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Summary: Forever "Runnin' Down a Dream"
Comment: I don't think enough folks my age recognize how great Tom Petty really is, but if they owned "Greatest Hits," they'd have a hard time not doing so. Released in 1993, it spans the years between 1976 and 1993. Always mellower than his hard-rocking contemporaries, Petty's irresistable heartland roots-rock has progressed over the years, and he's proved quite versatile as he experimented with pop, blues, new wave, and alt-rock. But what never changes is the charm and appeal of his music, and this is evident through the chronologically-tracklisted "Greatest Hits." Petty is one of the greatest songwriters of our generation. His lyrics are simple but quaint, and he creates perfect hook-heavy song structures that sound beautiful upon first and millionth listen. His music is inspiring and motivational, but he has a great ear for a catchy tune. Credit must also go to the criminally underrated Heartbreakers, who created their own instantly recognizable sound through their talented instrumentation. At least ten of these songs have become rock-radio staples and will be coveted by anyone with access to a radio over the last thirty years. As with any Greatest Hits package, somebody will nitpick about the tracklist (personally I might have given "Yer Bad" the nod), but there's not a single song on this disc ever worth skipping, and I wouldn't describe any as less than excellent. As it was released in 1993, music from Wildflowers and subsequent releases are not represented, so 2000's Anthology: Through the Years is updated. However, "Greatest Hits" is a perfect one-disc glimpse at one of the best rock acts of this era.
Beginning with the sunny Beatles-influenced "American Girl" and the soulful, moody blues of "Breakdown," the listener is treated to the phenomenal singles from 1976's Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers that made him a household name. The fun "Listen to Her Heart" and "I Need to Know" from 1978's You're Gonna Get It! bridge the gap to the legendary "Refugee," a driving, bluesy rocker that became a classic upon its release. Also from 1979's Damn the Torpedoes are the Springsteen-esque "Don't Do Me Like That," the optimistic "Even the Losers," and the awesome "Here Comes My Girl"; each is phenomenal and suggests what a great album Petty had. "The Waiting," from 1981's Hard Promises, is a deep, motivational song that never grows old, while the stingy "You Got Lucky" from 1982's Long After Dark is heavy with the electronic instrumentation of New Age pop. The irresistable mourning of "Don't Come Around Here No More" from 1985's Southern Accents precedes the selections from Petty's 1989 solo blockbuster Full Moon Fever. Perhaps my favorite song of his, "I Won't Back Down" is an inspiring, melodic tune with George Harrison on guitar. "Runnin' Down a Dream" is a gratifying rocker, and his most well known song, the tremendous "Free Fallin'," is an ingenious coming-of-age ballad. "Learning to Fly" and "Into the Great Wide Open" from 1991's Into the Great Wide Open find Petty at his most introspective and philosophical, and both are among his finest material. The album closes with two previously unreleased songs, the heavy alt-rockers "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and "Something in the Air."
"Greatest Hits" is an impeccable selection from one of rock's greatest acts. Any type of music fan will immediately be wowed by Petty's hooky genius, and anyone who has enjoyed rock radio over the past three decades already knows the quality of this music. I can't recommend "Greatest Hits" any more.
Customer Rating:
Summary: tom petty cd
Comment: same songs as Super Bowl 42 half time performance, every song is great, no bad songs,feels the same as being there again whenever I listen to it which is everytime I'm in the car.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Tom Petty Greatest Hits is a classic
Comment: I loved this cd. It is rare to hear a cd where I like every song. But this cd is a great collection of songs. If you where to only buy one Tom Petty cd, it would have to be this one. It's a classic!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great traveling music!
Comment: I am not a huge Tom Petty fan, but this is one great CD. EVERY song is a good song, and there are tons of tracks on this CD. I guess that's one reason it is such a great "driving" CD. I pop this in the CD for road trips!
Customer Rating:
Summary: EXACTLY THE WAY A GREATEST HITS ALBUM SHOULD BE ! (the music is great and so is everything else about this compilation)
Comment: Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Greatest Hits (1993). Yeah buddy, this is the way it's done! Digitally remastered. The songs are in chronological order. An on target song selection. A couple of new songs. Liner notes that tell you what album each song was on and when it was released. Lots of photos. Why doesn't everybody do it this way?
It all starts off with American Girl (1976), Petty's first hit single (he also opened his performance at this year's Super Bowl with the song). It's quickly followed by Breakdown, Listen To Her Heart, and I Need To Know. There are four songs from his breakthrough album Damn The Torpedoes (1979) including Refugee, Don't Do Me Like That, Even The Losers, and Here Comes My Girl. The Waiting from Hard Promises (1981) is followed by one of my favorite Tom Petty songs, You Got Lucky from Long After Dark (1982). The rocking Runnin' Down A Dream with its great guitar solo, and the swaggering Free Fallin' are both here, and both are classics that still get airplay on classic rock radio. All of these songs do, really. Learning To Fly and Into The Great Wide Open from the album Into The Great Wide Open (1991) wrap up the classic song section of the album. The two new songs are the electric guitar and harmonica driven Mary Jane's Last Dance and the revolution-call-to-arms Something In The Air. Both sound great, and fit right in with the classics.
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers' music was a big part of the late 1970s and the decade of the 1980s rock music sound, and it continued into the 1990s as well. This album is a well-done documentary of the best of Tom Petty's music from that period. Digitally remastered to perfection, the songs sound as good today as they ever have. Or maybe even better!
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