Wilburys travel back from oblivion
By Sean Daly
St. Petersburg Times - June 14, 2007
A new set offers both albums, a DVD, liner notes, four bonus tracks and a lot of fun
CD Review: The Traveling Wilburys Collection | Traveling Wilburys (Rhino)| Grade: A
You remember how the Wilburys game worked, right?
Back in 1988, five music legends casually formed a supergroup, sitting around a kitchen table and shouting out silly ditties that, upon closer inspection, were pop masterpieces. It was a lark, a one-off among musical brothers, and they took up jokey familial aliases: George Harrison was Nelson Wilbury, Bob Dylan was Lucky, Tom Petty was Charlie T. Jr, Roy Orbison was Lefty and Jeff Lynne was Otis.
Their first album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. I, sold more than 5-million copies; it was the sublimely breezy effect of each man's famous gifts (Harrison's woozy guitar, Orbison's high-lonesome croon, Dyan's word-smithery, etc.). In 1990, they released the winkingly titled, rather uneven Vol. III which was made sans Orbison, who had died two years earlier. Not long after that, both Wilburys albums inexplicably went out of print for more than a decade, which lent even more mystery to the curious project.
Reissues
Review by Jim Caligiuri
The Austin Chronicle - Friday, June 15, 2007
Traveling Wilburys | The Traveling Wilburys Collection (Wilbury/Rhino) | ★★★★
It's been nearly 20 years since the Traveling Wilburys proved what a true supergroup could accomplish when there are no egos involved, just friendship. The Wilburys were George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Electric Light Orchestra's Jeff Lynne. Though they managed only two albums, impishly titled Volume One and Volume Three – the second without Orbison, who died shortly after the first was released – each is a charmed collection of jangly folk-pop and good-humored rockabilly that eclipses nearly anything any of them were doing as solo artists at the time. Both LPs have been out-of-print for more than a decade, and on The Traveling Wilburys Collection, Rhino offers two discs with two unreleased tracks on each, as well as a DVD featuring a home movie made by Harrison, and five videos. Thanks to the air of camaraderie that permeates both volumes, the music remains timeless. Alternating lead vocals and harmonizing with startling effectiveness, they turn tunes like "Handle With Care," "End of the Line," "Where Were You Last Night?," and the overtly Beatle-esque "New Blue Moon," into a frolic that's irresistible. Lynne and Harrison's production values, as expected, are a little too polished at times, but the talent and the songs are sturdy enough to withstand such treatment. Besides, the devilish bop of "Wilbury Twist" absolves them of any other misdemeanors. The true bonus of The Collection is a little film put together by Harrison, " The True History of the Traveling Wilburys," an in-the-studio glimpse of the five. It confirms the affable nature of the project, while offering delights like them working out their parts around a microphone and Dylan in a rare moment of ease.
Famous five: Why The Traveling Wilburys are the ulimate supergroup
By Andy Gill
The Belfast Telegraph - Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Rock history is brimming with supergroups. But none can match the pedigree of The Traveling Wilburys. As they top the charts yet again, Andy Gill tells the story of the band that's got the lot
One of this year's more surprising and impressive music-biz successes is surely that of The Traveling Wilburys, whose 2CD/DVD compilation The Traveling Wilburys Collection entered the album chart this week at No 1, outselling the likes of Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney and Queens of the Stone Age, and turfing the lissom R&B diva Rihanna off the top spot. Indeed, it may be the only album this year to reach this level of success without the assistance of MySpace, YouTube or any of the internet-associated aids which, we are constantly told, are vital promotional tools in today's pop marketplace.
But then, what might be on their MySpace site? "Hi kids, we're The Traveling Wilburys! We're old enough to be your grandads - in fact, two of us are so old we're dead, and the rest aren't feeling too good at the moment. We make the kind of music you probably hate."
Play in full
By Bob Gendron
Chicago Tribune - July 8, 2007
10 influential post-punk-era double albums that deserve to be performed live
Tom Petty "Wildflowers" | (Warner Bros., 1994) | (Two vinyl LPs, One CD)
Tom Petty's second "solo" effort is a single-disc affair. But it's always been available as a double LP. And when in 2003 Petty embarked on a series of intimate club shows, the standouts were the rarely played "Wildflowers" cuts. Stripped-down and carefree, the collection hasn't a bum note amid a warm tapestry of relaxed pianos, acoustic guitars and brushed drums. Without trying for a certain sound or style, Petty made his most personal statement. To hear the studio leftovers and solo takes would be some kind of wonderful.
