One of the guys at PJs record told me as we were talkin' Wilburys that "If this were the only record these guys made, they would still be a great band." And I really liked that. Vol. 3, the sequel to their debut Vol. 1 (and if you have a theory as to the whereabouts of Vol. 2, join the rest of us,) gets a lot of guff. After all, that Wilburys debut is just so fresh and fun and spontaneous, that trying to follow up on that would be a tall order for everyone, even a few of the greatest songwriters in popular music. Furthermore, Roy Orbison died suddenly in the midst of his career Renaissance, and this record is really missing not just The Big O's high, operatic voice, but also that third generation of rock star.

But looking at the record for what it is, it's good. It is not as fun or off the cuff as its predecessor, but possesses nonetheless some fine and fun songs. Bob Dylan and Tom Petty take over a lot of the vocal duties here, George Harrison and Jeff Lynne seem comfortable doing the less prominent things here.