On November 6th, 2026, the Tom Petty estate released the box set Origins 1971-1978 from the early days of Mudcrutch and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Over half of the 51 recordings (27) are unreleased, including some studio recordings and live recordings.
Basically, album one has 12 rarities that covers Tom Petty and Mudcrutch up to the first Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers album in 1976 (which is the second album in the box, and has a new 50th Anniversary remix). Their next 1970’s album (#3 in the box) is You’re Gonna Get It!, which also has a 2026 remix. Album four has live tracks from 1977. The fifth album contains only five rarities recorded by Tom Petty and session musicians. Those five tracks are included on disc one of the 4-CD box set. The DVD has a 41-minute performance on British TV.
Here are the main vinyl and CD box sets as shown on the official Tom Petty website (click to enlarge).
The CDs and Vinyl contain the same tracks. Below are the various forms available, plus the prices (click to enlarge).
Here are the tracks for the single vinyl album (& single CD):
Since the band’s first album, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, came out in 1976, this collection is intended to fill out Tom Petty’s history for the 2026 50th anniversary of his recording career.
Quick Review: The 17 tracks on Disc 1 of the CD box set has everything we really need from this release. They’re the rare studio recordings by Tom Petty that are mostly with Mudcrutch. They show the early promise of the group, and the progress Tom Petty was making with his songwriting. The more I listen to these songs, the more I enjoy them. Unfortunately, the No Sleep Til L.A. single album doesn’t include five tracks. If you want to own them, the most efficient way is probably to buy them digitally (they’re good). Most serious fans likely already have Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers first two albums, and lots of live performances by the group.
Even though the box set might be a little more than we needed, I’m sure all Tom Petty fans appreciate having rare recordings made available by Tom Petty’s family.