Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Release ‘Long After Dark’ Deluxe Edition
by Best Classic Bands Staff
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Photo: Aaron Rapoport; used with permission)
Over four decades after its debut, a deluxe edition of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ groundbreaking but often overlooked 1982 album, Long After Dark, was released via Geffen/UMe on October 18, 2024. The set, available on 2-CDs + 1-Blu-ray on on 2-LPs, features the newly remastered original album from the original analog master tapes, plus 12 rediscovered bonus tracks newly mixed by Petty’s longtime engineer Ryan Ulyate. It’s available in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.
The Petty Legacy archives is sharing previously unseen newly remastered film and audio from 1982 to 1983 this year, beginning with many new videos that were originally filmed for French TV.
Watch a version of “Straight Into Darkness” featuring footage of the band performing at the Record Plant by award-winning director Alan Bibby.
The original August 30 announcement for the 2024 edition shared a quote from Petty about the album. “There was some music recorded for Long After Dark that didn’t get on the record, that I thought would’ve made it a better album. I left off…four things that I liked quite a bit. And probably a few more written that never even got in the door.”
Watch newly remastered footage of the band performing at the Record Plant in 1982 for “Between Two Worlds”
Looking back on their third and final album together, legendary rock music producer Jimmy Iovine reflects, “Long After Dark, we thought we had it. Sounded like ‘Positively Fourth Street,’ sounded like one of those records, you know. By the way, I think it is!”
Watch the trailer for the 2024 edition
Despite it being a golden era of The Heartbreakers playing at the height of their powers, it is widely known as the band’s most misunderstood and underrated success. The album, originally released on November 2, 1982, features an edgy collection of rock ballads and guitar anthems backed by the unmistakable sound of The Heartbreakers, including founding members Mike Campbell (lead guitar), Benmont Tench (keyboards), Stan Lynch (drums), plus the new addition of Howie Epstein on bass and backing vocals.
Long After Dark (Deluxe Edition) features the songs that were lost in the debate over the album’s original direction. Notable highlights include finding Petty’s version of “Never Be You”—which was a #1 country hit for Rosanne Cash—pop anomaly “Don’t Make Me Walk the Line,” and an up-tempo version of “Ways To Be Wicked,” which was previously covered by Lone Justice, recorded at Applewood Studios in Denver, Colorado.
Many of the additional tracks are taken from the French TV sessions, including acoustic gems, “Turning Point” and the Everly Brothers influenced “Keeping Me Alive.”
Long After Dark was a smash by the usual standards—Top 10 in Billboard, certified Gold—and spawned three fan favorites, “You Got Lucky,” “Change of Heart” and “Straight Into Darkness.”
In the “making of” clip for the “You Got Lucky” video, Petty explains that he always wanted it to have “this Ennio Morricone – Clint Eastwood western feel. So when we went to write the movie, I really just wanted an excuse to go play around in the desert.”
Long After Dark remains an unsung gem amongst its predecessors, Damn the Torpedoes and Hard Promises. “It’s a good little rock & roll record” but also “a tough record because I never knew if we were making the right decisions about songs,” Petty shared in Paul Zollo’s interview anthology, Conversations With Tom Petty (available here).
Long After Dark (Deluxe Edition) features packaging designed by Grammy Award-winning designer Jeri Heiden, liner notes by legendary rock journalist and Tom Petty Radio host David Fricke, with commentary from Jimmy Iovine and Cameron Crowe and iconic archival photographs by Dennis Callahan, Neal Preston and Aaron Rapoport. The Blu-ray audio disc features additional hi-res stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes of the album and bonus tracks, also mixed by Ulyate.
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Long After Dark (Deluxe Edition) Tracklist
Disc 1 – ORIGINAL ALBUM
1. A One Story Town
2. You Got Lucky
3. Deliver Me
4. Change Of Heart
5. Finding Out
6. We Stand A Chance
7. Straight Into Darkness
8. The Same Old You
9. Between Two Worlds
10. A Wasted Life
Disc 2 – REDISCOVERED TRACKS
1. Stories We Could Tell (French TV)
2. Never Be You
3. Turning Point (Original Drums Version)
4. Don’t Make Me Walk The Line
5. I’m Finding Out (French TV)
6. Heartbreakers Beach Party (Extended Version)
7. Keeping Me Alive (French TV)
8. Straight Into Darkness (French TV)
9. Ways To Be Wicked (Denver Sessions)
10. Between Two Worlds (French TV)
11. One On One
12. Wild Thing
Disc 3 – BLU-RAY AUDIO
1. A One Story Town
2. You Got Lucky
3. Deliver Me
4. Change Of Heart
5. Finding Out
6. We Stand A Chance
7. Straight Into Darkness
8. The Same Old You
9. Between Two Worlds
10. A Wasted Life
11. Stories We Could Tell (French TV)
12. Never Be You
13. Turning Point (Original Drums Version)
14. Don’t Make Me Walk The Line
15. I’m Finding Out (French TV)
16. Heartbreakers Beach Party (Extended Version)
17. Keeping Me Alive (French TV)
18. Straight Into Darkness (French TV)
19. Ways To Be Wicked (Denver Sessions)
20. Between Two Worlds (French TV)
21. One On One
22. Wild Thing
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4 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationGreatest American Rock Band!
Yes – the greatest American rock n roll band – Tom & bandmates did it all with perfection while recording or playing live – not to mention Tom’s incredible ability to write songs of strength – ya there have been many good as well as popular groups out there – but Tom and the Heartbreakers could match em –
I can’t watch the videos until I sing in. How do you sign in?
There’s no sign in, Scott. The videos are embeds from YouTube and should be visible to all readers.