Let me introduce myself, I am a simple 23-year-old guy who loves rock.
I should note that this was my first review on my YouTube channel... And it's my first review here as well. Let's talk about the great Tom Petty, an American singer-songwriter who is among my favorites, and who left us in 2017. Essentially a rock purist, yet eclectic, creator of songs that at times are more cheerful and carefree, and at times more melancholic and reflective, in any case always profound and sincere.
The Best Of Everything, announced in October 2018 a year after Tom Petty's passing, and released in March 2019, is the definitive collection of the artist. It contains the songs considered the most important of his career by Petty himself and by those who were dear to him during his life. The collection contains 38 songs across 2 CDs, encompassing all 40 years of Tom's career from 1976 to 2016. We have songs with his historic group The Heartbreakers, solo songs — technically, the group was not credited as it was not complete — and songs with the group that in the 2000s/2010s was Tom Petty's spin-off, Mudcrutch. Unfortunately, none of the songs made with the supergroup Traveling Wilburys are included, but the collection does feature the artist's most famous duet, Stop Draggin' My Heart Around, sung with Stevie Nicks. There are two unreleased tracks: a new version of the wonderful song that gives the collection its title, and For Real, an introspective and autobiographical outtake.
The collection is, curiously, not in chronological order: it skillfully alternates pieces from different periods of Petty's career. A well-executed order that makes the whole more interesting. Ready for the journey across 38 different stops? Well then, here is The Best Of Everything song by song!
CD 1
Is it so wrong for a collection to start with an artist's most famous song? Absolutely not. It kicks off with Free Fallin', the third single from the very successful album Full Moon Fever (1989), Tom Petty's first solo album, and also its opening track. A perfect song to start the collection. Certainly one of his most beautiful songs, in my opinion, as well as his greatest international success. A folk-rock ballad in the purest Petty style, with an ironic and playful lyric that alludes to Tom's youth. Even today, it remains his most listened-to song ever.
Next, we have Mary Jane's Last Dance. A piece in the typical Southern/blues rock style, characterized by a somewhat gloomy atmosphere, elevated to the nth degree in the music video. Another great Petty success, the song was recorded during the sessions for the artist's second solo album, Wildflowers (1994), but was included in the 1993 collection Greatest Hits, an absolute bestseller of Tom Petty.
You Wreck Me: the second single from the aforementioned Wildflowers, it did not repeat the success of the album's lead single, You Don't Know How It Feels, but it gained significant success live, where it is often played even during encores. An energetic rock piece, suitable for speeding down American highways in a convertible, with an atmosphere particularly reminiscent of another Petty classic, Runnin' Down A Dream.
I Won't Back Down: an enormous success and the first single from Full Moon Fever. A beautiful song, among my favorites by Tom Petty, it is one of those tracks that urges you to never give in to oppression and adversity. Among the background vocals, we find ex-Beatle George Harrison, who was a great friend of Tom (and with him, among other things, formed the previously mentioned Traveling Wilburys). Another timeless classic, one of those songs that practically everyone knows.
Saving Grace: the final period of Tom Petty’s career, from the 2000s/2010s, was certainly not the most successful one. This, however, is probably the most known song from that period. A pleasantly boogie rock-styled piece reminiscent of ZZ Top, it is the first single — and the only one to achieve considerable success — taken from Tom's third and last solo album, Highway Companion (2006).
You Don't Know How It Feels: the first single from the aforementioned album Wildflowers. Simply a fabulous song, in my opinion. It closely follows Mary Jane's Last Dance and replicates its success, echoing the harmonica accompaniment (an instrument I love) and, in part, the blues hues. However, to be honest, I highly prefer this one. In particular, it has quite a harmonious and relaxed atmosphere, unique in its way, and the positivity it conveys contrasts sharply with the rather gloomy mood of the directly preceding hit. Another classic.
Don't Do Me Like That: the first single from the 1979 album Damn The Torpedoes. Technically the first hit of Tom Petty, being the first song to reach the top 10 on the singles chart in the USA. Great and optimistic, among those tracks that put you in a great mood: 2 minutes and 40 seconds of pure positivity. An interesting fact: Tom Petty considered having the J. Geils Band perform the song when he composed it.
