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The Tom Petty Project

A deep dive review of Tom Petty's catalogue


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  • Approaching Wildflowers

    14:39
    When climbers finally decide to take on the holy grail of all ascents, Everest, they first face a nine day journey to base camp, which includes two full rest days. This journey alone weeds out about thirty of explorers. Those who are lucky enough to make the arduous trek to the first staging post are then faced with Mount Everest growing ever upwards into the clouds before them. Well my fine friends, I finally made it to basecamp and I’m staring up at my own personal Everest, relishing the challenge ahead, and looking forward to finding my own place among the Wildflowers.Wildflowers is the album that converted me from a casual fan to a Pettyhead and is, in my opinion, one of the most perfect albums ever recorded. I hope you enjoy this tenth season of The Tom Petty Project. Like the album, it’s been a long time coming and I hope I can do it justice.Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectTwitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProjectInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyprojectAll music in this episode was played by me on my trusty old Korg X3!The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul Roberts

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  • 35. Russell Mark Returns (Swing and a Miss)

    33:24
    One last non-Petty episode before we being digging into Wildflowers! This time, Russell Mark, from The Nextdoors is back to talk about their new single "Swing and a Miss". We talk about perfection in art and whether it's worth striving for, we nerd out over specific production choices and songwriting form, and of course, we talk about Gary Carter, and America's pastime. It was a lot of fun chatting to Russell again and I hope you enjoy our chat as much as we did!You can listen to or buy Swing and a Miss here;Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/2rkI6C98jJhv6GhSmWYBaPApple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/swing-and-a-miss/1733839196Youtube Music: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=9k1c5udiTgoBandcamp: https://thenextdoors.bandcamp.com/album/swing-and-a-miss-singleAnd you can go check out The Nextdoors website for upcoming shows and all sorts of other info! https://nextdoorsmusic.comDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectTwitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProjectInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyprojectAll music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.comThe Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul Roberts
  • 34. Jake Thistle Returns (The Half Left Out)

    01:32:35
    This is another special non-Petty episode of the podcast with the fantastic Jake Thistle, who found time in his insanely busy schedule to sit down with me to discuss his label debut, The Half Left Out. We chatted a little about Gainesville and Tom of course, but mainly we dug into the weeds around his full debut release, with topics ranging from album sequencing, how different producers bring different perspectives to songs, and how to avoid cliche: Jake has a fairly direct way of dealing with that! We also dug into the brilliant video for Brooklyn Can Wait and talked through each track in a little more depth. Jake has a new live album coming out some time in the next few months and already has demos made for most of a new studio recording which will be coming sometime hopefully soon. In the meantime, make sure you check out https://jakethistle.com and go support Jake at a live show if he’s playing anywhere near you. You can listen to Jake's fantastic album, The Half Left Out here; Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5NHK1O1KV8HX4rQpHBWYxM?si=SkDAanucR9C3ZQYtJ2HCowApple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-half-left-out/1713615334Youtube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nUNZNye9Kwjuhxc-DG4eYsojuLhOz_CHsAnd check out the video for "Brooklyn Can Wait" here: https://youtu.be/w_7rzZ5gMTwDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectTwitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProjectInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyprojectAll music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.comThe Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul Roberts
  • 33. Greatest Hits (with John Paulsen)

    01:10:04
    A really fun one today folks. John and Kevin dig deep into inclusions and ommissions from 1993's Greatest Hits. We have a conversation about formats (CD vs vinyl), chronological ordering vs sequencing, and whether ballads belong on Greatest Hits compilations. Both John and Kevin have one song that the other feels simply doesn't belong on the Greatest Hits album and have a fulsome conversation about their reasoning!Do check out www.4for4.com if you're into fantasy football and follow John on Twitter at @4for4_JohnDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectTwitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProjectInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt6BLRWuuAR43zHpNKIirOwAll music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com/Logo provided Ed Booth, who you can find here: https://edboothart.com/The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul Roberts
  • 32. The Petty 8ight with Sean and Todd McGinity

