Of all the so-called supergroups over the years, the Traveling Wilburys hold the esteemed distinction for me of creating the sames sense of fun that the Beatles did in their early years of singing wonderful melodies that are not couched in today’s musical tendencies for over-production and digital perfection. What a lineup-George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty. Kick in one of the world’s best drummers, Jim Keltner and what a stellar group of musicians.
Though they only made two albums together and their best singer died soon after the release of their first album ( I am of course referring to Roy Orbison), they were two excellent albums, indeed, clever lyrics, poking fun at everyone. Despite the possible or potential ego overload of the band, the distribution of contributions of the individual members seemed well-balanced and fair. The most important ingredients were the catchy melodies and the direct message being sent out by all of the members of the band that they were having a helluva good time checking those individual egos at the door.
The band started with a song that George Harrison thought would make a great B-side as he had just recently completed his Cloud Nine album. Through several twists of fate George made a few calls and before you know it, they had a new band. Handle With Care became their first single.
So as not to offend certain affections that others have for their favorite musicians, George once gave an interview where he speculated who who would make a good Wilbury and who would not. I would love to hear his specific reasons for his choices. I have got to find that interview one day! I will not attempt to incite people’s anger to hear George’s choices as to who would make a good Wilbury! That audio interview is available Online somewhere!
This is a band I would have loved to see tour. What a grand show that would have been. There are some who disagree with my choice of the best singer in the band. To me there was no doubt, it was Roy Orbison. I saw him perform live on several occasions over the years and he would receive standing ovations in the middle of several of his numbers. His seemingly effortless several octave voice was truly memorable. He was one of the best singers I have ever heard. You could see in their promo films how much admiration and respect the other Wilburys had for Roy and his heavenly vocal chords.
When you have George Harrison and Bob Dylan contributing lyrics as well as memorable tunes, Jeff Lynne with his keen sense of harmony and melody, Tom Petty with his sharp wit and strong songwriting skills, this was the chemistry needed for greatness! Add in one of the best percussionists and drummers in the business, Jim Keltner, and the recipe for success was there and waiting to be tapped!
Though I prefer the tunes on the first Wilbury release and believe it was the best of the 2 Wilbury releases, the 2nd volume,which was ironically called Volume 3, had a significant amount of great tunes. Like the Beatles, the Wilburys left me always yearning for MORE!!! WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE???
ANOTHER GORGEOUS GENESIS PUBLICATIONS BOOK:
The Traveling Wilburys – Limited Edition Book
The slipcase of my copy of the book:
The Genesis Publications Traveling Wilburys Limited Edition book:
A little biographical background about the Wilburys on Wikipedia.
Traveling Wilburys – Wikipedia
The sleeve encasement containin the facsimile reproduction of the lyrics to George Harrison’s song which would launch the Wilburys:
A reproduction of George’s lyrics in the sleeve:
The credits page of the special Genesis title:
To me this statement in the book sums up the message of the Wilburys perfectly:
The Table of Contents in the book:
Jeff Lynne’s Foreword to the book:
Jeff Lynne’s signature in my copy of the book-copy #3000 of 3,000 copies issued!
The Traveling Wilburys – Handle With Care And one of the many gorgeous photos from the book
A SPECIAL ROMANIAN LP ORGANIZED BY OLIVIA HARRISON: NOBODY’S CHILD
THE LP CAN BE FOUND ON AMAZON, EBAY AND DISCOGS:
Olivia Harrison in cooperation with Yoko Ono, Barbara Bach, and Linda McCartney cooperated to raise funds for the horrific conditions of many Romanian orphanages at the time. The LP was designed to help alleviate some of those conditions and received help from the contributing artists to the LP.
The track listing of this excellent LP:
The special thank you to the purchasers of the record:
Olivia Harrison’s message to the purchasers of the Romanian Appeal Album:
VOLUME 1 OF THE WILBURYS:
Track Listing for Volume 1:
VOLUME 3:
THE TRACK LISTING FOR VOLUME 3
The Traveling Wilburys – The Devil’s Been Busy (Official Visualizer)
Amazon.com: Traveling Wilburys Collection [2 CD/DVD Combo]: CDs & Vinyl
A few sources where the 2 volumes of the Wilbury releases can be found:
AMAZON US:
Amazon.com: The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1[LP]: CDs & Vinyl
Amazon.com: The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 3[LP]: CDs & Vinyl
AMAZON UK:
The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1: Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl
The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 3: Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl
The Traveling Wilburys Collection by The Traveling Wilburys: Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl
George Harrison on The Beatle who suited The Traveling Wilburys
Be Healthy and Be Happy!!!
Buzz
OUR OFFER OF THE WEEK
The Quarrymen in Rosebery Street (B&W) – Signed Photograph
The very first photograph taken of John Lennon with The Quarrymen was on 22nd June 1957 in Rosebery Street, Liverpool 8. The photographer was Charlie Roberts, and he has this amazing photograph of The Quarrymen signed by himself, as well as Quarrymen Rod Davis, Colin Hanton, and Len Garry, plus John Lennon’s sister Julia Baird.
Love ’em! “End of the Line” is going to be played at my funeral — but not soon! And I read somewhere that George Harrison once said that had he lived, John Lennon would have wanted to be a Wilbury “in an instant.” Tim Hatfield, author, When We Find Ourselves in Times of Trouble: The Beatles (All their songs with encouraging words for challenging times)
That is absolutely correct, Tim!
I wish Genesis would release a more affordable edition of the Traveling Wilburys book.
Vickie-I certainly agree with you. All of the limited-edition books should have a corresponding mass-market and more affordable issue of the books to be officially released! That way, all of the fans interested in these titles would be able to enjoy them! Some of these recent limited-edition books have outlandish asking prices even with their initial release. I remember some recent signed limited-edition McCartney books upon release were starting with a $3,000 asking price per copy! That is obscene in my opinion! Essentially that conveys the message that only the wealthy or higher-income groups will stand a chance to obtain one. Perhaps a lottery system would be fairer and more equitable!!!
The secrets to the Traveling Wilburys origin, how their Wilbury names were created and many other secrets, are revealed in the book, Mysteries in the Music: Case Closed. The author worked on the Wilburys box set and worked for George.
Yes, that is a truly wonderful book written by the noted writer and author, Jim Berkenstadt!
a supergroup, my book copy is 905
That is great to hear, Alfred! As a collector I know trying to purchase the first copy of any limited-edition book is impossible, so I made a decision a long time ago to attempt the obtain the last numbered of signed limited-edition books. The psychological element was knowing that no more would ever be made again after the last numbered copy. The most pride in this regard was caused by me being able to obtain copy #1967 of Henry Grossman’s Kaleidoscope Eyes since there were only 1967 issued copies. The book as you are fully aware is a photographic essay of the recording of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds which of course occurred in 1967. There is always a method to a collector’s madness!