Live: Pack Up the Plantation [Live]

Tom Petty, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1985
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B000002O86
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,471 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Thrilling Mid-Period Live Set, January 24, 2006

By 

Todd and In Charge (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Live: Pack Up the Plantation (Audio CD)

I find it a bit curious so many of the reviews here dislike the live covers on this album; as a fan I really enjoy the boys' takes on the Byrds "So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star," or "Needles and Pins," or even "Don't Bring Me Down." I don't look for a "greatest hits live" package from a performer I respect -- I want that artist to dig deep, find some chestnuts from the catalogue, or do some covers that mean something to them -- and that's what Pack Up the Plantation is.

Is it representative? I'd say, after two and half years of effort to create Petty's statement on the South of his raising -- Southern Accents, the live album from the tour of Southern Accents finds Petty in his most meaningful, heartfelt period. My personal view is he feared revealing his most innermost thoughts about the South and himself on Southern Accents, so he felt he needed to gloss up those concepts with Dave Stewart's production tricks and copious horns. Don't forget -- this was 1985. But strip all that away and you have pure Petty, from the heart. The songs skew toward that album, with strong performances of "Rebel" and "It Ain't Nothing to Me," but he throws in some fan favorites as well. It's rounded out with some fun covers, though I agree "Shout" probably didn't need to be included.

I do find this particular cd release to be lacking, however, in that two songs are cut short and the order rearranged from the original release. There's no reason to truncate or reorder the original, and I hope subsequent pressings fix this glitch.

In sum, this is vintage mid-period Petty, rocking out on songs from his heart, even getting Stevie Nicks to join in a few tunes. Is it a comprehensive overview of his career, live? Clearly not. But taken for what it is, Pack Up the Plantation is a very enjoyable live Petty experience and an example of why this artist has been so enduring for so many years.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tom Petty&The Heartbreakers-'Pack Up The Plantation:Live'(MCA), July 11, 2005

By 

Mike Reed (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Live: Pack Up the Plantation (Audio CD)

'Pack Up...' is truly a good live album for Tom Petty&The Heartbreakers.I get SO tired of fans saying that Petty is simply a Bob Dylan rip-off.That's where they're wrong,Petty actually CAN sing.Saw Petty on this very tour.It was his first when he employed that 'Alice In Wonderland' routine.'Pack Up...' sounds decent,not perfect.But awfully close I thought.Saw Petty here recently and I can honestly say it was one of the BEST sounding shows I've seen in sometime.Tunes I thought made this CD a true keeper were The Byrd's "So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star",The Searcher's "Needles And Pins","The Waiting","American Girl","Refugee" and "Don't Bring Me Down".Total of fourteen tracks and a duration of 71:12.A should-have.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific!!, April 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Live: Pack Up the Plantation (Audio CD)

One of the best live CD's I've ever heard. The crowd really gets into it on "Breakdown". Plus, a bonus of Stevie Nicks dueting on "Needles and Pins" and "Insider".