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Review by C.J. Bunce

Tom Petty passed away three years ago, but as with many great singer/songwriters–and other writers for that matter–he left behind recordings that never made it to an album or single release.  Four new songs by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and an extended edition of a previously released song make it to the airwaves and earphones this weekend in a re-release of another lesser known Petty album.  Originally released on the soundtrack for the forgettable 1996 movie She’s the One, the songs–forming the band’s ninth studio recording–far surpassed the typical song soundtrack, and the album may have fared better on the music charts had it been just another Petty/Heartbreaker album.  Still, it was certified gold, and songs “Walls” and “Climb that Hill” made it high up the charts.  Some of the songs made the She’s the One soundtrack because they were cut from the hit Wildflowers album–originally intended as a double album.  In this weekend’s 25th anniversary release, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Angel Dream, a “remixed, remastered, and reimagined” album with newly released songs, the complete music experience is delivered like it ideally would have been in 1996.  The digital/disc/LP/vinyl release trims off the Wildflowers songs (which were added to last year’s Wildflowers boxed set) and the result is the next best thing to a new Tom Petty album.  And it seems the band held one song back that is now timed exactly right for this blazing hot summer across the country.

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