Shelter

I've all too slowly been collecting Fillmore shows for ages off and on.  I just hope this does not mean they disappear if they don't release every show in their entirety which I would gladly pay for.  
Also its very cool to not they recorded all their shows digitally for the past 15 years.... Cold be some excellent things in the vault.  
 
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/tom-petty-wildflowers-fillmore-shows-722069/
 
Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers Considering ‘Wildflowers’ Box Set, 1997 Fillmore Release
 
“The 1997 Fillmore run was almost the pinnacle of the band just being totally spontaneous night to night to night,” says Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell
By  ANDY GREENE
Tom Petty's Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell says the group is considering a 'Wildflowers' box set and the release of the band's 1997 Fillmore shows.
Pat Johnson/REX Shutterstock
The new Tom Petty box set An American Treasure won’t hit stores until September 28th, but his team is already thinking about future archival releases. Nothing is definite at the moment, but Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell tells Rolling Stone that the group hopes to release a live set commemorating their 1997 residency at the Fillmore in San Francisco. They played 20 sold-out shows at the historic theater in January and February of that year, radically changing the setlist each night. In 2009, seven songs from the Fillmore run were released on the Live Anthology compilation, but that was just a tiny sampling of their total collection.
“For me, that was almost the pinnacle of the band just being totally spontaneous night to night to night,” says Campbell. “We might throw in a Grateful Dead song that we just learned that afternoon. We recorded every show and we had guest artists from Bo Diddley to Roger McGuinn to John Lee Hooker. And I know, in my memory of those 20 nights, there’s an amazing album in there.”

The Petty vault is overflowing with other concert recordings, particularly from the past 15 years when they began taping every single show digitally, but Campbell is unsure how many of them will ever see the light of day. “Before we went digital, we just made analog recordings here and there,” he says. “But most of the digital recordings we have are just the same songs over and over. I don’t know how much interest there will be in them, but they’re all earmarked and just sitting there. I’d be hesitant to release anything that wasn’t great, though. Some nights, guitars were out of tune or someone sang out of pitch. You have to be careful compromising Tom’s excellence because he liked stuff to be good.”
A Wildflowers box set is also in the works, something that Petty frequently spoke of in his final years. The 1994 album was originally envisioned as a two-disc set, meaning many songs got cut for space when it was truncated. “I think I put four of the [Wildflowers outtakes] on the She’s the Onesoundtrack just to fill out the album,” Petty told Rolling Stone in 2017. “But they were very hastily mixed. Take ‘Climb That Hill.’ There’s a version of that on She’s the One, but the Wildflowers one I think is extremely better. I’m gonna put that out. ‘Hung Up And Overdue’ is another one we remixed and it turned into an epic. I had Carl Wilson [of the Beach Boys] and [Heartbreakers bassist] Howie Epstein singing quite a bit of harmony that didn’t come through on the original. Then again, there’s probably six songs that nobody has heard. There’s 11 or 12 [new] songs on the album. I think people are going to like it a lot. I like it a lot.”
 
 
Now that he’s gone, his former collaborators are determined to see the projection to fruition. “I see that in the cards,” says producer Ryan Ulyate. “It’s going to be fantastic.” There’s also talk of deluxe editions of key albums from Petty’s catalog. “If there’s a market for something like that,” says Campbell, “we’ll do it.”

prayers for people in the way of the hurricane to be safe

I hear you. Good to see another Bob nut around here, if I may..  (Personally I kinda like MT quite a bit, albeit one or two filler tracks, while on TTL I find the proportion to be reverse.)

