Traveling Wilburys' 'Vol. One' exudes fun
By Larry Hager
Plattsburgh Press-Republican - October 28, 1988
Finally, after all the deadly-serious, save-the-world projects, a group of rock superstars have gotten together for the simple purpose of having a good time and playing some good music.
The resulting album by the Traveling Wilburys, "Vol. One," succeeds on all counts.
While all five use pseudonyms and their real names appear nowhere on the album, the identity of the Wilburys is rock's worst-kept secret.
POP BEAT: Wilburys The Fame of the Names
By Chris Willman
The Los Angeles Times - October 29, 1988
For every pop fan who ever wanted to hear Roy Orbison backed by the Electric Light Orchestra, with George Harrison sitting in on slide guitar--and even for those of us to whom the idea hadn't occurred--something fairly akin to that momentous event hit record stores this week in the equivalent of a plain brown wrapper.
The Traveling Wilburys is your basic quintet made up of five of the most popular and important figures from three decades of rock 'n' roll operating as equal partners under bumpkin-like pseudonyms.
'Traveling Wilburys' can't keep secret
The Bulletin - November 4, 1988
Since their picture is plastered on the cover and their distinctive voices ring clear in the music, "The Traveling Wilburys" -- Otis, Nelson, Charlie T. Jr, Lefty, and Lucky -- may be the worst-kept secret in rock 'n' roll. No, it's not the reborn Rutles. It's none other than Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne (the last two also produced the album). The all-start quintet originally got together casually as Dylan's house in Malibu last April, but liked what they heard so much that they decided to go into the studio and expand it into a full-fledged album. Lynne, who produced Harrison's terrific "Cloud Nine" album, and Petty, who worked with Dylan on his 1986-87 tour, have given the Wilburys a delightful pop sheen in which Orbison's, Dylan's and Harrison's familiar voices stand out. The record is out on a new Warner Bros. custom label,. Wilbury Records, and all of the songs are credited collectively to the Wilburys.
Orbison's showcases include the rockabilly of "Rattled" and the swooping ballad "Not Alone Anymore." Dylan turns out a catalogue of automotive imagery on "Dirty World" along with a languid "Congratulations" and a pop parable, "Tweeter and the Monkey Man." Harrison sounds terrific on "Heading for the Light."
Celebrating the road with the Wilburys
By Tom Moon
The Spokesman-Review - November 4, 1988
Being the savvy marketing geniuses that they are, the five Traveling Wilburys -- Bob Dylan , Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and George Harrison -- have left their real names off but their faces on the cover of "Volume One," their first meeting of the minds (Wilbury Records).
What's the message here? That this is five guys having fun? And not a supergroup? Or is it supposes to be a wistful evocation of troubadour lore, five insulated millionaires longing for the good old days?
Whatever the intentions, the thrumming, acoustic-guitar-heavy music on "Volume One" works its own spell apart from the marquee. And remarkably, has its own sound -- one of happiness, lost innocence, the power of the song as elixir.
Wilburys album features familiar faces
By Dave Mahlin
Tritonian - November 4, 1988
Just when you thought it was safe to listen to classic-hits radio, along comes "Traveling Wilburys." I don't listen to the radio much myself, but I'll wager that this album is all over KZEP by now and will stay there for quite a while, because this is the first time that George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Bob Dylan (credited as Nelson, Otis, Charlie T. Jr., Lefty, and Lucky Wilbury, respectively -- no other names are given) have recorded together. Granted, when stars of this magnitude get together and collaborate on an album, it's a big deal. The fact that this is a really good album, when it easily could have been bad, makes it all the more exciting.
Recordings: Superstar Wilburys play good, relaxed music
Review by Tom Ford
Toledo Blade - Sunday, November 6, 1988
"VOLUME ONE," The Traveling Wilburys (Wilbury/Warner Bros.).
What good is stardom if you can't have a little fun?
That is the question being asked by the Traveling Wilburys, who, despited the assumed names they use on this LP, are really ex-Beatle George Harrison, Bob Dylan, rock legend Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and ex-Electric Light Orchestrator Jeff Lynne.
The five got together to play in Los Angeles this year, liked what they heard, and decided to cut an album. Since each is capable of creating a classic, the expectations for this LP were high -- and to some degree unrealized.
Instead of forming a cohesive unit, the supergroup offers a relaxed exercise by its individual members.
Wilburys: Year's best collaborative effort
By Chaz Repak
The Cavalier Daily - November 10, 1988
Dylan, Petty, Orbison, Lynne, and Harrison team up
What the hell is a Traveling Wilbury?
That's the question that has been on the minds of anyone who has scanned an album release sheet in the last few months. The answer is merely the most exciting project in popular music this year.
The Traveling Wilburys are, according to the record jacket, Otis, Nelson, Charlie T, Jr., Lefty and Lucky Wilbury, the last descendants of a "remarkable sophisticated musical culture, consdering there were no managers or arents." More specifically, the perpretrators of such a silly project are Jeff Lynne, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan.
The results are anything but silly. The Wilburys' music is a throughly enjoyable mixture of the musical styles of Lynne and Dylan, the two main influences on the album. Out of the five Wilburys come plenty of effective, if not overly poetic, lyrics. The best thing about the Wilburys is that the only reason they made the record was to have fun, which is obvious on each of the album's 10 tracks.
Off the Record: Supergroup group makes powerful music
By Jim Zebora
Meriden Record-Journal - Sunday, November 13, 1988
THE TRAVELING WILBURYS: VOLUME ONE | Wilbury Records Warner Bros
You don't have to catch the Amnesty Tour to see a supergroup anymore. The Traveling Wilburys will be happy to visit your turntable.
In case you haven't heard, the Wilburys are a supergroup with a lot in common with Derek and the Dominoes. There was nobody named Derek, and there's nobody named Wilbury.
But you will recognize names like Bob Dylan (Lucky Wilbury), George Harrison (Nelson Wilbury), Roy Orbison (Lefty Wilbury), Jeff Lynne (Otis Wilbury), and Tom Petty (Charlie T. Wilbury Jr.)
According to Rolling Stone, Orbison and Petty both happened to be at producer Lynne's house, when Harrison stopped by and mentioned that he needed help with a couple of songs. The quartet dropped over to see Dylan, had a lot of fun, and ended up recording an entire album, which is a pure joy to hear.
The Pop Life: Those Wilbury Boys
By Stephen Holden
The New York Times - November 16, 1988
The formation of the Traveling Wilburys, an all-star recording group made up of George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne, was one of those happy accidents born out of an inspired whim.
"If we had planned it ahead of time, it probably would not have worked because of all the business complications," Mr. Petty said the other day in a telephone interview from Los Angeles. "But once it was rolling, no one wanted to stop it."
The Traveling Wilburys originated last spring, when Mr. Harrison, who was visiting Los Angeles, needed to put together a band on the spur of the moment to record the B side of a European single from his 'Cloud Nine' album. Having enlisted Mr. Lynne and Mr. Orbison as members of an impromptu recording group, the former Beatle invited Mr. Petty to join, and they ended up at Bob Dylan's house, where in one day they collectively wrote and recorded the song "Handle With Care."
"We had such a good time together that we decided to make a whole album out of it," Mr. Petty recalled. "The rest of the record was completed over the summer in Los Angeles and London in only nine days. The songwriting process was unusual in that each song had the input of five different people. I don't think any of us had written that way before, and it was a very enjoyable experience. Usually one person would start with an idea, then everybody would add lines and make suggestions and criticisms. The sessions began in the afternoon. We started every song with five acoustic guitars and drums. We may be the only group in the world with five rhythm guitar players."