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Tom Petty peaked early. In 1974, Petty's northern Florida bar band, Mudcrutch, moved to L.A., signed a deal with Shelter Records, and transformed itself into Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. By 1976, they had released their self-titled debut album, a seemingly impossible blend of the Byrds' jangly harmonies and Southern-California idealism with the Rolling Stones' bluesy punchiness and working-class grittiness. The rhythm section rocked; Mike Campbell was an effortlessly elegant guitarist, and Petty himself was a passionate singer. By the third album, 1979's Damn the Torpedoes, the band was creating such timeless rock & roll singles as "Refugee" and "Even the Losers." By 1980 their best music was behind them. The rhythms slackened; the melodies no longer grabbed; the performances lacked the same urgency. They played with admirable craft and sold millions of records, but they never again made music as powerful as their first three albums. This creates a serious imbalance in this box set, "Playback" (MCA), which fits 21 songs from the first four albums onto one overwhelming CD and then fills up another five CDs with 71 more tracks, which suffer by comparison. For the hardcore Petty fan, though, Playback is a treasure trove of obscurities. While most box sets adopt an 80/20 split between greatest hits and rarities, "Playback" is closer to 50/50, and includes B-sides never released in album form, rare Mudcrutch cuts, shelved studio tracks, and cover versions of songs by Jimmy Reed, Conway Twitty, and Elvis Presley. --Geoffrey Himes
Playback Reviews
Playback Reviews
| 108 of 120 people found the following review helpful  A one-of-a-kind collection from a perfect American pop-rock band., This review is from: Playback (Audio CD) Please note that I am not under 13, but did not feel like disclosing unvital information---------------------------------------------------------------- It's almost inevitable that a band with a long and successful career will release a box set. This six disc offering from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is their fulfillment of that prophecy. Playback, released in 1995, chronicles the band's career on MCA records. Fifty songs from the Heartbreakers' 1976 self-titled debut through their 1993 Greatest hits compilation can be found here. That's just the first three CDs. The fourth disc features fifteen B-sides of singles. The final two CDs contain previously unreleased tracks and studio outtakes, including some songs recorded by Mudcrutch- the first lineup that would become the Heartbreakers. There isn't much point in any further introduction, so I'll jump right into the music:... Read more 29 of 29 people found the following review helpful Instant Tom Petty collection!, This review is from: Playback (Audio CD) For most people, I'm guessing these 92 tracks are all the Tom Petty you are going to need. The first three discs are really faultless-- some of the best pop music ever committed to tape. The rest of the box is aimed squarely at folks who already own much of his catalog-- it's chockfull of rareities, alternate takes, remixes and so forth. Buying this set is really a no-brainer. If you don't have much Petty: i.e. greatest hits, and maybe and album or two, you NEED this. And odds are, it's all you'll need. If you have all the standard issue Petty discs, you can still look foward to 40% worth of the box dedicated to stuff you probably haven't heard. The most compelling reason,though, to own this set, for the hardcore fan is the sound quality. The regular issue Petty discs are fairly terrible: especially the older stuff... the 20-bit HDCD mastering on these new discs KILLS the standard versions and sounds *almost* as good as the out-of-print (and very pricey) Mobile... Read more 19 of 20 people found the following review helpful Everything and the kitchen sink, too!, By "joenumber2" (The Midwest) - See all my reviews This review is from: Playback (Audio CD) Playback is a tour de force for any rock fan. You don't have to be a fan of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to appreciate this six-disc set. In fact, it may help convert you to believing that Petty and his bandmates are one of the major pioneers in rock and roll and an enduring act that is hard to replicate or resist. This boxed set is chock-full of goodies. Most boxed sets include the artist's major hits and then some throwaway cuts or barely passable "hits." No such filler exists here. Discs One through Three are packed with all of the hits and concert favorites that are as fresh and infectious as when the band burst on the scene in 1976. Where you really get your money's worth and hear the band air it out is in Discs Four through Six. The collection of songs on these three discs are mostly unreleased (especially in stellar compact disc sound). Sprinkled judiciously over these discs are some live tracks, unreleased gems, retooled or remixed versions of... Read more |
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