I don't have a very sharp ears to appreciate the problems in the mix, this kind of things usually go unnoticed through my clumsy ears! I think the main problem of TTL is the lack of any great or captivating song. I enjoyed a lot TTL when it came out because I was able to enjoy the album from the beginning to the end. I can't say the same of the previous album, Modern Times has a lot of boring moments (at least for me). I have to tie my hands for not to push the skip button over and over. But Modern times has two great and captivating songs for my taste; "Ain't talkin" and "Workingman's blues". Which track of TTL is the gem of the album? Well, I don't know. There isn't any gem in TTL. Seen under some perspective, I would say that the gem of TTL is Forgetful Heart, the song, not the recording of the song. FH have grown onstage, Dylan did amazing performances of this song, in another mood, with another feel and with another arrangements. It was one of the better numbers in Dylan's show until a few years ago, but obviously this thing has nothing to do with Mike!
And talking about mixing problems, Dylan, and the Heartbreakers... I go with "Cross the Green Mountain". Ben plays the keys in this Dylan song. In this song there is a great botch in the mix. Bob did some vocal overdubs, and in one them you can still hear the echo of the original verse. Oooops.

Now a curiosity
I'm sure all of you have heard Tom singing that song/joke called "Titanic" in allusion to the boring Celine Dion's "My Heart will go on" (It was a torture that song! It was everywhere, imposible to scape of that song!). Well, that song was written by Will Jennings and another guy. I'm sure that the "Mistery girl" lovers are aware that "In the real world" (a beatiful song in my opinion, in which you can hear Tom sing uhhh, uhhh...) is also written by Will Jennings. 

^ Interesting. Must add, since I'm "relatively old" and since it's been a while since last it was brought up and there seems to be many younger fans here now and many Europeans too, that in big parts of Scandinavia (Europe) Tom Petty was a major thing, with a big following. Of course this was a bit mellowed by the lack of hit singles and tours here in the last decade or two.. chicken or egg, I know... (The 2012 tour was ecstatically received, but it was the first and only time in 20 years TPATH toured here). But still, they were big and sold well. In the 88-92 era, I would even say they were huge. Then of course.. it's an old love affair.. Scandinavia was the second market they toured over here (after UK) and the second market they broke commercially in general (again, after UK, with US actually just coming in third at really discovering them.) Somewhat simplified you may say that until the 1979 release of DTT, TPATH's main markets were UK, Sweden and parts of West Germany. May seem strange today, when all is said and done and the TP legacy carries such deep California vibes and is truly such genuinely American treasure. But of course.. musically they always were and that's also why so many of us love them! Just saying. 

Thanks for this advice, Shelter. Will defo do that

Oh my soul. Man.. what I'd give to party with Jerry Lee, in real mean down south style.
Then I too would've sported such great eyeballs of fire, I'm sure...

Ingenius is what they're being

I don't know if Roger McGuinn's "Back from Rio" is an essential listening (for me it is) But this album should be mentioned on this thread.
Apart from King of the Hill, "the trees are all gone" it's Roger and Heartbreakers if I remember well. Stan plays drums in the whole album and Mike and Ben play in several songs.
(Awaiting for the early demo of King of the Hill)

Just wanted to introduce myself as a newcomer to this forum - I'm from London England. 
 
A little about myself. Can you believe this? It's absolutely true...
I was brought up in the 1970s (teens) so I am in my mid-late 50s now, and was well into popular music and watched TOTP and OGWT regularly, knew all the good musicians and bands- Bowie. Elton, Ferry....etc.. But the name Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers completely escaped me. I'd not heard any of their music - not even Tom's famous hit Free Falling. I guess I must have been on Planet Mars some of the time. I had, up until about 6 weeks ago, never ever heard of him or his band let alone realised how big he was or that his first real success came in the UK not America. I really can't fathom that out at all - why his name has never been on my popular music radar (even as a non-fan I tended to remember band names from that era).  I only found out about Tom Petty when, after seeing a documentary on Fleetwood Mac on TV a few months ago and started to research what they were doing now (not having heard much about them for a long time either), and then heard about Lindsay Buckingham's departure recently and Mike Campbell as one of two replacements that I idly decided to check out who Mike Campbell was. I really had no idea who he was. I had, around that time of that same FM documentary seen another You Tube interview with Stevie Nicks about how much she'd admire TP&THs. Then one thing led to another, and I casually clicked on You Tube vid for ' I Won't Back Down' thinking and believing that I had not heard of TP for a very good reason. His music had escaped me -...for very good reasons.  I was going to hear some bland, nondescript American tripe - for all of five-ten seconds - before clicking off. Wham! I was riveted, seeing this cheeky young man (he was young in that video) in a big hat singing that song, with this amazing voice, great sound. The lyrics so reminded me of me too. I was hooked ...instantly!  I clicked on other vids...and more....and ....more and then bought the Anthology of all his most well known and best songs and ever since I've been playing Petty....almost non-stop. The law of diminishing returns is not kicking in either. After about 40 listens I am still as much in awe of this album as I was after the first couple of listens.  I'm looking forward to hearing more of his music and learning more about him on here too.  
I was so sad to hear he had died last year - at age 66 that is young - and very sad indeed, given the circumstances of his death too. You die-hard long-life fans must be gutted. So, frankly, am I too knowing how much I have missed and never having seen him in concert.  He seemed such a nice, personable, honourable person and much appreciated and loved by all who knew him in the music world and beyond. Someone who obviously loved  and appreciated his fans, which comes across very strongly in that 30th Anniversary Gainsville concert he gave (yes, I've seen that too!). I have seen the Running Down a Dream documentary now, which I also thought gave an excellent and comprehensive account of his entire background and career from the great man himself. 
What a man..what a band...:)
 

