Traveling Wilburys, OOP. Why?
 

I am a big fan of Bob Dylan and Tom Petty and heard some Traveling Wilburys recently and was really impressed. I went to look for the CD online, but to my dismay found that the album was OOP.

Why is this CD out of print? Since I don't want to have to pay $40 from shady dealers on eBay, is there any better way to get it?

Your friendly neighborhood file sharing service!

While people might look down on its use if you download songs that are available at the store, I think it's different for something that's out of print. You're certainly not taking any money out of anyone's pockets except the Ebay dealers.

These are probably the weirdest OOP CD's I've seen the past couple of years. I wonder what the deal is? Did they just not sell?

simple answer..

they're too busy keeping CRAP CDs in print...

I've actually been looking for this CD for almost 10 years. I think it's the longest I have ever looked for ANYTHING. I refuse to pay the insane price it goes for on ebay & I don't know anyone that owns it. One day it will be mine, oh yes. . it will be mine.

That is so strange. Goes to show...if you see it, buy it. It may not be there tomorrow. And this disc is something I never thought would go away. That's like Foreigner or The Cure going OOP. Unheard of.

I have it. For almost eight years now. I guess I have a collectors item. I didn't bother with their second album, oddly titled Vol.III, because it didn't have Roy Orbison.

Since their catalog (if you can call 2 CDs a catalog ;)) is owned by Warner Music, we can try sending a suggestion to Rhino to do a reissue.

One can only hope.

I would have, except for the fact that I was 5 when the CD came out :o.

This sounds very familiar - one day in the record store, I came across The Rolling Stones Jump Back: 1971-1989, and it was great because before that I only owned the collection from 1971-1984. Anyway, I didn't get it because I didn't have enough money, so I go back a week later and it was OOP.

Now, of course, I can get it from Time-Life, but the moment has passed (and for $24, I say no). I'd get 40 Licks, but it doesn't include Harlem Shuffle.

From then on, if I see something, I get it. I've learned the hard way. It's amazing the things that disappear.

I've often wondered why this excellent CD is OOP. I've had my copy for years, pre-Ebay, and every once in a while I do see it in a used CD store. Probably a better bet than eBay to avoid overpaying. It's well worth it, a low-key masterpiece I think. One of my favorite "road music" CDs to play. (I'll second the don't bother with Vol. III, though, there's something missing there, besides Orbison, and it lacks the fun of Vol. I.)

There are some legal/licensing issues here. I even know that several Travelling Wilburys fan sites were forced down by lawyers representing the Wilburys. (They didn't even have any music to download, they were just fan sites) Supposedly a battle between the Wilburys and Warner Music caused these CDs to go out-of-print.

I & III are BOTH excellent albums and two of my favorites in a collection of over 2,000. I got "I" shortly after it was released and got lucky and found "III" at a used store, even found "I" on vinyl for $3. Guess I am lucky considering! I still see them used every so often at local used stores for $20, not too bad even at that price.

Both of the Wilburys CDs are owned by George Harrison's estate, along with all of the solo albums he recorded on his Dark Horse label ('Thirty-Three & 1/3', 'George Harrison', 'Somewhere In England', 'Gone Troppo', 'Cloud Nine' and 'Live In Japan'). They have all been out of print for several years. I don't believe George ever explained why he allowed the albums to go out of print, but he did mention in interviews before he died that he planned to rerelease all of them in the future. Hopefully his estate will eventually honor his wishes. The first Wilburys album is fantastic; almost every song is a classic. The sequel isn't quite as good but is still worth seeking out. They both turn up in used CD stores on occasion, so keep looking...

That's pretty bizarre, isn't it? I mean, you have Tom Petty as a Wilbury, and he's the most prevalent artist in the group. There's four more: Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and George Harrison. All four had their hey-day many moons before 1988 rolled around, and of the five guys, Tom Petty is the artist of the 1980's.

So why do the rights of the Wilbury's fall to George Harrison?? Technically, he had a #1 hit a year earlier with Got My Mind Set On You, which allowed his album Cloud Nine to hit the Top 10, but it was a one shot deal. Tom Petty was cruisin' through the eighties like George, Bob, and Roy were cruisin' through the sixties. It baffles my mind how George could own the rights.

