One of the best American songwriters is Tom Petty. Petty had a seemingly effortless talent for writing songs that you knew from childhood but still wanted to repeat over and over. He was a numinous genius who wrote everything from “You Don’t Know How It Feels” to “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.”
But one could question which of his many albums, some of which date back to 1976, are the very finest. Which albums are the finest to suggest for music fans who are just discovering Tom Petty or those who want to dive into the cream of the crop?
There are many options for Petty, who gained fame with his band The Heartbreakers and also enjoyed successful years as a solo artist and with the supergroup the Travelling Wilburys. The top 5 Tom Petty albums are listed below.
1. 1989’s Full Moon Fever
This album, which was Petty’s first solo studio album and also included George Harrison and Roy Orbison (two of Petty’s Travelling Wilburys bandmates), was published in 1989. The album, which includes songs like “Free Fallin’,” “I Won’t Back Down,” and “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
2. 1979’s Damn the Torpedoes
The album cover for this record, which was released in 1979, is arguably Petty’s most recognisable. Additionally, Petty and The Heartbreakers’ third album has been made available. The album, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, included the hits “Refugee” and “Don’t Do Me Like That.”
3.1985’s Southern Accents
The sixth album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was released in 1985. It peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 and features singles like “Don’t Come Around Here No More.” Petty actually fractured his hand while working on the album’s lead single, “Rebels,” necessitating a break in the recording schedule. Jimmy Iovine, a longtime collaborator and record producer, entered later to help and add the finishing touches.
4. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976)
In 1976, Petty and his enduring group given their debut studio album, which features songs like “Breakdown” and “American Girl.” The record revealed Petty’s incisive yet simultaneously laid-back rock sensitivity and made him as a major artist.
5. Wildflowers (1994)
The song “You Don’t Know How It Feels,” which appears on Petty’s second solo studio album and was released in 1994, is possibly his most well-known work. The renowned Rick Rubin co-produced the song, which went three times platinum and peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart.