Calling Tom Petty underrated is a bit off-base, considering he’s a household name who’s sold millions of records. Hell, he’s even played the biggest American entertainment event there is — the Super Bowl. Underappreciated, however, might be a fair assessment. When’s the last time you saw Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers on a list of the best live acts in rock?
“The Live Anthology” should change that. Yes, fans in the know that have seen the band know what’s up, but this collection — available in multiple formats; what we’re talking about here is the 4-CD set — drives home the point in fine fashion, from high-energy performances of long-loved hits to hushed, introspective numbers to rollicking covers.
The 47 songs, culled from shows from 1980 through 2007, show the diverse sides of Petty and The Heartbreakers’ musical personality, one that goes far beyond the often one-dimensional Americana of peers like John Mellencamp and Bob Seger. Instead, when lead guitarist Mike Campbell takes flight or keyboardist/pianist Benmont Tench lets loose, the Allman Brothers Band or the Grateful Dead come to mind. Many songs are pushed past the 6- and 7-minute marks. “It’s Good To Be King,” recorded in 2006 in Petty’s hometown of Gainesville, Fla., ambles for more than 12 minutes, and it earns every second, from its airy opening and slightly psychedelic verses to Campbell’s first solo and a subdued, crystalline improvisation.
Some comparatively lesser-known tunes are equally stunning, especially quieter, emotionally fragile numbers like “Dreamville,” “Wildflowers,” “Angel Dream (No. 2)” and “Southern Accents.”
Also notable are that 13 of the songs — more than 25 percent — are covers, an important nod to the band’s influences and the fun nature of its setlists. Popular songs like the Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil” and a remarkable yet faithful take on Thunderclap Newman’s “Something In The Air” are a hoot, but so are more obscure tracks like The Zombies’ “I Want You Back Again,” Van Morrison’s “Mystic Eyes” and a pair by bluesman Willie Dixon, “I Just Want To Make Love To You” and “Diddy Wah Diddy.”
The rare box set that includes enough deep tracks to please the diehard fan and offers enough broad appeal for the casual listener, “The Live Anthology” is the definitive collection of an American treasure — Petty and his band — doing what it does best: perform on stage.
Rating: W W W W W
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