"An American Treasure: Deluxe Edition" by TOM PETTY (September 2018 UK Reprise 4CD Retrospective - Chris Bellman Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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E-Book Available Now on AMAZON Sites

Part of the SOUNDS GOOD MUSIC BOOK Series

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LET'S GO CRAZY - 80ts Music On CD

Your All-Genres Guide To Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters

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"...From The Fire..."

Like so many guys of my age (I was 60 yesterday, 28 September 2018, the day of this release) - I was taken aback my Tom Petty's untimely passing in October 2017 – it hurt me way more than I knew how to deal with. After Prince and Bowie – he was another hero of my musical life gone too soon. So I pre-ordered the 4CD 'Deluxe Edition' of "An American Treasure" months back - and man - what a slam-dunk brill release it is – a truly fitting tribute.

Compiled with the full co-operation of his Heartbreaker band mates Guitarist Mike Campbell and Keyboard whizz Benmont Tench, Producer and Mixer Ryan Ulyate and especially his family (wife Dana and daughter Adria) – the Deluxe Edition of "An American Treasure" on Reprise 9362-49055-6 (Barcode 093624905561) gives you four Discs covering the 1970s on Disc 1 (15 Tracks, 52:53 minutes), the 1980s on Disc 2 (18 Tracks, 63:42 minutes), the 1990s on Disc 3 (14 Tracks, 56:45 minutes) and the 2000s onwards on Disc 4 (16 Tracks, 72:11 minutes).

There are 63 cuts in total (60 songs with 1 Radio Spot and 2 Spoken Intros) – and of the 60 they are broken down into 41 Previously Unreleased versions (outtakes, alternates and live renditions), 16 Album Cuts, 1 Non-Album UK 7" single B-side and 1 vinyl-only LP song from the "Kiss My Amps 2" compilation making its CD debut here. Ace Engineer CHRIS BELLMAN (at Bernie Grundman Mastering) has beautifully mastered this release. I can't emphasise enough the gorgeous audio quality on this release - it's astonishingly good. Sure there's the occasional audio lapse when recordings come from Stadiums and Arenas (usually included for performance and personal reasons) - but those are few and far between. Even familiar and previously well-mastered songs like the Seventies material is given an aural makeover here - lifted up into something stunning (check out the 'extended' version of "When The Time Comes" without the fade out or "You're Gonna Get It" with the Strings brought forward in the mix so you can hear their clever "Purple Rain" type additions to the end of the song).

In fact Campbell states over and over again that he wants fans to 'come into the songs' through these versions and even though you could argue that 16 album cuts you already own (most of whom don't need remastering) is excessive when we could have had more unreleased from what we're being told is a huge unheard archive – the 16 are included for deeply personal reasons as each liner note explains. Speaking of what album cuts are up for grabs – the team have gone deep into his catalogue to highlight what they clearly feel are overlooked nuggets - "The Wild One, Forever" from the self-titled debut, "No Second Thoughts" from the 2nd album "You're Gonna Get It", "Alright For Now" from 1989’s "Full Moon Fever" which often ended live shows on a shared band/audience high note and "You And Me" from 2002's "The Last DJ" - the final musical moment he and his wife shared before he passed (all of which are beautifully rendered by Bellman's masterful transfers).

And as for the unreleased stuff - how gems like "Surrender" (kept off the first album), "Keeping Me Alive" (a Southern Accents outtake) or even the Rockabilly fun of "Lonesome Dave" (from the "Greatest Hits" sessions) were left off albums or the flipsides of singles is a mystery. You also notice how the band so complimented his tunes like the Tench's keyboard part to "Deliver Me" and Campbell's guitar solos and acoustic playing on unplugged live sets - often transforming Rock songs that are ingrained in your memories into a new Americana version that touches and even equals the more flashy original.

There is also the added bonus of Stevie Nicks on the Demo Version of "The Apartment Song", the album cut "You Can Change Your Mind" and a live version of "Insider" - whilst Byrds founder and frontman Roger McGuinn adds his dulcet tones to an early take of "King Of The Hill". Hell even Lakers player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gets his June 1981 moment of fame as he introduces the band at The Forum, Inglewood in California and promptly sparks off an ovation that apparently took 10 minutes to quell. If I had a complaint it would be that the quality somehow strangely dips on the 90s Disc and its disappointing that there isn't more insider-recordings from his 80ts masterpiece "Full Moon Fever" – but these are minor quibbles.

Reading the BUD SCOPPA liner notes and hearing Campbell and friends literally get choked up as their reminiscences of the songs and their circumstances come to mind is both moving and just a little heart-breaking. In short - this one is personal - and the love felt for TP and his songwriting craft is very real.

I miss him, his band and their music. "An American Treasure" is beautiful and then some - and surely the Deluxe Edition 4CD variant will be up for a 2018 'Reissue of the Year' gong. Way to go friends and family...job done and more than a nod to his life and musical legacy...

PS: the Deluxe Edition book packaging is superbly laid out too and classy with a capitol C. Released Friday, 28 September 2018, there is also a 26-Track cheaper 2CD truncated version on Reprise 572284-2 (Barcode 093624905547) and a 6LP vinyl set available in late November 2018...