Listen To Her Heart: released as a single from the 1978 album You're Gonna Get It, Tom Petty wrote the song responding to singer Ike Turner, who made advances on his first wife. It did not achieve much success on the charts (as did all songs on albums prior to Damn The Torpedoes), but it immediately became among Tom's most popular pieces at concerts. One of the most beautiful rock songs about love, rough and yet melodic at the same time, I fell in love with it the first time I heard it. Simply fantastic.
Breakdown: the first single from Tom's debut album, the eponymous Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers of 1976. As already mentioned, Tom's early singles did not achieve great success, and this is no exception. However, this rock piece with soul/r&b overtones soon becomes a classic, also thanks to its live popularity, where its relatively short duration of 2:42 is often drastically extended, even up to 7/8 minutes.
Walls (Circus): a song I consider simply gorgeous, it's the first single from Tom Petty's only soundtrack album, Songs And Music From “She's The One” (1996). Like many tracks from the soundtrack, it was recorded during the Wildflowers sessions but with the presence of the Heartbreakers in full. It's among the few songs released on albums after Wildflowers to achieve good success. But even if it weren't, I would have loved it just the same.
The Waiting: a nice piece with a sunny and optimistic air, the first single from the 1981 album Hard Promises, and the only track from the album included in this collection. It's also Tom Petty's first single to reach the top of the charts in the USA. Among all Tom Petty's songs compared to those of the Byrds, this is probably the one that most closely resembles the sound of the legendary folk-rock group, so much so that it has been dubbed the Turn! Turn! Turn! of the 80s.
Don't Come Around Here No More: exceptional, in every sense. Both because I love it and because it represents a true exception within Petty's production. An electronic/neo-psychedelic rock piece, complete with an offbeat drone compared to the song's melody, and a nice guitar solo burst in the final minute. Composed with the help of Dave Stewart, former member of the duo Eurythmics, it is the first single from the 1985 album Southern Accents, probably the most experimental in Tom Petty's entire career.
Southern Accents: We are in front of the first track in the playlist that is not a single. To define a Tom Petty song as his most beautiful would be sacrilege, as it would diminish another. But the title track of the aforementioned album is most likely his most autobiographical song: in this splendid piano ballad, Tom talks to us about his land, his manner of speaking and praying, and the maternal figure; it's a true elegy. A lesser-known gem of the artist, and it's immensely pleasing to see it in the collection.
Angel Dream (No. 2): the second track in the long list that is not a single, it's a sweet folk ballad quite romantic. Beloved by Tom's second wife, Dana York, the song was chosen by her for inclusion in the artist's definitive collection. It's the other track in the collection taken from Songs And Music From “She's The One”, and the most known from the soundtrack after Walls.
Dreamville: surely not the first song that comes to mind if someone mentions Tom Petty. Another song not released as a single, it's neither a hit nor anything similar, yet this album track from the album The Last DJ (2002) was included in this collection. Perhaps for the nostalgia that the lyrics convey, maybe because it was loved by Tom or someone dear to him... In its place, I would have preferred surely more suitable songs for a collection (especially It's Good To Be King, present on Wildflowers).
I Should Have Known It: while it did not achieve much success on the charts, it became significantly popular live for a song from Tom Petty's later career years. Technically it's a very well-done song, with spectacular guitar play, between riffs and solos... Yet this single from the 2010 album Mojo doesn't excite me at all; mainly, because compared to the overly elaborate songs, I prefer simplicity. By quite a bit.
Refugee: the most famous song today from Damn The Torpedoes, it's the second single from the album. Musically it's a powerful and furious rock piece, with good guitar work: factors that made the track quite suitable for concerts, where it was always particularly popular. Not bad all this, but I've always preferred the other 3 tracks from the same album present in this collection, namely the already mentioned Don't Do Me Like That, Here Comes My Girl, and Even The Losers.
American Girl: an absolute classic. Quintessential. Why has this song that practically everyone knows, ultimately Tom Petty's most famous song after Free Fallin', never had chart success? It's practically inexplicable. Extracted from the debut album Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, it was, until the end of Tom Petty's life, the song most played at concerts. One of those tracks that lift you up in any situation, that gives you tremendous energy. Fantastic. Simply fantastic.
