only truly marred by Petty's decisions for All the Rest (and a total lack of 13 Days). The sound is consistently perfect, as is to be expected from the team involved, and the packaging is great as ever (though the fact it's a little taller than An American Treasure does bug me a tiiiiiny bit - but as it dwarfs that set in width, I'll allow it.
for anyone that is a glutton for punishment, there is a new 3LP super deluxe edition limited to 1K copies that is on sale now. Comes with similar swag to the 9LP but is only 99 bucks. 3 LP - WILDFLOWERS & ALL THE REST - LIMITED EDITION BUNDLE Regular price$99.98Sale price The edition is limited to 1,000 copies and includes the following items: 3 LP vinyl: The 3 LP 140g edition contains the original 1994 Wildflowers album (remastered) with 15 tracks on two LPs. LP 3 contains All The Rest, the 10 songs from the Wildflowers sessions that were left off the album. Tote Bag: Natural canvas tote with front and back images Button Set: Pack of 4 buttons 7” single of “You Don’t Know How It Feels” and “Girl on LSD” Wildflowers logo cloth patch Numbered 12 x 12 Lithograph of “You Wreck Me” Blaze Brooks
100 likes! A poor mans "Ultra" set. I let the big Ultra set go by when it was still available. I didn't make the same mistake twice. I'm in. Thanks for the heads up
I visited my local used cd store today. I guess there's a new Tom Petty 'Wilflowers' box out lol. Look how many copies of the old album are in the $1 bin. TP's Greatest Hits too (top left corner). IMG 0727 — Postimages
Oh darn. If only they would sell Finding Wildflowers. It's been pretty great (not) watching everyone here say how its the highlight of the entire set, while not having the extra $100 to pony up for the one disc.
FWIW, I don't think the Finding Wildflowers disc is the highlight. All the Rest is the best of the other discs, by far, essentially another first-rate TP album. The home recordings are wonderful, providing a fantastic glimpse at the album's genesis. I love live music so the live disc is essential. Finding Wildflowers has some interesting alternate versions, but compared to the rest of the set it's the least essential disc, and certainly not worth $100 to me. Others will obviously disagree.
They might as well take a page from Neil Young's playbook and use them as roof shingles. (They'd probably double as solar heating panels.)
Tom Petty website has exploded with clothes , swag and Wildflowers artwork prints. Tom Petty | Official Merchandise
Yeah I got an email notice about this set from the Tom Petty Store and I would certainly order this over the more expensive 9LP set but times are tough and I really can't afford the $100 for this either.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: the Home Recordings really, really, remind me of Neil Young. And the more I listen, and the more I think about it, I'd be surprised if Tom wasn't at least partially influenced by Neil's albums which came out around the time Tom was making his demos: Harvest Moon (1992) and Unplugged (1993). Those albums were huge at the time, and the songs Tom recorded in his home studio have a real similar vibe. I wonder what Tom thought of those albums, and whether or not he has mentioned them specifically, or Neil generally, around that time. Obviously Tom played the Bridge School benefit more than a few times so he knew Neil personally and I believe there would have been mutual respect and admiration there between them. I was fortunate enough to be at the 1989, 1994, and 2000 Bridge School shows (and a LOT more than that, but those are the ones that Petty played...) Anyway, yeah. The Home Recordings sound a lot like Tom's answer to Harvest Moon. To me, anyway. Your mileage may vary!
It is worth noting he started doing these (according to the liner notes) after Rick showed him the Esher Demos. Maybe it’s a combo influence?
Really excellent set. The music is so good. And the early versions are a pleasure to hear. I really love this
Ordered the new 3LP set as a present for a friend. He just wants the music. He won’t care about the swag. So I get to add the swag to my barebones 9LP version, give a great present to a friend, and thusly I’m now the only person winning 2020.
I had the exact same thought, particularly listening to the home recording of "Wake Up Time". The phrasing, the vibe, the sound -- it's the most Neil-esque Petty I've ever heard!