On the HT&E iPod: Travelling Wilburys - Vol. 1

A band featuring Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne couldn't fail to produce a quality album and Travelling Wilburys Vol. 1 is just that. Recorded in 10 days in early '88 in order to accommodate Dylan's touring schedule, the multi-platinum selling first volume of the Wilburys project is a classic for many more reasons than the sum of its musician parts. 

Utilising the talents of each member to the full, there is a signature left on every track with the sound of each artists respective band (The Heartbreakers, The Beatles, ELO etc) melded with the overall feel of the album. From rockabilly rambles through classic British invasion sounds, a wide range of genres are touched without disjointing the 10-track set piece in any way. 

Of particular note are Roy Orbison's voice at its haunting best during Not Alone Anymore, the Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da feel to Last Night and Dylan finding the perfect grating, rhythmic tone for the mesmeric storytelling of Tweeter And The Monkey Man.

It sounds trite but it's true to say that Travelling Wilburys Vol. 1 is a simply timeless album, made even more important after the loss of Roy Orbison, who died shortly after the album's release, and George Harrison in 2007. 

Re-releases have seen the album become easier to get hold of in recent years (hell, it's on iTunes!) and as such provides no excuse for true music fans not to have a copy of Travelling Wilburys Vol. 1 in their collection. 

iTunes Link

Amazon Link