Customer Reviews

Greatest Hits

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Do not be fooled by this newest "Greatest Hits" collection released for Tom Petty as it is the same as the package released in 1993 with one minor and one major exception. Additionally, the proclamation that this contains 'EXTRA TRACKS' is completely misleading.

The minor exception is that they have simply changed the cover and the major exception is that they REPLACED the last track on the first Greatest Hits ("Something in the Air") with the Petty/Nicks collaboration "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." Hence, there are no EXTRA tracks, but simply a substitute of one for another! "Something in the Air" was an exclusive track and cannot be found on any other Tom Petty collection. Adding "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" as the last track also interrupts the chronological order of the first 17 songs, as it was released in 1981 and follows his 1993 track "Mary Jane's Last Dance." As of this writing, the first Petty hits collection is still in print and about two bucks cheaper. However, I cannot imagine the record companies keeping both available.


As far as the songs go, both of these collections include Petty's biggest hits up to 1993 such as "Refugee," "Don't Do Me Like That," "The Waiting," and "I Won't Back Down" and it is second only to the two disc anthology titled "Anthology: Through the Years" which I would recommend over this one if you prefer a more comprehensive overview of Petty's work as that collection includes his hits up to the year 2000 and has everything that is on here at a very good price.

If you already own the first "Tom Petty's Greatest Hits" you can always just download "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" if you need that song. As far as a one disc collection goes I cannot imagine one being more thorough than this one. Minus one star, however, for the redundancy and misleading information regarding 'extra tracks.'

The first greatest hits collection by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers covering from 1977 to 1993 does omit some material, such as "Jammin' Me" from 1987's Let Me Up, but on the whole, serves to demonstrate their impact on the late 1970's through early 90's music scene. Key[]=original studio album.

Petty's first single, "American Girl" defined the sound he brought to American music. The title character was "raised on promises/she couldn't help thinking that there/was a little more to life." It also regained popularity as the song Buffalo Bill's victim was jamming to in Silence Of The Lambs. [Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers]

The downbeat "Breakdown" from the same album, is a statement of connection from a man to a woman.

"Listen To Her Heart" throws verbal punches at the wrong kind of man with designs for a girl, and that opening guitar is wonderful, especially as the drums kick in. Petty really socks it to me: "She's gonna listen to her heart/It's gonna tell her what to do/She might need a lot of loving/But she don't need you." [You're Gonna Get It]

The "is she free or isn't she free?" dilemma is explored in the rockingly engaging but poignant "I Need To Know": "I need to know(I need to know)/Because I don't know how long/I can hold on/And if your makin' me wait/If you're leadin' me on/I need to know(I need to know)." [You're Gonna Get It]

Tom Petty's signature tune, taken from Damn The Torpedoes, is hands-down my favourite. The narrator comforts a girl who's had a rough, tumble-down life and surmises "Somewhere, somehow, somebody must have/Kicked you around some/Tell me why you wanna lay there/Revel in your abandon" And the message in the chorus: "You see, you don't have to live like a Refugee."

The other three singles from that album are "Don't Do Me Like That," "Here Comes My Girl" and "Even The Losers."
The bittersweet latter is one of my favourites, as it depressingly realizes the folly of some things too good to last, however, "...even the losers get lucky sometimes/Even the losers keep a little bit of pride/They get lucky sometimes." Really? Well if even the losers get lucky, what am I, who am not lucky at all?

Southern Accent's only big single, "Don't Come Around Here No More" which even has a snatch of sitar in the beginning is a funnily nasty song on fed-up love: "I've given up, stop. I've given up, stop./I've given up, stop. on waiting any longer/I've given up, on this love getting stronger." And the title tells the girl to well... don't come around here no more. It builds up to a raging guitar jam at the end.

The Rickenbacker guitar opening "The Waiting" and the chorus, where Petty sings "The waiting is the hardest part" after seeing all those "cards" really makes this a standout song. [Hard Promises]

The sole representative from 1982's Long After Dark, "You Got Lucky" is a dark brooding number punctuated by 80's New Wave keyboards.

