A$# 008 Traveling Wilburys | Vol. 1

One of the greatest supergroups to come along ever, the Traveling Wilburys included my two top musical heroes, and three other great rockers - George Harrison and Jeff Lynne, plus Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.

It didn't start out as a supergroup. It was just George and some friends recording a b-side for one of his singles. But as they worked on the wonderful Handle With Care, they knew that it was much more than a hunch, that this group must somehow form a supergroup. That's the way they all became the Traveling Wilburys.

Eschewing egos, they took on Wilbury personas, and they shared songwriting credits. The resulting album offers up 10 catchy songs that reflect the styles of the writers. If I had one complaint, it would be that Jeff's vocals aren't featured prominently enough. But never mind, this is a great album - not a profound statement, but a great collaboration by top-notch artists and friends.

The stand-out tracks for me are Handle With Care, Rattled, Not Alone Any More and End Of The Line.

Sadly, Roy died an untimely death just weeks after the album's release.

Vol. 1 has been out of print for years, though Barbara Orbison and Olivia Harrison have both talked about a remastered reisssue of this and its follow-up, Vol. 3. I hope this comes true soon.

Track listing:
1. Handle With Care
2. Dirty World
3. Rattled
4. Last Night
5. Not Alone Anymore
6. Congratulations
7. Heading For The Light
8. Margarita
9. Tweeter And The Monkey Man
10. End Of The Line