The Wilburys are here again
By Savitha Gautam
The Hindu - July 11, 2007
The songs convey the joy and camaraderie shared by the five rock legends
It all started as a fun thing. Former Beatle George Harrison was working on his album "Cloud Nine", produced by good friend and fellow songwriter Jeff Lynne. One evening, they were sharing a meal with the legendary Roy Orbison at philosopher-friend Bob Dylan's home. Tom Petty of the Heartbreakers fame was there too as he "had come to fetch his guitar". The five friends sat down and jammed. And wrote the song, "Handle with care." It was originally meant to be "just a filler" for Side B of Harrison's new album. But Harrison felt "it was so good, it needed to be in a new album."
Legal Notices
The San Gabriel Valley Examiner - July 26, 2007
July 12, Start
GATOR MUSIC, 15260 Ventura Blvd #2100, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403. The full names of registrant(s) is/are: Benmont Tench, 15260 Ventura Blvd #2100, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403. This business is conducted by an individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) Signed: Benmont Tench. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed on (Date): 1981. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on (Date) June 25, 2007. NOTICE: This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious business name stagement must be filled before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of another under federal, state or common law (see Section 14411 et. seq. Business and Professions Code). Public:07-12-07, 07-19-07, 07-26-07, 08-02-07. The San Gabriel Valley Examiner CD# P12241.
Let thy Wilbury done!
By Manoj Nair
The Economic Times - July 28, 2007
Ever heard of the Wilbury Twist? If, not here's the Wilbury Twist for Dummies: Put your hand on your head/put your foot in the air/then you hop around the room in your underwear
This twist of twists betwixt rock and folk was invented by a strange quirk of fate when four legends of the world of rock came together to fight their songwriters block. It all began when George Harrison sought the help of his friends Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison for a B-side single for his 1988 album Cloud Nine. Mo Ostin, chairman emeritus, Warner Bros Records calls it "a happy accident." While this accident was being assembled, Lynne was working on new albums by Petty (Full Moon Fever) and Orbison (Mystery Girl). A series of phone calls later they were together for the Wilbury tryst.
Once the idea of a full collaboration was pitched in, Harrison donned the leadership cloak with the five of them deciding to indulge in some playfulness by dropping their real names. Thus George Harrison became Nelson Wilbury, Orbison became Lefty Wilbury, Tom Petty became Charlie T. Junior, Bob Dylan became Lucky Wilbury, Jeff Lynne became Otis Wilbury and Jim Keltner (on drums) became Buster Sidebury.
Forever fascinated: Tom Petty's love for rock 'n' roll began the day he met Elvis in Ocala
By Bill Dean
Ocala Star-Banner - August 19, 2007
One summer morning in 1961, an 11-year-old Tom Petty sat on pine straw in his front yard, wondering how he was going to spend his day. By the end of the afternoon, he knew how he would spend his life.
To be sure, the events of that afternoon added another notch to rock 'n' roll history and a tantalizing addition to Florida lore. For, by the end of the day, the young, callow-headed Petty would encounter none other than Elvis Presley, the swivel-hipped sensation who already had been crowned "The King of Rock 'n' Roll." And by that evening, the Gainesville youngster would be forever fascinated -- and hooked -- on rock 'n' roll.
Editor's Note: The last two articles were only on the website; no scans.
Petty odyssey on film in Gainesville
By Bill Dean
Gainesville Sun - October 10, 2007
Documentary follows Petty on 30-year-journey that begins here.
Tom Petty's 30-year road with rock 'n' roll road began in Gainesville and led to Los Angeles, with trips around the world and a stop at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the way.
Now, the journey is accompanied by a travelogue in "Runnin' Down a Dream" -- Peter Bogdanovich's new documentary about Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, which will be seen by the public for the first time in New York on Sunday and screened in Gainesville for two nights only starting Monday. Both shows are sold out.
Bogdanovich, who directed such acclaimed films as "The Last Picture Show" (1971), "Paper Moon" (1973) and "Mask" (1985), spent two years making the film, which includes interviews not only with Petty and the Heartbreakers, but also with friends and family members, including Eddie Vedder, Stevie Nicks, Rick Rubin, Jeff Lynne and many others.
Along with such previously unreleased scenes, including 8 mm footage of the day Petty and the band left Gainesville for Los Angeles in a van, the four-hour documentary also includes scenes shot during the Heartbreakers' 30th anniversary concert at the O'Connell Center on Oct. 14.