In this series of articles I will randomly pick a cd or DVD out of my collection and write a little story about it. My collection has been in storage for some time but I love to go through it now that it is on display once again. The collection holds about 300+ cd’s and the same amount of DVD’s.
For today I picked a cd: Greatest Hits by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Artist info:
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (alternately Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) was an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976,the band originally comprised Tom Petty (lead singer, guitar), Mike Campbell (lead guitarist), Ron Blair (bass guitar), Stan Lynch (drums), andBenmont Tench (keyboards). In 1981, Blair, weary of the touring lifestyle, departed the band. His replacement, Howie Epstein, stayed with the band for the next two decades. In 1991, Scott Thurston joined the band as a multi-instrumentalist—mostly on rhythm guitar and second keyboards. Blair returned to the Heartbreakers in 2002, the year before Epstein's death. In 1994, Steve Ferrone replaced Lynch on drums. The band is best known for the hit singles "American Girl", "Breakdown", "The Waiting", "Learning to Fly", "Refugee" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance".
The band's music has been characterized as both Southern rock and heartland rock, cited alongside artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, and John Mellencamp as progenitors of that genre that arose in the late 1970s and 1980s. While the heartland rock movement waned in the 1990s, the band remained active and popular, touring regularly until Petty's death in 2017, after which the Heartbreakers disbanded. Their final studio album, Hypnotic Eye, was released in 2014.
Although most of their material was produced and performed under the name "The Heartbreakers", Petty released three solo albums, the most successful of which was Full Moon Fever (1989). In these releases, some members of the band contributed as collaborators, producing and performing asstudio musicians.Source
Album info:
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in 1993. It is Petty's best-selling album to date and was certified 12× Platinum by the RIAA on April 28, 2015. The single "Mary Jane's Last Dance" became one of Petty's most popular songs, reaching No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The other new song on the album is a cover of the Thunderclap Newman hit "Something in the Air". The album contains no songs from 1987's Let Me Up (I've Had Enough). However, three songs from Petty's 1989 solo album Full Moon Fever were included.
On its original release in November 1993, the album debuted at No. 8 on Billboard 200, and first peaked at No. 5 on the chart in February 1994. It reached a new peak of No. 2 following Petty's death in 2017.
The new tracks "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and "Something in the Air" would prove to be the band's last recordings with drummer Stan Lynch.
Source
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Girl | 3:33 |
| 2 | Breakdown | 2:44 |
| 3 | Listen to Her Heart | 3:03 |
| 4 | I Need to Know | 2:24 |
| 5 | Refugee | 3:21 |
| 6 | Don't Do Me Like That | 2:42 |
| 7 | Even the Losers | 3:38 |
| 8 | Here Comes My Girl | 4:25 |
| 9 | The Waiting | 4:00 |
| 10 | You Got Lucky | 3:36 |
| 11 | Don't Come Around Here No More | 5:04 |
| 12 | I Won't Back Down | 2:57 |
| 13 | Runnin' Down a Dream | 4:23 |
| 14 | Free Fallin | 4:15 |
| 15 | Learning to Fly | 4:01 |
| 16 | Into the Great Wide Open | 3:44 |
| 17 | Mary Jane's Last Dance | 4:33 |
| 18 | Something in the Air | 3:21 |
My story with this album:
I was introduced to the music of Tom Petty by my parents when I was just a kid. As a child you don’t like the music your parents play because it’s not cool enough, but I am very happy I grew up in a home where a lot of good music was played and therefore I now have a wide musical interest.
I have bought this album when I saw it in lying in a discount bin in a period I almost only bought rap and hip hop albums, so the friend I was with looked at me quite strange as I was buying old people music in his eyes. Later on I introduced him to this album and some songs he liked from the beginning, the rest of the album grew on him later as he also bought the album a week or two after me. I don’t have any other Petty albums in my collection, only this greatest hits album as it holds all my favorite songs but I will have a go and search some for me somewhat forgotten tracks to do some reminiscing on the good old days.
Love to play this album at a higher volume to hear all the layers in the music of this very nice compilation album with a few new songs. Also some great sing along songs for in the car accompanied by me playing all the air instruments. If you don’t know this album give it a try at your go to streaming service. I know I will be listening to this album in the nearby future. Another artist who will be missed as he passed away a bit too soon in my opinion at the age of 66.
Hope you like this little post and idea of the series. If so follow me 
