Shelter

I don't know how far I would stretch this.. but at least some parallel dimensions are unquestionable, sure. As I see it, the few but distinct similarities between SA and WF lay both in what they are and what they are not. They are - grand projects. Ambitious artistic visions, aimed for storytelling archs of sorts, meant to span two discs each. Albums focused in mood and more or less anchored in a concept (being it a lyrical, musical or merely vibe concept). They are not - at the end of the day, fully realized the way Tom hoped them to be, the way mentioned above. The big ambitious projects became, after lots of time and work, "normal" albums, as it were. And they faced their fate at that, in somewhat different ways. One with frustration and the other with shine. Considering what other artists and bands were up to in 1985, while certainly dated in many ways SA to me sounds solid enough. Must admit. The sound is not the best I can imagine, but it's great in parts. However, in terms of material representing the big idea of a "south" concept album... well, for starting out as a double, I think the single disc track list is surprisingly weak and scattered. I said it elsewhere - the seed of SA carries huge promise, and to me it's one of their best albums that never was. It has two or three moments that rank as genius, core TPATH lore, hinting at such a masterpiece double. But being culled from a project aiming that high, the single disc sure seem full of filler. Here WF "does it better". Even as a single disc album it's quite the masterpiece. If anything, it's hard to grasp how two disc with the same 100% quality is even realistic? (Knowing Tom though, it surely is, right?) After all, there might be a reason why, with WF, Tom was very prolific - rising to the challenge of his own ambition, as Chimera so perfectly puts it - and he was more or less "forced" (for various reasons) to limit the album to one disc, while SA supposedly was more of a real struggle, in the end making even one disc was somewhat difficult. Also, while SA just barely makes the finish line, the way it plays, feels a bit cut short perhaps, there may be a tendency with WF that it's a bit "stacked", slightly scattered, perhaps carrying one or two songs too many for a tight effective album. But that is due to the curse of the CD age, I suppose, as much as the wealth of material. Perhaps the structure of WF, the disposition, flow, really would've benefited from a 2x12 treatment rather than the bursting disc it became. Of course this depends on what was left off, but I think most evidence points towards multiple ways to organize WF as a stunning double. Still, of course, WF, as is, is an amazing album! If a bit scattered, most none concept albums are, and.. as been pointed out - it may be the best sounding album they ever did. It may. (Sidenote: speaking of LMU(IHE) in this context... is it just me, or is It Ain't Nothing To Me kinda like Jammin Me version one, lacking a bit Bob, and a bit edge? Seems like ideas stemming from similar place in Tom's mind and time... Anyways... )

Still like it! Of course. Still think much of what people said, reviewing it in the old HE thread makes lots of sense. Most views people had back then, analysing textures, layers, details of it, still rings largely true to me.

Yeah, s c "fan fiction" is not my bag.. As for the quote from my post though, yeah I know that is true. 😃

Well.. it's absolutely essential.. that you.. get to it!!! 😎

The Yardbirds!!

Tonight's show: Animals Country Joe & The Fish (The "Electric Music for Mind & Body" album straight through) Kinks Jefferson Airplane

Yeah, I like TomFest reasoning. This being the 40th anniv. and all, they might have thought it a good idea to bring out something from all albums over the course of the tour, so probably they had rehearsed at least one or two songs even from what they saw as their "lesser" albums.* And seeing how the band themselves generally liked Echo, (while Tom may have had mixed feelings about some of it, or that era) Swingin certainly feels like one of the obvious picks- the great compromise, as it were - to represent the album, in terms of being fun and rocking. And let's not forget it was at least a minor hit. Perhaps a bit more of celebration type song than say Room at The Top? ------ * It was often mentioned before tours, how they were rehearsing 50, 60, 80 songs, having fun, digging deep. This no matter how many songs they actually ended up playing once on the road.

^^ Of course. I already said how much I personally like the pricing. It's sad really, how much of my "good stuff" generally goes unnoticed. Yet, I kept pumping it out. It's the Shelter's curse. 😁 Again though, I find the price to be totally fine! That said, speaking of insults, none were intended. AND I find passing judgement on other people's real or imagined buying power limits, to be more insulting than passing general judgement on how the "biz" (not the band) have turned for the worst in recent years, estrangeing itself from the working man's ethic of original rock. (See 16 yo Last DJ album for further, not very provoking aspects of this.) If being sad over how things develop is insulting, I guess I am one horribly rude person. But again, fans or band has less to do with it. I wasn't the one questioning fans here, remember. Nor the band really. Another ignorable post I'm sure. All go in grace! 😎

