Greatest Hits Invade Shelves
By Paula Molaro
The Delphian - Wednesday, February 12, 1986
Pack Up the Plantation: Live! is the latest release from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and is one step above the usual greatest hits menagerie. The entire album was recorded live on Petty's most recent Southern Accents tour and packed the traditional Heartbreaker anthems: The Waiting, Breakdown, You Got Lucky, and Refugee. It too has Petty performing never recorded material: So You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star, Don't Bring Me Down, Shout, and Needles and Pins. It's so good to hear these songs live and Petty does them justice. This double album may just be the next best thing to being there.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers -- Pack Up The Plantation (MCA)
Review by Alex Henderson
The Daily Sundial - Thursday, February 13, 1986
With several illegal bootleg albums of his concerts available on the underground market, it was only a matter of time until MCA released a live Petty album.
Recorded at Los Angeles' Wiltern Theatre on his 1985 tour, this two record set brilliantly captures the vitality of a Petty concert. From the rockin' "Refugee" to the country-flavored title track of his "Southern Accents" LP, Petty's enthusiasm is more than impressive.
The album's main flaw is that it omits some of his best material, including "Don't Do Me Like That," "Century City," "You're Gonna Get It" and "Here Comes My Girl."
Despite its shortcomings, "Pack Up The Plantation" is a thrilling dose of live rock 'n' roll.
Record Rack: Petty's Fresh Accent
By Chris Willman
The Los Angeles Times - February 16, 1986
"PACK UP THE PLANTATION." Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. MCA. Until last year, Petty had a reputation for rehashing his recordings in concert without much fire or imagination, but his 1985 tour wisely updated much of his older material in the musical framework of his then-current "Southern Accents" album, with heartening results. He didn't try out anything nearly as radical as Dylan's "Live at Budokan" rearrangements--a horn section and female backing vocalists were his major changes--but the new elements were enough to make a classic early song like "American Girl" sound as fresh and vigorous as on the day it came out. Much of the standard material from that tour has been left out of this live double album, and more than a quarter of the set is taken up by choice remakes of '60s hits ("So You Wanna Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star," "Stories We Could Tell"). While that keeps "Plantation" from living up to its potential as a brave reappraisal of Petty's career, his dip into other folks' careers is far from tragic.
No protesting, simply rapture for today's dapper Dylan
By Richard Guilliatt
Melbourne Age - February 21, 1986
Bob Dylan is punctual. So punctual, in fact, that barely half the crowd had taken its place in Kooyong tennis stadium when he took to the stage at 7.50 sharp last night. The result was a low-key beginning to what became a rapturous reception for Dylan's first Melbourne concert.
The crowd in places resembled a 20th anniversary meeting of the Melbourne counterculture, everyone looking greyer, more weathered and better dressed, much like Dylan himself. Some people leapt to their feet and did the Woodstock Writhe, just for old times' sake.
Random Notes: Dylan loves those Heartbreakers
By Merele Ginsberg
The Calgary Herald - February 23, 1986
Bob Dylan just won't stop draggin' those hearts around. He liked playing with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers so much at Farm Aid that he decided to take a little working vacation with the band for a month -- to New Zealand, Australia and Japan. Dylan thought the Heartbreakers were the best band he'd ever played with, and it wasn't that hard to arrange, since Dylan's manager and Petty's manager are partners. The Heartbreakers are currently backing Petty (Down Under) then backing Dylan, then backing both. The tour is so successful -- and Dylan is enjoying it so much -- that U.S. dates are being discussed. Even if that falls through, though, you'll get to see highlights via either a movie, a television special or a home video; all are being bruited about.
Playing second fiddle doesn't bother Tom
By Stuart Coupe
The Sydney Morning Herald - February 23, 1986
Strutting their stuff behind Robert Zimmerman is fine by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, one of the finest American rock 'n' roll bands of the past decade.
Petty says that playing back-up musician to Bob Dylan "doesn't bother me at all. I play those songs all the time so I'm really content to sing with Blowin' In The Wind or Like A Rolling Stone."
Editor’s Note: This is an Italian article and my translation of it. If you actually know Italian and would like to improve it, please contact me.
Original Italian:
Dischi: Leggera
LA STAMPA dell'8 Marzo 1986
Tom Petty and the Haethbreakers: "Pack up the plantation - Live", mca. Il blondo rocker della Florida ha registrato questo album nell'arco di sette anni, dal '78 all'80. "Southern accents" e "The waiting" sono i due brani che emergono dall'album che ripercorre la brillante e fragorosa carriera di Tom Petty. Un disco con qualche difetto di registrazione ma che vale la pena di seguire nelle sue evoluzioni rock con il cuore in mano.
English Translation:
Disks: Light
La Stampa - March 8, 1986
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: "Pack Up The Plantation -- Live," MCA. The blond, Floridan rocker has recorded this album over seven years, from 1978 and '80. "Southern Accents" and "The Waiting" are two songs that emerge from this album, which traces the brilliant and loud career of Tom Petty. A disk recording with some flaws, but is worth it to follow its evolution in rock with heart and hand.
Record Review: Exceptions to don't-waste-your-money rule
By Jerry Spangler
The Deseret News - Friday, March 14, 1986
Live albums are, for the most part, undisguised attempts by record companies to drum up an extra million or two in record sales until the band's next LP is released. The result is most like LPs are far inferior to regular studio recordings in both content and quality.
There have been a couple of notable exceptions to that over the years: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Four-Way Street," Peter Frampton's "Comes Alive" and, more recently, the "Tribute to Steve Goodman" recording.
Despite their history of poor record sales, there is currently a rash of live recordings on the market. Still, most of them are of the double-LP, don't-waste-your-money variety. But there are exceptions to that, too.
The cream of the current crop includes Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Guess Who and Rainbow. Those releases, coupled with the release several months ago of Yes' exceptional "9012Live" are dispelling preconceived notions that live LPs have to be boring guitar solos and rehashed hits better left forgotten.
Rolling Stone Notes
By Merle Ginsburg
Youngstown Vindicator - Thursday, April 10, 1986
Nicks gets nixed -- One of the questions that's undoubtedly been on your mind lately is what was Stevie Nicks doing on the Tom Petty-Bob Dylan tour in Australia? She keeps turning up wherever Tom Petty is. Hmmmmmm ... Her explanation was "it was very important for the Stevie Nicks scheme of things," claiming this was the first time in three years that she'd had three weeks to herself.
Her working vacation, however, was disrupted wen she was threatened with deportation by the Australian government for appearing on stage alongside Petty and Dylan. It seems she only had a visitors visa, not a work permit, which meant she couldn't perform when Australian director Gilliam Armstrong ("My Brilliant Career") filmed two shows in Sydney.
When Stevie returned to the United States, she rehearsed for the first leg of her own tour, which kicks off Friday in Houston and lasts about a month. Her band includes Waddy Wachtel on guitar, Jennier Condos (from Don Henley's tour band) on bass and Rick Marotta on drums.
She's also been in the studio, paying down vocals for the new Fleetwood Mac LP. Former lover Lindsey Buckingham, who's co-producing the big Mac, said that if she works regularly, the LP could be out by July.