Last Albums: Traveling Wilburys - Vol.3 (1990)

Roy Orbison passed away not long after Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 was completed, but the remaining quartet of George Harrison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Bob Dylan carried on. Even without their operatic voiced, pop singing bandmate the Wilburys were still the most star-studded, rock supergroup of all time.

Orbison was easily the strongest singer of the five, and the former Sun Records prodigy was definitely missed when it came time to record the band's follow up. Both Harrison and Lynne sing well enough to get the job done - but neither one is outstanding - and at times Petty and Dylan can sound a little similar to each other.

To play a joke on their fans, the ex-Beatle - the Wilburys' founder and nominal leader of the band - decided to name their second and final album Vol. 3. It wasn't a hilarious joke, but it received a few light chuckles from me and some other fans.

That light-hearted album title kind of matches the music found on Vol. 3 because its songs are less serious than the ones found on its predecessor. Dylan's own work never showed much silliness, so in a way it's hard to believe that the often-worshiped bard from Hibbing, MN would be participating on a song with these lyrics:

"You put your hand on your head (Hand on your head)

Put your foot in the air (Foot in the air)

Then you hop around the room (Hop around the room)

In your underwear (In your underwear)

There ain't never been nothing quite like this

Come on, baby, it's The Wilbury Twist."

Halfway through the eleven-song set a sameness begins to creep in. It's apparent these hall-of-fame musicians lacked the inspiration they collectively possessed while recording their debut. Maybe that's why the group's time together ended here.

Some good albums can't catch a break because they're always compared unfavorably to an artist's all-time classic. Such is the case with Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 3. If I never heard the group's five-star, first album I would probably have a higher opinion of this three-star record.

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Almost Hits is an occasional exploration into songs that failed to reach the top 20 on the American Billboard Hot 100. Many have become classics despite what their chart position would indicate.