Welcome to Wildflowers, the late great Tom Petty’s second solo record. Released in 1994, It was a rough time for Petty. At age 44, he was on the verge of divorce with the mother of his two daughters, and he was in the clutches of a hardcore heroin addiction. The intensity and desperation come through in the songs, in a certain directness in his lyrics, a certain looseness, and passion in his playing and singing. Recorded with and partially produced by Rick Rubin (which whom he would build a fruitful musical bond) in Los Angeles, legend has it that Petty basically lived in the studio for two years, recording more than double the amount of material he ultimately released on Wildflowers. Rubin recalled Petty interrupting the playback of Wildflower demos to grab his guitar and write new songs on the spot inspired by what he was hearing. The album didn’t receive the critical acclaim of Time Out of Mind or Into the Great Wide Open, but it lingers as a quintessential look into the heart and head of this titan of a songwriter. The album spawned four singles: “You Don’t Know How it Feels,” “You Wreck Me,” “It’s Good to be King,” and “Higher Place,” But the title track, “Wildflowers” and “Time to Move On,” may be our favorites over here at HQ. It’s hard to listen to these tunes, so strong in their apparent simplicity, and not miss the power and emotional perception that was Tom Petty.

Lineup

• Howling Tongues
• BEAU + LUCI
• The Hot Hearts