In honor of the 25th Anniversary of the release of Mindbender, I thought it would be appropriate to repost this old interview from Rolling Stone.
 
——————————————————————————————————————

Tom Petty’s Long Strange Trip
By Cameron Crowe
From Rolling Stone Issue 664, September 1993.

So, how did this new record (Mindbender) come about?
We’ll, the plan wasn’t to make a record (laughs).
It was probably the quickest record we’ve ever done in the studio. Other than maybe our first two albums. But it was a different time and process back then, combined with the fact that we really didn’t know we were going. We just thought, we put a song down! And we were thrilled. Back then, records used to be recorded in a short period of time and released.  With Mindbender, it reminded me of that time. Rick just booked a handful of sessions with the Heartbreakers and we did the whole thing in a few weeks.
 
And yet, there are TWO Heartbreakers albums coming out this year.
That’s sort of a long story. Basically, our label approached us this year and told us they want to put out a Greatest Hits record. And that they wanted us to record and submit two new songs for it. I thought, that’s stupid. How can a new song be on the Greatest Hits album? When it’s not even a hit?
So, I didn’t want to play that game. I said to the guys, “Hey let’s just jam a bit. Plug in & play, get comfortable, and see what comes out. How we feel. There wasn’t a direction. Not trying to shape an album or anything. That was the start of it really. After a few days, we realized we had some really interesting songs coming together. Sort of off the cuff. When we played back this group of songs, which was us just jamming away in the studio, we realized we had what could be an interesting album. Unintentionally, of course.
 
So, it came together that fast?
Yep, 2 or 3 weeks. But, you see, we’d already been working in the studio for a year now, and our instincts are really sharp. So we were up to the challenge.
But yes, we have Mindbender coming out this month (releases September 21). And then following that will be the Greatest Hits album, a few months later.
 
And you’re also in the studio working on a different record with Rick Rubin, I understand?
Yes, we’ve been working on that one for a while now. It’s coming along great. I’m not sure if this will be a Heartbreakers record, or perhaps another solo one for me. Of course, almost all of the Heartbreakers are playing again on it as well (laughs). But we’ll see. We have a lot of songs already done for that. We just cut a good one the other day, called Don’t Fade On Me. It’s just me and Mike on that track. A real quiet song.
But Mindbender is a new batch of songs, that were recorded rather quickly, like I said. Some of them covers.

