Customer Reviews

Anthology: Through the Years

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers have already released two hits collections, 1993's single disk Greatest Hits and 1995's six-cd box set Playback. While the Greatest Hits was a nice collection, it left out a number of the band's hits and the Playback collection was really for hardcore fans. This Anthology collection is the perfect medium between the two. It has just about every great Heartbreakers song with a couple of Petty's solo hits sprinkled in without the alternative takes and unreleased tracks that clutter up a box set.

The problem with anthologies, especially those of still-performing artistes, is that you have to have a cut-off point and unless everything post cut-off totally sucks, you're bound to leave off some of the artiste's best work. That's why this album doesn't even pretend to call itself "Best of", "Greatest" etc; firstly because such an album title already exists for Tom Petty and secondly, this album very appropriately calls itself "Anthology" for that's what it is: a chronological representation of what Tom Petty has done up to a point in time.

What's the solution? Either wait for "Anthology Part 2" or like me, get this brilliant album and get the whole albums after this. You won't be doing justice to yourself being satisfied with only 2 or 3 tracks from "Wildflowers" anyway as that brilliant album is already a rock classic in the making and you really need to hear the whole album to appreciate just how good it is.

As for this album, the 34 tracks that are on 2 discs are very well selected and you even get the hard to find duet with Stevie Nicks, "Stop Dragging My Heart Around" here too. The sound quality of this remastered album is also very good seeing as how especially on disc one, the state of the old original masters cannot have been very good and you can only improve upon the master which is also why the sound quality on the later tracks on disc two sound a lot better.

The one downer seems to be the cardboard packaging that opens out into 3 folds with a booklet pasted on the second fold. It seems to me that they could have come up with a better quality design for such a great compilation and thankfully the old adage, "you can't judge a book by it's cover" certainly holds true here.

I see one reviewer complained about 2 discs being more expensive than one but unless you can tell me how you are going to fit 34 tracks onto one disc and seeing as how there are no filler tracks here which would make a second disc superfluous, I really don't know what there is to complain about except for the great value for money that this album really is.

Highly recommended for all Petty fans who want a sampler of what Petty has done before they became fans because of his work after "Full Moon Fever" but don't want to go back and get all the old albums.

It's funny how labels find ways to repackage a band's music long after they've departed for another company, and that's exactly what we have here. Petty left MCA for Warner, leaving the concise and almost perfect "Greatest Hits" collection as his final release. Then, they opened up the vaults and released a massive 6-CD set, "Playback," which had 3 CD's of hits and favorites, plus another 3 CD's of B-sides, live cuts, and rarities. Now, they've come out with this 2-CD set that's something of a compromise between the two.

It collects most of the stuff from "Greatest Hits" (except for the nice but unessential cover of "Something In The Air"), and adds on another 17 songs. Petty's made enough great enough music to fit a comprehensive and definitive two disc collection, and this comes close to being that. There are plenty of welcome additions, mostly songs that, while lesser-known, stand as some of his best work: "A Woman In Love," "Rebels," "Best of Everything," "Straight Into Darkness," "Jammin' Me," and "It'll All Work Out" are included, and such solid albums as "Hard Promises," the really good but underrated "Southern Accents," and "Let Me Up" (which was completely overlooked in the "Greatest Hits" CD) finally get decent representation.

However, there are a few great songs that were missed ("Louisiana Rain," his first great ballad, should be here), and what's a bit more bothersome is the inclusion of a few lesser songs that, while aren't bad, don't really sustain the high standard set by those classic singles. There's also the 'previously unreleased' song, which is often a scam to get fans to buy a CD that already repeats material they already own. Petty pulled the neat trick of making one of the two new tracks on "Greatest Hits" into a great hit in it's own right. However, while "Surrender" on this set isn't bad, it's no "Mary Jane's Last Dance," and I don't think it's worth buying this set just to get "Surrender."

Still, if you're looking for a bit more than one CD of hits, and aren't willing to look through some his better albums (most of which are good, but all of which have a little filler), then this may be the best bet for you.

The Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Anothology is a long overdue double CD of hits and standout tracks up to 1990, with one new track.

This compilation effectively expands on the "single CD" greatest hits which left off "Jammin' Me", "Waiting For Tonight", "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around", etc. which are all included here. It is also more accessible than the massive 6 CD "Playback" Box set. The songs all sound great and most stand up real well today and that includes the overplayed hits like "Free Fallin" and "Refugee".

My only 2 complaints are, that it would have been great if it covered their entire recording career up to 2000 and including such albums as "Wallflowers" and "Echo", but due to record company restraints, this is impossible now. Then, where are great songs like "Out in The Cold" and the holiday favorite "Its Christmas All Over Again". Those would have been icing on the cake, had they been included here.

If you are looking for a nice 30+ tracks of Tom & friends highlights this is it, the booklet isn't much, but the music really shines through. Highly Recommended.

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Anthology: Through The Years/MCA

This new 2 CD set Anthology: Through The Years/MCA collects 35 classics from Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers MCA years. All 17 of the 18 songs that make up the Greatest Hits CD issued in `93 are all here excluding "Something In The Air". This new set adds 17 more songs including "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around with Stevie Nicks and the new song "Surrender" that was written in `77 but not recorded until 2000. This is most likely the selling point to get this CD set, since this is the only place you can get it. A nice 11 page booklet filled with Petty & Co. info/photos rounds out the packaging. Whether you are a new fan or just discovering the band this collection strikes a perfect balance between the Greatest Hits & the Playback box set.

THE BAND: Tom Petty (vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica), Mike Campbell (lead guitar), Benmont Tench (keyboards), Howie Epstein (bass), Ron Blair (bass), Stan Lynch (drums & percussion). Guest appearances include, George Harrison, Stevie Nicks, Jeff Lynne.

THE DISCS: (2000) 34 tracks on two discs clocking in at approximately 124 minutes (disc-1 with 57:37 minutes, and disc-2 with 66:16). Included with the discs is a 10-page booklet containing song titles/credits, band photos, a 1-page intro from Cameron Crowe, what songs came from which albums and the year released. This compilation follows Petty from his debut in 1976 through this 2000 "Anthology". Digitally remastered sound. Label - UTV Records / MCA.

ALBUM REPRESENTATION: Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers (4 songs), You're Gonna Get It (3), Damn The Torpedoes (4), Hard Promises (2), Long After Dark (3), Southern Accents (3), Pack Up The Plantation (1), Let Me Up - I've Had Enough (2), Full Moon Fever (5), Into The Great Wide Open (3), Greatest Hits (1), Playback (1), Anthology (1), Bella Donna - Stevie Nicks 1981 solo album (1).

COMMENTS: Every music listener needs some Tom Petty in his/her collection. "Damn The Torpedoes" (1979) and "Full Moon Fever" (1989) are essential studio recordings of his. Other albums like his self titled debut, "Long After Dark", "Southern Accents" and "Into The Great Wide Open" are great albums, but I wouldn't classify them as essential Petty necessarily. Petty's "Greatest Hits" (1993) is still a fine representation on one disc, but with this more recent 2-disc "Anthology", the '93 disc is now obsolete. 17 of the 18 songs from his "Greatest Hits" album are here, minus the skippable last track "Something In The Air". THE GOOD: All the staples are here - "Breakdown", "American Girl", "I Need To Know", "Refugee", "Here Comes My Girl", "Don't Do Me Like That", "Even The Losers", "You Got Lucky", "Don't Come Around Here No More", "Free Fallin'", "I Won't Back Down", "Runnin' Down A Dream", "Learning To Fly", "Mary Jane's Last Dance", etc. The minor successes absent from his '93 "Greatest Hits" are here - "Change Of Heart", "A Woman In Love (It's Not Me)", "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around", "So You Want To Be A Rock & Roll Star", "Jammin' Me", "Love Is A Long Road", and "Yer So Bad". There are several deep album cuts (i.e. "Hometown Blues", "The Wild One, Forever", "Too Much Ain't Enough", etc) that are nice inclusions. Chronological order is a bonus here - showcasing Petty's slight changes over the decades. Song selection is top notch. The remastered sound is crisp. THE NOT SO GOOD: Only two things stick out here. First and foremost, there are no tracks from his "Wildflowers" (1994) or "Echos" (1999) albums... most likely due to these 2 albums being on the 'Warner Bros' label (and everything prior on MCA's label). This is a shame because I really feel the songs "You Wreck Me", "Cabin Down Below" and "It's Good To Be King" deserve to be on "Anthology". Perhaps this should've been titled "Anthology - Through The MCA Years". In the same vein, there are no selections from Petty's soundtrack to the movie "She's The One" (1996). Many of Petty's early songs are short (out of the first 8 tracks, the longest song is three-and-a-half minutes), and with that being said why not throw a few more songs on both discs and utilize the free space (22 unused minutes alone on disc-1). OVERALL: A ton of music and all the major hits (despite the 2 omitted albums from Warner Bros). To date, this is the best Tom Petty compilation... period (5 stars).

