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1994 - Sound City, Van Nuys, California. Robert Sebree reflects: “When I look back at my archives I see a lot of Elvis references creeping into Tom’s photos. This velvet Elvis watching over Tom’s performance during the recording of Wildflowers in the vocal booth at Sound City is among my favorite.” Prices are shown for unframed items, excluding VAT. VAT is added at checkout where applicable. Signed limited edition photographs are available in a choice of physical size options. Click on the size options below to see available sizes and prices. Please allow 2-3 weeks between order and delivery for an unframed photograph. If you would like a quote for framing please just ask. Framing adds 2-3 weeks.
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1994 - Sound City, Van Nuys, California. Robert Sebree explains: “ In July of ‘93 I was asked to photograph Tom and the band as they worked on bonus tracks for Greatest Hits. I expected the project to take a day or two. I spent much of the next two years chronicling the recording of Wildflowers at Sound City in the Valley and Ocean Way in Hollywood. This was shot during the recording of "Climb the Hill" (released on Wildflowers & All the Rest).” Prices are shown for unframed items, excluding VAT. VAT is added at checkout where applicable. Signed limited edition photographs are available in a choice of physical size options. Click on the size options below to see available sizes and prices. Please allow 2-3 weeks between order and delivery for an unframed photograph. If you would like a quote for framing please just ask. Framing adds 2-3 weeks.
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1994 - Sound City, Van Nuys, California. Robert Sebree recalls: “I distinctly remember this being a good day. The band worked through versions of “To Find A Friend”, “Only A Broken Heart”, “Climb That Hill”, “Honey Bee”, “You Wreck Me”, “California”, “It’s Good to be King”, “Time to Move On”, “Cabin Down Below”, “Thirteen Days” and more. I have no idea how much, if any, from this session ended up in the final mix.” Prices are shown for unframed items, excluding VAT. VAT is added at checkout where applicable. Signed limited edition photographs are available in a choice of physical size options. Click on the size options below to see available sizes and prices. Please allow 2-3 weeks between order and delivery for an unframed photograph. If you would like a quote for framing please just ask. Framing adds 2-3 weeks.
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August 1993 - Viper Room, Hollywood, California Robert Sebree explains: “This image marks the only time I ever photographed Tom playing to a live audience. Tom had just completed the Greatest Hits package and was considering cover options when Johnny Depp asked him to play at the opening of the Viper Room on Sunset. Tom realized this would be the last time anyone would ever see the whole band playing together in a bar on a tiny stage reminiscent of how they began - the perfect Greatest Hits cover. Perfect except that Tom and Stan’s relationship was almost at the breaking point and Stan decided to remain in Florida and skip the gig. Tom called Ringo Starr and asked him to sit in for Stan. When I went to the Viper Room that night I was expecting to see Ringo on drums but evidently Ringo was just the impetus Stan needed to jump on a plane. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Greatest Hits—the band’s best selling album of all time—very nearly featured Ringo on the cover. There was a strict “no cameras" policy for the invitation-only crowd but they made an exception allowing me to photograph the first song of the set. A couple of minutes in a crowded room to capture an image to represent Tom’s entire career… what could go wrong? The light was dismal, the stage only rose a foot or two from the floor so I had to shoot through the crowd. Benmont was shoved so far stage right that he was separated from the band by his keyboards. I positioned myself directly in front of the stage to get all five band members in frame but Benmont was cast in total darkness. I decided to move stage left and shoot down the line of Howie, Tom, Mike and Benmont but the room was too cramped to get the angle I needed on Stan. From other angles either Benmont or Stan were blocked by their own instruments. All the while, there was a very excited, good-natured fan enjoying the show, apparently unaware of my plight, who was insistent on dancing with me. It was mayhem. This image and one other image from the show were briefly considered for the cover but were rightly discarded because neither of them included all of the Heartbreakers. The image used was a photo that survived the fire of Tom's basement recording studio in the house he lost to arson in 1987, inspiring the song “I Won’t Back Down.” Prices are shown for unframed items, excluding VAT. VAT is added at checkout where applicable. Signed limited edition photographs are available in a choice of physical size options. Click on the size options below to see available sizes and prices. Please allow 2-3 weeks between order and delivery for an unframed photograph. If you would like a quote for framing please just ask. Framing adds 2-3 weeks.
