Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Wilburys and guess who else...

Up to Future Shop today to pick up the deluxe editions of the Traveling Wilburys Collection and Bachman-Cummings Jukebox. Both of these albums contain a DVD, as well as the music that one expects to find on a CD. Where to start?
George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison combined for one song, and stayed together long enough to create the first classic Wilburys album. It's included here on the first disc, along with two, relatively forgettable unreleased tracks. The sound is fine, everything has been done to present this stuff in the best light. The second album was called Volume 3 (just because) and it is expanded with "Nobody's Child" and "Runaway" two tracks which saw limited release. The third disc is the DVD which has all the Wilburys' videos (5 songs) along with a 25 minute documentary called "The True History of the Traveling Wilburys". It exists mainly as a tribute to the friendly nature of this project, and as a tribute to the lives of Roy Orbison and George Harrison. Excellent stuff. All of this is available in the standard edition, but the deluxe version has a linen box, and a hardcover book filled with pictures, original liner notes and an article by Anthony DeCurtis. Oh, and there's an envelope of memorabilia too. Wilbury pictures and a sticker, and a certificate of authentication with an official number. I have #11128. Not sure how big the edition is! My guess is...BIG!
The other album, by Canadian idols (real idols...not the TV kind) Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings is their take on some of their favourite songs from fifty years of rock'n'roll. They cover Elvis, Fats Domino, the Beatles, Georgie Fame, John Fred & his Playboy Band (whoda-thunkit?), Cliff Richard, Chuck Berry, The Equals and more (it's a jukebox, get it)...they even cover themselves. They polish up their shuffle rendition of "American Woman" with which they opened their 2006 tour. These two guys couldn't stand the sight of each other for a long time, and on the DVD they're so chummy it's almost sickening..."Oh Burton sings so great on this track...Randy lays down a super guitar part on that track..." I guess I should be happy for them, but it seems almost TOO friendly. The album, though, is good listening. Special props to slide guitar soloist Michael "Mickey Zee" Zweig for his work throughout.

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