Tom Petty Playback CD

PLAYBACK is a career retrospective spanning Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' stay at MCA Records. It includes a collection of Petty's best-known material, as well as tracks recorded by his first band, Mudcrutch, solo demos, 27 previously unreleased songs, B-sides and live cuts.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Tom Petty (vocals, guitar); Mike Campbell (guitar); Benmont Tench (keyboards); Howie Epstein (bass); Stan Lynch (drums, background vocals).

Additional personnel includes: Lenny Kravitz (vocals, bass, drums); Stevie Nicks (vocals); Jimmy Iovine (spoken vocals); George Harrison (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Jeff Lynne (guitar, synthesizer, bass); Tom Leadon, David A. Stewart (guitar); Scott Thurston (slide guitar); Charlie Sousa, Marty Jourard (saxophone); Lee Thornburg (trumpet); Al Kooper (piano); Ron Blair, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Emory Gordy (bass); Randall Marsh, Jim Gordon (drums); Phil Jones, Chris Trujillo, George Drakoulias (percussion); The Bangles, Marilyn Martin (background vocals).

Recorded between 1976 & 1993. Includes liner notes by Bill Flanagan.

All tracks have been digitally remastered using HDCD technology.

PLAYBACK spans 20 years of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' career, from 1973 to 1993. Disc one, titled "The Big Jangle," features Petty's popular early songs, such as "Breakdown," "Refugee" and "The Waiting," and is as close to rock & roll perfection as you're likely to come.

Packed with more than 90 songs PLAYBACK is the definitive Petty document. In addition to his many hits, PLAYBACK features a few oddball cuts. There's a hilarious live version of The Count Five's "Psycho

Producers include: Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Rick Rubin, Jeff Lynne, Jimmy Iovine.

Engineers include: Shelly Yakus, Don Smith, Richard Dodd.

Personnel: Tom Petty (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, harmonica, electric piano, bass guitar, cymbals, background vocals); Dave Stewart (vocals, guitar, sitar, synthesizer); Lenny Kravitz (vocals, bass guitar, drums); Stan Lynch (vocals, drums, percussion, waterphone, background vocals); Jeff Lynne (guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, electric piano, synthesizer, bass guitar, timpani, bells, background vocals); Scott Thurston (guitar, 6-string bass); Jeff Jourard, Tom Leadon (guitar); Ron Blair (acoustic guitar, bass guitar); George Harrison (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Jimmy Ripp, Robbie Blunt, Kevin Dukes (acoustic guitar); Tim Pierce (electric guitar); Gayle Levant (harp); Daniel Rothmuller (cello); Charlie Sousa (saxophone, bass guitar); Mike Turre, Harold Todd, Molly Duncan, Phil Kenzie (saxophone); Dave Plews, Lee Thornburg, Michael Hunter (trumpet); Jim Coile, William Bergman, Dick Braun, Kurt McGettrick, John Berry, Jr. (horns); Benmont Tench (piano, electric piano, harmonium, organ, synthesizer, hand claps, background vocals); Al Kooper (piano, organ); Alan Weidel (piano); Mitchell Froom (harpsichord); Garth Hudson (organ); Gary Chang, Scott Humphrey (synthesizer); Howie Epstein (bass guitar, background vocals); Donald "Duck" Dunn, Emory Gordy (bass guitar); Jim Keltner (drums, maracas, tambourine, percussion); Randall Marsh (drums, hand claps); Steve Ferrone (drums); Noah Shark (maracas); Bobbye Hall (tambourine); Chris Trujillo, George Drakoulias, Brad Dutz (percussion); Clydene Jackson, Sharon Celani, Debbi Peterson, Julia Waters, Marilyn Martin, Maxine Willard Waters, Michael Steele, Phil Seymour, Richard Dodd, Stevie Nicks, Susanna Hoffs, Vicki Peterson (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: Don Smith ; Noah Shark; George Drakoulias; Max Reese ; Jim Scott; Mark Linett; Mike Shipley; Richard Dodd; Roger Linn; Shelly Yakus; Bill Bottrell.

Liner Note Author: Bill Flanagan.

Recording information: Cherokee Studios, Hollywoo; Leon Russell's Home, Encino, CA; Shelter Studios, Hollywood, CA; Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA.

Photographers: Lynn Goldsmith; Annie Leibovitz; Robert Matheu; Martyn Atkins; Robert Sebree; Joel Bernstein.

Arranger: Jerry Hey.Spin (2/96, pp.85-86) - 8 - Very Good - "...Petty's pure rock is always there as an option, shining up your backyard when you're sick and tired of trends and experiments....It's the voice of a rock pack-rat into everything from Elvis to Nirvana..."
Q (1/96, p.148) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...One of the most intuitively coherent of American heartland rock'n'roll groups....The Heartbreakers' back catalogue has strength, depth and longevity..."
Village Voice (2/20/96) - Tied for #7 on the Reissues list of Village Voice's 1995 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll.