Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Breakdown - Denny Cordell, Max, Noah Shark, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
2. American Girl - Denny Cordell, Max, Noah Shark, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
3. Hometown Blues - Denny Cordell, Max, Noah Shark, Roger Harris, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
4. The Wild One, Forever - Denny Cordell, Max, Noah Shark, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
5. I Need To Know - Denny Cordell, Max Reese, Noah Shark, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
6. Listen To Her Heart - Denny Cordell, Max Reese, Noah Shark, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
7. Too Much Ain't Enough - Denny Cordell, Max Reese, Noah Shark, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
8. Refugee - Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Shelly Yakus, Mike Campbell, Benchmont Tench, Stan Lynch, Tori Swenson, Skip Saylor, Gray Russell, Tom Panunzio, John Mathias, Greg Calbi, Joe Gastwirt
9. Here Comes My Girl - Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Shelly Yakus, Tori Swenson, Skip Saylor, Gray Russell, Tom Panunzio, John Mathias, Greg Calbi, Joe Gastwirt
10. Don't Do Me Like That - Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Shelly Yakus, Tori Swenson, Skip Saylor, Gray Russell, Tom Panunzio, John Mathias, Greg Calbi, Joe Gastwirt
11. Even The Losers - Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Shelly Yakus, Tori Swenson, Skip Saylor, Gray Russell, Tom Panunzio, John Mathias, Greg Calbi, Joe Gastwirt
12. The Waiting - Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Shelly Yakus, Brad Gilderman, Tori Swenson
13. A Woman In Love (It's Not Me) - Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Jimmy Iovine, Shelly Yakus, Brad Gilderman, Tori Swenson
14. Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
15. You Got Lucky - Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Jimmy Iovine, Shelly Yakus, David Bianco, Alan Weidel, Brad Gilderman, Hill Swimmer, Charlie Brewer, Norman Perbil, Stephen Marcussen, Joe Gastwirt
16. Straight Into Darkness - Jimmy Iovine, Shelly Yakus, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, David Bianco, Alan Weidel, Brad Gilderman, Hill Swimmer, Charlie Brewer, Norman Perbil, Stephen Marcussen, Joe Gastwirt
17. Change Of Heart - Jimmy Iovine, Shelly Yakus, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, David Bianco, Alan Weidel, Brad Gilderman, Hill Swimmer, Charlie Brewer, Norman Perbil, Stephen Marcussen, Joe Gastwirt

Disc 2:

1. Rebels - Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Mike Campbell, Jimmy Iovine
2. Don't Come Around Here No More - Jimmy Iovine, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, David A. Stewart
3. The Best Of Everything - Jimmy Iovine, Robbie Robertson, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
4. So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star - Mike Campbell, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
5. Jammin' Me - Don Smith, Mike Campbell, Mike Shipley, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
6. It'll All Work Out - Don Smith, Mike Campbell, Mike Shipley, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
7. Love Is A Long Road - Jeff Lynne, Mike Campbell, Tom Petty
8. Free Fallin' - Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Mike Campbell
9. Yer So Bad - Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Jeff Lynne
10. I Won't Back Down - Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, George Harrison
11. Runnin' Down A Dream - Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Mike Campbell
12. Learning To Fly - Jeff Lynne, Mike Campbell, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
13. Into The Great Wide Open - Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Mike Campbell, Richard Dodd
14. Two Gunslingers - Jeff Lynne, Mike Campbell, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
15. Mary Jane's Last Dance - Rick Rubin, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Mike Campbell
16. Waiting For Tonight - Debbi Peterson, George Drakoulias, Jim Scott, Michael Steele, Mike Campbell, Susanna Hoffs, Tom Petty, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Vicki Peterson
17. Surrender - Bill Bottrell, George Drakoulias, Jim Scott, Mike Campbell, Tom Petty

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1587 in Music
• Released on: 2001-06-04
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Box set, Double CD, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .19 pounds
• Running time: 123 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
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

CD Description
Neatly fitting in between 1993's GREATEST HITS and the 5-CDPLAYBACK box set that came out two years later, this 34-track collection is a chronological tour of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' MCA Records material. The consistent quality found throughout this two-CD set that's bookended by the sinister-sounding "Breakdown" and chiming "Surrender"(a song Pettywrote in the '70s but didn't get around to recording until August 2000) boggles the mind.
Tight playing and a palpable sense of passion from the four-piece Heartbreakers transform songs like "Even the Losers", "Rebels" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance" into rock & roll manna. Elsewhere, this Floridian singer-songwriter's sharp eye for pop culture ("Jammin' Me") and storytelling mastery ("Into the Great Wide Open", "Two Gunslingers") become pleasantly recurring characteristics.The inclusion of a scorching live version of the Byrds' "SoYou Wanna Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star" show Petty and company to be as potent on stage as in the studio. By the end of thismusical tour it's hard to argue with the lofty statement Cameron Crowe makes in his liner notes calling Tom Petty & TheHeartbreakers "...the greatest and most consistent Americanband of the last twenty-five years."..

Customer Reviews

The 2nd Dylan And The 2nd Byrds ?
Tom Petty remains one of America`s prime rock writers - his observations of Everyday American life have won him a large & loyal following worldwide.

This collection improves on Greatest Hits ( 93 ) because it is a double disk, and contains 1 unreleased track - Surrender.

It contains all the classics - Free Fallin`, American Girl, Into The Great Wide Open and Refugee.

If you are interested in Tom Petty, or want an overview of his career, this is worth buying.

The place to start.
This album is probably the best place to start in your love affair with Tom Petty. Once you hear his music there's no going back. He has a wonderfully distinctive voice and can play both rocking upbeat songs, as well as laid back chilled out ones. There are so many brilliant songs on this compilation, it would be hard to pick out any one for special mention. Needless to say I highly recommend it!

Crisp, timeless rock music
This is a fabulous compilation of the work a great rock musician spanning over 25 years. Not only is the double CD excellent value given the number of tracks (34) but it is crammed full of great traditional American rock sounds. It's always nice when an artist has his/her own unique sound. Tom Petty has such a sound. The smooth guitar riffs coupled with his 'worldly wise' voice are unmistakeable. The inherent quality of the music and the 'catchiness' of the tunes, when combined with the honesty yet defiance as evidenced in the lyrics appeals to the free spirit without ever becoming too ponderous.

The first CD contains his early material with the second CD containing classic tunes familiar to many such as 'Into the Great Wide Open', 'Free Fallin' and 'I Wont Back Down'. Becoming acquainted with his earlier material is equally as rewarding as singing along to the more recent and familiar hits.

The evolution of Petty's sound is unmistakeable as between the two eras yet Petty never completely loses touch with his original style nor are there any tracks which reflect any 'experimental' era in the artist's career. There is therefore a 'like one, like them all' certainty with the album.

Check out especially 'Mary Jane's Last Dance' and 'Refugee' for a exponents of rock 'coolness'. Petty weaves his guitar magic into a tapestry of great songs the shelf life of which will endure on your CD rack for many many years.

Its time to venture into the 'great wide open'