Traveling Wilburys
Traveling Wilburys, Volume 1

THE REVIEW

What does it mean to be great artists? Many might answer that it means selling lots of records and performing tours that fill stadiums; others might argue that it means having a strong passion for music and enjoying playing; but when you can be both things at the same time, how should you be considered?

1987. George Harrison is immersed in the recording sessions of his famous “Cloud Nine” when, perhaps out of nostalgia or a pure desire to reinvent himself, he had the brilliant idea to form a supergroup made up of great musicians from the sixties. This experiment, initially conceived by him, Jeff Lynne (his producer and frontman of the Electric Light Orchestra), and Roy Orbison, soon also included Bob Dylan and Tom Petty, who, full of enthusiasm, set out to compose a collective album. Following several rehearsal sessions, the Traveling Wilburys were born; the “old glories” of the past two decades were thus joined together in the same band—it sounds incredible, but it’s all true.

This 1988 debut album was initially promoted without any explicit references to the band members; in fact, they were credited under pseudonyms on the album cover. However, it was inevitable, thanks also to the music videos that were shot, that the public, to their great surprise, discovered this unexpected lineup. The album opens with the first track they recorded, “Handle With Care”, which Harrison had initially planned as a track for his solo album; with just this song we already understand the direction the album is taking: the music is a union of the different compositional styles characteristic of each member. What we have here is a very catchy pop-roots rock, perhaps with a vintage touch, which may not flaunt freshness but is immediately appealing to listeners. The lead vocals alternate between the various members, who take turns with the verses and choruses, and this rule is kept throughout the whole album—the writing and composition as well were equally shared. The music on this Vol.1 is cheerful, carefree, and in certain moments, it almost makes the listener forget that each of these musicians is at the same time a solo artist with millions of records sold; the synergy displayed on this album is comparable to a jam session among friends who gather in the studio at night just to have fun. If an artist enjoys playing the music he presents, it’s very likely that the public will pick up on a certain positive energy; indeed, this is surely one of the most evident aspects while listening, as well as one of the album’s main strengths, which, after all, never claims to be anything more than collective enjoyment. Even though all the tracks are officially credited to all members, within the album we find songs mainly penned by Bob Dylan (“Dirty World”, “Congratulations”, and “Tweeter And The Monkey Man”), by Tom Petty (“Last Night”, “Margarita”), and Jeff Lynne (“Rattled” and “Not Alone Any More”), with George Harrison serving as the glue for this unusual but effective project. As for Roy Orbison, unfortunately, he passed away during the album’s recording due to a heart attack; in fact, the tracks credited to him are those later released as singles and composed together with the other members. It is notable that in the video for “End Of The Line,” filmed after his passing, there’s a sequence showing his portrait on a chair during one of his solo vocal parts, serving as a tribute.

Of course, it would be misleading to analyze every single track on this record, especially since, as already mentioned, the sounds are quite uniform and extremely characteristic, with acoustic guitars forming a wall of sound and vocal lines with a Beatlesque touch. Nevertheless, we can highlight how the lyrics have friendship and tales of nostalgia as their main theme, making the musical proposal coherent with the spirit and genesis of this supergroup, which culminates in this winning formula of five guitarist-singers. To wrap things up, the drummer who performed on this album is Jim Keltner, drummer of the Plastic Ono Band, who, as further proof of Harrison’s meticulous attention to detail, turns out to be the most fitting element they could have found.

Sometimes they come back, and in this case it’s not Stephen King’s collection of stories, but exactly what happened to the fame of these five artists so fundamental to the history of music.