Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Pack Up The Plantation: Live! (2015) [Hi-Res]

• The Hi-Res (24bit 96K) remastering of the Tom Petty catalog reveals a level of detail that was only previously heard by a select group of musicians, producers and engineers in the studio. It’s as close to the sound of original stereo master as you can get. We’re very happy with the way it came out, and believe it’s an important way to preserve the legacy of this great body of work.

If hearing the highest possible sound quality is important to you, then this is where you’ll get it.

The remastering was done in the fall of 2014 by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. (Brian Gardner did Highway Companion.) I supervised it and Tom approved it. Great care was taken to find the highest quality masters and transfer them with minimal EQ and little or no dynamic range compression. We went with whatever tape sounded the best –mostly the original first-generation masters but in a few cases, second-generation “EQ copies”*.

To allow for full dynamic range, and to let the music “breathe” the Hi-Res versions have about 6-8db less digital level than a typical “loud” peak-limited CD or mp3. To enjoy these albums to their fullest extent, play them back though a good system and turn up the volume.

With this increased level of detail and sonic impact, we hope you'll enjoy rediscovering these great albums as much as we did! —Ryan Ulyate, April 2014

• Captured in concert in their mid-'80s 'eclectic' phase, backed by horns and female vocalists, Petty and the Heartbreakers get to show more sides of their personality than the confines of a studio recording generally permit. That's most obvious in the preponderance of spirited cover tunes that lay the band's roots squarely on their collective sleeve. Listening to their version of the Byrds' 'So You Want to be a Rock 'n' Roll Star' makes it plain where Petty got his drawling vocal style and penchant for ringing guitars, just as a rendition of 'Shout' lays bare the band's soul influences. Atmospheric jamming vehicles like 'Breakdown' also benefit greatly from the live circumstances, and on early tunes like 'American Girl,' Petty and company prove that they can still blaze through a heartland rocker like no one else.

Tom Petty, vocals, 6 & 12-string electric & acoustic guitars
Mike Campbell, guitar, 12-string, lap steel & slide guitars
Howie Epstein, bass, mandolin & harmony vocals
Benmont Tench, keyboards & vocals
Stan Lynch, drums, vocals

Soul Lips Horns: (on tracks recorded at the Wiltern Theater):
Jimmy Zavala, saxophones, harmonica
Lee Thornburg, trumpets, flugel horn
Nick Lane, trombones, euphonium

The Rebeletts: (on tracks recorded at the Wiltern Theater):
Pat Peterson, backing vocals, percussion
Caroll Sue Hill, backing vocals, percussion

Additional musicians:
Ron Blair, bass
Phil Jones, percussion
Bobby Valentino, violin
Stevie Nicks, vocals

Recorded live at various locations during Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' 1985 tour:
Forum, LA, CA; Hammersmith Odeon, London, England; Irvine Meadows Amphitheater, Irvine, CA;
Paradise Club, Boston, MA; Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH; Wiltern Theater, LA, CA.
Engineered by Charles Kaplan, Don Smith, Shelly Yakus
Produced by Tom Petty, Mike Campbell

Digitally remastered