There are three songs from his solo album Full Moon Fever, produced by ELO frontman Jeff Lynne and fellow Travelling Wilbury, which boosted Petty's flagging career as the 1980's were dying out. "I Won't Back Down" defines Petty's philosophy perfectly--"Well I know what's right, I got just one life/In a world that keeps on pushin' me around/But I'll stand my ground and I won't back down." And how can he, especially with backup from George Harrison's guitar? "Running Down A Dream" is the last thing Petty would do, and this rocking, cruising down the highway is a standout. The mid-paced, lazy-Sunday-afternoon feeling of "Free Fallin'" on LA life was the single that proved Petty was still radio-friendly material.

Jeff Lynne produced Into The Great Wide Open and his sound shows on the first single "Learning To Fly." The moral is told thus: "Well some say life will beat you down/Break your heart, steal your crown/So I started out for god knows where/But I guess I'll know when I get there." The title track is the story of a high-school dropout who makes it big in the music bigtime.

There are two new songs here, the slow "Mary Jane's Last Dance"--love that harmonica, and a cover of Thunderclap Newman's "Something In The Air," the song played at the end of The Magic Christian movie. As Petty revolutionized artistic control during his troubles with MCA, the song does fit him.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Greatest Hits pulls together 18 great tracks from one of rock's most legendary yet still underrated groups, covering Petty's career from 1976 up through 1993. Of course, Petty has released several classic albums since this GH CD was released, but this album provides fans unfamiliar with the consistency and strength of Petty's early years the chance to see that something good did indeed emerge from the musical doldrums of the 1970s. Petty's whiffs and raw, throaty vocals were a proverbial breath of fresh air during the days of disco. At the time, the music was characterized as new wave, if you can imagine that, but the heart of Petty's music has always been in America's heartland; while he has successfully incorporated a number of musical stylings over the years, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers remain the embodiment of classic rock 'n' roll.

The band's 1976 self-titled debut album barely made a ripple in America until the band found success in the UK - then, America took notice of the first single Breakdown and the rock classic American Girl. You're Gonna Get It was released in 1978 and supplies the tracks Listen To Her Heart and I Need to Know. Much greater success was waiting in 1979 when Damn the Torpedoes saw the light of day, and this GH collection features four unforgettable tracks from that breakthrough album: Refugee, Don't Do Me Like That, Even the Losers, and Here Comes My Girl. It's hard to believe Refugee maxed out at number 15 in the US charts, as the song was all over the airwaves at the time. These four songs reflect the growth and maturation of Petty & the Heartbreakers as they truly began to establish a rock 'n' roll legacy. The group's next two albums, Hard Promises (1981) and Long After Dark (1982) saw only moderate success and are represented here by only two tracks: The Waiting and You Got Lucky, respectively.

Three years of work paid off when Southern Accents was released in 1985. It's a great album, even though only one track from the album appears on this GH collection. Don't Come Around Here No More is especially memorable for its twisted Alice in Wonderland video- it's one of the most famous music videos of all time. Full Moon Fever (1989) made Petty a legend with hits such as I Won't Back Down (featuring fellow Wilbury George Harrison), Runnin' Down a Dream, and Free Fallin'. Into the Great Wide Open (1991) kept the ball rolling with hits such as the title track and Learning to Fly.

This Greatest Hits album concludes with two brand new songs. Mary Jane's Last Dance (and its accompanying video featuring Kim Basinger) was a big hit, while Something In the Air is a great song obviously influenced by Petty's recent collaborations with Jeff Lynne and George Harrison in the guise of the Traveling Wilburys. I'm a little disappointed that nothing from 1987's Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) is included in this collection; I've never understood the album's lack of success as it features some great tunes including Jammin' Me, which was co-written by Bob Dylan.

There are more inclusive Petty collections out there these days, but if you want the heart and soul of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on one CD, the 18 tracks on Greatest Hits will serve you quite well indeed.

He's been going in and out of style, but he's guaranteed to raise a sneer...as his recent alt-rock tribute LP confirms, Tom Petty has straddled new wave attitude with classic rock heritage for nearly 25 years. He leads the Heartbreakers, one of rock's all-time best backing bands (guitarist Mike Campbell, drummer Stan Lynch and keyboardist Benmont Tench are American rock masters on their instruments) and has prolifically created some of the era's sturdiest music.

