10 Rock Albums Made Out Of Obligation

When it comes to some of the greatest artists of all time, a best-of collection is usually always made out of obligation. Unless you're someone like Queen or Elton John, the greatest hits packages for bands aren't typically that special, just a catch all to give the fairweather fans some of the best stuff that you have to offer. When it comes to Tom Petty though, his greatest hits record occupies a weird space in the life of the band.

Being asked to put it together right as he was putting the finishing touches on Wildflowers, Tom had been working with most of the Heartbreakers and decided to get the entire band back together for the greatest hits record, including two new songs for the album with Stan Lynch back on drums. Although Mary Jane's Last Dance would become one of the biggest hits that Petty would have during the back end of his career, it also became the last thing that Lynch would ever play on with Tom, going dark almost immediately after these sessions and starting to pull further away from the rest of the band.

The sessions may have gone well, but the next few shows the band would play would be extremely contentious, to the point where Tom asked his manager to personally call Stan to tell him that he had been fired from the group. With Wildflowers now completed, Tom drafted in Steve Ferrone behind the drum kit and shut the door on the classic era of the Heartbreakers.