This is the best record of it s kind ever made. Then again, it's also the only record of its kind ever made. — . . . one of the few rock supergroups actually deserving to be called either super or a group. Rolling Stone, 19... more »88
With a line-up featuring legendary artists Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty, the Traveling Wilburys
were a one-of-a-kind musical phenomenon. The all-star configuration came about when they convened at a Southern California
studio in 1988 to record a b-side for a Harrison s single. They had such a rockin good time cutting Handle With Care that they decided to release it under the Wilburys moniker, and to continue the collaboration with an album's worth of songs. Their
camaraderie is heard in every groove on Rhino's remastered reissue of their now-historic, GRAMMY®-winning debut VOLUME 1.
They followed it up in 1990 with a second full-length, VOLUME 3 the disc was minus Orbison, who passed away in 88, but still
full of the spirit that made their musical brotherhood the stuff of legend. After being out of print for more than a decade, Rhino
reintroduced the classic discs boasting previously unreleased bonus tracks in 2007 as part of a special 2CD/DVD set The
Traveling Wilburys Collection. The expanded VOLUME 1 and VOLUME 3 are now available as individual titles.« less
This is the best record of it s kind ever made. Then again, it's also the only record of its kind ever made.
. . . one of the few rock supergroups actually deserving to be called either super or a group. Rolling Stone, 1988
With a line-up featuring legendary artists Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty, the Traveling Wilburys
were a one-of-a-kind musical phenomenon. The all-star configuration came about when they convened at a Southern California
studio in 1988 to record a b-side for a Harrison s single. They had such a rockin good time cutting Handle With Care that they decided to release it under the Wilburys moniker, and to continue the collaboration with an album's worth of songs. Their
camaraderie is heard in every groove on Rhino's remastered reissue of their now-historic, GRAMMY®-winning debut VOLUME 1.
They followed it up in 1990 with a second full-length, VOLUME 3 the disc was minus Orbison, who passed away in 88, but still
full of the spirit that made their musical brotherhood the stuff of legend. After being out of print for more than a decade, Rhino
reintroduced the classic discs boasting previously unreleased bonus tracks in 2007 as part of a special 2CD/DVD set The
Traveling Wilburys Collection. The expanded VOLUME 1 and VOLUME 3 are now available as individual titles.
"This low-key supergroup effort by Harrison, Dylan, Orbison, Petty and Lynne was a well deserved hit when it was released in 1988, peaking at No. 3 on Billboard's album charts. And justifiably so. The album is filled with wonderfully crafted (if sometimes slight) and enjoyable songs. In hindisght, that appeared to be the goal of this project--to have a good time. There are no superstar trappings here. All songwriting credits are attributed to the Traveling Wilburys. In fact, real names are not to be found anywhere on the album.There are numerous highlights, beginning with the the album's first single "Handle With Care," which features vocals by Harrison and Orbison with some nice slide guitar work from Harrison as well. Dylan's tongue-in-cheek lyrics to "Dirty Work" give new meaning to 'auto'-eroticism. [Sample lyric: You don't need no wax job / You're smooth enough for me / If you need your oil changed / I'll do it for you free.] "Rattled" is a delightful rockabilly number. "Last Night" has a funky Jamaican rhythm to it. "Not Alone Any More" features Orbison's soaring tenor reminiscent of his Monument-era classics. "Heading for the Light" with Harrison handling lead vocal also makes good use of saxophone. "End of the Line" closes the album with a terrific uptempo rocker and sadly serves as a fitting tribute to Orbison who died of a heart attack not long after the album was completed. [The survivng Wilburys did a wonderful video to this track paying tribute to their musical comrade.]Additional support is provided by honorary Wilburys Jim Keltner (drums), Jim Horn (saxophones), and Ray Cooper (percussion). From start to finish, this album is a pure joy. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"
An unforgettable music experience
J. Houzet | Chicago, IL | 02/22/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is brilliant! This was definitely one of the most exciting music projects to come out of the '80s. There had been "super-groups" before, like the Yardbirds or Blind Faith, but it was unprecedented to have FIVE well-established rock 'n roll greats (Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty) form their own band and bring out two records, and it was a trans-Atlantic collaboration. The story goes that ex-ELO maestro Jeff was helping produce new albums by George and the others, when they decided, "Hey, why not try to bring out a whole album together?!"
Part of the beauty of Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 is that it is so under-stated. It's not like the five guys were saying, "Look at us, we're a super-group!" No, they got pure enjoyment from their collaboration, appearing almost mysteriously as five "Wilbury" brothers. You first had to figure out who those guys in sunglasses were on the album cover.
That notwithstanding, this album was also invaluable for the appreciation it gave the legendary Roy Orbison for a new generation. It made me interested in his songs from way back, even before the movie Pretty Woman gave him new exposure. Sadly, Orbison died soon after Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 was released. The band commemorated his passing in their music video for the single, "End of the Line." When Orbison sings, a guitar is shown in an otherwise empty rocking chair.
But the first song I heard from this album was the catchy story-song, "Tweeter and the Monkey Man." It was Bob Dylan, but it was more. What a great song! It got a lot of airplay in South Africa, where I grew up. The first single, "Handle With Care," is also excellent, with Harrison leading the vocals and the other guys chiming in.