That music's first decade and a half, heard on this essential one-disc greatest hits set, was released by MCA Records after acquiring Petty's former label, ABC, in 1978. Petty's tempestous relationship with MCA was spent witholding an 1981 album to protest increasing prices, foolishly injuring himself in a studio accident, suffering bankruptsy and a damaging home fire. ("Into The Great Wide Open," is a first-rate parody of the business and still doesn't address it all.) This constant battling may have fueled the anger and desperation in classic singles like "Refugee," "I Won't Back Down," "Don't Come Around Here No More," and "You Got Lucky." These featured distinctive videos (Petty was an early MTV constant) and could as easily have played to tyrannical bosses as wayward lovers.

Many Petty songs (especially their relatively short length, all but five songs here run four minutes or less) show the influence of classic 60s rockers Petty loved and emulated: Del Shannon (for whom Petty produced an LP and invoked on the rave-up "Runnin' Down A Dream"), his adopted Traveling Wilbury brethren the Beatles (most obviously George Harrison's mid-60s work), Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison. Even during his awkward solo excursions, Petty graciously invited influences and bandmates for the ride. (Speaking of which, this is also outstanding driving music!)

"Greatest Hits" misses some key singles: 1984's "Rebels," "Woman In Love," his duets with Stevie Nicks on "Needles and Pins" and their 1981 duet "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." Most of these appear on "Through The Years," a 2CD set released concurrently - and ironically - with a similar best-of by ABC/MCA/Universal Music catalogue iconoclast Steely Dan. Nonetheless, "Greatest Hits" is a near-perfect introduction for new fans to Petty's workmanlike career. His music's old, strong roots outgrew waves old and New, influencing and appealing to two generations of rockers.

If you're looking for a good collection of Petty's hits, avoid this record completely. Every track on this album can be found on the "Anthology Through the Years" record, in addition to loads of other great songs. "Anthology" is truly the definitive collection of Petty's greatest hits.

As far as this album goes, the original 1993 release is the only record where you can find the song "Something in the Air." This track was replaced on this re-release by the single "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." The assertion that this album contains "extra tracks" is completely false. I'd personally say that the original release is a better buy.

Really though, I'd avoid them both and go for "Anthology." It'll run you only a few dollars more and you'll get all of these tracks plus an additional 16.

I Was Blown Away When I Bought This Last Year... 18 Tracks.. 63 Minutes Long.. Not a single weak cut. Everything from "American Girl" to "Into The Great Wide Open" with two new songs, including the monster hit "Mary Jane's Last Dance".
All of his major radio staples are included. It's all in chronological order too which is a major plus. I highly recommend this album to any Bob Dylan, Beatles or Roy Orbison fan, because you will not be disappointed. If you already own this LP and want to dive into more Petty, I suggest purchasing the 1994 album "Wildflowers". "Wildflowers" is Tom Petty's first studio effort for Warner Bros, and ranks as one of his finest efforts. It has the hits "You Don't Know How It Feels", "You Wreck Me", "It's Good To Be King" and "A Higher Place". 15 Tracks Total and 63 Minutes Long. You will totally enjoy it if you like this Greatest hits album.... After you get Wildflowers, get the CD's "ECHO" and "FULL MOON FEVER" and you'll have everything you'll need by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.... Hope My Review was helpful to you guys... :)

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' music has been with us for a long time. Their first album came out in 1976, featuring songs such as "American Girl" and "Breakdown." Over time, the group's body of work expanded and included some classic songs. This CD, including many of their greatest hits, chronicles the career of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers nicely.

Some illustrative cuts:

"American Girl": Recorded in 1976. Petty's inimitable voice is in good form here. The band plays with a tight sound and a hard edge.

"Breakdown": This represents a softer sound, and the song is filled with poignant lyrics. One line comes to mind:

"It's alright if you love me;
It's alright if you don't."

"Refugee": This is one of Tom Petty's iconic songs. The music is hard driving, Petty's voice is in good form, and he captures emotions as he sings.

