10 Classic Rock Bands That Got Better After Selling Out

For most of Tom Petty's career, he was the epitome of the genuine rock and roller. From his laid back attitude to the power of his band the Heartbreakers, Petty's music seemed as essential to the growth of rock music as the Rolling Stones or the Byrds. The foundation of the music was so secure that even when he took on more poppy production, the tunes never suffered for it.

While most Petty fans will tell you that Damn the Torpedoes is the highlight of his rock career, everything was blown wide open once Jeff Lynne came into the picture. Being the mastermind behind ELO, Lynne had the production mindset that worked perfectly for Petty's style, which resulted in some of his finest work on songs like "Free Fallin." Even when Petty went more soft on albums like Wildflowers, he still could depend on his songwriting prowess when it came to crafting fantastic hooks on songs like "You Wreck Me."

These ideas may have been poised for commercial cash-in on paper, but Petty was never one to focus on the money over his music. It's rare to see an artist put out some of their best work over a decade after their debut, but Petty's reach for gold gave him one of the biggest second winds in rock history.