Wildflowers

Wildflowers is the second solo album by American musician Tom Petty, released on the first of November, 1994. The album was the first released by Petty after signing a contract with Warner Bros. Records (where he had recorded as part of the Traveling Wilburys) and the first of three albums produced by Rick Rubin. Three singles were released from the album between 1994 and 1995, the most successful of which, "You Don't Know How It Feels", reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Album Rock Tracks chart for one week. The album features all members of the Heartbreakers with the exception of drummer Stan Lynch, who left (or got fired by) the band earlier in 1994. According to Petty, "He left right after the session without really saying goodbye". Steve Ferrone plays drums on Wildflowers and would join the band officially the following year. However, the album was not credited to the Heartbreakers because, in Petty's words, "Rick (Rubin) and I both wanted more freedom than to be strapped into five guys." Freedom notwithstanding, Petty chose to use most of his regular band as session players, demonstrating his comfort with that format. Rolling Stone placed Wildflowers at number twelve on their list of the best albums of the nineties.