"Don't Do Me Like That": Another signature song of Petty and the group. . . . Keyboards add a nice touch to the song. Signature lyrics:

"Someone's gonna tell you lies,
Cut you down to size.
Don't do me like that
. . . .
Well I love you, baby,
Don't do me like that."

All in all, a nice slice of the greatest hits of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. I'm not someone deeply immersed in the music of this body of work, I concede, but, to twist what Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once said of pornography: "I can't define great music, but I know it when I hear it."

Over the past 32 years, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers have given us nothing but great music. These guys have lasted 30+ years and proved that they can still rock and roll just as good as they could when they first started. So, in 1993, MCA (now Geffen) released the classic hits collection 'Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits.' The record has now been considered a classic compilation.

Earlier this year, Geffen remastered the album and added a bonus track. So, how does this album measure up?

Well, when I saw this in the stores, my feelings were mixed.

I'm glad to see this album remastered. If you own the 1993 version and you decide to buy this because you had heard that the sound was going to be great, right you are! There is a huge difference in terms of sound here.

And, of course, this collection has all the Tom Petty songs the casual fan will probably ever need. 1970s hits like 'Refugee,' 'American Girl,' 'Breakdown,' 'I Need To Know' and 'Don't Do Me Like That' are here, as are his '80s hits like 'Free Fallin,' 'Don't Come Around Here No More' and 'Runnin' Down A Dream.'

Still, the three stars are here because of the track listing. Why did they substitute one of my personal favorite Petty songs, 'Something In The Air,' for the 1982 Heartbreakers collaboration with Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks in 'Stop Draggin' My Heart Around'? I'll confess, I never was crazy about this song, and I definitely think it's out-of-place here.

Also, why did they completely remove 'Something In The Air'? That track was new in 1993, meaning it was only offered on the original 'Greatest Hits' album, which is now out of print, and in several years it's going to be a hard-to-find track? They had plenty of room to keep that song and add 'Stop Draggin' My Heart Around' to the track listing. Why Geffen was stupid enough to make that decision is beyond me.

Overall, if you can, buy the original 1993 compilation, because the sound quality on that is pretty great too. But, if you are a Petty collector or a fan who is particularly picky about sound quality, buy the 2008 version. Don't get me wrong, besides 'Stop Draggin' My Heart Around,' every song here is five stars. But I question Geffen's decision to remove 'Something In The Air.'

Recommended for the collectors and the sound quality-picky Petty fans. Otherwise, hunt down the original 1993 version or just buy his studio albums.

You simply can't do much better than this collection by an all-time classic rock master. Tom Petty is one of the most innovative, prolific song writers and singers of, well, a couple of generations. This collection sums up his career through 1993 just about flawlessly with a chronological track order.

I could rave about each and every track here. I'll try to limit myself. "American Girl" is an ultimately catchy anthem that leads off the compliation and was his first big hit. "Breakdown" is a slower and kind of haunting track. "Don't Do Me Like That" was the first top 10 hit and is a classic, one of four tracks on the breakthrough album "Damn The Torpedos". For sure the inclusion of three tracks off of Tom's first album without the Heartbreakers--the undeniably classic "Full Moon Fever"--is a must. "Running Down a Dream" is one of the best tracks of the late '80s. "Into The Great Wide Open" is a really cool track from his 1991 album of the same title that pokes fun at making it in the music industry, including the need for a hit single. And for sure, "Mary Jane's Last Dance" is a new track on this collection that stands up in quality with all the others and was also a significant hit.

This album is a must-have for Tom Petty fans. It covers the meat of his career exceptionally well. Listening to this says it all about what a remarkable, unique artist he is. And for sure, his band the Heartbreakers deserve a lot of credit for the way the music is played behind him. This is a near-perfect summary of a fantastic career.

I happened upon a Tom Petty classic on the radio when I was in the right mood and couldn't believe how good it was!
I found this greatest hits CD and bought it. It's one of the best surprises of my listening life! His "Runnin Down a Dream" blew me away and hooked me to much of his other stuff.
I love this album and try real hard not to listen every day, because I don't want to get tired of it!
Tom Petty was a true american rocker that will forever (now) be a part of my favorite artists!!