Tom Petty’s estate is celebrating what would have been his 73rd birthday by sharing some previously unreleased demos from the artist. Listen to tracks from Petty’s Wildflowers and Mojo eras below.
Mojo (Extra Mojo Edition) reissues Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 2010 blues album with two new songs: “Help Me” and “Mystery of Love.” The former begins with a classic, “Green Onions”-esque guitar line, as Petty drawls, “You gotta help me, babe/ I can’t do it all by myself.” “Mystery of Love” picks up the pace a bit, opting for more of a classic rock ‘n’ roll sound complete with horns and piano. Its an interesting look at a new side of the band, which famously tried out subgenres like Southern rock and new wave over the years. According to Petty, Mojo was “where the band lives when it’s playing for itself.”
Petty’s estate is also revisiting his 1994 solo album by putting Mary Wharton’s 2021 documentary Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free on Amazon Prime for the first time. In addition to the film, the never-before-heard track “What’s the Matter with Louise” is now streaming on Amazon Music.
Petty passed away on October 2nd, 2017, 18 days shy of his 67th birthday. In recent years, he’s received a posthumous, honorary Doctor of Music degree from the University of Florida, while his prolific career has spawned a slew of box sets.