Dylan’s “Dirty World” is a fun, sexy romp that plays with car metaphors while “Congratulations” goes to the other extreme, as the narrator is left “alone in my bed.” Jeff Lynne’s up-tempo “Rattled” would have been a perfect song for Elvis or Jerry Lee Lewis. Orbison’s “Not Alone Any More” finds him still with an amazing voice, and easily stacks up with any of the classics from his career. Petty’s “Last Night” is funny tale about the trouble women can cause set to island rhythms. Dylan’s odd New Jersey tale about “Tweeter and The Monkey Man” sounds like a Bruce Springsteen spoof, playful not mean, but Petty has denied that in interviews.

Vol. 1 doesn’t rise to the level of the band members’ individual accomplishments, but that’s an unrealistic expectation, which also may explain the Wilbury names. There is a little too much studio polish applied, but it is a pleasant listening experience. Orbison died six weeks after the album’s release. In the video for “End of the Line,” his picture and a rocking chair with a guitar are shown during his parts.

In October 1990, the band returned as a quartet with Vol. 3. Vol 2 is considered to be Tom Petty’s solo album, Full Moon Fever, which featured everyone in the band except for Dylan. Possibly in acknowledgment of the new dynamic they would have, new Wilbury names were chosen to signify they were a different group: Spike (Harrison), Clayton (Lynne), Muddy (Petty) and Boo (Dylan).

The songs on Vol. 3 continued with similar stories, but the music’s palette expanded. “She’s My Baby” is a rockin’ group song that gets the album rollin’ with guitar work by Gary Moore. By the second song, “Inside Out,” you realize Orbison is unfortunately not going to be joining them as others take parts that would have sounded perfect for him.

Other than the fun, silly, dance number “Wilbury Twist,” the songs are forgettable, and it goes beyond the absence of Orbison. If this had been their first album, there wouldn’t have been another. Vol 3. is not an album anyone would select to listen to any of these artists; it’s for hardcore fans and completists.

Both Wilbury albums fell out of print in the mid-90s and are now being re-released as one complete set, The Traveling Wilburys Collection. Each album contains two bonus tracks. Vol. 1 includes “Maxine,” sung by Harrison, and “Like A Ship,” sung by Dylan. Lynne and Harrison’s son Dhani, credited as Ayrton Wilbury, provide additional vocals on both. Lynne adds a guitar solo on the former, as does Dhani on the latter. Vol. 3 has the previously released “Nobody’s Child” from the Romanian orphan benefit album of the same name, and a cover of Del Shannon’s “Runaway,” which was the B-side to “She's My Baby” in the UK. It has been remixed with a new clavioline solo replacing the original guitar/harmonica tracks.