Make that all over the world. But then again, that was when "free" in free world, really was "free". It may not ever happen again from what it seems, since rude and ignorance paired up in one person and took charge. But yeah.. all over the WORLD for real fans, right... just kidding. We all know who the best fan is. Yeah that really is the way of the president.. But unfortunately, in 2018 that is not the way the world works. YET I know Nurk speaks of experiences WE have, here, and speaking as one miserable, broke non-American guy myself, I must admit he has a point. Money hasn't got a thing on passion! Just too bad people ruining rock'n'roll in the name of business do not care. I think it's worth taking into account that too much people, for whom rock'n'roll is meant and who live the real rock'n'roll life, so to speak, can't even afford rock'n'roll these days. (At best they can afford hip-hop.. for now.. ) I also think it worth recognizing how much that sucks, and how much anyone in any ignorant bubble - mine or yours - may not be the best suited person to teach anyone about how it works. I'm sad to say, at the end of the day it's not the number of guitars that decides. If you have hundreds of guitars and I have thousands of records, it doesn't qualify us. Respect, as always, is more complicated than that. Passion and edge comes in many colours.

That sounds great! Happy birthday!!

^ It kinda is an echo chamber at times. 😄 People post what other people already posted, passing stuff as news that was already up, repeating things, endlessly being at times happier to speak than to read what others have to say. The way places like this always work. Nevertheless, main thing is that it's all very much a good spirit and tolerant bunch here, that discussions, information and sharing all are flowing!! It's all wonderful in many ways!

Not sure how that refers to the quote of my post, but to be extra clear: my remark was basically aimed at the "10 devices" previously mentioned (and that surely would be the antithesis of minimalism) rather than the 10 times of download suggested. (As often happens, I may again have failed at communicating the irony I find in life, the sarcasm or attempt at wit on my part gone missing a lot lately. Or it may not be misunderstood - it may just be that no one likes that outlook on life. Fair enough. I just try to be clever, I should know better. 😁 ) And as for the pricing, I personally find it totally fine. Lot's of value with the book and all. Clearly a collectors item. The lesser alternatives/sets I find to be even a bargain! I might buy two!

"I think they like me a lot in the UK"

Making a lot of sense, yeah..! And thank you for your kind words, too!

Yeah, I was kinda waiting for some kinda reaction... but, nah. Then I moved on, forgot about the post, just digging the song that I had the wits to rip from on there. Now I don't remember who posted it, though, but it was clearly not intended to be done. I think just four people had watched it before I stumbled upon it. As for mis-steps, this slip with the video clearly was made by an "outsider". More or less. (Or someone just losely connected to Rock Paper Scissors or perhaps the early stages of its creation, not fully realizing how rare the music was or what it was intended for... Actually I seem to recall the video was called "A Little Soul".) But yeah, I think we have to draw a distinct and honorable line between how the actual production arms of this beast - the people planning, recording, arranging, producing these things - are being managed, that is the true heros of this legend - and the yelping madness of the IT lizzards who run the communication debartment, , the marketing, the website and the fanclub. The incompetence, random logic and contempt for all things decent (and for fans) that the latter tend to display, when left to their own devices, or set to follow seemingly simple directions, I have learned - through soon have lead a whole life of sub standard experiences with - is almost endless. Don't get me started on all the low points of stunts, runarounds, rudeness, ineffectivity, glitches and straight fails. In short, I'm not surprised at that part. They can't count straight up, so how could they count backwards?! They in themselves are probably the biggest mis-steps of all in the Tom Petty universe. The only one, as far as I'm concerned. (And a major reason I ended up here at the Farm - where fans are doing it for themself - and for which I should perhaps thank them). Many times through they years I have wondered why Tom/Tony/WB let the responsibility of TPATH marketing and fan club - the handeling of Tom's good name and brand, as it were - in the hands of such goons. Enough of that. I haven't have to deal with them in some years now actually. Just saying.

Did anyone ever noticed how the voice on the telephone, towards the end in Roger McGuinn's 1991 song "Car Phone", is actually Sheriff's Department secretary Lucy Moran, from Twin Peaks? (Kimmy Robertson)

So much feelings about this release, right? Two more random thoughts of mine: 1. The fact that AAT is credited to "Tom Petty", rather than to "Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers", really speaks for how much of a celebratory, tribute kinda release-of-love this is from Dana, Adria, Ben, Mike and Ryan. I suppose that is that is where the focus of this thing is to be found really. It's clearly all about the genius of Tom, as found a bit beyond and behind his most well known and played songs, all filtred through the ones that was closest to him. I really appreciate how they have been brave and personal enough to leave the usual suspects out of this. (Save for the stray case of I Won't Back Down, a song that may indeed, within the concept here, tell a real story, though.) To me, that may very well be what makes this thing as truly special as those people's personal involvement seem to suggest. 2. I have, with pride and joy, noticed how many of my, perhaps more unexpected favorite songs are on this box. In fact two of my all time top favorite songs of Tom's - songs he himself rarely mentioned, let alone played or re-issued, as long as he didn't have to, and songs that most fans don't seem to like that much either - here finally get their much due recognition! Songs being Deliver Me and You & I Will Meet Again.

