FM Music Vintage Sounds:
Tim Huggins’ Top
Hi. Tim, here. I was asked to "rank my top-ten" Tom Petty albums. I suppose all of us have one of those lists already rolling around in their head for the bands that they are super into. But how many of us have ever put their thoughts down on ("digital") paper. Until now., I hadn't... I put this list together at the request of Faron Meek, owner of the very hip, very cool FM Music Vintage Sounds , for his recurring social series, "Top-10 Record List."
I’ve been listening to (okay, “worshipping”) Tom Petty for a long time. The first time I heard “Refugee” was on KY102 while heading to Milburn Jr. High, and it sounded like the coolest thing in the world. And it still does. That voice sounded sharp, stubborn, and melodic all at once, and he sounded like he would be the coolest person in any room.
I've been performing for decades and I’ve spent an unreasonable amount of time thinking about Petty's catalog. Not in a scholarly way, more in the “good lord, this song is amazing. How does he keep writing so many hits?”
I didn't want to make a list about sales figures or legacy arguments. Instead, my top 10 is about records that held their shape with me over time, the ones that sound better the longer I've lived with them. I love the albums that feel like the band trusts each other. So this list leans toward feel over mythology. Chemistry over polish. And the albums that don’t try too hard to be important. You can argue the order (and I probably would too on a different day) but every record here earned its spot in my heart.
These are my ten. On this day. In this order.
The Top Ten Eleven
1.Wildflowers
Some records feel important. Others feel necessary. One or two feel like old friends that will always be with you. When I thought about which Tom Petty album I’d be least willing to live without — the one that still reveals something new, even after decades — the answer came immediately. That album is Wildflowers. To this day, it can still bring me to tears.
2.Hard Promises
Oh how I love this album. It's the sound of a band that knew exactly who they were. The songs are so mature without being flashy (“Insider”). They're tough without being brittle (“Kings Road”). Tom wasn't chasing eliteness like the first three albums. I'd argue he was settling into it. For me, this is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers standing squarely and confidently on their own.
3.Long After Dark
This record has always felt a little underrated, which is part of its charm for me. It’s lean, tense, and restless. It sounds like they were moving a bit fast and just trusting instinct over polish. The darkness in these songs lingers. I keep coming back to it because that darkness also manifests both lyrically (“A Wasted Life”) and sonically (“Straight Into Darkness”).
4.Damn the Torpedoes
Yeah, yeah... Someone will be upset that this is number 4. Arguably, this is the record that made everything possible for Tom. The songs still hit hard, the band sounds hungry, and the confidence is so solid. It’s rightly celebrated. At the time, I think critics thought the Heartbreakers had finally “made it.” Looking back, this album was the Heartbreakers just turning on the ignition. Without Damn the Torpedoes, none of what followed would work the same way.
5.You’re Gonna Get It!
It's their second album, and I think the Heartbreakers were still figuring things out. To me, it's like climbing up a couple of rungs from their debut. There’s urgency woven in all of the tracks. You can hear the songs moving forward, although they still hadn't quite written what would later turn into mythology. I love how direct it feels and how raw it sounds. Nothing fancy, nothing wasted. And oh my, Tom's young voice was still that upper-register, growling in all its unadulterated rock.
6.Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough)
This one’s a little unruly, and that’s part of the appeal. It doesn’t sound like they were chasing a trend or a hit. It sounds more like they were shaking themselves loose. Some songs stretch out (“My Life Your World”); some take chances (“It'll All Work Out”), and some occasionally wander. I like the looseness. It feels honest. Maybe I come back to this one for sentimental reasons. “Runaway Trains” should've been a hit single, but what do I know.
7.Southern Accents
This album has edges, and scars, and that’s why it works for me. Tom was going through some personal shit at this point, and you can hear it. It’s ambitious, sometimes uneven, and clearly pulled in a few different directions (e.g. “Don't Come Around Here” vs. “Mary's New Car” on the same album?!?). But when it connects, it connects deeply (the titular track has some of Tom's very, very best lyrics). I hear Tom pushing against his own boundaries, maybe not gracefully, but always honestly.
8.Echo
This is one of the heaviest records Tom Petty ever made. Not musically, but emotionally. It’s reflective, worn-in, and occasionally uncomfortable in a way that sometimes feels like TMI. I don’t reach for it casually, but when I do, it still hits. It's like meeting up with an old friend for a drink and letting them tell you their troubles until closing time.
9.Full Moon Fever
There’s no denying how strong these songs are. There's a reason we've been hearing them on the radio for decades. I put this at 9 because this record has always felt slightly apart from the Heartbreakers’ core identity. I blame Jeff Lynne for the sleeker, more controlled, more self-contained direction. I admire this album more than I lean on it, which is also why it lands here. “A Face in the Crowd” still slays me as a melancholy, immersive track. Fun note: Tom hated “Zombie Zoo,” but Jeff Lynne lobbied hard to keep it on the album.
10.Pack Up the Plantation
I wanted this list to end where Tom Petty's music really shines: onstage. This record captures the band as a super-tight unit. Confident, and locked in. By now I was performing and a student at KU listening to this album nonstop. I dreamt of playing in a band with that much swagger and confidence. We tried to cover many songs from this album. I suppose now I've come full circle as I embrace my affection for Petty's music in my own tribute band. As a closer, “Pack Up the Plantation” will always remind me why all of Tom Petty's music mattered in the first place.
11.Mojo
A couple of months have passes since I made this list. I knew it when I created it that it was a dynamic, living list. My favorite albums from any group have been fairly flexible (I think every Beatles album has been my favorite at one point or another). Anyway, I've been listening to Tom's "Mojo" album quite a bit lately. Had I made this list today, it certainly would be a contender in the top-5 slots. That would mean taking an existing pick out of the top ten, and I don't think I'm prepared to do that. Give "Mojo" a listen. It's a little different than the rest of their catalog. It's swampy. It's bluesy. It's like an early version of the rockin' band, dipped in a big vat of Allman Brothers. Although the track, "Candy" has a definite JJ Cale vibe; and "I Should've Known It" hints at Led Zeppelin. The whole album has some of Mike Campbell's best guitar playing (and that's saying something!)