BURBANK, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Warner Bros. Records) -
A special edition of
Tom Petty's "Highway Companion," the third recording in a trilogy of solo albums that includes "Full Moon Fever" and "Wildflowers," will be released by Warner Bros. Records on June 5th. Long celebrated as a major American voice, Petty has used his solo work as a vehicle for his most personal songwriting. "Highway Companion," described by The Washington Post as "his best disc in years," takes the striking intimacy of his earlier solo efforts to even greater heights.
The new version of "Highway Companion," targeted to retail outlets around Father's Day, will be a leatherette-bound book that includes two postcards and four previously unreleased bonus tracks: two songs, "Home" and "Around the Roses," previously recorded for "Highway Companion" and Petty's personal demo versions of "Highway Companion" tracks "Big Weekend" and "This Old Town."
The release of the special edition coincides with the reissues on June 12 of the two studio albums from all-star band the Traveling Wilburys, of which Petty was a member along with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne. "Traveling Wilburys Volume 1" and "Traveling Wilburys Volume 3" will be available together in one package with bonus tracks and a DVD of rare footage, as a deluxe linen-bound edition, a vinyl set and a digital bundle.
Originally released on July 25th, 2006, "Highway Companion" debuted at Number 4 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart, selling 112,000 copies its first week. It was produced by Jeff Lynne, who also produced Petty's beloved 1989 multi-platinum solo album, "Full Moon Fever" and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' 1991 album "Into the Great Wide Open." The spare, lyrically introspective "Highway Companion" was described by The Detroit Free Press as "an album of subtle treasures." Rolling Stone, recognizing the raw emotional strength of "Highway Companion," declared it "a classic."
"Highway Companion" was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album," while its first single, "Saving Grace," was nominated for "Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance." Those honors were Petty's 17th and 18th Grammy nods in an illustrious career that has seen the Florida-born singer-songwriter sell more than 50 million albums over the past 30 years. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
The track-listing for the special edition of "Highway Companion" is as follows:
"Saving Grace"
"Square One"
"Flirting With Time"
"Down South"
"Jack"
"Turn This Car Around"
"Big Weekend"
"Night Driver"
"Damaged By Love"
"This Old Town"
"Ankle Deep"
"The Golden Rose"
"Home"
"Around the Roses"
"Big Weekend" (demo version)
"This Old Town" (demo version)
