American Songwriter offers a starter guide for building a Tom Petty vinyl collection, arguing that his consistently strong catalogue makes narrowing it to just four albums difficult. The chosen quartet spans different eras of Petty's career, making them a well-rounded foundation for new collectors while also representing a plausible case for his finest work.

The four picks are Damn The Torpedoes, the band's breakthrough third record shaped by producer Jimmy Iovine's pursuit of sonic perfection and songs such as "Don't Do Me Like That"; Hard Promises, chosen over Southern Accents for its consistency and deep cuts including the Stevie Nicks duet "The Insider"; Full Moon Fever, Petty's accidental solo album made with Jeff Lynne and home to "Free Fallin'" and "I Won't Back Down"; and Echo, a darker record written during the collapse of Petty's first marriage that the writer concedes is the most debatable inclusion over Wildflowers.