I don’t think I’ve ever hidden or tried to hide the fact that Walls is one of my very favourite Tom Petty compositions. I think it’s essentially a perfect song. And this version is, as I say, an exercise in showing how to simplify and condense an arrangement to be as tight as you can make it without losing an ounce of its beauty.
Long time listeners will know that when I wrote one of my ten questions; which version of Walls do you prefer, I was astounded to find that most people picked Circus. And I’ve since talked about the fact that I definitely listen to that one way more than I ever did before I started the podcast, but I have to tell you, I think No 3 is still ever so slightly ahead of Circus for me. The harmonica solo and the really raw, stripped down arrangement still carries an emotional weight that the big, bold, multi-layered approach on Circus doesn’t achieve.
If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here : https://youtu.be/UHksHuZd_gw
You can find the Circus version here : https://youtu.be/_aoEIA38kTQ
The PBS live is here : https://youtu.be/zJl0pe-DWy8
And the Fillmore 97 live version is here : https://youtu.be/gX65I6FnR0s
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All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com
The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise.
A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography".
Producer: Kevin Brown
Executive Producer: Paul Roberts
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