Traveling Wilburys - Traveling Wilburys (2 CD / 1 DVD)
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Free Music Notes for Traveling Wilburys (2 CD / 1 DVD)
Free Music Review: The carefree travels of the most incredible super group ever.
Hit: 5 Stars
What I think made the Traveling Wilburys so special was the spontaneous formation of these 5 über-rockers. George Harrison, wanting a little help for an extra track for his single This Is Love, got much more than just a B-side in what I consider one of the best pop rock songs of the 80's: Handle With Care. An idea for an album followed, and these extremely talented singer-songwriters formed a superb collection of tracks which would become Traveling Wilburys Volume 1. There isn't a single bad song in Volume 1, and it's no wonder it's listed as one of Rolling Stones 100 greatest albums of the 80's.
After Handle With Care, which needs no introduction, we get Bob Dylan's sexually suggestive rocker, Dirty World, followed by the country sounding Rattled, voiced by Jeff Lynne. On an album full of staggering hits, Rattled may very well be decent elsewhere, but may be my choice for the weakest of this album, if it's even right to call any of these songs weak. The catchiest track of the album, Last Night is probably the next strongest song, although Roy turns in a stunner with Not Alone Any More right after it. The album continues with the guys taking vocal and writing turns, and originally ended with End Of The Line.
I know some people may still feel volume 1 is superior, and considering the price of this set, and how much they can probably go out and get the out of print Volume 1 once this collection hits, some may be considering just finding the first Volume cheap. Well, one very strong argument not to get the original is that you are missing out on the George Harrison song Maxine. It's vintage George and it's a shock that this never made it on an album. It's a great never officially released song that every Harrison fan should have. Like a Ship is decent, but it's Maxine that makes these Bonus Tracks on Vol. 1 so special.
While there are two unofficial Volume 2's (a bootleg containing demos and extended tracks; and Full Moon Fever, Tom Petty's album where George, Roy, and Jeff collaborated) Disc 2 in this collection is the DVD, which features a 25 minute documentary shot in 1988 which covers the formation of the band and their work on some of the album's songs, including Tweeter and the Monkey Man. It also includes all of the band's 5 videos. The picture quality is fairly sharp, however I am not convinced they were digitally remastered. I liked all the videos, with maybe the exception of the Wilbury Twist, which seemed to be the End of the video artistic Line for the band, as it was a little on the dull side. Handle With Care is easily the best of the videos, just based on Roy's slight head bobbing up and down, when he first comes in to full camera view to start singing his part. A nice Roy touch to the video, to go with his immense contribution to the song. The End of the Line, with the band playing while traveling on a train, is probably my next favorite.
Disc 3 is Volume 3, and the second album released by the group. It is sadly missing the recently departed Roy Orbison. Some say this lost a little magic for Volume 3, however we get some final great songs from the band. Their single She's My Baby starts it off, followed by my pick for the best song of the album, the harmony filled Inside Out, which features an almost Beatles like 60's chorus and lyrics, albeit with a touch of Tom's unique voice thrown in to give it an updated twist.
Bob Dylan is featured prominently over the next several tracks, including If You Belonged to Me, which is all his vocals, and my second best pick off this album, Where Were You Last Night, which features George and Bob taking turns with the vocals. Two 50's sounding rockers are featured with New Blue Moon and 7 Deadly Sins, and there's the humorous country tune Poor House, and the somewhat silly new dance called the Wilbury Twist. Rounding out my 3 top picks off this album is Tom featuring on the song Cool Dry Place. It's a more subdued sounding Tom that sounds great. The bonus tracks on this album are a big treat as well, with George, Bob, and Tom all taking turns singing on Nobody's Child, a poignant song about orphans, and what is probably Jeff's best vocal contribution on either disc, the Del Shannon remake Runaway. Another reason to pick up this new collection.
This is overall a fine slice of 80's rock history, and a complete showcase all in one place, for a very shortlived but now legendary band. All their videos, all their songs, plus a few extra bonuses, make this set a no-brainer. Don't even think about taking the cheap way out and going for the old CD's, as you'll surely be missing out. One final note, the DVD is NTSC, but also listed as being compatible for Regions 1-6, which I believe is pretty much the same as a Region 0.
Free Music Review: Traveling to Greatness
Hit: 5 Stars
With all the junk the music industry continues to churn out, one wonders how the classic albums of the Traveling Wilburys could have been allowed to go out of print for almost a decade. Thanks to the remastering geniuses at Rhino Records, the Traveling Wilburys are finally back in the catalog, sounding better than ever.
