Pack Up the Plantation: Live! is the first official live album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in November 1985. It was primarily recorded at the Wiltern Theatre during their 1985 tour but also includes several tracks from previous tours. It was released as a double LP or single cassette and compact disc.
Pack Up the Plantation: Live! | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | November 25, 1985 (1985-11-25) | |||
Recorded | July 16, 1978 – August 7, 1985 | |||
Venue | Various | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 71:12 | |||
Label | MCA | |||
Producer | ||||
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers chronology | ||||
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Singles from Pack Up the Plantation: Live! | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Blender | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Chicago Tribune | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Essential Rock Discography | 4/10[5] |
MusicHound | 3.5/5[6] |
Rolling Stone | (mixed)[7] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sounds | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
A concert film of the Wiltern Theatre performance, also titled Pack Up the Plantation: Live! was released on home video in 1986. It included songs that did not make the album, such as originals "Don't Do Me Like That" and "Don't Come Around Here No More", as well as covers such as "Little Bit O' Soul" and "Route 66".
Stevie Nicks, who has collaborated with Petty and has appeared with him on tour frequently, sings with Petty on two songs on the album. The first is a cover of the Searchers' 1964 hit "Needles and Pins," which was released as a single and climbed into the Billboard top 40. Nicks' second track is "Insider," one of two cuts from Petty's 1981 LP Hard Promises that feature her.
No other singles were released from the album in the United States, although a cover of the Byrds' 1967 hit "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" was released in Europe. "Refugee" was also issued in Europe on a four-track EP. Another fan favorite, "Breakdown," appears at the end of side one. It is notable because the audience takes over from Petty at the start, singing the first two verses and the chorus loud enough to be picked up by the mics. He quipped, "You're going to put me out of a job" to huge applause, and then launched back into a reprise of the second verse.
The recording garnered somewhat mixed reviews, with Sandy Robertson, writing for Sounds, describing it as "a turgid four-sided video soundtrack".[9][clarification needed] Jimmy Guterman, writing for Rolling Stone, said that Petty "sounds impassioned and impressive when he lays into his early songs" and that the Heartbreakers are "an undeniably great band."[10]
All tracks are written by Tom Petty except as noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" | Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn | 3:30 |
2. | "Needles and Pins" | Sonny Bono, Jack Nitzsche | 2:23 |
3. | "The Waiting" | 5:08 | |
4. | "Breakdown" | 7:43 | |
5. | "American Girl" | 3:50 | |
6. | "It Ain't Nothin' to Me" | Petty, David A. Stewart | 6:05 |
7. | "Insider" | 5:16 | |
8. | "Rockin' Around (With You)" | Petty, Mike Campbell | 3:20 |
9. | "Refugee" | Petty, Campbell | 5:22 |
10. | "I Need to Know" (LP and cassette only) | 2:30 | |
11. | "Southern Accents" | 5:20 | |
12. | "Rebels" | 6:10 | |
13. | "Don't Bring Me Down" | Gerry Goffin, Carole King | 3:40 |
14. | "You Got Lucky" (LP and cassette only) | 4:20 | |
15. | "Shout" | O'Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley | 9:30 |
16. | "Stories We Could Tell" | John Sebastian | 3:55 |
The cover songs "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" and "Don't Bring Me Down" would later appear on Playback; "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" also shows up on Anthology: Through the Years. The two songs appearing only on vinyl or cassette have never been officially released on CD. Both songs were also initially not included in the 2015 Hi-Rez remaster, despite being a digital download without time limits, but after fan response, they were belatedly added to the release.
All tracks recorded at the Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, California, August 7, 1985, except,
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Additional musicians
Soul Lips Horns (on tracks recorded at the Wiltern Theater)
The Rebeletts (on tracks recorded at the Wiltern Theater)
Production
Weekly Charts
Year | Chart | Position |
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1986 | US Billboard 200 | 22[11] |
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Live albums |
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