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All Music Guide Review
The consequence of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' enduring affection for the music of the mid-'60s was that, in essence, they were a singles band, a fact driven home on the first three CDs of the six-disc set Playback; even when abbreviating each of their first nine studio albums to four to six cuts, the songs break down into the hits and the also-rans. To be fair, there are quite a few of the former, and some of the latter are could-have-beens; and since Petty is more a song maker (or, more precisely, a track cutter) than an album artist, his work is more amenable to compilation...Then come three more discs of rarities and outtakes. The first of these contains non-LP B-sides, most of which are pleasant throwaways (although "Trailer" suggests that the failed concept album Southern Accents could have been more of a success if it had been included). The last two discs present early and alternate histories of Petty, as his pre-Heartbreakers group, Mudcrutch, searches for a sound; later, he tries out different approaches that never made it onto his regular albums. Some of this material will be of interest to hardcore fans... ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
Playback Track Listing
Credits of Playback
- Stan Lynch
- Percussion, Drums, Vocals, Vocals (Background), Waterphone, Harmony Vocals
- Richard Manuel
- Harmony Vocals
- Randall Marsh
- Drums, Handclapping
- Kurt McGettrick
- Horn
- Thom Panunzio
- Engineer
- Debbi Peterson
- Vocals (Background)
- Vicki Peterson
- Vocals (Background)
- Tim Pierce
- Guitar (Electric)
- Dave Plews
- Trumpet
- Jimmy Ripp
- Guitar (Acoustic)
- Daniel Rothmuller
- Cello
- Rick Rubin
- Producer
- Brian Scheuble
- Assistant Engineer
- Jim Scott
- Engineer, Mixing
- Noah Shark
- Maracas, Engineer, Mixing, Producer
- Mike Shipley
- Mixing
- Don Smith
- Engineer, Mixing
- Michael Steele
- Vocals (Background)
- Dave Stewart
- Synthesizer, Sitar, Vocals, Producer, Guitar
- Lee Thornburg
- Trumpet
- Scott Thurston
- Guitar, 6-String Bass
- Chris Trujillo
- Percussion
- Mike Turre
- Saxophone
- Maxine Willard Waters
- Vocals (Background)
- Alan Weidel
- Piano, Second Engineer, Assistant Engineer
- Shelly Yakus
- Engineer, Mixing
- Molly Duncan
- Saxophone
- Gayle Levant
- Harp
- Charles Kaplan
- Engineer
- Charlie Sousa
- Guitar (Bass), Saxophone
- Harold Todd
- Saxophone
- Waters, Julia
- Vocals (Background)
- Max Reese
- Engineer, Mixing
- John Berry, Jr.
- Horn
- Bill Flanagan
- Liner Notes
- Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
- Main Performer, Performer
- Andy Udoff
- Engineer
- Christine Cano
- Design
- Annie Leibovitz
- Photography
- Robert Sebree
- Photography
- Martyn Atkins
- Art Direction, Photography, Design
- Robert Matheu
- Photography
- Marilyn Martin
- Vocals (Background)
- Jack Nitzsche
- String Arrangements
- Phil Seymour
- Vocals (Background)
- Jim Keltner
- Percussion, Tambourine, Maracas, Drums
- Brad Dutz
- Percussion
- Bobbye Hall
- Tambourine
- Ron Albert
- Engineer
- Benmont Tench
- Organ, Harmonium, Vocals (Background), Harmony Vocals, Vox Organ, Handclapping, Piano (Electric), Synthesizer, Piano
- William Bergman
- Horn
- Joel Bernstein
- Photography
- David Bianco
- Engineer
- Ron Blair
- Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Bass)
- Robbie Blunt
- Guitar (Acoustic)
- Bill Bottrell
- Engineer, Mixing
- Dick Braun
- Horn
- Sharon Celani
- Vocals (Background)
- Gary Chang
- Synthesizer
- Jim Coile
- Horn
- Denny Cordell
- Producer
- Richard Dodd
- Vocals (Background), Mixing, Engineer
- George Drakoulias
- Percussion, Executive Producer, Mixing
- Kevin Dukes
- Guitar (Acoustic)
- Donald "Duck" Dunn
- Guitar (Bass)
- Howie Epstein
- Guitar (Bass), Harmony Vocals, Vocals (Background)
- Joel Fein
- Engineer
- Steve Ferrone
- Drums
- Mitchell Froom
- Harpsichord
- Dean Garcia
- Bass
- Joe Gastwirt
- Mastering
- Lynn Goldsmith
- Photography
- Emory Gordy
- Guitar (Bass)
- Roger Harris
- Engineer
- Jerry Hey
- Arranger, Conductor
- Garth Hudson
- Organ
- Scott Humphrey
- Synthesizer
- Michael Hunter
- Trumpet
- Jimmy Iovine
- Producer
- Clydene Jackson
- Vocals (Background)
- Jeff Jourard
- Guitar
- Phil Kaffel
- Engineer
- Phil Kenzie
- Saxophone
- Dennis Kirk
- Engineer
- Tom Leadon
- Guitar, Harmony Vocals
- Mark Linett
- Engineer, Mixing
- Roger Linn
- Engineer, Mixing
- George Harrison
- Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals (Background)
- Susanna Hoffs
- Vocals (Background)
- Al Kooper
- Organ, Piano
- Lenny Kravitz
- Drums, Guitar (Bass), Vocals
- Jeff Lynne
- Synthesizer, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Piano, Guitar (Bass), Piano (Electric), Vocals (Background), Bells, Producer, Tympani (Timpani)
- Stevie Nicks
- Vocals (Background), Harmony Vocals
- Tom Petty
- Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Harmonica, Cymbals, Guitar (Bass), Piano (Electric), Vocals, Vocals (Background), Guitar (12 String), Producer, Engineer, Main Performer
- Robbie Robertson
- Producer
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