Dirty Linen

This is an excerpt from the print edition of Dirty Linen #131 (August/September 2007).
The full article is in the magazine, available on newsstands, by subscription, and at the Dirty Linen webstore.

The Traveling Wilburys

Shaking Out the Sheets

Dirty Linen Classics

by Ellen Geisel

The Traveling Wilburys
The Traveling Wilburys Collection
Wilbury Records/Rhino 0-8122-79982-4-0 (2007), 2-CD+DVD

When the Traveling Wilburys came on the music scene in the late 80s, it resulted in two recordings of meant-to-be music. In George Harrison's words, "…..if we'd tried to plan it, or if anybody had said, 'Let's form this band and get these people in it,' it would never happen; it's impossible. It happened completely, just by magic, just by circumstance. Maybe there was a full moon that night or something like that. It was quite a magical little thing, really."

And maybe that's why it ended up being such a satisfying and very individual listening experience for music fans. Some heard Jeff Lynne's rough-hewn elegance rising up amid the other voices, while others zeroed in on Bob Dylan's always-relevant rebellious folk attitude. Roy Orbison's operatic rock brought back the elements of a simple, formative time in music, and Tom Petty's signature cutting-edge envelope-pushing attracted the younger crowd. And George Harrison? Well he brought along everything that the Beatles ever were, as well as what he ultimately became through his fine "graduate" work as a talented solo musician and humble humanitarian. Taken as a whole, the unusual mix of artists did indeed produce a magical sound, one that was overwhelmingly secure and reassuring and at the same time ripe with hope and promise. Now, more than 10 years since its music was last available, Rhino Entertainment has reissued the Wilburys' material in one package called The Traveling Wilburys Collection, allowing a welcome reintroduction to a unique project that can never ever be duplicated.

[cover #131]