The Live Anthology (2009) 


 

Disc One
 1. Ladies and Gentlemen
 2. Nightwatchmen
 3. Even the Losers
 4. Here Comes My Girl
 5. A Thing About You
 6. I'm in Love
 7. I'm a Man
 8. Straight Into Darkness
 9. Breakdown
 10.Something in the Air
 11.I Just Want To Make Love To You
 12.Drivin' Down to Georgia
 13.Lost Without You
 14.Refugee
 
Disc Two
 1. Diddy Wah Diddy
 2. I Want You Back
 3. Wildflowers
 4. Friend of the Devil
 5. A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)
 6. It's Good to Be King
 7. Angel Dream (No.2)
 8. Learning to Fly
 9. Mary Jane's Last Dance
 10.Mystic Eyes
 
Disc Three
 1. Jammin' Me
 2. The Wild One Forever
 3. Green Onions
 4. Louisiana Rain
 5. Melinda
 6. Goldfinger
 7. Surrender
 8. Dreamville
 9. Spike
 10.Any Way You Want It
 11.American Girl
 
Disc Four
 1. Runnin' Down a Dream
 2. Oh Well
 3. Southern Accents
 4. Crawling Back to You
 5. My Life/Your World
 6. I Won't Back Down
 7. Square One
 8. Have Love Will Travel
 9. Free Fallin'
 10.The Waiting
 11.Good, Good Lovin'
 12.Century City
 13.Alright for Now

 

At first glance, The Live Anthology seems like an irresistible proposition. Forty-eight tracks across four discs, a career-spanning retrospective of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in their most natural habitat—onstage—for under twenty dollars. What could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot, as it turns out. Not in performance or fidelity—both are superb—but in curation. This is a case where the issue isn’t what’s included, but what’s missing, and more pointedly, what takes its place.

The performances themselves confirm what most already knew: Petty was a commanding live presence, and his band one of the most reliable touring outfits in rock. The problem arises in the balance of material. Roughly one-quarter of the tracks are cover versions. And while an occasional cover can lend colour and context to a live set, the sheer volume here borders on excessive. When the artist in question possesses a catalogue as deep and beloved as Petty’s, devoting this much time to reinterpretations begins to feel like an indulgence—particularly when so many of his own essentials are conspicuously absent.

What’s here from the original catalogue is, by and large, excellent. The focus leans toward early material, with acoustic interludes adding texture and variation across the four discs. While fans may quibble over omissions—inevitable in any project of this scale—the performances chosen represent Petty’s strengths well, offering warmth, energy, and the occasional surprise arrangement. In isolation, the original material more than earns its place.

The same cannot always be said for the covers. To be fair, some are quite effective: Van Morrison’s Mystic Eyes is a fevered nine-minute stomp, while Oh Well (Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac) and Friend of the Devil (a nod to the Grateful Dead) prove especially fitting, stylistically and vocally. But others veer into the realm of the baffling. The instrumental of Goldfinger, for instance, is less homage than head-scratcher, and one is left wondering just how much herbal inspiration was involved in its inclusion. Similarly, Green Onions is rendered competently, but without adding anything to a song that has already been performed—and perfected—by countless others.

Of course, with nearly four hours of material, listeners are free to curate their own ideal version of the set. In that sense, The Live Anthology functions more as a toolkit than a definitive document. Its relative affordability softens the blow; had this been issued at double the price, one suspects the reception would have been rather cooler. Notably, an exclusive fifth disc—bundled in a high-priced retail edition—offered more of the same: a few inspired selections buried among tracks of marginal interest. For many, that was a step too far.

In sum, The Live Anthology is both a testament and a missed opportunity. It captures the spirit and stamina of a great American band, but dilutes its own impact with detours and indulgences. Still, even in its unevenness, it remains an admirable, at times thrilling, addition to the Petty catalogue. One just wishes it had exercised a bit more editorial discipline—and trusted the strength of its own material a little more than it did.

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