If ever there was one, it's this album, available now at last for the first time in what seems like an age.
As a rule, "supergroups" tend to be rather sterile, ego-driven and self-indulgent affairs. This is the exception: two albums full of great tunes made by a group of friends who were clearly having a blast together. There are even some who might say that this is probably the most musically fulfilled George Harrison got to be after the Beatles, as good as some of his solo material was, because he simply enjoyed being in a band. I think they have a point.
Volume 1 is the best of the three discs, containing a slew of wonderful songs. My particular favourites are 'Rattled', a romping good 50's skiffly-rock n roll number, 'Heading for The Light', 'End Of The Line' and 'Not Alone Any More', which has a spine-tingling Roy Orbison lead. There isn't a clunker among them, without exception each song has something wonderful and warm to give. Evidence of this is provided by the first bonus track 'Maxine', which wasn't judged good enough to make the original album, which is a lovely rather flamenco-flavoured acoustic George Harrison number. In fact, the weakest song on this disc is the second bonus, 'Like A Ship', but even this is worth a listen.
After the perfection of Vol 1, the only way to go is down. While Vol 3 is not quite as stellar or immediate as its antecedant, it is still full of rollocking good tunes and still doesn't have any real dogs on it. How can you dislike an album that has a (somewhat tongue-in-cheek) rocking sitar solo! (The Devil's Been Busy), including a riff swiped wholesale from I Believe in Father Christmas by Greg Lake. Other highlights include 'Poor House', 'Inside Out' with its layered Beatlesque harmonies, the shambling 'Where Were You Last Night?' and, of course, the wonderfully dumb but fun 'Wilbury Twist'
The second disc is a collection of documentary materials and videos, all of which are certainly worth having and watching. The documentary about the making of the first album is a particular joy, full of smiling happy faces and the pure joy of making great music together.
As a package, you can't really fault it, bringing both these fabulous albums together in a single place for such a low price. As a deal, you'd be hard-pushed to find a better buy anywhere. Quite simply this is a MUST BUY for anyone who has any kind of serious interest in music.