New Box Set Celebrates 50 Years of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
‘Origins 1971-1978’ digs into the vaults to trace the group’s sonic formation.
A new comprehensive box set will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Origins 1971-1978 digs into the vaults to trace the group’s sonic formation.
Out November 6 via UMe, Origins 1971-1978 will be available in three configurations: a 5LP box set, a 4CD box set and an uber deluxe edition, each with Blu-ray and DVD. The centerpiece of the vinyl editions is an 88-page fanzine featuring liner notes by David Fricke and Bud Scoppa, track-by-track annotations from the original band, complete album credits for the first two albums and a trove of unearthed archival photos and memorabilia, alongside polaroids, postcards, collectibles and more.
The core of the collection is No Sleep Til L.A., a 12-track album that follows the band’s journey from their first-ever studio session at Miami’s Criteria Studios in 1971, through the formative Tulsa sessions, and into Los Angeles, where it all finally clicked into place. Seven of these twelve tracks have never been released before, while five others receive new, hi-res mixes. The LP will be available as a stand-alone LP, CD and limited-edition Zoetrope.
“Parade of Loons,” a previously unheard Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers track from 1978, has been released ahead of the collection. It arrives with a new music video directed by Peter Sluszka and starring Iain Armitage of Young Sheldon.
The collection includes 50th-anniversary editions of the band’s first two albums, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and You’re Gonna Get It!, newly mixed and remastered from the original multi-track tapes by longtime producer and engineer Ryan Ulyate. Both editions feature extended versions of tracks like “American Girl” and “Breakdown.”
The additional discs trace the band’s earliest chapters, from their Gainesville roots through their cross-country move to Los Angeles and into their first taste of success. Recorded for San Francisco’s KSAN-FM at the Record Plant in Sausalito, Live from the Record Plant 1977 features a highly sought-after, fan-favorite broadcast, released in its entirety for the first time.
The Cut Out Bin gathers five tracks that show Petty working as a solo artist alongside session musicians—including a yacht rock track with Leon Russell—before ultimately concluding that the Heartbreakers were the right vehicle for his songs.
The set closes with the band’s 1978 performance on the BBC’s The Old Grey Whistle Test. The audio has been restored by Ulyate and is now available for the first time in high definition. Legendary BBC host Bob Harris, who wrote an essay for the Blu-ray booklet, shares: “[It was] one of the greatest performances we had ever seen by a band at the top of their game. They played music from another planet to a room packed with manic fans, in one of the most iconic venues in the world. It was an experience so powerful that five decades later we could still remember every chord, every song, every solo.”
The DVD captures the band’s live performance on the BBC program, and a Blu-ray disc features the complete collection of all 51 songs in high-res stereo, Atmos and 5.1 immersive mixes.
Shop Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ Origins 1971-1978 here.
