Another discography post for The Second Coming, this time focusing upon the Traveling Wilburys - George Harrison (Nelson), Jeff Lynne (Otis), Tom Petty (Charlie T.), Roy Orbison (Lefty) and Bob Dylan (Lucky). They made only two albums in their short run, which I find a bit of a shame since there was enough material between the five of them (Bob less so, admittedly) to put out two more albums. Naturally, one would stop right there, but I decided to go a step further and theorize what an album might look like had they joined a little earlier.
Side A (19:08)
1. Jammin’ Me - 4:09 (Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough)) [Charlie T and Lucky]
2. Band on the Hand - 4:34 (Band of the Hand) [Lucky and Charlie T]
3. Just for Today - 4:06 (Cloud Nine) [Nelson and Otis]
4. Calling America - 3:26 (Balance of Power) [Otis]
5. Got My Mind Made Up - 2:53 (Knocked Out Loaded) [Lucky and Charlie T]
Side B (19:55)
6. Coming Home - 3:59 (Class of ‘55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming) [Lefty]
7. All Mixed Up - 3:42 (Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough)) [Charlie T]
8. Death is Not the End - 5:10 (Down in the Groove) [Lucky]
9. I Don’t Want to Do It - 2:54 (Porky's Revenge; single version) [Nelson and Lucky]
10. Destination Unknown - 4:10 (Balance of Power) [Otis]
In general, I tried to compile material from around 1985 to 1987 featuring the quintet to see what I could come up. I believe the overall result is greater than the sum of its parts, but I can't really see it being ranked that highly among the Wilbury releases given that there's not a whole lot of collaboration between them; mostly Nelson, Charlie and Lucky while Otis and Lefty are there for the ride. The name for the album comes from the original name for the band, The Trembling Wilburys. I tried to replicate what was on the Heartbreakers' Let Me Up (I've Had Enough), but in hindsight, it looks pretty crap. Also, Roy's absent - complete heresy!
Side A (17:01)
1. Handle with Care - 3:19
2. Dirty World - 3:30
3. Rattled - 3:00
4. Last Night - 3:48
5. Not Alone Any More - 3:24
Side B (19:22)
6. Congratulations - 3:30
7. Heading for the Light - 3:37
8. Margarita - 3:15
9. Tweeter and the Monkey Man - 5:30
10. End of the Line - 3:30
An album in which nothing could possibly be changed; you're welcome. Ideally, one could simply call the albums Volume X, but I personally find it to be rather bland, and so I'll be giving each album their own individual titles. Handle with Care gets its title from the opening track.
Side A (18:19)
1. You Got It - 3:30 (Mystery Girl) [Lefty, Otis and Charlie T]
2. I Won’t Back Down - 2:56 (Full Moon Fever) [Charlie T, Otis and Nelson]
3. Lift Me Up - 3:36 (Armchair Theatre) [Otis and Nelson]
4. Cheer Down - 4:08 (Best of Dark Horse 1976-1989) [Nelson, Charlie T and Otis]
5. Under the Red Sky - 4:09 (Under the Red Sky) [Lucky and Nelson]
Side B (20:27)
6. Every Little Thing - 3:41 (Armchair Theatre) [Otis, Nelson and Oswald]
7. A Love So Beautiful - 3:33 (Mystery Girl) [Lefty, Otis and Nelson]
8. Like a Ship - 3:31 (Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1)
9. Maxine - 2:49 (Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1)
10. California Blue - 3:57 (Mystery Girl) [Lefty, Otis and Charlie T]
11. Zombie Zoo - 2:56 (Full Moon Fever) [Charlie T, Otis and Lefty]
For this album and one that's coming up, I've taken cues from both Albums That Never Were and Albums Back from the Dead in their respective takes at a third Wilburys album. Under the Red Sky is based upon the former by SonicLoveNoize, with some changes made to the track listing by giving Bob Dylan a couple of vocals and making it seem as if it's a tribute to Roy Orbison, hence he gets three vocal spots. I can easily see Under the Red Sky being their best album as all of the songs included go together extremely well, supported by the fact that Jeff Lynne was involved in all but one of them.
For those who are curious, Oswald Sidebury is Jim Horn, who collaborated with the members a bit, making him an honorary member.
Side A (19:54)
1. She’s My Baby - 3:15
2. Inside Out - 3:35
3. If You Belonged to Me - 3:13
4. The Devil’s Been Busy - 3:18
5. 7 Deadly Sins - 3:17
6. Poor House - 3:16
Side B (16:16)
7. Where Were You Last Night? - 3:03
8. Cool Dry Place - 3:37
9. New Blue Moon - 3:20
10. You Took My Breath - 3:18
11. Wilbury Twist - 2:58
Once again, nothing's been changed from Volume 3 apart from the cover and title.
Side A (18:01)
1. Poor Little Girl - 4:33 (Best of Dark Horse 1976-1989) [Nelson and Otis]
2. Runaway - 2:31 (“She’s My Baby” single)
3. Walk Away - 3:37 (Rock On!) [Tobias, Charlie T and Otis]
4. September Song - 2:57 (Armchair Theatre) [Otis and Nelson]
5. Runnin’ Down a Dream - 4:23 (Full Moon Fever) [Charlie T, Otis and Tobias]
Side B (18:39)
6. Nobody’s Child - 3:29 (Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3)
7. Don’t Treat Me Like a Stranger - 3:05 (An American Treasure) [Charlie T and Otis]
8. Cockamamie Business - 5:15 (Best of Dark Horse 1976-1989) [Nelson and Otis]
9. Work It Out - 3:21 (Work It Out) [Oswald, Otis and Charlie T]
10. Blown Away - 3:29 (Armchair Theatre) [Otis, Charlie T and Tobias]
The final Wilburys album, and perhaps tragically, their most disappointing. With Lucky mostly a no-show, Tobias having committed suicide the year prior, and Lefty having already died in 1988, not to mention cover versions of "Runaway", "September Song" and "Nobody's Child", Nelson, Otis and Charlie each saw no reason to continue beyond Runaways. (The album cover depicting the 1895 Montparnasse derailment certainly reflects upon the content, despite including some of their best.) After that, they went back to their respective careers; Tom Petty carried on with Mudcrutch until his death in 2017, Jeff Lynne resumed his work with the Electric Light Orchestra, and George Harrison was in talks of a Beatles reunion with Jeff's involvement...
Another note; Tobias Wilbury is the pseudonym for Del Shannon on this album, and although not stated anywhere, Mike Campbell's is Montague Wilbury.
