There are very few men — living or dead — who had as much of an impact on the Great American Rock 'n' Roll Songbook as Tom Petty. From his debut in 1976 to his death in 2017, he blended the Elvis and Beatles of his youth, the folk rock of Bob Dylan, and the deep-fried southern rock of his Florida upbringing into something entirely its own, and entirely awesome. There aren't many songwriters who wrote more songs you can scream along to with the windows down than Tom Petty. 

What's remarkable about his 1976 debut, 50 years on from its original release, is he arrives basically fully formed. There's no "figuring it out" here: his debut LP with the Heartbreakers has the iconic "American Girl" as its final track, and before you even get there you have his first Top 40 hit, "Breakdown." These are songs you could play for aliens to explain what it was to be alive in the '70s, what rock 'n' roll was like, and how it still feels when you cross paths with an American girl. 

It's here on 180g vinyl, and with as much attitude as the cover.