Rhino' s engineers are fanatics when it comes to finding the original master tapes and remixing them in a way that is both state-of-the-art in terms of sound quality, yet at the same time faithful to the original production values. In the case of the Traveling Wilburys, the supergroup formed almost as a lark by Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, the late George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, and of course the late Roy Orbison, that sound was a stripped-down, down to earth rebellion against the overproduced, over commercialized studio productions being lavished upon mediocre talents by the major studios in the late 1980s, while at the same time legitimate singer-songwriter-performer talents were barely allowed into the recording studio. The first album was so breathtakingly stupendous that it was followed by a second, which if not quite the triumph of the first, was also better than 99% of the junk that the major studios were pumping out at the time. Both the first and second albums, along with some pretty decent outtakes, a fascinating DVD featuring footage from the recording sessions, and a lengthy booklet featuring studio notes and the various reminiscences, are included in the 2 CD, 1 DVD Rhino package. (The booklet in Rhino's deluxe edition is hardbound and offers a bit more information and more pictures than the booklet included with the standard edition; if you're a Wilburys fanatic, the deluxe edition is probably worth the slight up charge over the standard edition.)
What sets the first album apart first and foremost is the marvelously pure tenor of rock legend Roy Orbison, who fortunately lived long enough to see his career revived and celebrated by his appearance on this album before succumbing to cardiovascular disease before recording sessions could start on the second album. What is not as often appreciated about the first album is how it also marked a return to form for Bob Dylan, who was emerging from his commercially unpopular Christian rock phase. Viewed strictly from the Dylan perspective, this was arguably his best effort since the legendary Blood on the Tracks, even though his unmistakable authorship was imprinted on only two of the tracks, Tweeter and the Monkey Man and Congratulations. On these tracks, Dylan's unique and edgy lyrical vernacular combined with his often underrated vocal ability to make for a remarkable musical experience. The second album is of almost the same overall high quality as the first, but somehow it just lacks the peaks provided by Dylan and Orbison on the first. Still,it was eminently worthy of the talents of the group.
From today's perspective, the Traveling Wilburys were a reminder that music, particularly rock music, which had moved through all sorts of dark phases in the 70s and mid-80s, was above all supposed to be about having fun, both for the audience and for the performers. The members of the Traveling Wilburys sure were having fun recording this album, which when I really think about it, is what makes listening to this album after too long an absence, such a pure, unadulterated joy.
Free Music Review: awesome CD/DVD set by The Traveling Wilburys
Hit: 5 Stars
The Traveling Wilburys put out this incredibly awesome two CD/one DVD set; and it wows me whenever I listen to it. The quality of the sound couldn't be better; and the DVD footage and music videos are excellent and fun to watch over and over again.
This is one outstanding band. George Harrison wanted his own band and that's what he got. The group members include none other than Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty--along with, of course, George Harrison. Jeff Lynne and all the others who worked on this project are incredibly talented, too. I could never get tired of this music.
The first CD opens with "Handle With Care." "Handle With Care" features Roy Orbison singing the verses and they all come in on the chorus for an effect that blows me away! "Handle With Care" is a beautiful rock ballad that makes a strong start for this album. "Last Night" has a great arrangement for guitar and percussion; and they sing and play this to perfection! There's just a slight touch of a country twist to "Last Night" that really enhances the beauty of this number. "Congratulations" is a torchy rock ballad as they lament the loss of their women. "Congratulations" has great vocals by Bob Dylan and again the whole group joins in on the chorus for a great effect! "End Of The Line" has Tom Petty singing his best and it all works very well. Great guitar, percussion--and that's some melody, too! There are two bonus tracks including "Maxine" which has a Beatles type of flavor to it; "Maxine" should have been released earlier than this but it's still better late than never!
The second CD continues the great music. "Inside Out" has a great beat and Bob Dylan with the other men on chorus all perform this flawlessly. "Inside Out" rocks well and I really like this tune. "If You Belonged To Me" is another ballad with a slight country twist to this rock tune; and I love it! "Where Were You Last Night?" has a Beatles type of musical arrangement and they sing this without a superfluous note! The modulations between major and minor keys work to make "Where Were You Last Night?" a very solid hit for this band. In addition, quite a strong number is "Wilbury Twist;" this number rocks really hard and the positive energy strikes me as truly exceptional. "Wilbury Twist" is a modern day equivalent to Cubby Checker's songs about twisting--"Wilbury Twist" is also perhaps my favorite tune in this package! Finally, the second CD has two bonus tracks just like the first CD does; and listen for "Runaway." "Runaway" gives us the band doing a great cover of "Runaway" that would make Del Shannon proud.
And then there's that DVD. What a DVD it is! You get a documentary about how the group formed and how they made this great music--there is very special footage shot using a home camcorder. There are also a few music videos that you won't forget anytime soon.
Overall, this is one strong package from The Traveling Wilburys. George Harrison got his own band; and they all put their egos aside and made some of the best rock I've ever heard. I highly recommend this for fans of good quality rock and roll; and people who enjoy work by the individual artists in this band will enjoy this package set as well.
