NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) The family of Tom Petty told the Associated Press that it was like “therapy” to compile a four-disc compilation of Petty’s music so soon after his death.
American Treasure dropped yesterday, just four days before the one-yuear anniversary of Petty’s passing.
“I felt like when Prince died, unfortunately from a similar situation, that there was no central place to grieve for fans or for anyone, to make sense out of the greatness of that artist,” daughter Adria Petty told the AP. She compiled the discs alongside Petty’s widow, Dana, Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench and producer Ryan Ulyate.
“You see a picture of a man that emerges from this box and that man was such a special, complex Southern gentleman,” Adria added. “He’s sort of the best of what you’d call an American. I felt like this was something beautiful to show people.”
Ten of the songs have never been released before, 18 are alternate versions of songs and the traditionals are also included, such as “Breakdown” and “Even The Losers.” Notable absentees include “American Girl,” Don’t Do Me Like That” and “Free Fallin’.”
“It was good to have a task, and it was good to have a task involving Tom and involving the band,” Tench said. “It was good to hear all of this stuff. It kind of validated my opinion of him.
“If somebody wanted to get together at the place where we used to record and rehearse, the Clubhouse, and play a little, I’d go down for sure,” he added. “But as far as being a band? I don’t know what we would do.”
