Greatest Hits [Vinyl LP]

In the 1970s and '80s, amid the rise of New Wave and synth pop, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers almost single-handedly brought old-school power-pop and garage-rock musical values into the mainstream. The roots-conscious Floridians are often regarded as "heartland rockers," and tunes like the jangling, Byrds-like "American Girl" certainly make a case for that appellation. At the same time, "Don't Come Around Here No More" and "You Got Lucky" eagerly expand that stylistic template with haunting atmospherics and neo-psychedelic touches. GREATEST HITS offers a handy, hook-laden, single-disc summary of this great American band. It traverses the Heartbreakers' journey from raw, lean '70s enfants terribles to elder rock-&-roll statesmen. Conveniently, it also includes the two best Heartbreakers tunes never to grace one of their studio albums--"Mary Jane's Last Dance" and the Petty/Stevie Nicks duet, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around."