The Best Of Everything (Alternate Version/Extra verse): the title track of this collection beautifully closes the first CD. Originally known thanks to the album Southern Accents, it is here presented in an unreleased version, with an additional verse and a different arrangement. It is simply magnificent, a love ballad about a girl whom Petty, after meeting her as a young man, has no idea where she went or what she does in life. But wherever she is, he wishes her the best. Thank you, Tom, and thanks to that girl met in youth for inspiring you to write one of your most beautiful songs.
CD 2
Wildflowers: the second CD of the collection opens with the title track of the successful second solo album. Although it was never released as a single, this splendid song has become one of the most beloved and popular in Tom Petty's catalog, partly because of its individualistic yet sweet and very human philosophy, which represents the person Tom Petty was 100%. It's a simple and harmonious folk-rock ballad, one of those that lets you wake up in the morning with optimism, with the thought that life is smiling at you.
Learning To Fly: another song that I have always loved, I have always seen it as that perfect middle ground between a vein of melancholy and that optimism that helps lift you up in any situation, despite adversities. It remains among Tom's best-known songs, and it's the first single from the 1991 album Into The Great Wide Open, as well as the most successful. An example of heartland rock in its purest state, along with the already mentioned, famous hits of Full Moon Fever.
Here Comes My Girl: one of those Petty songs that sharply divide opinions. Some rate it highly, others dismiss it outright. Do you want to know my opinion? Rated highly, I find it as unique as it is beautiful. It comes from Damn The Torpedoes, and indeed has a musical structure similar to Refugee; however, as already said, compared to this last one, I absolutely prefer it, even though it did not replicate the success when released as a single. The reason for the semi-spoken verses? Tom was unsure how to sing them and opted for this final choice.
The Last DJ: released as the first single from the eponymous 2002 album, it is one of the few quite well-known songs from the second decade of Tom's career, and surely one of the most successful from the period to which it belongs. It's known for its frankness: the main theme is the criticism of greed in the music industry world, and the loss of moral values by humanity in general. One thing is certain: unlike Dreamville, its inclusion in the collection is understandable.
I Need To Know: although this song, released as a single from the album You're Gonna Get It, is less known compared to tracks such as Runnin' Down A Dream and You Wreck Me, it's also true that it can be considered their ancestor. Rough and angry, it dates back to 1978, and like all songs from Tom's early career years, it did not achieve much chart success. It did, however, achieve quite a bit live, even if not to the levels of American Girl, Breakdown, or Listen To Her Heart.
Scare Easy: the first track from the niche project Mudcrutch within the tracklist, it is the debut single and probably the most known song from this group that represents a spin-off of Tom's career. Not bad, but at times I find it a tad too elaborate, especially in the guitar solos. The album from which it was extracted is the eponymous debut album of the group, Mudcrutch (2008).
You Got Lucky: among the few Petty tracks to have the synthesizer as the main instrument, it's a rock piece with vaguely disco and new wave tendencies. Innovative and pleasant, not among Tom Petty's most representative tracks musically and thematically, but still an important hit: it's the artist's second single to reach the top position in the charts after The Waiting. It is the only song from the 1982 album Long After Dark to feature in this collection.
Runnin' Down A Dream: here's the other major hit from the album Full Moon Fever that couldn't be missed in this collection. The star of that music line that began with I Need To Know and continued with You Wreck Me. A powerful, rough, and angry rock, perfect for speeding down American highways in a convertible... and also for video games: the song is primarily known among people my age thanks to GTA San Andreas. It remains one of Tom's most popular songs even today.
American Dream Plan B: a song about a guy fighting for his dreams, it's the debut single and the only song included in the collection from the last album with the Heartbreakers, Hypnotic Eye (2014). Direct, concise, and rather short, characterized by a pronounced bass fuzz effect, it is not among my favorites, but still, I consider it more successful and catchy than I Should Have Known It.
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around: the only duet present in the collection. Originally it was supposed to be just a Tom Petty song with the Heartbreakers, but in the end, the main voice was entrusted to the singer of Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, whose voice I don't find particularly graceful within this song. Regardless of this, the song is not bad, but honestly, I would have preferred — besides for my tastes, also because I consider it much more representative for Tom Petty — the duet with the former singer of the Byrds, Roger McGuinn, King Of The Hill. But since this is Tom's most famous duet, it's fine this way.
