Tom Petty Releases ‘Finding Wildflowers (Alternate Versions)’ Album – Listen
A Higher Place (Alternate Version) by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Tom Petty /YouTube
The album Finding Wildflowers (Alternate Versions) is now officially released. It was launched by Tom Petty’s estate, with 16 tracks available for listening.
The album appeared first in the super deluxe version of Wildflowers & All the Rest box set that was issued last 2020.
In the statement published by the estate, it says that the album “features 16 studio recordings of alternate takes, long cuts and jam versions of Wildflowers songs as Tom, band members, and co-producer Rick Rubin worked to finalize the album in 1994”. The project aims to give the fans deep access to the recording and writing sessions of Wildflowers, to make them realize the concept that Tom Petty had visualized all along.
Furthermore, production was spearheaded by Engineer Ryan Ulyate, Petty’s longtime co-producer. He began to listen to the singer’s 245 reels of 24-track tape, revealing the band’s gradual evolution of their music and style; to grasp the overall essence that Petty wants to discover for the album.
Wildflowers was intended to be a double-length album, but Tom Petty hesitated on the idea. Instead, he began to work for its tour in the later years. Unfortunately, he died in 2017, canceling all the plans anticipated for the performance.
