The Travelling Wilburys – Volume 1 (1988)

Well, believe the completely accidental version if you like, but I suspect there was more to this group than meets the initial eye.  Concocted by Jeff Lynne and George Harrison during the recording of the latters’ comeback album ‘Cloud 9’, the vital ingredients were the inclusion of a pretty washed up (at the time) Dylan and one of George’s heroes Roy Orbison, who he had met and toured with in the Sixties; the inclusion of Tom Petty (just off the back of touring with Bob and being produced by Jeff too) completed the best Supergroup in the world.  George had mostly already written ‘Handle Me With Care’ and the band, instantly gelling, contributed to the few fragments each brought to the party and so compiled a superb debut album.  Burying their ego’s and superstar persona was key as they adopted the fictitious name and released the new band’s debut.  Of course it was an open secret and an instant success; how could it not fail.  Then disaster struck as Roy died of a heart attack.  Maybe they should have left it there, but a second album, ‘Volume 3’, came out a couple of years later (after all they probably needed the money – hahaha) to less success – but like all Beatles records it sold pretty well.