Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Anthology: Through the Years CD

From Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers comes Anthology: Through the Years, a rock and classic rock compilation on MCA. This is the CD edition. This edition was released on November 21, 2000.

All of the hits including "Breakdown," "American Girl," "Here Comes My Girl," "Even the Losers," "I Need to Know," "You Got Lucky" and more - 34 tracks in all, including the newly recorded track "Surrender." The most striking thing about Through the Years, the two-disc overview of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, is the powerful case it makes for its creators as the most consistent band of not only their era, but of all time. Think of another rocker who can claim to have created a quarter century of recordings that, when ranked on a ten-point scale, never dip below a solid seven? Indeed, while disc 1 reflects a marginally more aggressive mindset than disc 2, it wouldn't be difficult to imagine the discs being switched; maturity has yet to induce lethargy for Petty and the boys. Offering more of an overview than the 19-track Greatest Hits, Through the Years serves up 34 selections, nearly every one a classic rock staple. From 1976's "Breakdown" through to the collection's only new offering, 2000's "Surrender", this retrospective never flags.--Steven Stolder