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July 1993 - Woodland Hills, California Robert Sebree explains: “This is my homage to Richard Avedon’s portrait of the Chicago Seven. I chose to play with the form and use the broken format to introduce each band member twice creating a line-up that could not exist in a single frame. The pre-Photoshop era demanded solutions to be a bit less obvious. Of the countless ways that digital has impacted photography I believe this, the way we conceive of images, may be the most significant. After a few long days in Mike Campbell’s home recording studio with all of the Heartbreakers Tom suggested a band photo. The next day I arrived early and set-up a small seamless and a few lights in one bay of Mike’s garage. That night as the band members were headed to their cars I opened the door and flipped on the lights. It was a calculated risk springing a shot that was difficult to explain on exhausted band members after a long day. The set was only wide enough to shoot three band members at a time and I was standing outside in the dark shooting through the garage door with an old view camera. The confusion was compounded by the fact that I repositioned them after each sheet I exposed. Fortunately, Tom was intrigued by whatever I was trying to do so with his encouragement we knocked it out in just a few minutes. The images on the periphery of each frame are my favorite moments as they were unposed. Tom appreciated that this image gives a real sense of the personalities that made up the band. The tension developing between Tom and Stan is on full display here. It’s no wonder considering Stan’s stance in the far right frame and tangling with Tom in Benmont’s frame (far left) that just two weeks later at the Viper Room I would make my last images of Stan before he left the Heartbreakers. Tom chose this image for a benefit auction at the New York launch of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Runnin' Down A Dream on November 14, 2007." Prices are shown for unframed items, excluding VAT. VAT is added at checkout where applicable. Signed limited edition photographs are available in a choice of physical size options. Click on the size options below to see available sizes and prices. Please allow 2-3 weeks between order and delivery for an unframed photograph. If you would like a quote for framing please just ask. Framing adds 2-3 weeks.
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August 1988 - Encino, California Robert Sebree explains: “I became a reoccurring occurrence in Dave Stewart’s (Eurythmics) life when I was assigned to photograph him for three different clients in a ten day period. Dave was producing a project called Beyond the Groove and asked me to shoot stills for it. I never saw a script on set, pretty sure there wasn’t one. The project had a Magical Mystery Tour vibe that cast Dave’s eclectic roster of friends in scenes featuring iconic tableaus of Southern California. Tom was interested in every aspect of his work which in 1988, for better or worse, was entwined with the film industry as the labels courted MTV. When there was a break in filming, Tom could be found holding a boom pole with the sound crew or studying how things worked from the other side of the camera.” Prices are shown for unframed items, excluding VAT. VAT is added at checkout where applicable. Signed limited edition photographs are available in a choice of physical size options. Click on the size options below to see available sizes and prices. Please allow 2-3 weeks between order and delivery for an unframed photograph. If you would like a quote for framing please just ask. Framing adds 2-3 weeks.
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August 1988 - Point Dume, California Robert Sebree recalls: “I made this photograph within minutes of first meeting Tom. When I introduced myself he smiled and said with a slow, exaggerated southern draw “If there’s anything I can do for you, you just let me know”. As we carefully made our way across some jagged rocks along the beach he mentioned that if he slipped he would bleed a steady stream of the weed he had flowing through his veins. You don’t forget that kind of “Hello”. At the time I had no point of reference to base this experience on but as we continued to work together over the years I came to realize the ease with which we got on from the beginning. Shortly after shooting this image, Tom’s art director requested a meeting. Rather than deferring to the label’s art department Tom would hire his own creative team so he could oversee the art himself. The cover to Full Moon Fever had already been determined but they were interested in my images for promotion. This image was used full-bleed for the album’s back cover.” Prices are shown for unframed items, excluding VAT. VAT is added at checkout where applicable. Signed limited edition photographs are available in a choice of physical size options. Click on the size options below to see available sizes and prices. Please allow 2-3 weeks between order and delivery for an unframed photograph. If you would like a quote for framing please just ask. Framing adds 2-3 weeks.