The mood and vibe of Mindbender feels drastically different from the last record, Into the Great Wide Open.
Sure. The Heartbreakers are a pretty durable band. They can play anything. And I mean I was throwing them a lot of curve balls. I’d say, let’s try this, and they would just go there. We were jamming out on many of them, just lost in the moment. We lost track of time in the studio!
With this new record, Benmont and (Mike) Campbell really shine. There’s a song on the record called “Melinda”, and I think it might be Ben’s finest hour. We just let him go on that song, wherever he wanted to take it. It’s one of my favorites on the record.
Their playing has never sounded better to me. Being around these guys, it makes me up my game. They are so good in the studio. We usually take months when recording, just trying to get it right. I’m sort of a perfectionist that way. But with Mindbender, this one came out different. It’s definitely our loosest playing yet, and maybe our most rock and roll. I’m hesitant to say it sounds like a jam band record, but….
I’m relieved that it came together so quickly. That never happens for us. We’re calling this our spontaneous record. Many of these songs were improvised. Some I was making up lyrics right on the spot, like on the song “You Get Me High.” We’ve actually played a few of these songs before in front of a live audience. During our last tour in Europe last year, we started getting adventurous. We would try out a song during sound check, and play it that night. One song was literally created on stage. (Note: the band also played the song “Come on Down to My House” in Europe last year, also found on this record.)
 
Speaking of, any touring plans on the horizon?
We do a have a small handful of shows coming up. One offs. Like this month, we’re doing a small club show, which is unusual for us. We’re helping our pal (Johnny Depp) open up his new club, which he’s calling the Viper Room. We’ll probably try out a few of these new songs. Johnny asked us, and couldn’t say no. I owe him for helping me out with one of my music videos (laughs).
We also have a rare homecoming show coming up, later this year in Gainesville. Basically to help promote the Greatest Hits album. I think that will probably be a special one for us, and we might pull out a few surprises. I don’t get back to Gainesville all that much these days.
 
But no upcoming Heartbreakers Tour?
No, we’re just living in the studio at the moment. I’m not ready to jump back on the road just yet. Oh, we might play Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit show, which we usually do every year.
 
Still, with two new albums coming out, it’s a good time to be a Heartbreakers fan.
Yes. I guess we’re giving the fans some old music with the Greatest Hits compilation, and some new music with Mindbender. Too much ain’t enough, right? (laughs)
 
Sounds like things are good in the Heartbreakers camp. How are you guys getting along these days?
Oh, we’re getting along fine I suppose. There’s always little things, little disputes. But we’re like brothers, you know. We’ve known each other for a long time, and that means that we also know how to push each others buttons. Sometimes Stan might get to me. But Ben, usually being the diplomatic one, will calm us down. And none of us can ever get mad at Scott (referring to Scott Thurston, a touring member of the Heartbreakers). He’s just a cool kat.
But we’re still here. And I’m grateful to be doing it this long…in a way, I feel like I’m writing some of the best songs of my career. I’m in a pretty good place right now. I’m wondering if it ever will really slow down, this train that we’re on. The songs are really coming to me. Or maybe it’s just Rick pushing me really hard, I don’t know. (laughs, and lights another cigarette. He’s probably gone through half a pack so far during the course of our interview.)

 
I find it unusual that there’s three covers on this album. That’s not typical for a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album.
Isn’t that something? And we cut many more covers actually. We blasted out a couple Elvis Presley songs. We did an old one called “Wooden Heart”, but it didn’t fit in with the rest of the songs. It was a bit too mellow. We also tried out another Them song (Gloria), but we decided to go with “Mystic Eyes” instead. I love the sequence of this album. The songs flow together nicely.
The sound of this record is what it sounds like when we just get together to play in the Heartbreakers Clubhouse. We play what we all love. We’re students of this music, you know? We usually start off by playing a bunch of cover songs. If I’m honest, this is what I love playing the most. We could get lost for days playing these. Songs that I grew up listening to. We’ve been playing “13 Days” (by J.J. Cale) for years now.
 
