Playback

11/20/1995 | Mca 

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All Music Guide Review

The consequence of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' enduring affection for the music of the mid-'60s was that, in essence, they were a singles band, a fact driven home on the first three CDs of the six-disc set Playback; even when abbreviating each of their first nine studio albums to four to six cuts, the songs break down into the hits and the also-rans. To be fair, there are quite a few of the former, and some of the latter are could-have-beens; and since Petty is more a song maker (or, more precisely, a track cutter) than an album artist, his work is more amenable to compilation...Then come three more discs of rarities and outtakes. The first of these contains non-LP B-sides, most of which are pleasant throwaways (although "Trailer" suggests that the failed concept album Southern Accents could have been more of a success if it had been included). The last two discs present early and alternate histories of Petty, as his pre-Heartbreakers group, Mudcrutch, searches for a sound; later, he tries out different approaches that never made it onto his regular albums. Some of this material will be of interest to hardcore fans... ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Track Listing

  • Track#
  • Title
  • time
  • 1
  • Breakdown
  • 2:42

  • 2
  • American Girl
  • 3:33

  • 3
  • Hometown Blues
  • 2:12

  • 4
  • Anything That's Rock & Roll
  • 2:24

  • 5
  • I Need to Know
  • 2:24

  • 6
  • Listen to Her Heart
  • 3:03

  • 7
  • When the Time Comes
  • 2:45

  • 8
  • Too Much Ain't Enough
  • 2:57

  • 9
  • No Second Thoughts
  • 2:39

  • 10
  • Baby's a Rock & Roller
  • 2:52

  • 11
  • Refugee
  • 3:22

  • 12
  • Here Comes My Girl
  • 4:25

  • 13
  • Even the Losers
  • 3:59

  • 14
  • Shadow of a Doubt (A Complex Kid)
  • 4:25

  • 15
  • Don't Do Me Like That
  • 2:42

  • 16
  • The Waiting
  • 3:59

  • 17
  • A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)
  • 4:24

  • 18
  • Something Big
  • 4:44

  • 19
  • A Thing About You
  • 3:32

  • 20
  • Insider
  • 4:23

  • 21
  • You Can Still Change Your Mind
  • 4:16

  • 22 (2)
  • You Got Lucky
  • 3:36

  • 23 (2)
  • Change of Heart
  • 3:19

  • 24 (2)
  • Straight into Darkness
  • 3:47

  • 25 (2)
  • The Same Old You
  • 3:30

  • 26 (2)
  • Rebels
  • 5:19

  • 27 (2)
  • Don't Come Around Here No More
  • 5:05

  • 28 (2)
  • Southern Accents
  • 4:44

  • 29 (2)
  • Make It Better (Forget About Me)
  • 4:23

  • 30 (2)
  • The Best of Everything
  • 4:03

  • 31 (2)
  • So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star
  • 3:30

