Tom Petty's unexpected passing last October at the age of 66 was cause for reflection on the tenacious and passionate artist's lifetime of thrilling and quintessentially American rock-and-roll music.  There was no doubt that Petty's electric brand of soulful rock would live on, but fans were naturally hungry for more.  He had discussed a possible Wildflowers deluxe edition in the past, but that never materialized.  Yesterday, it was revealed on Sirius XM (home of his Tom Petty's Buried Treasure radio show) that his family and closest collaborators have curated a 4CD, 60-song, career-spanning box set of rare and previously unreleased material due on September 28 from Reprise Records.  The aptly-titled An American Treasure will be the first posthumous collection of Petty material, and it should prove a vital reminder of the power of Petty's art.

The box set, assembled by Petty's wife Dana, daughter Adria, Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, and producer Ryan Ulyate, will feature never-before-heard studio recordings as well as live material, deep cuts, and alternate takes of Petty classics.  It spans the period of 1974-2016, and draws upon his recordings with Mudcrutch, the Heartbreakers, and his solo catalogue.  Among the session outtakes are lead single "Keep a Little Soul" and "Keeping Me Alive" from the Long After Dark sessions (rec. 1982); "Walkin' from the Fire" from Southern Accents (rec. 1984); "Gainesville" and "I Don't Belong" from Echo (rec. 1998); "Lonesome Dave," "Wake Up Time," and "Don't Fade on Me" from the 1992-1994 Wildflowers sessions; and "Bus to Tampa Bay" and "Two Men Talking" from Hypnotic Eye (rec. 2012).

Many familiar songs are presented in alternate versions, including "You're Gonna Get It" with strings, "Here Comes My Girl," "The Damage You've Done," "Alright for Now," and "Like a Diamond."  Other songs are featured in live versions such as "I Won't Back Down" from the Fillmore, 1997; "Into the Great Wide Open" from Oakland, 1991; "Saving Grace" from Malibu, 2006; "Southern Accents" from Gainesville, Florida, 2006; and "Hungry No More" from Boston, 2016.  Stevie Nicks, Roger McGuinn, and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar (providing an introduction to a show at The Forum in Los Angeles) appear as guests.  The set is not all-encompassing; some major favorites like "American Girl" and "Free Fallin'" are altogether absent, as well as Petty's performances with The Traveling Wilburys.

Ryan Ulyate has mixed all of the previously unreleased recordings from the original masters, and all audio has been newly remastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.  A 52-page booklet includes new track-by-track liner notes by Bud Scoppa, drawing upon his past interviews with Petty as well as new chats with Dana and Adria Petty, Campbell, Tench, and Ulyate. Artist Shepard Fairey, who created the famed "Hope" poster of Barack Obama, has illustrated the cover from a photo by Mark Seliger.

The set will be available in a variety of formats:

• The 4CD set will be available in standard and super deluxe editions. The latter version, available exclusively through Petty's web store, expands the book from 52 to 84 pages (presented in hardcover) and adds more photos and an exclusive essay by Nicholas Dawidoff. Additionally, the super deluxe package features a lithograph of the cover, reproductions of four of Petty's handwritten lyrics to songs in the box and a certificate of authenticity.
• A 6LP vinyl version includes all the contents of the standard box plus Dawidoff's essay in a 48-page booklet. It's available November 23.
• A 2CD edition includes 26 of the box's tracks plus Scoppa's track-by-track commentary.

Pre-order links are forthcoming, but the track list for the box set is below:

Tom Petty, An American Treasure (Reprise, 2018)

4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
6LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. (TBD) / Amazon Canada 

All tracks previously unreleased except where noted

Disc 1

1. Surrender (Previously unreleased track from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers sessions--1976)
2. Listen To Her Heart (Live at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA--November 11, 1977)
3. Anything That's Rock 'N' Roll (Live at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA--November 11, 1977)
4. When The Time Comes
5. You're Gonna Get It (Alternate version featuring strings from You're Gonna Get It! sessions--1978)
6. Radio Promotion Spot (1977)
7. Rockin' Around (With You)
8. Fooled Again (I Don't Like It) (Alternate version from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers--1976)
9. Breakdown (Live at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA--November 11, 1977)
10. The Wild One, Forever
11. No Second Thoughts
12. Here Comes My Girl (Alternate version from Damn The Torpedoes sessions--1979)
13. What Are You Doing In My Life (Alternate version from Damn The Torpedoes sessions--1979)
14. Louisiana Rain (Alternate version from Damn The Torpedoes sessions--1979)
15. Lost In Your Eyes (Previously unreleased single from Mudcrutch sessions--1974)