J.J. Cale is an underrated and under appreciated musician.
Yes, and he’s one of our all time favorites. We listen to Cale all the time on our tour bus. We’re always digging through his old records and looking for gems that maybe the Heartbreakers could play. Our song “Magnolia”, one of our earlier records, always felt like a J.J. song to me, at least in spirit. I was probably channeling him. “13 Days” is one of my favorite songs. I just love the mood of that song. It changes the vibe in the show whenever we play it. It speaks to the weariness of the road.
We actually cut more J.J. Cale songs too, believe it or not, that didn’t make it on this record. We could only pick one! (laughs) We recorded “I’d Like to Love You Baby” and also “Traveling Light”. But the latter song turned out to be like 11 minutes long or something like that. And many of these songs are already long and bluesy on this album. It would turn into a really long listening experience, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But the record label starts to get nervous when you show up with too many long songs on an album. What is this, Freebird? (laughs).
(Petty seems to really be stuck on Cale at the moment)
He’s someone I’d like to play with. Both me and Michael, it would be fun to just sit in on one of his sets. And learn from the master, you know? Maybe one of these days we’ll get a chance to do that. It would be fun to tour with him actually. Maybe to have him open for the Heartbreakers on a joint tour would be an honor for us. I mean, look at Clapton. He’s been a champion of J.J. Cale for years. He knows. And we’ve been playing tribute to him in our live sets.
I joke around with the guys that maybe one day we’ll just but out an album of Blues cover songs. You know, Diddley, Muddy Waters, that type of thing. I wouldn’t put it past us.
We are influenced by so many artists, the list is endless by now.
 
Let’s talk about a few of the songs on the album. Starting with Something in the Air.
When we first came together to record, we really didn’t have any songs ready. So we we were just trying whatever came to mind. Like the Zombies or something. But this particular one was an old obscure 60’s song by Thunderclap Newman, that we all liked. I don’t know who said we should try it, maybe it was Rick Rubin. But it came together nicely, and sort of starts the album out. Knd of an optimistic feeling.
 
Tell me about the song Mary Jane’s Last Dance. That song is killer.
I actually had this song floating around for a while, but it was incomplete. I think I started writing it around ’88 or something, but I didn’t have a chorus. But me and Mike didn’t want to give up on that riff. We knew we had something there. So, we brought it back out for these sessions, and the chorus finally came together after we started practicing it a few times. The original working title for the song was “Indiana Girl.”
 
I understand this is going to the first single off the record?
That’s what I’m told. And I think it’s a good choice. We actually just shot the music video. The concept of this one is a trip. I think it might freak a few people out, or at least bewilder them… (hesitant to say more.)
 
How so? It can’t be any more wild than your video for “Don’t Come Around Here No More” can it?
But without giving too much away, I will say that it features a famous Hollywood actress. And that’s all I’m gonna say.
 
 
TPHB MINDBENDER.pdf

ooo that gives us hope - maybe releasing any new songs on Ellen wasn't their plan - working on new material during rehearsals & live on tour is a lovely idea.   
Also speaking as a loyal Neil Finn fan & this potential issue of chemistry... Finn music has usually created a fun, happy, quirky vibe.  (Soundtrack to many a happy memory.) Which leads to a more abstract question / issue about really wonderful musicians (no answers needed!) Would joy apply to Fleetwood Mac or are they more at home among angst & undercurrents of love & desire (asking in all seriousness as I only know their more popular songs)? What extent do musicians' personalities influence their choice of music? What extent can they play outside of their "emotional range" (my phrase, I just made it up)? 😻

Well.. I for one, have mixed emotions about this. Seeing how I love Stevie and Mike and most all they do, how I enjoy much of the FM back cataloge (among which is certainly these two songs!) and how I think Neil is doing an ok job with this premiere... I don't know. Somehow I still don't think it works quite well.. Not sure.. May be just a display some subtle shakyness (certainly stiffness on Neil's part) from being part of this quite historic occasion, televised and all.. may be chemistry, as mentioned.. Time will tell.
I really want to find this natural.
For now ,I am thrilled about the sound and vibe they created for the last minute or so of The Chain. And I am eager to hear some new material. (Weren't they supposed to premiere some?! Did I dream that?) Will be interesting to listen closely to the sound and style to come. (After all, I haven't heard a really great new FM song in some 30 years or so.) Something tells me, Mike could give any new stuff a very special slant. I really hope he will. Unless he can become really integral, I don't think this gig is the type of creative dimension that fits his touch, so to speak.
For now he feels somewhat "added on" - sorry! Although, he does keep up with them perfectly, he rides along so to speak, in style of legends - man, is he cool. His trademark of serving the song with just enough little details, all intact, perhaps even slightly underplayed! Then it happens - he even breaks through, towards the end and he kinda single handedly takes it all away, to a level that to my mind closes in on perfection.. It's just.. when he does, he leaves the other behind a bit. It all feels a bit odd to me at this point. There is something about chemistry, probably.. that will come in time.. but there is also something about.. "gunk".. And does FM even have that?!

