Tom Petty ‘Wildflowers & All the Rest’ Lands at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums Chart

Wildflowers, the heralded 1994 album from  Tom Petty that the late singer/songwriter considered one of his favorite releases, debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 when it was released in November 1994, and this month’s lavish reissue has earned a similarly strong debut on its own.

On Oct. 16, the Petty estate released Wildflowers & All the Rest, a Deluxe Edition re-release that seeks to complete the cohesive creative statement Petty had originally planned for the record.

Click here to purchase Wildflowers & All the Rest on 2-CD from our Rock Cellar Store
Click here for the 4-CD Deluxe Edition

Click here for the 3-LP set
Click here for the Deluxe 7-LP box set

Rapturous acclaim and fervent interest from Petty’s massive influence made a strong impact, so much so that the Wildflowers redux has landed at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums Chart:

https://t.co/OklppktXZf pic.twitter.com/L8VeFkgSR5

— Tom Petty (@tompetty) October 29, 2020

This achievement puts Tom Petty in exclusive Billboard chart company. The original album peaked previously at No. 4 on the Top Rock Albums Chart (which launched in 2006), and is now his sixth album to earn No. 1 honors.

More on that context, via Billboard:

With six Top Rock Albums rulers, Petty is tied for the second-most No. 1s in the chart’s history.

Most Top Rock Albums No. 1s
7, John Mayer
6, Dave Matthews/Dave Matthews Band
6, Tom Petty/Heartbreakers
6, Bruce Springsteen/E Street Band
5, Bon Jovi
5, Coldplay
5, Bob Dylan
5, Linkin Park

The story of Wildflowers is one promising a wealth of unheard material. The original album sessions with Tom Petty and co-producers Rick Rubin and Mike Campbell yielded a double-CD with 25 songs, but “his label advised restraint,” per a press release. Years later, Petty mentioned ongoing plans for a Wildflowers revisit, and now it’s finally here.

More:

Tom’s vision of the project is becoming a reality due to the commitment of his loving family, bandmates and collaborators who helped unearth many previously unheard gems. The compilation was curated by Tom’s daughters, Adria and Annakim Petty and his wife Dana Petty who call it, “Many, many hours of pure sonic joy,” as well as Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, and was produced by Tom’s longtime engineer and co-producer Ryan Ulyate. Together they stewarded the warmth Tom created through his music and relationship to his fans.

Dive in to Wildflowers & All the Rest below, via Spotify: