Tom Petty was a musician, actor, record producer, singer, and songwriter. On October 20, 1950, he was born in Gainesville, Florida. Sadly, he passed away in October 2017 at the age of 66 from an unintentional drug overdose.
In 1967, Petty started his career and was a member of the group Mudcrutch. He is most well-known, though, for his work as the lead singer and guitarist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He also had a solo career in addition to being a member of the supergroup Traveling Wilburys in the 1980s.
Tom Petty is one of the most successful musicians of all time, having sold more than 80 million records worldwide over the course of his career. Petty released three solo albums in addition to 13 studio albums with Tom Petty and Heartbreakers. The top 10 Tom Petty albums are listed below.
1. Hypnotic Eye (2014)
Because it was his album with the highest commercial success, Hypnotic Eye is considered to be Tom Petty’s best work. It was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ final studio album, which was also their 13th studio album overall.
The album made its debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, being the only album by Tom Petty to ever achieve this position. In 2015, it was considered for a Grammy Award nomination in the category of Best Rock Album.
There are a total of 12 songs on the album, 11 of which were written by Tom Petty while ‘Fault Lines’ was written by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell together.
2. Damn the Torpedoes (1979)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers enjoyed their first taste of commercial success with their third studio album, titled “Damn the Torpedoes.” This album was published in 1976.
Additionally, it was one of the greatest commercial hits in their career, as it reached number two on the Billboard 200 chart at its highest point. Following that, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded it the status of Triple Platinum certification.
3. Mojo (2010)
Mojo was the 12th studio album released by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and it was their second-to-last album overall. Before releasing this album in 2010, the band had gone without releasing a new album for the previous eight years.
The album contains a total of 15 tracks, one of which is a bonus track that can only be accessed by purchasing the album through iTunes. It peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 list in the United States and at number one on the Top Rock Albums chart. The majority of the tracks on the CD make use of blues-based musical styles.
4. Full Moon Fever (1989)
The album Full Moon Fever is considered by Rolling Stone to be one of Tom Petty’s best works. After having much success with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, the band experienced their greatest setback in 1987 with the release of the album ‘Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough).’
Petty made the decision at this time to pursue a career as a solo artist, and the album ‘Full Moon Fever‘ served as the beginning of his solo work. It was his most commercially successful album out of his three solo efforts, and it reached number three on the Billboard 200 chart at its highest point.
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5. Highway Companion
The studio album titled “Highway Companion” was Tom Petty’s third and last release under his own name as a solo artist. It had 12 tracks when it was first released, however, there are four additional tracks on a special version of the album that was made available at a later time.
Both music critics and fans were generally enthusiastic about the album, and its release was met with economic success. The album ‘Highway Companion’ reached its highest position on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States, which was number four, and it also topped the chart for Top Rock Albums.
6. Wildflowers (1994)
Tom Petty, an American singer-songwriter and musician, released Wildflowers in 1994. A number of well-known musicians, including Steve Ferrone, Mike Campbell, and Benmont Tench, are featured on the Rick Rubin-produced album.
The emotional ballad “Wildflowers,” which serves as the album’s title tune, is a showcase for Petty’s creative prowess and distinctive vocals. The album also included the notable songs “You Don’t Know How It Feels,” “It’s Good to Be King,” and “You Wreck Me.”
When it was first published, Wildflowers garnered favorable reviews and has subsequently come to be regarded as one of Petty’s finest works. The album has won over both fans and critics because of its reflective and introspective lyrics as well as its raw and natural sound.
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7. Hard Promises (1981)
Hard Promises was the fourth studio album that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers produced when it was released in 1981 under their name. It peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States.
On the other hand, it became an even larger hit in New Zealand, where the popularity of the group was continuing to rise at the time. In the same manner as ‘Damn the Torpedoes,’ ‘Hard Promises’ reached number one on the album charts in New Zealand.
8. Southern Accents (1985)
The title “Southern Accents” was given to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ sixth studio album. The album itself peaked at number seven on the US Billboard 200 chart, with the first song “Don’t Come Around Here No More” reaching number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The song “Make It Better (Forget About Me)” and “Rebels” were the two other songs that were taken from the album and published as singles. The album’s title track was also made available as a single.
9. Long After Dark (1982)
The music press has hailed ‘Long After Dark,’ the fifth studio album released by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, as being among the band’s most impressive works. It was the first album to feature Howie Epstein on bass and harmony vocals, and it was also the first album overall.
The song “You Got Lucky,” which was released as a single and became a hit on MTV, is the one that is probably best recognized from the album. The other two singles that were taken from the album to be released were titled “Straight into Darkness” and “Change of Heart.”
10. The Last DJ (2002)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers had only middling success on the charts throughout the 1990s. Out of the three albums they published during this decade, only one of them made it into the top ten on the US Billboard 100 chart.
Their luck began to turn in the early 2000s, and it was with the publication of their 11th studio album, ‘The Last DJ,‘ in 2002 that things began to turn around for them.
It reached its highest position on the US Billboard 200 at number nine. Petty was the sole author of ten of the twelve tracks, while he and Mike Campbell collaborated on the writing of the other two tracks.