Bob does a great job on "Dirty World," which has some really funny tongue-in-cheek lyrics, e.g., "I love her big refrigerator." "Rattled" is fine rockabilly sung by Jeff Lynne and with Roy adding his trademark growls. "Last Night" with its reggae beat is probably my favorite track, a humorous story of misguided love as sung by Petty and with a fine bridge by Orbison. Roy himself shines on the track written for him, "Not Alone Anymore." "Margarita" on side two is also an excellent song with the guys trading lead vocals.
Jeff Lynne's production, as well as familiar vocals by the parts of the whole, gave continuity to the Wilburys' solo albums: George's Cloud Nine, Petty's Full Moon Fever, Orbison's Mystery Girl and Lynne's own Armchair Theatre. I think of these albums as collectively being the missing Vol. 2.
We await the re-issue of Vol. 1 and Vol. 3 on CD. Warner Brothers, are you listening?"
The Traveling Wilburys (Robertdunbar)
M. SMITH | Welwyn Garden City, Herts. UK | 09/10/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Since this particular Cd arrived, I have not yet taken it out of the player. The content is pure gold, real infectious music. If you haven't yet purchased a Wilburys Cd, this is the one to get. Both Volume one and three, plus a rare Europe only released Single "Nobody's Child". Released for the Romanian Angels Appeal. The only reason I gave it a four star rating was due to the low volume level on Volume One, but this in no way detracts from the actual content of the songs themselves.
Every track has that unique blend of rythmn, vocals, and gritty Rock ,n Roll, that can only be delivered by Messrs Harrison, Orbison, Petty, Dylan and Lynne together.
"Tweeter and the Monkey Man" is pure genius in verse. Dylan's vocals, as he tells the story of two dropouts on the run from the "undercover cop" is just superb. Other tracks I've picked out are "Not Alone Anymore" and "She's My Baby" with Gary Moore guesting on guitar.
Every track is a joy to listen to. It sounds so crisp and fresh, it could have been recorded yesterday.
If your collection doesn't include the "Wilburys", there's a big gap in it, and this is the perfect Cd to fill it!!!"
The best of the best?
danny costello | Manchester, North West, UK | 02/13/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Criminally deleted at the present moment, due to legal
wrangles between the various surviving stars and Warner
Brothers Inc - this truly is a classic recording.
From the first take "Handle With Care", through to the
countryfied "End Of The Line" - there are many gems from
each member - Dylan and Harrison being particularly prolific.
"Handle With Care" was destined to be a 12" bonus track
on George Harrison's 1987 single "This Is Love" (the title
comes from an orange sticker on a box in Dylan's garage -
where the song was written) - but Warners considered it "too
good". The album spawned from there. Check out Roy Orbison's
haunting "Not Alone Any More", too. Music to melt the
hardest of hearts. The lyrical majesty of "Tweeter and the
Monkey Man" is one of Dylan's best of the 1980s. You can't go wrong guys."
History of the Traveling Wilburys Volume 1
MOZART SCHOLAR, AUDIOPHILE & AUTHOR | SAN FRANCISCO CA & HONOLULU HI | 03/18/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 was the debut album by the supergroup Traveling Wilburys and was recorded and released in 1988 to enormous commercial success and critical acclaim.
In the afterglow of George Harrison's 1987 comeback album Cloud Nine, he initiated a musical jam early the following year between friends Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne. Lynne was involved in producing songs for Roy Orbison's Mystery Girl album and invited him along. At the jam session, an idea was proposed to record a one-off album together under the name of Traveling Wilburys. Masquerading as the Wilbury brothers, the participants would be known as Nelson (Harrison), Otis (Lynne), Lucky (Dylan), Lefty (Orbison) and Charlie T. Jnr (Petty).
With Harrison having the greatest claim to the band, he signed them up to Warner Bros. Records, his current label, and incorporated their own Wilbury Records label, in addition to producing the sessions with Lynne that spring.
In October, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 (so named because of the unlikelihood of there being another) was released, preceded by "Handle with Care" as the lead single. Although the single did not scale the pop charts (it stalled at US #45), the album did, reaching #16 in the UK and an impressive #3 in the US. With over forty weeks on the charts, the album was later certified double-platinum. While Harrison and Petty had had recent successes, Dylan, Orbison and Lynne had not seen an album climb that high in several years. At the time, no Dylan album had ever achieved two million in sales. As one critic put it, it was "one of the great commercial coups of the decade."
Most critics said the group's modest ambitions were fresh and relaxing. During 1989 and 1990 the album won many accolades, not least a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.
Orbison suddenly died of a heart attack on 6 December 1988, surprising much of the music industry and press. The sleeve cover for "End Of The Line", the group's second single, was photographed four days after Orbison's death. Depicting a guitar in Orbison's rocking chair, it was taken as a tribute. As for Orbison, this album was released at the same time as his Mystery Girl album in 1989, and both their success made Orbison one of two singers (Elvis Presley being the other) to have two albums both reach the charts posthumously.
Both Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 and its unexpected 1990 follow-up Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 were deleted in the mid-1990's with rights reverting to Harrison and his estate after his 2001 death. With all of his solo catalogue having reverted to EMI after almost twenty years with Warner Bros. Records, who distributed his Dark Horse Records label, both Traveling Wilburys albums appear set to be re-issued through EMI. Tom Petty was recently quoted to have said that they would be re-released in late 2005, though nothing, as of December 2006, has come of these claims.