The Best of Everything (album)


The Best of Everything is a 2019 greatest hits album with recordings made by Tom Petty, with his backing band The Heartbreakers, as a solo artist, and with Mudcrutch. It was released on March 1.

Release and promotion

The compilation was originally due to be released in 2018, immediately following An American Treasure and the alternative take of the title track, released as the first single, for digital streaming. "For Real" was released as the second single.
"For Real" was recorded in August 2000 when Petty and the Heartbreakers went to Bill Bottrell's studio to record a new version of "Surrender". "Surrender" was placed on Anthology: Through the Years, while "For Real" remained unissued until 2019.

Reception

Writing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine says the album is "the best overall overview of—and perhaps introduction to—Tom Petty assembled to date".

"The Best of Everything"

The title track of the compilation, "The Best of Everything" was originally released in 1985 on the album Southern Accents; the song was later released in two different versions on the posthumous compilations An American Treasure, and this album. The latter extended alternate version, which contains an extra verse, was released as a single in 2018, before the release of the album. The posthumous released versions have a more rocking arrangement and sound more organic, while the one on Southern Accents is more soul/pop-oriented.

"For Real"

"For Real" was the previously unreleased track on the compilation, and was described as a gritty autobiographical acoustic track. It was recorded in 2000. It was released as the second single from the compilation and charted on the Adult Alternative Songs chart, peaking at #28.

Track listing

All songs were written by Tom Petty, except where noted.
Disc one
  1. "Free Fallin'" – 4:15
  2. "Mary Jane's Last Dance" – 4:32
  3. "You Wreck Me" – 3:23
  4. "I Won't Back Down" – 2:56
  5. "Saving Grace" – 3:45
  6. "You Don't Know How It Feels" – 4:47
  7. "Don't Do Me Like That" – 2:41
  8. "Listen to Her Heart" – 3:02
  9. "Breakdown" – 2:43
  10. "Walls (Circus)" – 4:24
  11. "The Waiting" – 3:57
  12. "Don't Come Around Here No More" – 5:04
  13. "Southern Accents" – 4:43
  14. "Angel Dream " – 2:26
  15. "Dreamville" – 3:47
  16. "I Should Have Known It" – 3:39
  17. "Refugee" – 3:20
  18. "American Girl" – 3:33
  19. "The Best of Everything" – 5:26
Disc two
  1. "Wildflowers" – 3:11
  2. "Learning to Fly" – 4:01
  3. "Here Comes My Girl" – 4:24
  4. "The Last DJ" – 3:30
  5. "I Need to Know" – 2:23
  6. "Scare Easy" – 4:36
  7. "You Got Lucky" – 3:32
  8. "Runnin' Down a Dream" – 4:22
  9. "American Dream Plan B" – 3:00
  10. "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" – 4:03
  11. "Trailer" – 3:19
  12. "Into the Great Wide Open" – 3:42
  13. "Room at the Top" – 5:01
  14. "Square One" – 3:26
  15. "Jammin' Me" – 4:03
  16. "Even the Losers" – 3:35
  17. "Hungry No More" – 5:56
  18. "I Forgive It All" – 4:14
  19. "For Real" – 3:52
The vinyl edition has four LPs:
  1. LP 1: A side /B side
  2. LP 2: A side /B side
  3. LP 3: A side /B side
  4. LP 4: A side /B side

Personnel

The Heartbreakers
Mudcrutch
  • Mike Campbell – lead guitar
  • Tom Leadon – guitar and backing vocals on "Scare Easy", "Hungry No More", and "I Forgive It All"
  • Randall Marsh – drums, percussion and backing vocals on "Scare Easy", "Hungry No More", and "I Forgive It All"
  • Benmont Tench – keyboards, backing vocals
Additional musicians
Production