Tom Petty

Angel Dream (Songs and Music from the Motion Picture "She's the One") (2021)

 


 1. Angel Dream (No.2)
 2. Grew Up Fast
 3. Change the Locks
 4. Zero from Outer Space
 5. Asshole
 6. One of Life's Little Mysteries
 7. Walls (No.3)
 8. Thirteen Days
 9. 105 Degrees
 10.Climb That Hill
 11.Supernatural Radio
 12.French Disconnection
 

 

 
  

I was afraid something like this might happen. Now that Tom Petty has left us, one has to wonder if the bean counters from his record label(s) will continue to scrape the barrel to come up with repackaged and recycled material to keep the coffers at a respectable level to please the stockholders.

Of all Tom Petty's work, the soundtrack to 1996's She's The One is probably the most overlooked. It was a soundtrack to a movie that, I'm guessing, most people never saw, so the CD never seemed to draw much interest. It was a shame since the soundtrack contained some good tunes. It almost feels like the powers that be are trying for a "redo" here. You can't help but wonder if someone said, "Let's take the songs from that album, redo them slightly, and put a more appealing picture on the cover so people know that this is Tom Petty!" So, yes, most of this record we've heard before.

The idea, though, shouldn't necessarily be discounted. Part of the problem with soundtracks is that they tend to be haphazard. They tend to contain multiple versions of the same songs, interludes and instrumentals, spoken pieces, and not necessarily a consistent flow. So it certainly would have been welcome had this record been an attempt to fix all of that. Sadly, though, it doesn't. This record doesn't flow like a proper album, either. The fact that the versions here aren't too different from the orignal work seems a bit silly and reduntant. My vote would be to stick with the original. Yes, there are a few new songs here, most notably the J.J. Cale cover of Thirteen Days, but that could have easily been tossed on one of Petty's recent retrospectives.

Let's hope those in power over Mr. Petty's estate will stop releasing unnecessary fodder and leave the man's memory and wonderful body of work alone.