The Tom Petty Project

Latest Episodes:

Hung Up and Overdue Mar 05, 2025

Show notes

It's curious that the two songs that reference California were both left off the final Wildflowers release; perhaps Tom being self-conscious about being too prescriptive and direct in that vein. Hung Up and Overdue has a very simple, very direct lyric which sits atop a wonderful arrangement and doesn’t need to do too much of the heavy lifting. It’s almost like Mike’s more reserved guitar part. We do get a little shine and sparkle in a couple of places, but its part of the ensemble rather than taking a starring role.

If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here : https://youtu.be/bSl9ykaiNvw

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Walls (No. 3) Feb 26, 2025

Show notes

I don’t think I’ve ever hidden or tried to hide the fact that Walls is one of my very favourite Tom Petty compositions. I think it’s essentially a perfect song. And this version is, as I say, an exercise in showing how to simplify and condense an arrangement to be as tight as you can make it without losing an ounce of its beauty.

Long time listeners will know that when I wrote one of my ten questions; which version of Walls do you prefer, I was astounded to find that most people picked Circus. And I’ve since talked about the fact that I definitely listen to that one way more than I ever did before I started the podcast, but I have to tell you, I think No 3 is still ever so slightly ahead of Circus for me. The harmonica solo and the really raw, stripped down arrangement still carries an emotional weight that the big, bold, multi-layered approach on Circus doesn’t achieve.

If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here : https://youtu.be/UHksHuZd_gw

You can find the Circus version here : https://youtu.be/_aoEIA38kTQ

The PBS live is here : https://youtu.be/zJl0pe-DWy8

And the Fillmore 97 live version is here : https://youtu.be/gX65I6FnR0s

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hope on Board Feb 19, 2025

Show notes

I would love to know if an extended version of this arrangement exists anywhere on the cutting room floor. I know that there was only one violinist, Lili Haydn, who I’m hoping to have on the podcast as it happens, and two cellists, Gerri Stutyak and Michael Severens. But I think if you kept building this into a full orchestral string arrangement with some timpani or other percussion added, it could have been a pretty amazing piece of music in its own right. As it stands, it’s an absolutely perfect piece of music for this portion of the movie and shows that had Tom decided he wanted to score more movies, he would have been perfectly capable of doing so.

Note: There is some profanity in the movie clip that is included in this episode.

If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here:

To listen to the song, go here: https://youtu.be/uk5pFlnfDZU

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bad Monkey + Petty Country Feb 14, 2025

Show notes

John and I got together to discuss the Petty Country and Bad Monkey Soundtrack releases and built a 16 track playlist that gives you a good idea of what to expect from each disc. We discussed what makes a good cover version, which contemporay artists are doing the best job of interpereting Tom's work and we also talk about covers not on either album that are worth checking out!

You can find our final playlist here: https://tinyurl.com/55fyfw6t

Our additional list of covers not on these two albums here: https://tinyurl.com/5h7n2a2w

And if you want to check out John's "Petty Scattered, Smothered, & Covered" playlist, you can find that here: https://tinyurl.com/2k3pc883

The song at the end of the episode is used by kind permission of Cyberattack and can be found here: https://youtu.be/EINdLqmcYH0

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

California Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

There’s a quality to this song that I’ve only really experienced once before. It makes me homesick for a place I’ve never lived in. The other time this has happened to me was, coincidentally, also California. If any of you are Van Halen fans or even just rock n roll fans with an interest in the Pasadena scene in the 70s, you have to read the superb book Van Halen Rising. Easily the best rock biog I’ve ever read, written by an exceptional journalist and author and a wildly knowledgeable rock historian, Greg Renoff. Rather than being a gratuitous look at the excess of the hedonistic rock n roll lifestyle, Greg very deliberately builds a picture of Pasadena in the 70s in which the band was born and grew into the world famous act they became. Well, this song, in two minutes and thirty eight seconds leaves me with that strange sense of nostalgia and affection for a place that doesn’t shape any part of my life. You almost get that sense of promise and opportunity that California held for the early settlers seeping through the words and music that Tom delivers.

If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here:

To listen to the song, go here: h https://youtu.be/nhnDaykQls8

If you want to watch Jack's video for Room at the Top, you'll find it here : https://youtu.be/uF9hyogNurU

And if you're interested in checking out Greg's book, you can find previews of it here : https://tinyurl.com/mr26nxzy

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Supernatural Radio Feb 05, 2025

Show notes

This one begins with piano as the main melodic focus, with Benmont Tench playing a lounge player style lick over top of a sumptuously dark and foreboding rhythm section. The drums are dry and present and Howie Epstein’s bass guitar adds the bottom end colour to a scene that feels like a dimly lit hotel bar.