Well.. I for one, have mixed emotions about this. Seeing how I love Stevie and Mike and most all they do, how I enjoy much of the FM back cataloge (among which is certainly these two songs!) and how I think Neil is doing an ok job with this premiere... I don't know. Somehow I still don't think it works quite well.. Not sure.. May be just a display some subtle shakyness (certainly stiffness on Neil's part) from being part of this quite historic occasion, televised and all.. may be chemistry, as mentioned.. Time will tell.
I really want to find this natural.
For now ,I am thrilled about the sound and vibe they created for the last minute or so of The Chain. And I am eager to hear some new material. (Weren't they supposed to premiere some?! Did I dream that?) Will be interesting to listen closely to the sound and style to come. (After all, I haven't heard a really great new FM song in some 30 years or so.) Something tells me, Mike could give any new stuff a very special slant. I really hope he will. Unless he can become really integral, I don't think this gig is the type of creative dimension that fits his touch, so to speak.
For now he feels somewhat "added on" - sorry! Although, he does keep up with them perfectly, he rides along so to speak, in style of legends - man, is he cool. His trademark of serving the song with just enough little details, all intact, perhaps even slightly underplayed! Then it happens - he even breaks through, towards the end and he kinda single handedly takes it all away, to a level that to my mind closes in on perfection.. It's just.. when he does, he leaves the other behind a bit. It all feels a bit odd to me at this point. There is something about chemistry, probably.. that will come in time.. but there is also something about.. "gunk".. And does FM even have that?!

For your listening pleasure! This is one fantastic show that I recently discovered! (I just realized that I was in town that day back in 2009, but then I had no idea this awesome stuff was going down.. too bad.) Benmont come on around 51 min, but this is really a great show straight through.
 

so very strange to see mike there...  Neil sounded great!  Still wrapping my head around this.
 

Only one way to go, people. Come out of the Woodward!

"Red Light Fever" by Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders. He's the drummer for the Foo Fighters. He drums and sings. This was their second album. I didn't care for the first album. It has a very airy, California sound. Lots of "space" on the record. I believe a member of Queen or two are on this album, also. I honestly like it better than any Foo Fighters album. This is one I just like to put on and listen straight through. 

My favorite track was always "Hell to Pay" but I haven't listened to this album in a long time. There are a lot of more rock songs on the album, like "Way Down." 
It's a sort of punchy rock album with some airy guitar. The ones uploaded on YouTube sound really flat.  
It sounds good in the car from the CD. It's just this sort of random side-band second album that I doubt people know about. 

 
 

This

This

Like song, or album?
For me, two albums immediately come to mind.
Road Island (1982) - Ambrosia
Ambrosia returning to its' prog rock roots while still retaining a bit of the hitmaker polish of the previous release One Eighty. It totally flopped and it certainly didn't deserve to.  Even now it sounds vital and engaging, IMO.
Talk Show (1997) - Talk Show
This the only album from the band 3/4ths of Stone Temple Pilots formed when Scott Weiland left in 1997, with vocalist Dave Coutts.  It's a great album, but of course people didn't want anyone but Scott behind the mic.  In some ways I enjoy it more than Tiny Music... (the album STP released prior to Talk Show).

Too many to mention, but how about "A Face In The Crowd" by TPATH?

To me "Under The Wishing Tree" by the Charlie Sexton sextet is one on the most sonicly amazing albums I've ever heard. I don't think many people ever heard it but its something I can listen to beginning to end  without hesitation.  

Automatic Man -- The song, My Pearl is one of my all time favorites and has remained in my rotation since 1977.  Nothing to do with TPATH, but there it is.