Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1982 album Long After Dark deserves the expanded reissue treatment of its two-CD and one Blu-Ray package. A somewhat underappreciated entry into this great American rock and roll band’s lengthy discography, the ten tracks of the original edition—here remastered by Chris Bellman to resounding effect—receive further validation from the inclusion of a dozen mostly unreleased cuts, bookended by a somewhat unlikely pair of covers.
The cacophonous but otherwise over-familiar likes of “Wild Thing” serve much the same purpose as the self-composed throwaway “Heartbreakers Beach Party” (here in an extended version). Both allow Petty and the band to revel in their well-honed collective chops without a second thought. At the same time, these romps allow the quintet to display a sense of humor that contrasts the ominous air emanating from the music of the original ten cuts.
At the other end of the second CD, this opening interpretation of John Sebastian’s “Stories We Could Tell,” one of five numbers from a French TV appearance in May of 1982, is more in line with the reflective likes of its companion pieces from the studio album that would be released six months later. Tasteful solos from Mike Campbell (chiming guitar) and Benmont Tench (silken organ) are as strategically positioned in this track sequence as “Finding Out,” “Straight Into Darkness” and “Between Two Worlds;” benchmarks for the territory TPHB was then in the process of exploring with producer Jimmy Iovine (in their third collaboration) the three are streamlined and to the point, their unified impact all the more remarkable given the recent integration of bassist/vocalist Howie Epstein into the band (he replaced Rob Blair). In synchrony with Stan Lynch’s clattering drums, he adds muscle to the playing in proportion to the quintessential hallmarks of Petty and the Heartbreakers style (Dylan, Stones, Byrds).
These selections also illustrate the transitional nature of Long After Dark essayist David Fricke delineates in his liner notes inside the triple-fold digipak (an enclosed sixteen-page booklet features song lyrics, vintage photos, and additional recording and musician credits). Indeed, it’s not much of a stretch from an outtake such as “Don’t Make Me Walk The Line” to the band’s next long-player Southern Accents (though it would be three years between the two releases).
In contrast, “Ways To Be Wicked,” which ended up a hit for another Iovine client, Lone Justice, might well have been a smash for Petty and company on the order of its predecessors “Don’t Do Me Like That” and “The Waiting” (or the next album’s “Don’t Come Around Here No More).” The infectious hook of the vocal refrain, in tandem with the bracing uptempo backing, implants a sentiment in line with Tom Petty’s stubborn, no-nonsense persona.
Meanwhile, “Never Be You” (a number One country hit for Rosanne Cash) and “One On One” are of a piece with that tune. While either (or both) might’ve made the cut for Long After Dark, they might have interrupted the flow of tightly-knit musicianship so carefully crafted forty-two years ago. Likewise, the understated and intimate acoustic tones of “Keeping Me Alive” are somewhat at odds with the prevalent ensemble playing (as are the readily discernible Everly Brothers overtones).
As produced by long-time studio savant Ryan Ulyate, the prime sonics of the Blu-Ray audio in this Deluxe Edition reaffirm the rock and roll elements Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were so careful to emphasize on Long After Dark, right down to the photo of the bandleader, axe in hand, on the front cover.
