Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Runnin' Down A Dream (2007)

SynopsisRunnin' Down A Dream: Tom Petty and the HeartbreakersA Film by Peter Bogdanovich A 4 disc set, 3 DVDs with over 5 hours of video, 1 CD of rare and unreleased tracks2 DVD, four hour Director's cut of famed Peter Bogdanovich's Runnin' Down a DreamThis movie contains hours of never before seen footage and interviews with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers plus music from the storied rock band's entire career. The movie features interviews with George Harrison, Eddie Vedder, Stevie Nicks, Dave Grohl, Jeff Lynne, Rick Rubin, Johnny Depp, Jackson Browne and more. Also 1 DVD of the celebrated 30th Anniversary Concert in Heartbreaker hometown, Gainesville Florida Disc 1:Gainesville 2006ElvisWhat's In A NameMikeBenmontB.Y.O.F (Build Your Own Festival)Fast ForwardDealsA Broken BondRon & StanTom Petty and the HeartbreakersThirdFuelHowiePoetDisc 2:Bob DylanStrange CoincidencesScottThe Bottom LineSteveJohnRound TripRock & Roll HeavenRunnin' Down a Dream (End credits)One 30th Anniversary ConcertDisc 3:Listen To Her HeartMary Jane's Last DanceI Won't Back DownFree Fallin'Saving GraceI'm A ManOh WellHandle With CareStop Draggin' My Heart Around (with Stevie Nicks)I Need To Know (with Stevie Nicks)It's Good To Be KingDown SouthSouthern AccentsInsider (with Stevie Nicks)Learning To FlyDon't Come Around Here No MoreRunnin' Down A DreamYou Wreck MeMystic EyesAmerican GirlBonus Soundtrack CDDisc 4:BreakdownAnything That's Rock and RollFooled Again (I Don't Like It)American GirlShadow of A Doubt (A Complex Kid)Stories We Could TellKeeping Me AliveHoney BeeLost Highway Product Description

 Excellent documentary
As a casual fan of Tom Petty, Peter Bogdanavich's documentary did an outstanding job helping me understand the evolution of the Heartbreakers personnel and the depth of Tom's songwriting. I had recently been listening the Anthology 2 CD set and failed to realize just how many radio hits TPHB enjoyed. I will now go back and checkout all the album cuts. I'll surely find some gems! May 5, 2008

 AWESOME
Not much to add here....everyone said it all. Best thing on the documentary part is Petty in the studio with Roger McGuinn, going off on a couple of record company hot-shots who show up to try to get Roger to record a bad song. Petty is as smart and business-savvy as he is talented. The Heartbreakers are probably the best sounding band in the world right now, and Petty's songwriting is right up there with Springsteen, Mellencamp, Simon, etc. I'd have paid triple the price for this set. The Gainsville concert is fabulous. There's obviously been some post-show in-studio touch ups, namely overdubbed backround vocals on a few tunes, but what group doesn't do this? The overall sonic quality is first rate. The hell with paying $100 to sit a quarter of a mile away from the stage next to some bozos talking on their cell phones. Buy this DVD, slap on some headphones, sit up close to your monitor, and you've got the best seat in the house! April 16, 2008

 A Great Documentary DVD
I would have to admit straight away that I am not really a "Tom Petty Fan" the songs I know of his are the ones I saw on MTV. I happened to catch this on the Sundance channel and was pleasantly surprised by what a good story it was. I went out and purchased the DVD right away and it made me realize how many hit songs Tom actually had, and how his songs played a part of 80's-90's pop culture. His role as a band leader reminds me of a time when music and playing in a band were not just "Pieces of Product to be packaged and sold" I would highly recommend this DVD to any musician or anyone that enjoys a good movie April 16, 2008

 Great "behind the scenes" DVD
This DVD set contains a lengthy 2 disc documentary which was great and never got boring. The concert footage was also fun to watch or have playing in the background. The music CD was short and nothing special in my opinion and I will continue to listen to my Tom Petty albums instead. Overall, if you like Tom Petty even a little bit, you will not be disappointed with this purchase. March 12, 2008

 Runnin Down a Briefing
I've watched the DVD's complete and felt it was excellent and essential for most Tom Petty fans. The documentary delves into recording techniques which may not be for the casual viewer. There are also plenty of names dropped throughout the documentary such as Tom Leadon. If you don't recognize that last name then you may not realize the impact of the connection with the Eagles. There's many others that may not lend credence to the importance of Tom's mentioning these names such as Denny Cordell, Del Shannon, Jimmy Iovine, Shelly Yackus (Raspberries engineer) and Leon Russell to name a few more. Additionally, the documentary jumps around a bit and leaves out details as stated by Tom in his book "Conversations with Tom Petty". Examples of this are how Tom talks on when they first landed in LA and hit various record companies. Ironically Shelter records is not mentioned and low and behold Denny Cordell is introduced out of nowhere whereas the book discusses this link in far more detail. I believe there is also one inaccuracy as where Tom demands the record company not use Hard Promises as the first LP to go 9.98 list. I recall list price for LP's being far less than 9.98 in 1981. I believe it was more like 7.98 as I stil lhave my original LP with a 4.99 sticker bought new. The live concert is pretty good (5.1 sound is decent - not great) and the 4th item (CD) has a very tinny sound so don't expect too much there as the tracks are taken from TV appearances for the most part. Sadly, the one audio track from a TV show in the documentary is not included in this 4th audio cd (track is on DVD #1 but title is unknown). Highlight on disc one is American Girl from a 1981 TV performance..this was amazing.

All in all, this box set is well worth the price of admission. You're Gonna Get It.
Anthony February 14, 2008

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