Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – Long After Dark

Solid EQ! This sounds great played loudly. Bass lines groove and drums kick, full midrange. These originals are so much more livelier than the reissues and remasters!

I didn't pay any attention to this release when it first appeared in October 2024. However, over the course of the past few months, I kept seeing very favourable reviews. I have the original Japan release from 1983, and I figured that it would do. In late December, I read a review from respected audio journalist, Michael Fremer, and Michael was quite impressed with the overall package in of sound quality, which he said significantly betters the original.

Consider also that there is a second LP of 7 previously unreleased tracks and a number of 'rediscovered' ones, and you have a pretty convincing reason to buy this. So, I bought it! It is superb and the overall quality of the release is impeccable. Pallas pressed the vinyl and did a very good job. It was encouraging too to see the vinyl packed in two polylined inner sleeves. This release is not only a must for hardcore Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' fans but also for casual ones. This is an excellent reissue offering new, unreleased material, a stellar remastering by Chris Bellman and vinyl that has been manufactured to the highest standards.

This album has never sounded better! Great quality all around especially the packaging! Underrated Heartbreakers album with some of Tom’s best songs

A great album. Top three in his extensive catalog. The remastered album has more detail and Tom’s vocal is more out front. Wonderful packaging. Maybe his more cohesive sounding album.

This is a great pressing, quiet and crip and punchy.
The songs on the second record are really good. It's amazing to finally hear TP's versions of Never Be You and Ways To Be Wicked after years of listening to the covers.
If I have a complaint, it's with Ryan Ulyate's mixes. Like all the TP albums he mixed, they're kind of flat. The Heartbreakers are a guitar band, yet he always pushes the guitars back too far and buries them somewhat. Couple this with the snare being too loud and the overall sound just isn't that classic Heartbreakers sound.
That's a nitpick, though, and if you're into the original album, you won't be disappointed with the new material included here.

This press is absolutely excellent! Incredible sound. An often overlooked killer record too.

Yeah….its certainly worth the price as the surround mix and content is super solid but skipping S/T and Hard Promises is goofy A.F.. I get the timing of the Crowe Beach Party re-release but that’s of debatable need, as well.

A repress of DtT is WAY more necessary.

Read somewhere it`s only 750 copies when the record was announced

Sound quality is decent, but for a Chris Bellman cut pressing, one would expect more out of this. Not sure what he had to work with so giving him the benefit of the doubt on the result. Album itself is a gorgeous very dark red with black splatter and plays great after its initial cleaning.

FYI As of 10/25 this is still for sale on the Tom Petty Webstore for $79.98. With shipping on the preorder mine was $96!