Album Review: The Traveling Wilburys -‘The Traveling Wilburys Collection’

The story of the formation of The Traveling Wilburys is a most interesting one. George Harrison was working on a B-side song for “This is Love” from his album ‘Cloud Nine’ and decided to knock off a song with pals Jeff Lynne (Otis Wilbury), Bob Dylan (Lucky Wilbury), Tom Petty (Charlie T. Wilbury, Jr.), Roy Orbison (Lefty Wilbury) and drummer Jim Keltner as Buster Sidebury Wilbury. When George played “Handle with Care” for Warner Brothers head Mo Ostin, the reaction was immediate. It was too good for a B-side and Ostin asked Harrison to turn “Handle with Care” into an album and the rest is Wilbury history.

The first album ‘Traveling Wilburys, Volume 1’ saw great success and reached number 3 on the charts, won the group a Grammy, attained double-platinum status, and Rolling Stone referred to it as one of the top 100 albums of all time. Sadly, the 1988 death of the legendary Roy Orbison put the futures of the Wilburys in question. They returned in the 1990’s with ‘The Traveling Wilburys, Volume 3’ without Lefty, the album lacked the vocal power of Orbison, but it nevertheless had some great songs on it. Speculation about the ‘Volume 3’ moniker run from a joke by Harrison or that Petty’s ‘Full Moon Fever,’ in which all participated, having an unofficial ‘Volume 2’ after it. The albums have woefully been out of print for ten years, but now the Harrison estate and Wilbury records (aka Rhino/Warner Bros.) finally re-release them in an excellent 3-disc set. This time there is a ‘Volume 2’ in the form of a DVD containing the 24-minute “The True History of the Traveling Wilburys” with 1988 home video footage from all the band members working on ‘Volume 1’ crafted into an excellent documentary. An impromptu performance around the kitchen table of “Ghost Riders in the Sky” was a highlight for me. There are also music videos for “Handle with Care,” “End of the Line,” “She’s my Baby,” “Inside Out,” and “Wilbury Twist” (featuring John Candy and Eric Idle). A Deluxe Edition is also available that has a 40-page collectible book and other goodies. Heck, you can even order it on vinyl, remember that? The collection is an excellent compilation and truly two fantastic albums. Travel down to your CD store (or vinyl store as the case may be) and add it to your collection. You won’t regret it.