tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621501513493185029.post5875509933793641183..comments2024-03-27T12:50:36.135-04:00Comments on Everybody's Dummy: Tom Petty 12: Wildflowerswardohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825405583474881509noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621501513493185029.post-54074772663858303642021-01-02T17:04:06.423-05:002021-01-02T17:04:06.423-05:00This was a major rebound from “Into the Great Wide...This was a major rebound from “Into the Great Wide Open.” The production is starker, but much more fitting. In fact, this was the most stripped-down sound Tom had come up with yet. It is a bit long, but Petty explores most of his songwriting strengths here, except for straight pop songs. There’s the all out Heartbreakers rocker (“You Wreck Me”); naïve, but touching ballads (title track, “Only a Broken Heart”, "To Find a Friend"); lots of his eccentric sense of humor ("You Don't Know How It Feels", "Cabin Down Below", the deliberately silly “Honey Bee”, the clever, but tedious, "It's Good to Be King"). However, it’s also notable that the stark music matches some equally stark, even bleak, lyrics ("Time to Move On", "Don't Fade on Me", "Crawling Back to You"). In retrospect, it seems this was a portent of things to come, but at least he ended the album with on a hopeful note with “Wake Up Time”. <br /><br />I’m also especially fond of this album because I saw the band for my third (and final) time on this tour. The setlist was very heavy on the album and “Full Moon Fever”, with only a few scattered nuggets from the rest of his catalog. But there were a bunch of unexpected songs – a cover of “I Just Want to Make Love to You”; a new arrangement of “Learning to Fly”, “Wildflowers” style; the yet-unreleased “Drivin' Down to Georgia”; a Mike Campbell showcase via a cover of “Diamond Head”. The low point was "It's Good to Be King". It’s a boring song to start with, and they stretched it out into a jam that seemed to go on forever. The extended jam thing worked out much better with “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”. The biggest surprise was a slightly truncated run through of “Girl on LSD” (!!), with a hilarious intro (“This is another new song. We’re not proud of it. But we still have to do it”). Incidentally, I’m glad that I own the 45, as well as the slightly lower key single versions of “Only a Broken Heart” and “Cabin Down Alone”. <br /><br />I really miss these guys. This album conjures up some of the fondest memories of Tom’s music. <br />trfesokhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12631886869696528704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621501513493185029.post-86523964582820220782011-01-20T22:28:38.992-05:002011-01-20T22:28:38.992-05:00Yup. Hair flying everywhere.Yup. Hair flying everywhere.wardohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07825405583474881509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621501513493185029.post-28066107020074932052011-01-20T21:04:39.380-05:002011-01-20T21:04:39.380-05:00Still remember Dave Grohl sitting in with TP on Sa...Still remember Dave Grohl sitting in with TP on Saturday Night Live around this albums release, pst-Cobain-death, and absolutely pummeling his kit.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01183025589297580944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621501513493185029.post-66652077264736569492010-02-03T11:11:15.870-05:002010-02-03T11:11:15.870-05:00still love the title track. makes me think of hea...still love the title track. makes me think of heather and smile.<br /><br />dickAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com