Anthology: Through The Years

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Tom Petty (vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards); Mike Campbell (guitar, bass); Benmont Tench (keyboards, background vocals); Howie Epstein (bass, background vocals); Ron Blair (bass); Stan Lynch (drums, background vocals). Recorded between 1976 and August 2000. Includes liner notes by Cameron Crowe. Digitally remastered by Joe Gaswirt (OceanView Mastering, Los Angeles, California). Neatly fitting in between 1993's GREATEST HITS and the 5-CD PLAYBACK box set that came out two years later, this 34-track collection is a chronological tour of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' MCA Records material. The consistent quality found throughout this two-CD set that's bookended by the sinister-sounding "Breakdown" and chiming "Surrender"(a song Petty wrote in the '70s but didn't get around to recording until August 2000) boggles the mind. Tight playing and a palpable sense of passion from the four-piece Heartbreakers transform songs like "Even the Losers", "Rebels" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance" into rock & roll manna. Elsewhere, this Floridian singer-songwriter's sharp eye for pop culture ("Jammin' Me") and storytelling mastery ("Into the Great Wide Open," "Two Gunslingers") become pleasantly recurring characteristics. The inclusion of a scorching live version of the Byrds' "So You Wanna Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star" show Petty and company to be as potent on stage as in the studio. By the end of this musical tour it's hard to argue with the lofty statement Cameron Crowe makes in his liner notes calling Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers "...the greatest and most consistent American band of the last twenty-five years..." 2 Cds. 1976-1993.Incl.1 Newly Recorded Song "Surrender" ANTHOLOGY: THROUGH THE YEARS includes the previously unreleased "Surrender" and "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" (with Stevie Nicks). Producers include: Denny Cordell, Rick Rubin, Jeff Lynne, Jimmy Iovine, Noah Shark. Personnel: Tom Petty (vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards); Benmont Tench (vocals, keyboards); Stan Lynch (vocals, drums); Howie Epstein, George Harrison (vocals); Mike Campbell , Scott Thurston (guitar); Dave Stewart (coral sitar); Jim Keltner, Steve Ferrone (drums); Phil Seymour (background vocals). Audio Mixers: George Drakoulias; Jim Scott . Additional personnel: Stevie Nicks (vocals); Scott Thurston (guitar); David A. Stewart (Coral sitar); Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass); Steve Ferrone, Jim Keltner (drums); Jeff Lynne, George Harrison, The Bangles (background vocals). Entertainment Weekly (12/1/00, p.102) - "...It's hard to imagine a better summary of the Heartbreakers' 25-year career." - Rating: A