Having heard driving down to Georgia on the 95 tour, I always wondered why it never made the cut for a real album. it's a great song!
From the Finding Wildflowers booklet Benmont Tench says of this: "This was a live song we probably started playing in '91 or '92. You've got to be southern to really appreciate it, I think. We never released a studio version because I don't think we ever thought it was good enough. It's more exciting live."
It's so good, I've wondered if the piano was done post-Petty. I also noticed very tiny lead vocal auto tune touch ups elsewhere on these outtakes that were done tastefully.
As a New Englander, I have to say I disagree with Ben! I heard this played live on one night and the boys were playing a second night, the local news covered the show and this tune happened to be playing in the background which is why it stuck with me for so many years. This tune almost makes me want to drive down to GA.
I agree. Benmont missed the mark there. It was one of my favorite songs from the Live Anthology, and I really do enjoy driving down to Georgia. Pretty cool video for the song.
I wonder if the backlash makes it less likely the fifth disc of the Live Anthology ever gets a standalone release or whether the sales of Finding Wildflowers makes it more likely. In both cases, I bought the 4-CD sets. I sprung for the vinyl on the standalone Finding Wildflowers and would consider doing so for the additional Live Anthology material. But I also think the people who bought the super deluxe edition of Wildflowers and All the Rest are correct to feel ripped off and the marketing of the 5th CD/final 2 LPS was indefensible.
The marketing of this entire "Wildflowers All The Rest" project from start to finish is indefensible!
My black vinyl just showed up today. Packaging is on the cheap side of "meh" but we don't play the packaging, right? Don't want the controversy around this release to overshadow the music, though, so I'll say this is some great stuff, sounds fantastic. He really was mining a rich vein of form during this period and I'm glad we have it in our grubby little paws, no matter how much we did or did not pay for it. We'll be playing this stuff into our dotage, if we are lucky. From that point of view, it is a bargain. Great music.
Perhaps a boxset containing the 5th Live Anthology disc along with Kiss My Amps 1 & 2 and Live Mojo 2010 and Live At Fenway 2014.... Of course, I'd also love an official release of a full setlist from the March, 1980 sets at the Odeon [especially the tracks that appeared on the radio broadcast] with full between-song dialog...
You are right....Amazon UK now says 25 June (not 31 Dec !). So not too bad. I agree too that this whole release process could have been handled better by the Petty estate.
yep! Although my own holy grail is a full show from 1981. One of those gigs w Stevie guesting. Just about every tour through 70/80/90s is represented by good FM/board tapes apart from 81.
I would not say no to a Fillmore ‘97 box, even if it’s not entire sets front-to-back. Wasn’t that supposed to be “in the pipeline” as one of the upcoming archive releases?
I get why some are disappointed with the marketing undercut but good music is good music right? I picked up a NM copy (played once) of the gold Alternate versions Finding Wildflowers from a local collector for a nice discounted price. I wasn’t disappointed. Yeah, we’ve been spoiled with some nice packaging lately, and having two discs stuffed in along side each other was silly, but I got no complaints about the discs themselves.
I'd consider that nothing more than a rumor at the moment. Either Mike and Ben or Mike mentioned Filmore as a potential project but it's not definitive ATM.
slightly off topic...? i'm told that the 2 disc release included recording dates for the 'all the rest' material, and then that they also included them for the 'finding wildflowers' tracks. have they ever released recording dates for the actual master takes from the original/actual 'wildflowers' release? smitquest
Pulled the trigger on this via Amazon t'other day for £18.42. It was showing a December release but luckily now showing as June 25th. Very pleased with that price to be honest. Especially if it isn't a gatefold. Still keeping my fingers crossed for a standalone Home Recordings vinyl release
Always loved Drivin Down to Georgia. It was played at the one and only TP show I saw, at Wembley in 1991. I bought a bootleg cassette of the show at Romford market and played Georgia over and over.
That seems unlikely. Not to say that I wouldn't love to see one, but I don't think that would be a very high priority in the pipeline at this point... Although, it was big at the time, in terms of his overall catalog, that album doesn't seem to be considered one of the highlights or doesn't have the recognition of a Damn The Torpedoes / Full Moon Fever / Wildflowers... And there's the question of how much archive material would be available for such a set? A handful of b-sides & live tracks... and.. well, that seems to be about it. [As far as we know.] That being said, HP is one of my favorite TP albums and the first one I got in real time... I'm guessing [based on what rumors we've heard] is that after the new version of She's The One, we'll get some kind of live set [probably from the Fillmore] next...
Looks like what's been released is even less than I thought. Maybe a nice bonus EP anyway... Playback: Gator On The Lawn (b-side of A Woman In Love) Stop Draggin' My Heart Around (demo) American Treasure: King's Road (live 1981) A Woman In Love (live 1981)