Trailer: another song among those Tom Petty made with the Mudcrutch. If, theoretically, it is the first single from the second — and last to which Tom worked in his life — album of the group, Mudcrutch 2 (2016), we are actually in front of a much older composition: Trailer was, in its original version, a song by the Heartbreakers recorded in the '80s that never made it to an album, but ended up on the B-side of the single Don't Come Around Here No More. Now, this "refreshed" version, a country rock with harmonica that makes everything more beautiful, is decidedly well done, and finding it among the more niche pieces in this collection can only delight me. Chapeau, a little polished gem.
Into The Great Wide Open: another song I have known since I was little and have always loved. Another evergreen of Tom, which tells the story of a young musician and the fame that soon goes to his head. It is the second single from the eponymous 1991 album, and while it didn't match the popularity of Learning To Fly, it still achieved great success. A sublime and dreamy atmosphere for a song that flows divinely: what more could one ask for?
Room At The Top: the only track here from the 1999 album Echo, whose dominant theme is the end of the first marriage. This song is one I have liked more and more over time; the more I listened to it, the more I appreciated it. A single of quite good success, it's one of Tom Petty's most introspective and melancholic songs: he himself described it in an interview as one of the most depressing in rock history and considered it so intimate that he stopped playing it after the Echo tour. Regarding the inclusion of a piece from this last album in the collection, in my opinion, there was really no better choice to be made. Excellent decision.
Square One: we are in front of a track included in the good Highway Companion, but in reality, this song was already known before the album's release. It is thanks to the 2005 film Elizabethtown that knowledge of this acoustic piece came to be, which was also included in the film's soundtrack album of various artists. It was not released as a single, yet among Petty's songs from the 2000s, it is one of the most important and remembered, especially given Petty's little success during that period.
Jammin' Me: the only piece in the collection where the great Bob Dylan figures as co-author sharply critiques the overwhelming flood of information and marketing messages, even naming Vanessa Redgrave, Joe Piscopo, and Eddie Murphy. Technically a hit, this single from the 1987 album Let Me Up (I've Had Enough), does not remain an absolute classic; besides not becoming particularly popular live, it was not even included in Tom's first Greatest Hits, making the album from which it was drawn the only one not represented in the historic collection.
Even The Losers: Damn The Torpedoes is the album most represented in this collection, with 4 songs, among which this one is the only not released as a single. Yet, it remains a song still appreciated today, and I would say rightly so, being among those I like the most. It is a restless and optimistic rock, and I consider this piece a worthy successor to American Girl and Listen To Her Heart. Another representative song of the artist's positivity: even losers sometimes get lucky... After all, hope is the last to die, and Tom always believed in this.
Hungry No More: the third piece by Mudcrutch in the collection, is another of the singles released from the band's second album. Introduced by a harmonica and consisting of an electro-acoustic arrangement, it is the longest song of the lot with its 6-minute duration, which I don't find bad, but for my tastes, is a bit too elaborate, with guitar solos dominating the song up to the long instrumental coda.
I Forgive It All: the first times I listened to it, I liked this song. I later re-listened to it with the music video — in which actor Anthony Hopkins portrays an elderly man driving to the place where he keeps his old memories — and it perhaps became my favorite among the songs credited to Mudcrutch. Despite the group's project not becoming particularly popular, this is the third song from Mudcrutch's second album included in the collection. A piece with a strong folk vein, a piece in typical singer-songwriter style that sometimes reminds of Bob Dylan, and together with Trailer from the same album, a lesser-known little gem.
For Real: the end of the line is reached with this dark and introspective folk-rock piece. It is an outtake from the sessions of the The Last DJ album. It was recorded in 2000, but besides not being included in the aforementioned 2002 album, it also wasn't included in the 2000 collection Anthology: Through The Years — for which consideration was given to include this song as a bonus track, but which finally saw included a newly recorded version from 2000 of what is the Tom Petty outtake with the longest history, Surrender. For Real fittingly closes this collection. A piece about the love for music and the sincerity with which Tom has always written his songs. Beautiful.
I close on a high note by saying that, despite the absence of certainly important songs (including, primarily, the classic End Of The Line sung with the Traveling Wilburys, and the already mentioned It's Good To Be King, but also, for example, Yer So Bad from Full Moon Fever, or album tracks more known compared to some included in the collection), I consider The Best Of Everything a very complete collection overall, perfect for approaching the artist and his philosophy in general.
Until the next review!
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