Anthology: Through the Years

Disc 1
1	Breakdown 2:42
2	American Girl 3:34
3	Hometown Blues 2:12
4	The Wild One, Forever 3:00
5	I Need to Know 2:23
6	Listen to Her Heart 3:02
7	Too Much Ain't Enough 2:56
8	Refugee 3:21
9	Here Comes My Girl 4:26
10	Don't Do Me Like That 2:43
11	Even the Losers 3:59
12	The Waiting 4:00
13	A Woman in Love (It's Not Me) 4:22
14	Stop Draggin' My Heart Around 4:03
15	You Got Lucky 3:38
16	Straight into Darkness 3:49
17	Change of Heart 3:18
Disc 2
1	Rebels 5:20
2	Don't Come Around Here No More 5:04
3	The Best of Everything 4:02
4	So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star 3:39
5	Jammin' Me 4:08
6	It'll All Work Out 3:12
7	Love Is a Long Road 4:07
8	Free Fallin' 4:18
9	Yer So Bad 3:07
10	I Won't Back Down 2:56
11	Runnin' Down a Dream 4:24
12	Learning to Fly 4:03
13	Into the Great Wide Open 3:43
14	Two Gunslingers 3:09
15	Mary Jane's Last Dance 4:32
16	Waiting for Tonight 3:31
17	Surrender 2:54

Barnes & Noble

There's something to be said for getting the balance right, as borne out by this sharp double-disc chronicle of the 17 years Tom Petty spent on MCA Records. Far more expansive than his previous Greatest Hits album -- itself a multi-platinum seller -- and not as overwhelming as the everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink Playback, this collection gives fans a focused view of the Heartbreakers at their most vital. All of the band's staples are represented, and the more or less chronological sequencing makes it easy to trace Petty's development from edgy tough guy ("Breakdown") to pure-pop purveyor ("Here Comes My Girl" and "The Waiting") to wry storyteller ("Mary Jane's Last Dance"). The extended live version of "So You Wanna Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" showcases the power the Heartbreakers possess in concert, while offbeat inclusions such as "The Wild One, Forever" prove the band knows its way around a studio as well. The 34-song set ends with the seething "Surrender," a song Petty wrote in the '70s but didn't get around to recording until summer of 2000 -- proof that good things come to those who wait. Through the Years is accompanied by a booklet containing an essay by Almost Famous director Cameron Crowe and reminiscences from fellow Traveling Wilburys George Harrison and Jeff Lynne. David Sprague

All Music Guide

For the fan that wants more than the superb single-disc Greatest Hits yet doesn't want to delve into actual albums or the exhaustive, rarities-heavy box set Playback, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and MCA Records offered the double-disc Anthology: Through the Years in the fall of 2000. This set basically offers all the singles and album rock radio favorites, with a couple of odd selections here and there and one new song, "Surrender." There are a few omissions -- "Make It Better (Forget About Me)" isn't here, for instance -- but not enough to really be noticeable, especially since this consolidates the bulk of Petty's great songs and plays very, very well. Greatest Hits might have a slight edge to Anthology because of its conciseness, but this double-disc set illustrates that Petty's catalog was deeper than just the hits. Stephen Thomas Erlewine