I am fan of Tom Petty, and make no mistake about it, I consider him one of the legends of rock n' roll still making good music out there. And after all these years of solid rocking, it would be nice to have a testament to his works. But I thought he had that in Greatest Hits.

The only reason I am getting this compilation is because I sold my copy of Greatest Hits a while back during a difficult financial period. For the price I paid for this, I have to confess that I am disappointed. Yes this has 10+ tracks more than Greatest Hits, but Greatest Hits was one of the best compilations around. The selected songs were so tightly interwoven that it made a very cohesive record, even though it was a compilation. I can't say the same thing about this one.

It seems to me that the songs are thrown together to make a quick release. There are only two new songs (after Mary Jane's Last Dance) although during the time lapse between Greatest Hits and Anthology, Tom Petty had released a few albums. Even the accompanying booklet is a big joke, only there because it is mandatory. It contains only a few photographs and a short list of the songs. You call this an anthology? Tom Petty definitely deserves better than this.

This is an excellent retrospective chronicling Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' magnificent 30-year career. They are truly one of the best rock bands of all time, featuring superb melodies, awesome guitar playing and solos, catchy choruses and Petty's unmistakable, heartfelt vocals. From the bluesy, infectious 1976 hit "Breakdown" to the laid-back, wistful, harmonica-laced "Mary Jane's Last Dance", every track on here is memorable, soothing, and infectious, great music to sing along to and cheer yourself up with. There are so many different tempos, styles, sounds, and genres to be found on these two discs, making it an eclectic, satisfying mix. I keep discovering new gems that I get hooked on. On a personal level, several of these tracks are sweet, nostalgic trips down memory lane for me, such as the sweeping, majestic "Into the Great Wide Open" and the cool, slow-burning "All or Nothin'". If you enjoy this collection, you should definitely check out Petty's 1994 solo effort "Wildflowers", another outstanding set of music. In short, Anthology: Through The Years is a plentiful helping of classic rock and roll. Great stuff!

THIS NEW ANTHOLOGY RECAPS 20+ YEARS OF AWESOME MUSIC. IT IS MUCH LIKE THE BOXED SET "PLAYBACK" BUT WITHOUT ALOT OF THE LESSER KNOWN MATERIAL. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE!

I've been listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ever since they hit the radio airwaves back in the late seventies. I remember going to neighboorhood party's during the summer of 1978 (I was in Junior High) and Refugee was in the Top 40, gettin' blasted through the speakers.

Subsequently, over the years, I have purchased every one of Tom's and the Boy's cd's. I still consider myself just a casual fan. I simply like the hits off each cd, with a few extras thrown in by personal taste. Anyway, the majority of these discs are from the early '90's. Not the best sound quality. And, it takes some time and effort to load each disc in my itunes and pick just the songs that I want. The solution?

Buy this 2-disc Anthology. It's a great price. It's sounds good. And all your favorite Petty tunes are right there, conveniently in one place, uh...or two. I dropped them into my iPod, and haven't looked back since.

Now all I have to do is get The Last DJ and The Highway Companion, and I'm done.