To commemorate the 40th anniversary of their debut album, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers are collecting all their studio albums into two new vinyl only box sets.
The Complete Studio Albums Volume 1 (1976-1991)and The Complete Studio Albums Volume 2 (1994-2014) bring together, across 21 pieces of 180-gram vinyl, all 16 studio releases from singer/guitarist Petty, guitarists Mike Campbell and Scott Thurston, keyboardist Benmont Tench, bassists Ron Blair and Howie Epstein and drummers Stan Lynch and Steve Ferrone. (Three of the albums, of–Full Moon Fever(1989), Wildflowers (1994) and Highway Companion (2006)–are solely credited to Petty despite ample contributions from The Heartbreakers and other guest musicians.)
Thirteen of these records have been certified gold or platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and feature a clutch of rock radio hits, from “American Girl” and “Don’t Do Me Like That” to “The Waiting” and “Don’t Come Around Here No More”; “Free Fallin'” and “I Won’t Back Down” to “Learning to Fly” and “You Don’t Know How It Feels.” And everything from Hard Promises to Highway Companion has been newly remastered for the sets.
In 2015, Petty released “Somewhere Under Heaven,” the first song from an as-yet unscheduled collection of Wildflowers outtakes. This year, he released the second album with his pre-Heartbreakers band, Mudcrutch, and next year he will be honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year.
Humorously (blame pesky production schedules, we imagine), Volume 2 will be available on November 25th, with Volume 1 following two weeks later on December 9th. Petty has spent 2016 on tour with his pre-Heartbreakers band Mudcrutch, alongside guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench. The Heartbreakers last toured in 2014 in support of Hypnotic Eye.
The Fat Angel Sings 