The Traveling Wilburys – Volume Two Review

Officially speaking, The Traveling Wilburys has no Volume Two. Unofficially, however, and thanks to the hard-working ties of the bootleg community, there is. What purpose it gave The Traveling Wilbury supergroup to skip over Volume Two is unknown, and yet it does not matter. All it stands as is a title. An unofficial compilation between the two albums is a sweet link, that much becomes clear on Volume Two. George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty all feature in this fifteen-track collection. A few loose ends, early versions and a wonderful selection of the band’s work which, for one reason or another, did not feature on a Wilbury-themed release. There are sparse chances now to even hear their most popular material, but this compilation serves as a lovely compilation, not of rare cuts but solo efforts which happen to work together.  

Opener You Got It, for instance, is a perfectly charming piece of work which, when mused on a little, does sound like a fitting song for The Traveling Wilburys. Overlapping creativity is the aim of The Traveling Wilburys and the work each member would fragment off and develop elsewhere is charming. Lynne’s production is easily identified on You Got It, as it is too on Cheer Down, the Harrison and Petty-featuring track. Despite his success with Electric Light Orchestra, Lynne has always sounded more comfortable in the studio, and parts of Volume Two are a dead giveaway of this. A few leftover tracks are found on this compilation of The Traveling Wilburys. Not all of this is compiled, official releases of solo work. Runaway has, once more, Lynne written all over it. Bouncing, booming and flamboyant work and inevitably some walking in inclement weather. Key to this compilation is what bootlegger Paul picks up on. Lynne is the driving force of the compilation, and, to a degree, the band itself.  

Similar-sounding production is not an issue, it is a skill. A fortunate consistency which spreads over fellow members of the supergroup. Orbison, particularly. Sincerely brilliant and memorable efforts from the final years of his career can be heard on A Love So Beautiful. The only member with barely an appearance on this is Dylan, understandably so given his range of attempts, lacklustre as they were, through the 1980s. Volume Two is a fine route through the sound of the time, with most members hoping Lynne can guide them out of career ruts or, in Harrison’s case, maintaining a newly established interest. Only Dylan was adamant on not using Lynne as producer, though features at the end of this compilation and on four of the leftover songs from The Traveling Wilbury’s puny archive.  

Neat solo works are the driving force of this well-thought, accessible cover. Songs from different careers which compile nicely. Poor Little Girl and Lift Me Up feel like sister songs without knowledge of one another. The difference between compilation and playlist is a fine line – but the thought which goes into Volume Two for The Traveling Wilburys is exceptional. Stick around for the early version of Everything is Broken. Oh Mercy may be a return to form for Dylan – but it is sweet to think of the characters portrayed by the members of The Traveling Wilburys as real people. To that end, Volume Two finds new life for songs which, surrounded by their usual album tracks from member to member, may fail to shine or stand out. This compilation gives them a chance, and it works wonders.