Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers‘ fifth studio album is getting a deluxe makeover. On October 18th, Geffen/UMe will revisit 1982’s oft-overlooked “Long After Dark”, originally released on Backstreet Records, in various formats including 1LP, 2LP, and 2CD+Blu-ray.
Petty was joined by Mike Campbell (lead guitar), Benmont Tench (keyboards), Stan Lynch (drums), and new recruit Howie Epstein (bass/backing vocals) as well as co-producer Jimmy Iovine for “Long After Dark”. The third and final of Petty’s three LPs on MCA imprint Backstreet, it followed 1979’s landmark “Damn the Torpedoes” and 1981’s “Hard Promises“, the final album to feature the original Heartbreakers line-up.
Bolstered by “You Got Lucky” as well as the single “Change of Heart” and the third single “Straight into Darkness” failed to chart – “Long After Dark” was assessed by Petty in an interview with Paul Zollo, shared in the press release for this reissue. He called it “a good little rock and roll record” but also “a tough record because I never knew if we were making the right decisions about songs.” The non-LP B-side of “Change of Heart,” “Heartbreakers Beach Party,” didn’t appear on CD until the box set “Playback”.
In addition to a remastered version of the original album sourced from master tapes, the expanded “Long After Dark” features a dozen bonus tracks, including songs that were discarded as Petty struggled to hit upon the right direction for the album.
Among these is his version of “Never Be You,” a 1985 Country chart-topper for Rosanne Cash; the pop-flavoured “Don’t Make Me Walk the Line;” and an uptempo treatment of Petty and Campbell’s “Ways to Be Wicked,” covered by Lone Justice on the band’s 1985 debut LP.
An extended version “Heartbreakers Beach Party” has also been discovered, as well as a number of tracks originally recorded by the band for French television. The bonus tracks have been mixed by Petty’s long time associate Ryan Ulyate. The Blu-ray Disc in the 2CD/1BD package contains high-resolution stereo and new Dolby Atmos mixes of the original album and bonus tracks, also mixed by Ulyate.
The Deluxe Edition of “Long After Dark” has been designed by Jeri Heiden, with liner notes by rock journalist and Tom Petty Radio host David Fricke, commentary from Jimmy Iovine and Cameron Crowe; and rare archival photographs by Dennis Callahan, Neal Preston, and Aaron Rapoport.
In addition to the 3-disc (2CD/1BD) set and black vinyl versions of the 1LP (remastered album only) and 2LP sets, vinyl variants include a 2LP pressing on 180-gram red-with-black-splatter vinyl (with a numbered, foil tip-on jacket) exclusive to TomPetty.com and a 1LP 180-gram turquoise pressing with a double-sided lithograph of Blaze Brooks’ illustrations, exclusive to indie record stores.
The Petty Legacy archives have been opened to share newly remastered video and audio from 1982-1983 to coincide with this release. The French TV performance of “Straight Into Darkness,” directed by Alan Bibby, is streaming now. The video (which aired on French television) captures the band performing at The Record Plant.
Look for Long After Dark: Deluxe Edition on October 18 from Geffen/UMe.
The Fat Angel Sings 