Pack Up The Plantation Live [Live]

That being said this is a pretty good document of the band at the time and nearly twenty years later holds up as an introduction to their music.

Ok, so what's good about the CD? While it falls down as being "representative" of the band, it is a nice supplement for those who have heard some more "typical" TP&HB concerts in person, via the official live concert videos, via radio concert broadcasts, or via bootleg recordings. I've been to many of their shows, have the official concert videos, have tons of bootlegs, etc. so for me the horns on "Refugee" and "American Girl" are interesting, but I'm glad I've also heard them performed live elsewhere, without the horns. And the songs where horns were in fact intended, "Rebels" and "It Ain't Nothing to Me", do truly rock here. Another treat for fans is "Rockin' Around With You", on the CD here from a late 1970's live recording with Ron Blair on bass - I've never heard this song performed live anywhere else, not on any bootleg. And it's great to have Stevie Nicks on a couple of the songs ("Needles and Pins", and "Insider") even though, again, she's not normally with the band, so those songs are untypical.

Altogether, this CD is a mishmash of well recorded and well performed songs, but it doesn't really work as an overall album - because it's not at all like a typical TP&HB concert. If you were wanting to hear a typical concert from this band, with mostly the band's own songs, Petty talking between songs, etc., you'll be disappointed if this CD is the only live material you hear from them. Personally my favorite "official" live release from the band was the "Take the Highway" video concert (now out of print, unfortunately). And there are several bootlegs I prefer to this CD, but I won't name them since they aren't for sale. However, if you are a fan and you can enjoy these tracks one song at a time, taking them for what they are rather than a full "typical" TP&HB concert, then you ought to buy this CD. And hopefully they'll release more official CDs from this band eventually (they do include a handful of live songs in the 6 CD boxed set, but only one is a Petty authored song, a slow though excellent version "King's Highway") - they would do well to release some of their old tv and radio show concerts to DVD and CD, but even if they do, this CD will still have something to offer for serious fans.