It's a little convuluted, but here is the hypothesis I have about the rights issue, it most likely has to do with the genesis of the band:

Well the reasoning is pretty convulted but this is the best hypothesis I have about the rights:

After George Harrisons' album 'Cloud Nine' was completed, George found himself having to create a bonus track for the European twelve inch of 'When We Was Fab'. Since Jeff Lynne had played an integral part in the creation of George's album, including appearing in the 'When We Was Fab' music video along with Ringo Starr, Jeff postponed his other projects: work on Roy Orbison's album 'Mystery Girl', and his work on tracks for Tom Petty.

Roy Orbison was on the conversation's edge when the two Englishmen discussed this over lunch in Los Angeles. George was impressed that Roy knew so much about Monty Python. George was delighted when Orbison volunteered to sing with him on this extra track.

It wasn't worth booking anywhere expensive so George telephoned Bob Dylan in Santa Monica whose 'little Ampex in the corner of his garage' was available the next day.

Arriving late the following morning, Roy shook hands with Tom Petty - who Jeff, and to a lesser extent, George, had assisted in the production of a Del Shannon album in 1987, after Petty's group had backed Dylan on the tour that had terminated at Wembley. Petty had either tagged along, or was asked by George to come along.

From merely providing refreshments, Dylan lent a hand when Harrison - with his B-Side only half-finished - said, "Give us some lyrics, you famous lyricist." To Bob's enquiry as to the subject matter:

"I looked behind the garage door and there was a cardboard box with 'Handle with Care' on it." - George Harrison

The rest is history ;).


Basically, I think the rights were given to Harrison because the whole thing came about because of his album.

I never heard a better Bob Dylan song - post 1960's - than Tweeter and the Monkey Man on this album. It is so solid, and IMO the best track on the album! It is kind of sad that other Dylan albums couldn't be as fresh and vibrant as this one song was.

:hscratch:

Really? I find it to be kinda weaker than the rest of the songs when considered a Wilbury song. But as a Dylan song, it is pretty good.

Personally, I like Margarita and Heading For the Light the most.

My understanding was that they could not figure out the legal issues and $$$ when Roy Orbison died. Not sure where I heard that, but it's always what I tell customers when they are looking for the CD.

I have to disagree with that one. Petty is very talented and certainly popular in his era but it doesn't compare to what
George and Bob were to the sixties. Petty is actually a result of
the doors that they opened.

(Deleted trading comments after noticing that it's considered against the rules for this forum......nazz)

If eBay is a no-no one could always search <A HREF="http://urlcut.com/wilburys" target="_blank">Gemm</a>....

I don't know the details, but if you want confirmation look at the indicias on the Wilburys CDs and compare them to the Harrison CDs I mentioned. All of them are copyrighted to Ganga Distributors, which is/was one of George's companies.

Ahem.

Not all dealers on eBay are "shady."

We can nip that stereotype in the bud right this instant.

I assume that you are an eBay seller then ;)?

In the case of Traveling Wilburys, most of the sellers are liars. They are all selling a "rare" CD with both albums on one cd. Obviously these cds are fakes, and I do not want to waste my money on a fake. :)

http://cool969.com/common/launch/052...isons_son.html

George Harrison's son says his father's solo albums and other projects will be reissued next year. Dhani Harrison told BBC Radio that his father's albums from the 1970s and '80s will be re-released in 2004, along with new editions of the two Traveling Wilburys albums. Harrison said the albums will include some tracks that were left off the original recordings, along with restored original album artwork.

The two-on-one appears to be a European release.

http://graphics.gemm.com/graphics_db/twcds.11692.jpg

"Tweeter" is a great song & a lot of fun, like the whole rest of the album -- but, really? Do you really think it's better than ANYthing off of Blood On The Tracks, Desire, Oh Mercy, Time Out Of Mind, or Love And Theft - or have you just not heard those? Do you really think it's better than "Blind Willie McTell" from The Bootleg Series?