Free Music Review: not alone any more
Hit: 5 Stars
I used to listen to anything that just plain sounded good and that was it. When I got introduced to the Wilbury's I was very impressed with the group. As Tom Petty said, "it's George's band, it's always George's band". This treat contains 2 cd's and a dvd, and they are impressive. It was good to see Roy Orbison laughing and George, Jeff, and Tom laughing, made me laugh as well. I like to think that Roy died a happy man. The Wilbury's went platinum right before his death. His other bandmates were his pallbearers. Now I have placed Roy as my favorite singer. You see after I heard teh Wilbury's, my change in music occured. I was buying cd after cd of Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne or the Electric Light Orchestra, and George Harrison. All 3 of whom I've become huge fans of. I bought a couple Tom Petty albums. I can honestly say that if it wasn't for the Wilbury's, I wouldn't of been very interested in music. I guess I consider the supergroup, my acorn or roots.
Come to think of it as another person here mentioned, there was a 6th member, Jim Keltner. From what I heard of him, he's always been a friend of the other guys.
The price was reasonable, the time I got this music couldn't of been better. I recall that I was having bad days, and I regained good spirits, especially after Roy singing 'not alone any more'.
There is one negative aspect I feel the need to point out: Bob Dylan was never present at the outside area when the others hung out, I guess he joined the group just for the sake of gaining popularity. I also noticed in the picture with the 5 present, when Roy and George sitting down, he's in the middle, or should I say trying to be the center of attention. He never laughed when the others laughed when Roy sung the words 'trembling wilbury'. Sorry, just feel the need to tell what I observed.
Moreover, if you are a huge fan of the Wilbury's then this treat is a must have. Even if you are a huge fan of one of the bandmates, or 2, or 3, you will be pleased.
Lastly, I will say this about each of them:
Roy Orbison, thank you very much for your performances, your music I'll continue to cherish. R.I.P and hope your present world has become a better place of eternal rest and happiness.
Jeff Lynne, your my next favorite member, your talents and arrangements and voice with this group and with ELO have been remarkable. They have always kept my head up. Thank you.
George Harrison, the supergroup I realize was your dream from start to finish. You've possessed a happy gift to so many that you were known by many for your creation of music and known by few for your kindheartedness. R.I.P George and I hope whereever you are, it's become a better place.
Tom Petty, I noticed you've paid tributes to the Wilbury's numerous times and to the other bandmates. Your voice contributed to the overall group sound as well, and thanks.
Jim Keltner, although it is so that you've been in the shadows of such a supergroup, however, I like to think that the drums were the backbone to the music. Your one of the guys who got the Wilbury's going. Thanks Jim.
Free Music Review: Almost forgot how good this is
Hit: 5 Stars
Kudos to the producers of this outstanding reissue package - it's no surprise this collection debuted in the top 10 of Billboard's albun chart, these records had been out of print for far too long.
Volume One needs little defense as it is nearly universally viewed as a fantastic collaboration between five great artists. Volume Three took a lot of knocks upon intitial release. It isn't as fun as the first one and arguably doesn't contain any stone-cold classics (like "Handle With Care" or "The End of the Line"). Plus with the passing of Roy Orbison, four similar-sounding voices were left - nothing to match the majesty of Orbison provided. All that said, I was surprised when reminded just how rocking the second album is - there's a real edge to tracks like "She's My Baby" and "Wilbury Twist." My real complaint about Volume Three is that it seems so dominated vocally by Dylan and Petty. There is especially a relative lack of George Harrison vocals, which is strange considering the band was his brainchild and pet project. At least George's unmistakable lead guitar work is so prevelant throughout the album (much moreso than the first album).
The bonus tracks are mostly interesting - two previously issued tracks (that were both new to me) and two previously bootlegged but never officially available tracks (not only new to me, but at least kinda new to everyone, as they both feature unobtrusive additional instrumentation from Jeff Lynne and Dhani Harrison). Of the two covers, their version of Del Shannon's "Runaway" (rumored to have been considered as a replacement for Orbison) is a nice tribute, but stays a little too close to the original for it to be intersting. The other one, "Nobody's Child," is genuinely sad and is effectively sung by each of the four Wilburys (recorded post-Orbison, as all four bonus tracks were). The two originals were both recorded during the Volume Three sessions. I can't believe George Harrison's "Maxine" was left off - it's a great, upbeat, acoustic-guitar driven song and is easily better than some of the album tracks (not to mention that Volume Three is a relatively short album to begin with). Including "Maxine" would've upped the Harrison content that I mentioned the album is sorely lacking. Dylan's "Like A Ship" is excellent as well - and far better than what I consider his weakest track on the the album, "7 Deadly Sins."
The DVD is a great bonus - but unfortunately not a lot of work went into the mastering, as the picture quality is notably lacking (as are 5.1 mixes for the music). I probably won't return to it often, but the 25 minute documentary is a great look at the process of making the first movie. Actually I wouldn't have minded it being even longer, but even 'as is' the featurette demonstrates the laid-back atmosphere of the recording sessions. The music videos are fun to see again after all these years, but honestly they aren't extremely creative presentations. Best of the lot are "Handle With Care" (because it features all five Wilburys) and "End of the Line" (with it's touching visual representation of Orbison's absence).