Disc 1, Tracks 4 and 11 from You're Gonna Get It! (Shelter, 1978)
Disc 1, Tracks 7 and 10 from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers (Shelter, 1976)

Disc 2

1. Keep A Little Soul (Previously unreleased track from Long After Dark sessions--1982)
2. Even The Losers (Live at Rochester Community War Memorial, Rochester, NY--1989)
3. Keeping Me Alive (Previously unreleased track from Long After Dark sessions--1982)
4. Don't Treat Me Like A Stranger
5. The Apartment Song (Demo recording with Stevie Nicks--1984)
6. Concert Intro (Live introduction by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, The Forum, Inglewood, CA--June 28, 1981)
7. King's Road (Live at The Forum, Inglewood, CA--June 28, 1981)
8. Clear The Aisles (Live concert announcement by Tom Petty, The Forum, Inglewood, CA--June 28, 1981)
9. A Woman In Love (It's Not Me) (Live at The Forum, Inglewood, CA--June 28, 1981)
10. Straight Into Darkness (Alternate version from The Record Plant, Hollywood, CA--May 5, 1982)
11. You Can Still Change Your Mind
12. Rebels (Alternate version from Southern Accents sessions--1985)
13. Deliver Me (Alternate version from Long After Dark sessions--1982)
14. Alright For Now
15. The Damage You've Done (Alternate version from Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) sessions--1987)
16. The Best Of Everything (Alternate version from Southern Accents sessions--March 26, 1985)
17. Walkin' From The Fire (Previously unreleased track from Southern Accents sessions--March 1, 1984)
18. King Of The Hill (Early take with Roger McGuinn--November 23, 1987)

Disc 2, Track 4 from "I Won't Back Down" U.K. single (MCA, 1989)
Disc 2, Track 11 from Hard Promises (Backstreet, 1981)
Disc 2, Track 14 from Full Moon Fever (MCA, 1989)

Disc 3

1. I Won't Back Down (Live at The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA--February 4, 1997)
2. Gainesville (Previously unreleased track from Echo sessions--February 12, 1998)
3. You and I Will Meet Again
4. Into The Great Wide Open (Live at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena--November 24, 1991)
5. Two Gunslingers (Live at The Beacon Theatre, New York, NY--May 25, 2013)
6. Lonesome Dave (Previously unreleased track from Wildflowers sessions--July 23, 1993)
7. To Find a Friend
8. Crawling Back To You
9. Wake Up Time (Previously unreleased track from early Wildflowers sessions--August 12, 1992)
10. Grew Up Fast
11. I Don't Belong (Previously unreleased track from Echo sessions--December 3, 1998)
12. Accused Of Love
13. Lonesome Sundown
14. Don't Fade On Me (Previously unreleased track from Wildflowers sessions--April 20, 1994)

Disc 3, Track 3 from Into The Great Wide Open (MCA, 1991)
Disc 3, Tracks 7-8 from Wildflowers (Warner Bros., 1994)
Disc 3, Track 10 from Songs and Music From "She's The One" (Warner Bros., 1996)
Disc 3, Tracks 12-13 from Echo (Warner Bros., 1999)

Disc 4

1. You And Me (Clubhouse version--November 9, 2007)
2. Have Love Will Travel
3. Money Becomes King
4. Bus To Tampa Bay (Previously unreleased track from Hypnotic Eye sessions--August 11, 2011)
5. Saving Grace (Live at Malibu Performing Arts Center, Malibu, CA--June 16, 2006)
6. Down South
7. Southern Accents (Live at Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, FL--September 21, 2006)
8. Insider Live (with Stevie Nicks at O'Connell Center, Gainesville, FL--September 21, 2006)
9. Two Men Talking (Previously unreleased track from Hypnotic Eye sessions--November 16, 2012)
10. Fault Lines
11. Sins Of My Youth (Early take from Hypnotic Eye sessions--November 12, 2012)
12. Good Enough (Alternate version from Mojo sessions--2012)
13. Something Good Coming
14. Save Your Water
15. Like a Diamond (Alternate version from The Last DJ sessions--2002)
16. Hungry No More (Live at House of Blues, Boston, MA--June 15, 2016)

Disc 4, Tracks 2-3 from The Last DJ (Warner Bros., 2002)
Disc 4, Track 6 from Highway Companion (American Recordings, 2006)
Disc 4, Track 10 from Hypnotic Eye (Reprise, 2014)
Disc 4, Track 13 from Mojo (Reprise, 2010)
Disc 4, Track 14 from Mudcrutch 2 (Reprise, 2016)