Yes, you read that right, this metalhead is reviewing a collection of Traveling Wilbury's music. This is about as far removed from the normal metal reviews you read here as you're likely to get. However, if you want to hear a great blend of rock, folk, and country by some of the biggest names in the biz, you are not likely to do better than this. The music that this fivesome was able to create is a blast of musical purity. It is a true supergroup that is free of any pretention. There is no sense of ego to be heard. In short, this is not a mere vanity project conjured up by some artists looking to cash in on their collective names.
For those of you who may not be familiar with them, the band is comprised of George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne. A formidable line-up by any measure, even if they all weren't on their A games during the period twenty years ago that gave rise to the Wilburys.
The two albums that they released have been out of print for some time now. That is a crying shame, because the music is so immensely enjoyable. I cannot imagine these albums not selling at any given time. You need only listen to the first track of Vol. 1., "Handle With Care," to realize that you have something special in your hands. The music is catchy, groovy, and just very easy to listen to.
Traveling Wilburys is just a group of musicians who happen to be friends; happen to have found themselves in the same place at the same time; and happen to have had the desire to make a song or two.
They also just happened to create a collection of songs that are not very deep and not really all that important. I am sure that there are not many people out there that would consider Wilbury music to be important, necessary, or even historical. The big claim to fame outside of the music, is that you got these five artists in the same room and they decided to have some fun in the studio.
Listen to songs like "Handle With Care," "Dirty World," "Last Night," and the great "Tweeter and the Monkeyman," and you will be transported to a world where great musicians just hang out and jam.
Here is their video for "Handle With Care":
On songs like these, there is no real direction, there is no real purpose. It just is what it is. And while it may not have made much of a dent on music history, the music is undeniable. It has the sound and feel of a group of friends hanging around. They set aside their image, their stature in the business, and just cranked out an album.
The friends reunited in 1990 for a second Wilbury outing, cryptically titled Vol. 3 . This time it was just Harrison, Dylan, Petty, and Lynne, as Roy Orbison had died before they were able to reunite. I surmise the title was out of respect for Orbison, with whom they had planned to do a Vol. 2. But there is no second volume, and there never will be, despite the volume three on the second, and final album.
Vol. 3 is a good collection of songs, although it fails to live up to the heights of its predecessor. I am not a big Roy Oribison fan, but his voice is sorely missed in the mix of this collection. There is something about his tone and style that really blended nicely and added a different flavor to the collective. The songs seem to have a little less bounce to them, a bit more of a gloomy sound.
Take for example, "Inside Out." This is a song that would seem perfect for an upbeat and bouncy jaunt, but instead ends up sounding a little depressing — especially with Tom Petty singing most of the lead. The album is led by the Dylan track "Cool Dry Place," and closes with the weird dance number "Wilbury Twist."
I am having a hard time being really critical of either album. Even at their worst the Wilbury's music is just so easy to listen to. It is such an enjoyable album. I can only imagine what it must have been like to be around these artists as they set out to create this music. Honestly, I cannot see them being terribly serious at all. As finely crafted as the songs are, there is a distinct looseness to them. The sound is one of fun — a collaborative atmosphere where they gathered to make music first and foremost for themselves. We are just priviledged to get this taste of what went on within those studio doors.
The set includes four unreleased and rare tracks, just to help sweeten the deal beyond the remastering. Vol. 1 has "Maxine," an acoustic driven Harrison dominated tune and "Like a Ship," a bit more morose Dylan song. Vol. 3 has "Nobody's Child" which has a country bounce to it and was originally released as a charity track for the orphans of Romania, and "Runaway," a cover of the 1961 Del Shannon tune used as a B-side in the UK.
Completing the Traveling Wilburys collection is a DVD — which I was unable to see, as the promo copy I received only had the two music albums. The DVD contains all of the bands videos and a documentary on the band.
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