If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/P8qB--d6q3A

To listen to the Fillmore 97 version go here: https://tinyurl.com/23fuush8

Check out Ian and Michael's brilliant podcast, Lord of Adders Black, here : https://goodpods.com/podcasts/lord-of-adders-black-413109

You can find Scott Haskin's new Deep Purple show, Smoke on the Podcast, here : https://goodpods.com/podcasts/smoke-on-the-podcast-627907

And if you want to read that awful Independent review, check that out here : https://tinyurl.com/yxdwwb4a

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Asshole Jan 29, 2025

Show notes

Beck’s Asshole is quite tender in places with a certain rustic charm and it’s not something you’d expect a middle aged rocker to want to explore. But when you really delve into it and rummage around in there, you discover its hidden depths and while at first it can come across as unappealing, a close inspection reveals a rather time-worn vulnerability that draws you into its warm embrace.

If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/i-2A20W5X3Y

To check out Beck's original, please go here: https://youtu.be/zLuJiiXHvsQ

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hope You Never Jan 22, 2025

Show notes

Hope You Never is a fairly dark, bleak cut from a difficult album for Tom. It fits the timbre of the movie in places and you can see why it was chosen as one of the songs to transfer over to this release. The production is, as always, absolutely superb. The parts are all expertly crafted and arranged and Tom’s vocal delivery has that quiet confidence that marked his transition from brash young rock star to middle aged songwriter.

If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/Fx1T_g0nWBg

If you want to check out a little background on The Obvious Child by Paul Simon, check that out here: https://www.avclub.com/the-obvious-child-is-24-years-old-but-it-s-all-about-1798274750

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Angel Dream Jan 15, 2025

Show notes

“I dreamed you, I saw your face. Caught my lifeline, went drifting through space”. What an incredible way to say “I fell in love with you the moment I saw you and my life would never be the same again”. I was talking with my pal Corey on our show The Ultimate Catalogue Clash about lyrics a couple of episodes ago and we’ve had an ongoing discussion since about how to appraise lyrics. Well, one of the ways that you can say a lyric is “strong” or “good” is if it immediately evokes an emotion in you. And boy does this one ever. I think most people have had that happen in their life when they’ve just immediately fallen in love. If it’s not happened with a romantic partner in this specific way, I daresay that anyone listening who is a parent had it happen the first time they laid eyes on their first child. You know in that moment that nothing will ever be the same and that you immediately can’t live without that tiny person.

If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find the official video here: https://youtu.be/HSOKVghuiIg

If you want to check out Jeff Slate's fantastic album, The Last Day of Summer, you can find that here : https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k0c_chbHsywab6UUOpX3s1lI7V3u3KD78

And if you want to check out Matt Jaffe's killer new record, Gone Enough To Miss, you can find that one here : https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n2ngTjPQB1HHTsrfNuEGq82ttxcOFJY6w

Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show.

Follow: https://linktr.ee/tompettyproject

Listen: https://pod.link/1580769475

All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com

A special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research.

The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way.

Producer: Kevin Brown

Executive Producers: Paul Roberts, Steve Ursell

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2024 In Review + Favourite Albums Jan 08, 2025

Show notes

I wanted to say a quick (well, not that quick!) goodbye to 2024 before kicking off the new year and figured I'd follow the lead of a great many music podcasters by telling you about some of the albums that I discovered this year that I've been enjoying a lot! I own 7 of the 8 on vinyl and have a very close relationship the one I don't through slightly unusual circumstances. I hope you enjoy this brief sojourn into non-Petty territory!

The albums I'm talking about are:

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers : Long After Dark (Deluxe Edition)

Metallica : Master of Puppets

Sturgill Simpson : Cuttin' Grass (Volume One)

Bjork : Homogenic

Van Halen - Van Halen III

Green Lung : This Heathen Land

The Black Crowes : Happiness Bastards

Mark Knopfler : One Deep River

Mentioned in the episode:

Master of Puppets (with the SF symphony orchestra): https://youtu.be/oy0J2u1BlTA

Misty Music Podcast - Homogenic Episode: https://go.goodpods.com/z6CwMJ