Why is The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 on my best 1,000 albums ever list?
Well, it’s all right – we’re going to the end of the line.
Some stats & info about The Traveling Wilburys – The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Adult Contemporary
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars
- When was The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 released? 1988
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #635 out of 1,000
The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 on Spotify
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.
What does The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 mean to me? What does it make me feel? Why is it exciting or compelling?
There are “supergroups,” and then there are supergroups. Looking back, it’s almost unbelievable that this collection of obscenely talented megastars decided to get together to produce a few albums near the end of the 1980s.
And then part of the genius of The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1, is that the band members in no way tried to “outdo” their previous efforts as solo artists and as part of other bands you might have heard of (ex: The Beatles). Instead, everything about The Traveling Wilburys feels easy and enjoyable in equal measure. It’s light and loose and fun and obvious that the Wilburys enjoy being with one another and producing music together as a simple good time.
And that’s all to the good for the rest of us. There are two huge hits on The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 – “Handle With Care” and “End of the Line,” but really the entire album sails along in the most pleasant of ways.
Check out the deceptively easy way in which the band switches off vocals on “Handle With Care,” and how wildly cool it is to pick up who is singing based on each singer’s iconic voice: George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, what?
And I can endlessly listen to the band repeat, “Well it’s all right!” on “End of the Line.” After watching the music video, I have a hankering to jump on a train, maybe without a particular direction in mind.
The entire album is rock solid, and it’s fun to hear individual Wilburys take the lead on different tracks. Bob Dylan is clearly having a blast on “Dirty World,” for example.
Pop culture stuff that has something to do with The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1
The one Wilbury who may not be instantly recognizable to more casual music fans is Jeff Lynne. Lynne is part of Electric Light Orchestra and went on to become a big-time record producer.
Look for more of ELO and… other albums from members of The Traveling Wilburys as the best 1,000 albums ever project keeps on trucking (train-ing?) to the end of the line.
You might say it’s all right.