The Tom Petty Project

Latest Episodes:

Think About Me Apr 12, 2023

Show notes

This is a very simple, very straight ahead rock n roll song. It’s not meant to do anything other than get your feet moving and your face smiling and it knocks that out of the park. It’s almost like the older, cooler cousin, of Anything That’s Rock n Roll. The cousin with the leather jacket and the hotrod car. It has bags of swagger and personality and some excellent off the cuff work from the entire band, but in particular Mike and Benmont.

Check out the song here: https://youtu.be/5eZDzlGl84o

You can find the live version from July '87 here: https://youtu.be/FjoUy9GqC34

To check out the Honest and Unmerciful Record Review Podcast, reviewing Wildflowers, check out this link: https://spoti.fi/3Urm9rZ

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.

My Life/Your World Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

The song for this week's episide, My Life/Your World, has always reminded me a lot of Stop Draggin My Heart Around. It’s got the same tempo, same basic groove and the instrumentation sounds similar in a lot of places. The lyrics are a little disjointed but have good moments. Mike’s guitar work is pretty great and he chooses some good tones. The little segue into the song with that short instrumental pre-track is very cool but overall, there’s something missing in this song.

Check out the song here: https://youtu.be/mVEXkLht6hQ

You can find the live version from June '87 here: https://youtu.be/qtPYqslObDo

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.

It'll All Work Out Mar 29, 2023

Show notes

In Conversations With Tom Petty, Paul Zollo quotes Tom saying that this is one of his favourites and that it’s a “durable” song. He tells Paul, ‘I was going through a crisis at the time with my marriage. My first marriage was on the rocks. I was separated, though it was later reconciled. So I had more on my plate than I could handle. I had written ‘It’ll All Work Out” and sang it into a cassette. And I brought it to Mike’s house, giving him the cassette. He had a studio at his house and I said “Could you just make this a record?” because I don’t have time, I can’t deal with it mentally, but I think it’s a really good song. That’s never happened before or since”.

Today's episode covers the track four from Let Me Up (I've Had Enough), It'll All Work Out.

Check out the song here: https://youtu.be/mVEXkLht6hQ

You can find the live version from '87 that I was talking about here: https://youtu.be/RTDKo8n65NI

And if you want to listen to Phoebe Bridgers' excellent cover, check that out here: https://youtu.be/CDOaIcgUVEc

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.

The Damage You've Done Mar 22, 2023

Show notes

"There’s nothing wrong with a solid album track. It’s like the gravy at Christmas dinner. You wouldn’t want it as the main course, but the meat would probably be a little dry without it. The Damage You’ve Done is a fairly unremarkable track in the Heartbreakers catalogue and it doesn’t stand out much on this album, but it’s a fun little number and again, is one of the best-sounding songs on the record sonically, at least for me.”

Today's episode covers the third track from Let Me Up (I've Had Enough), The Damage You've Done

Check out the song here: https://youtu.be/9wc4m0W7Xk4

You can find the alternate version from The American Treasure release here: https://youtu.be/ytiLxKo4RjU

If you want to hear the link between this song and Bryan Adams' release, check out the video here; https://youtu.be/onn8x-qDrtg

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.

Runaway Trains Mar 15, 2023

Show notes

"After passing on what would become Boys of Summer during the Southern Accents sessions, Tom was clearly ready to try to use a less typical Heartbreakers groove brought to him by Mike Campbell. One of five co-writes on the album, this song shares a definite mood with Boys of Summer, with it’s minor key verse and major key chorus and the healthy dose of 80s synth. As with Boys of Summer, we can probably safely assume that Mike had the whole song demo-d and brought it to Tom almost fully formed, just missing lyrics. I’d also make an assumption that it was written mainly on keyboards as F# isn’t a natural key for any guitarist to write in.”

Today's episode covers track two from Let Me Up (I've Had Enough!), Runaway Trains.

Check out the song here: https://youtu.be/9bW9FSMJ0JI

You can find the live version from Jacksonville, FL in 1987 here: https://youtu.be/Yphc7QjJE_Y

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.

Jammin' Me Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

Season seven is here and season six is but a faded memory! Today's episode covers the lead track from Let me Up (I've Had Enough!), Jammin' Me.

When Paul asks Tom, “When you write with Bob, is that something where you’re exchanging lines?”, his response is “Yeah, just like you’d think. I remember we would write a lot more verses than we needed. We did that in the Wilburys too. It’s a great honour to work with someone so great. And more than an honour; it was fun, because he’s really good at it.”

Check out the song here: https://youtu.be/TCFAzPl1QmE

You can find the live version from the '97 Fillmore show here: https://youtu.be/ZARUZRe0spk

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.

Pack Up the Plantation: Live! (with John Paulsen) Mar 01, 2023

Show notes

Another surprise bonus episode for you today. John and Kevin take a look at 1985's Pack Up the Plantation: Live! which was recorded mostly at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on August 7, 1985 as a part of the Southern Accents tour. The usual "Producer for a Day" segment is geared more toward the boys compiling their favourite live songs up to 1985 that were included on official releases.

You can find Kevin's playlist here: https://spoti.fi/3mcz04e and John's here: https://spoti.fi/3ELfJgG

Do check out www.4for4.com if you're into fantasy football and follow John on Twitter at @4for4_John

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.

Southern Accents (with John Paulsen) Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

In this special episode Kevin is joined, once again, by co-host John Paulsen to wrap up the Heartbreakers' sixth studio album, Southern Accents. Lots to talk about on this album and the "Producer for a Day" segment throws up very different approaches to the remix by both chaps! If you want to check out Kevin's alternate track listing for the album you can find it here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9JRklgBG7Nxb5VzMN_ZMM1p7WkIdHKm7 and if you want to listen to John's take on it, you can check that one out here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9JRklgBG7NzA1OFkqihffGuzYe8aON2g

You can also find the live version of Don't Come Around Here No More that we were talking about here: https://youtu.be/a9jDoXitEO0 and here's the live version of Southern Accents that Kev was talking about can be found here: https://youtu.be/ehPUJKk2_dg

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.

10 Questions with Michael Washburn Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

Hey folks! Another bonus episode for ya today. It's the latest in the "10 questions with..." series and this week it's not just another author, but another musician! What song is Michael gonna play with the Heartbreakers? Well, he threw me a little curveball! Don't worry though, I threw one right back when I asked him which song he'd pick to give to a casual or non-Petty fan! Hope you enjoy!

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.

Michael Washburn Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

Today's episode is another guest interview and another author and fan. This time I'm chatting with the fiercely brilliant Michael Washburn, who tackled this season's album, Southern Accents, in his 2019 book in the 33 1/3rd series. The book talks about the songs on the album and the story behind how it came together, it talks about Tom's transition from Southern gentleman to Southern Californian, and critically, it also talks about the failure of the album both in artistic and social contexts. This latter subject of the book was the one I was most interested in talking to Michael about, as it most certainly made me reconsider how I'd been thinking about the messages, both conscious and subconscious, that Tom delivered through this album and the subsequent tour, particularly the use of the confederate flag and iconography. But don't worry folks, Michael is a passionate fan of Tom Petty's and his book handles this complicated subject matter honestly but with respect and a perspective. This is not a hatchet job, no matter what certain book review titles may have had you believe!

You can find the book, on Amazon, here: https://amzn.to/3YuoweE but as Michael says in the episode, please consider ordering the book through your local independent bookseller.

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.