Tom Petty Somewhere You Feel Free

SXSW 2021 Greetings again from the darkness. Adria Petty, daughter of the late rock legend, Tom Petty, discovered a stash of 16mm film shot by photographer Martyn Akins between 1993 and 1995. The footage chronicles Petty's recording of his 1994 triple platinum album, "Wildflowers" - the album he considered his best and most personal. The found footage, along with insight and perspective from many who were there, allows us to understand why he felt that way.

Mary Wharton directed multiple episodes of "VH1 Legends", and her expertise with musicians elevates this to must-see for any Tom Petty fan ... or even any songwriter who wants to witness the crafting of songs, and the crafting of a sound. See, this was Petty's first time to work with famed rap producer and co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, Rick Rubin. Adria explains what was happening in her father's personal life during this time, and how he wanted something new and different from his work with The Heartbreakers - although most of them worked on this album as well.

In addition to the 27 year old footage, Ms. Wharton includes current day interviews with Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, and producer Rubin. Campbell seems mostly bored with the interviews, but Tench spills all his memories. It's really Rubin who brings the most insight and perspective to what Petty was trying to do. The changing of drummers from Stan Lynch to Steve Ferrone is discussed, and we hear Petty explain that he still wants to sing with bassist Howie Epstein. So the songs may sound different, and have special meaning to Petty, many of the musicians are those he was most familiar and comfortable with.

We see rehearsals, recordings, sound checks, and live performances. There are also rare clips of Petty at home. Ms. Wharton provides a unique opportunity to watch an artist at work and how the pieces are assembled to create a masterpiece album that is as strong today as it was on its first release. Tom Petty died in 2017, but lives on in his music, and now in the footage of his musical process.

Huge Tom Petty fan! So of course I loved it! I laughed at his funny quirks and made up songs and cried too! So much love and thought was put into this and I promise you will learn something you didn't know before! I brought 3 friends that are lovers of music and they all loved it! Thank you so much for this buried treasure! Tom must be proud!

Released in the fall of '94, Wildflowers came about during a period of change for Tom Petty. His first album since leaving MCA for Warner, and his first solo record since the 1989 smash hit Full Moon Fever, it introduced a new drummer (original Heartbreaker Stan Lynch left the group during recording) and tested the waters with a fresh producer. Petty was also in the early stages of separating from his wife of twenty-plus years, which led his songwriting in softer, more contemplative directions.

Armed with an exhaustive collection of candid behind-the-scenes footage, filmed and narrated by friends and family, this documentary takes us beyond the veil of a rock legend to reveal the man beneath. Fans won't be disappointed: the famously mellow, good-natured singer seems just as cool in the studio as he was on the stage. The music still holds up, too. It's been a few years since I gave this one a listen, but the old magic drifted back like memories of a good friend. Petty's one of those guys most people don't realize they love as much as they do. His greatest hits album is all killer, no filler, a dozen-and-a-half cuts that charted the course of pop/rock throughout the '70s and '80s. Wildflowers follows that same blueprint. It's rock-solid; even the deep cuts are grooves.

This record was a challenge - a lengthy writing and recording process that demanded tough answers and moved in uncomfortable directions - but the Petty we see in Somewhere You Feel Free faced it with patience and good humor. It's a privilege to eavesdrop on his constructive working relationship with longtime bandmates, to hear familiar songs emerge from rough drafts, and to catch his rapport with new producer Rick Rubin, who pushes him to expand his sound and test his limits as an artist. The world lost a little luster when Petty passed in 2017.