  • 32 (2)
  • Don't Bring Me Down
  • 3:52

  • 33 (2)
  • Jammin' Me
  • 4:08

  • 34 (2)
  • It'll All Work Out
  • 3:11

  • 35 (2)
  • Mike's Life/Mike's World
  • :40

  • 36 (2)
  • Think About Me
  • 3:45

  • 37 (2)
  • A Self-Made Man
  • 3:00

  • 38 (3)
  • Free Fallin'
  • 4:16

  • 39 (3)
  • I Won't Back Down
  • 2:57

  • 40 (3)
  • Love Is a Long Road
  • 4:08

  • 41 (3)
  • Runnin' Down a Dream
  • 4:23

  • 42 (3)
  • Yer So Bad
  • 3:06

  • 43 (3)
  • Alright for Now
  • 2:02

  • 44 (3)
  • Learning to Fly
  • 4:03

  • 45 (3)
  • Into the Great Wide Open
  • 3:43

  • 46 (3)
  • All or Nothin'
  • 4:07

  • 47 (3)
  • Out in the Cold
  • 3:41

  • 48 (3)
  • Built to Last
  • 3:58

  • 49 (3)
  • Mary Jane's Last Dance
  • 4:33

  • 50 (3)
  • Christmas All over Again
  • 4:15

  • 51 (4)
  • Casa Dega
  • 3:37

  • 52 (4)
  • Heartbreakers Beach Party
  • 1:57

  • 53 (4)
  • Trailer
  • 3:15

  • 54 (4)
  • Cracking Up
  • 3:34

  • 55 (4)
  • Psychotic Reaction (Live)
  • 4:49

  • 56 (4)
  • I'm Tired Joey Boy (Live)
  • 3:42

  • 57 (4)
  • Lonely Weekends (Live)
  • 2:47

  • 58 (4)
  • Gator on the Lawn
  • 1:35

  • 59 (4)
  • Make That Connection
  • 5:04

  • 60 (4)
  • Down the Line
  • 2:53

  • 61 (4)
  • Peace in L.A. (Peace Mix)
  • 4:43

  • 62 (4)
  • It's Rainin' Again
  • 1:32

  • 63 (4)
  • Somethin' Else (Live)
  • 2:05

  • 64 (4)
  • I Don't Know What to Say to You
  • 2:28

  • 65 (4)
  • King's Highway (Live)
  • 3:30

  • 66 (5)
  • On the Street
  • 2:10

  • 67 (5)
  • Depot Street
  • 3:26

  • 68 (5)
  • Cry to Me
  • 3:06

  • 69 (5)
  • Don't Do Me Like That (Mudcrutch Version)
  • 2:47

  • 70 (5)
  • I Can't Fight It
  • 3:00

  • 71 (5)
  • Since You Said You Loved Me
  • 4:40

  • 72 (5)
  • Louisiana Rain (Version)
  • 4:22

  • 73 (5)
  • Keeping Me Alive
  • 2:59

  • 74 (5)
  • Turning Point
  • 2:52

  • 75 (5)
  • Stop Draggin' My Heart Around (Demo Version)
  • 4:11

  • 76 (5)
  • The Apartment Song (Demo Version)
  • 2:37

  • 77 (5)
  • Big Boss Man
  • 2:41

  • 78 (5)
  • The Image of Me
  • 2:33

  • 79 (5)
  • Moon Pie
  • 1:05

  • 80 (5)
  • The Damage You've Done (Country Version)
  • 3:16

  • 81 (6)
  • Got My Mind Made Up (Original Version)
  • 2:51

  • 82 (6)
  • Ways to Be Wicked
  • 3:27

  • 83 (6)
  • Can't Get Her Out
  • 3:11

  • 84 (6)
  • Waiting for Tonight
  • 3:30

  • 85 (6)
  • Travelin'
  • 3:15

  • 86 (6)
  • Baby Let's Play House
  • 2:33

  • 87 (6)
  • Wooden Heart
  • 2:09

  • 88 (6)
  • God's Gift to Man
  • 4:18

  • 89 (6)
  • You Get Me High
  • 2:48

  • 90 (6)
  • Come on Down to My House
  • 3:05

  • 91 (6)
  • You Come Through
  • 5:15

  • 92 (6)
  • Up in Mississippi Tonight
  • 3:28

    • Credits

    • Stan Lynch
    • Percussion, Drums, Vocals (Background), Waterphone, Harmony Vocals, Vocals
    • Alan Weidel
    • Piano, Second Engineer, Assistant Engineer
    • Benmont Tench
    • Organ, Synthesizer, Piano (Electric), Piano, Harmonium, Vocals (Background), Handclapping, Vox Organ, Harmony Vocals
    • Howie Epstein
    • Guitar (Bass), Harmony Vocals, Vocals (Background)
    • Jeff Lynne
    • Synthesizer, Guitar (Acoustic), Piano, Guitar, Guitar (Bass), Piano (Electric), Tympani (Timpani), Producer, Bells, Vocals (Background)
    • Tom Petty
    • Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Cymbals, Guitar (12 String), Main Performer, Engineer, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background), Piano (Electric), Guitar (Bass), Harmonica

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