Originally Posted by
sonic_discord
I started out as a greatest hits kind of fan, too, but there are SO MANY fantastic and underrated deep cuts throughout his entire discography that you almost can't go wrong. If you're interested, I can give a few recommendations for albums to listen to in full.
Tom Petty solo albums:
Wildflowers (this is probably the first one I'd recommend. If you like it, check out Wildflowers & All the Rest, which includes the rest of the songs that were originally meant to be released as a double album.)
Full Moon Fever (probably his most successful album, loaded front to back with banger after banger)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers albums:
Into the Great Wide Open
Damn the Torpedoes
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (self-titled)
Echo (a more somber album made during his divorce, but the songs are amazing)
Hypnotic Eye (his final album that IMO was the best thing he'd put out since Echo)