Unless someone already said so, welcome to the Farm! The succulent green pastures for anything Tom Petty. Then. Not to pick your post all apart.. but to adress some of your thoughs in as gentle way as I can, I like to say that: - The Wildflowers set was mentioned already in 2013, at least. - Wouldn't say it died after 2015, exactly. It has been mentioned and hinted at, from official and not so official sources, a few times in those five or six years, since first rumored to be in the works. - There is really no proof that the tentatively called "Wildflowers - All The Rest" will play the way "Tom intended it to be heard" back in the early 90s. There actually never been mentioned how they plan to release the stuff. We know about the material that exisists (most of it at least) from our unofficial sources and our private collections, we know about outtake song titles, some of the album tracks being recorded in alternate versions and we know there might be a possibility there is demos or even live versions that the "team" may have considered. What their focus is, how they structured it, and how extensive the release are planned to be - various versions etc - is yet to be seen. (Personally I hope for a heavy focus on - preferably exclusively - the unreleased songs/outtakes, but I think more reasonably it will be a reissue of the original album with one or two discs of extras, but who knows. In some ways I at least hope they honor the tentative name ALL the Rest, but this may have changed over time and I guess we don't even know for sure what the release will be called, do we.) - Considering what All American Treasure seems to be about, how it's been cured and by whom - basically considering all we know - I think perhaps there is no wonder Girl On LSD is not on there. Obviously it has nothing to do on there. - Generally, it's interesting that you bemoan the lack of Wildflowers songs on the new box set. Other fans have been bemoaning that there are too many, that the presence of those songs may undermine the possibilities of a forthcoming Wildflowers set. But let's not forget, the people in the TP camp seem to pride themselves of working with a certain overlap. Many are the songs that are released many times, even in the same versions. And personally, while I also think that perhaps they included one or two "alternate versions" too many on AAT - if there wasn't a Wildflowers set to follow, this set probably would have had several more of the Wildflowers outtakes, other than Lonesome Dave. So what you see as a void, may indeed be very promising. Cheer up! - I don't think he ever said he was gonna play "all of the leftover songs" on that tour he imagined (and started to plan for, Norah Jones was supposedly contracted to ride along). But that is all history now. Very sad, indeed, that it was never to be. - Finally, since before the 2017 tour, there has been talk about this Wildflowers set actually being done and ready. Just sitting on the shelf waiting for the aparatus of marketing and distribution - and perhaps printing? So, chanses are that it will come out, I'd say. Although I agree, it's been a silly and less than optimal process so far. I know, hu? Neither was it rocket scence when it was scheduled for launch in time for the 20th anniversary. Exactly! Good point.

Ah, gotta love the Simpsons, for its clever exposure of our lives and times! Only weird thing is that reality always ends up more twisted, more silly and more ridiculous.

Ah, yes. Here's what's bound to happen around here: I'll buy some version, probably SD, and study it, getting into the vibe of what the "gang" want to say with their selection, read the liner notes, perhaps admire the artwork, dig some special pictures and maybe be reminded of this or that, being just a little sad. After a few days or weeks of this, I'll get up, take the headphones off and get busy ripping the 15 or 25 songs, or how many I end up feeling the need to keep in my archives and burn them to a disc (keeping files as backup). I then pass the box on to someone else, who will love and enjoy it. All things great that are perhaps not 100% (or say 95%) essential to my collection of originals, are subject to this treatment, since soon I can't possibly house any more records. Especially not stuff I already have multiple copies of. And while the initial experience promise to be an awesome listening party, in the long run AAT may proove to be too scattered for my taste. At least that's my guess what is gonna happen.

Yes, and how's that for a poetic counterweight to Liberty's "dabbling" in minimalism, mentioned?

Essential old EP, that. (UK version even had an extra track.) Should someone, for some reason, not already have it... the US version should be available here somewhere, I seem to recall. Thanks to Marion or someone.

Ain't we all in space?

Ok, random thought: Ain't all living creatures officially "Live Nation customers" these days?! At least all living creatures who ever went to a concert in the last 5 to 10 years. I mean, it is kinda hard to avoid their monopoly, isn't it?

Ok sir!