    01:46:16
    Today’s episode is the third installment in my Petty 8ight series, where I bring in musicians who aren’t Pettyheads, give them eight deeper cuts that they likely haven’t heard before, and get their thoughts on them. In this episode, my willing newbies are Sean and Todd McGinity. The brothers are based in Winnipeg and have a long history of writing, recording and playing shows both together in bands as well as in other projects. They’re also both seasoned podcasters, with their show The SeanGeek and FastFret podcast rapidly approaching 500 episodes and I’d urge you to check that out. Look further down in these notes for links to their bandcamp pages for the band Dome and their duo project Bros Before Gin. LANGUAGE WARNING: As a heads up, this episode is a little sweary. It was later in the evening when we talked and it was more like three guys hanging out and shooting the shit rather than a more formal interview. As I knew they would, they brought some different perspectives to songs I know like the back of my hand, including an observation about Fault Lines that I’d simply never noticed before!Visit Sean's website for links to all things McGinity and SeanGeek and FastFret! https://seanmcginity.ca To find the Dome album, visit Bandcamp here: https://domewpg.bandcamp.com/album/we-are-machineTo find the Bros Before Gin album, visit Bandcamp here: https://brosbeforegin.bandcamp.com/album/the-kitchen-sinkThe Tom Petty Project is a proud member of The Deep Dive Podcast Network, which you can find on Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepdivepodnetDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectTwitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProjectInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt6BLRWuuAR43zHpNKIirOwAll music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com/Logo provided Ed Booth, who you can find here: https://edboothart.com/The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul Roberts
  • 31. Something in the Air

    21:27
    A major change in this cover version is the format of the lyrics. Something in the Air is a fairly ominous call to arms. The original was released in May of 1969 when the Vietnam War was still raging at its most furious. Speedy Keen said that told ZigZag magazine in 1975 of the song "It was a reflection of what I was seeing at the time". But rather than using the overtly observational third verse and the line “Hand out the arms and ammo. We're gonna blast our way through here”, Tom repeats the first. He also switches up the first line of the second verse from the sinister “Lock up the streets and houses Because there's something in the air” to the much more optimistic and carefree “Run through the fields and houses because there's something in the air”. If ever you have to try to define the word zeitgeist, using “something in the air” as a synonym is pretty much the best you can do in my opinion and this is why Tom is able to co-opt an observation on the vietnam war into a song that carries a much more hopeful tenor.Today’s episode covers the second single from the Greatest Hits release, "Something in the Air".Song video :  https://youtu.be/8J7yTze4Xbs Live Anthology version : https://youtu.be/ejagbjZRlAY Fish version : https://youtu.be/VaU-XY0www4 Thunderclap Newman version : https://youtu.be/T59hsln7nlc The podcast I promoted in this week's episode, Booked on Rock, can be found here: https://shows.acast.com/podcastwillrockThe Tom Petty Project is a proud member of The Deep Dive Podcast Network, which you can find on Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepdivepodnetDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectTwitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProjectInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt6BLRWuuAR43zHpNKIirOwAll music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com/The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul Roberts
  • 30. Mary Jane's Last Dance

    27:34
    When author Paul Zollo asks Tom about the song in his book Conversations With Tom Petty, and mentions that the song had been partially written some years previously, Tom confirms this, saying, “That was one I wrote during the Full Moon Fever sessions. I wrote all but the chorus. I just had the loop going around and around and really had most of the words and everything. And I played the tape for Rick Rubin and he liked it a lot and suggested I write a chorus. There were maybe five years between the writing of the verses and the chorus.” Of course, all hardcore Pettyheads know that the lyrics that Tom initially came up with in the chorus were very different to what ended up on the recording. In 2020, Mike Campbell told Vulture magazine, “What’s funny is that when Tom wrote this song, when he first showed it to me, the chorus was, “Hey Indiana girl, go out and find the world.” It was a completely different chorus and we all hated it. A few days later Tom came in and sang, “Last dance for[sic] Mary Jane.”Today’s episode covers the first single from the Greatest Hits release, the iconic "Mary Jane's Last Dance".You can listen (and watch) to the song here: https://youtu.be/aowSGxim_O8 To hear the live version from the Fillmore, check that here: https://youtu.be/KTW349WRTsQ The podcast I promoted in this week's episode, And The Podcast Will Rock, can be found here: https://shows.acast.com/podcastwillrock The Tom Petty Project is a proud member of The Deep Dive Podcast Network, which you can find on Twitter: https://twitter.com/deepdivepodnetDon't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyprojectTwitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProjectInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt6BLRWuuAR43zHpNKIirOwAll music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com/The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography"Producer: Kevin BrownExecutive Producer: Paul Roberts