| Traveling Wilburys | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Santa Monica, California |
| Genre(s) | Folk rock Rock |
| Years active | 1988 – 1990 |
| Label(s) | Wilbury/Warner Bros. |
| Website | Official website |
| Former members | |
| George Harrison Jeff Lynne Bob Dylan Tom Petty Roy Orbison Jim Keltner |
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The Traveling Wilburys were a supergroup consisting of George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and Jim Keltner (a session musician known for his work with George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson and Jesse Ed Davis).[1] During the short time they were together they recorded two albums.
Contents |
History
Initially starting at a meal between Roy Orbison, George Harrison, and Jeff Lynne, they got together at Bob Dylan's studio at Santa Monica, California to record an additional track as a B-side for the single release of Harrison's "This Is Love". Tom Petty's involvement was by chance as Harrison had left his guitar at Petty's house. The song they came up with was "Handle with Care". However, the record company immediately realized it was too good to be released as a "single filler". They enjoyed working together so much that they decided to create an album together. Written by all its members, the album was recorded over a ten-day period in May 1988 because Dylan was due to go on tour. Released on October 18, 1988 (under various pseudonyms as half-brothers, supposed sons of Charles Truscott Wilbury, Sr.), the album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 was in 1989 ranked #70 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s. It was later nominated for a Grammy under the category Album of the Year. The death of band member Roy Orbison (on December 6, 1988) prevented further full collaborations; however, the band continued without him. The band even finished the video for "End of the Line". In the scene where the verse is sung by Orbison, the viewer is shown Orbison's guitar in a rocking chair followed by a photo of the late artist. "Wilburys" was a slang term coined by Harrison and Lynne during the recording of Cloud Nine as a reference to recorded "flubs" that could be eliminated during the mixing stage[2] (i.e. "'We'll bury' them in the mix"). The term was used again when the entire group was together. Harrison suggested "The Trembling Wilburys" as the group's name, but Lynne suggested using "Traveling" instead. Everyone agreed.
The Traveling Wilburys contributed the title track Nobody's Child to the album Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal, released on July 24, 1990. The album was a benefit for the Romanian Angel Appeal, a charity launched by Olivia Harrison, Barbara Bach, Yoko Ono and Linda McCartney to help the orphaned children of Romania. A second album entitled Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 was released on October 30, 1990. However, the album met with less success. Harrison once claimed in an MTV interview that the band had written material for a Vol. 2, but the material was stolen before completion. In the booklet contained in the 2007 box set (below), the name is credited to 'George being George'.
The 2007 revival
In the late 90s and early 2000s, the two Traveling Wilburys albums had limited availability and were out of print in most territories. Harrison, as primary holder of the rights, did not reissue them prior to his death. In June 2007, the two albums were reissued as a two CD and one DVD box set, originally announced by Tom Petty on his XM radio show and in the February 2007 edition of Q Magazine in an interview with Jeff Lynne. The Traveling Wilburys reissue resulted in two editions of The Traveling Wilburys Collection release. Firstly, a standard edition (in a double Digipak packaging) which features both CD albums (with bonus tracks) and a DVD with a documentary and music videos, along with a 16-page booklet, and secondly a deluxe boxed edition with the same CDs and DVD, plus extensive 40-page booklet and artist postcards and photographs. On the iTunes Store, a digital version of The Traveling Wilburys Collection contains both albums with bonus tracks, the twenty four minute documentary, and five music videos. The release surprised many when it debuted straight at number one in the UK Album Charts[3]. The collection entered the charts at #9 on the US Billboard 200 (Billboard Magazine, for the week ending June 30, 2007). The group also hit number one on the Australian album charts[4], Amazon's pre-order and sales list, and iTunes. The Traveling Wilburys Collection also debuted at #1 in the United World Chart. The album has sold 500,000 copies worldwide during the first 3 weeks and remained in the UK top 5 for seven weeks after its release.
Members
The Traveling Wilburys of Volume 1 were:
- Nelson Wilbury - George Harrison
- Otis Wilbury - Jeff Lynne
- Lefty Wilbury - Roy Orbison
- Charlie T. Wilbury Jr. - Tom Petty
- Lucky Wilbury - Bob Dylan
The Traveling Wilburys of Volume 3 were:
- Spike Wilbury - George Harrison
- Clayton Wilbury - Jeff Lynne
- Muddy Wilbury - Tom Petty
- Boo Wilbury - Bob Dylan
Additional named Traveling Wilburys on the 2007 Collection were:
- Buster Sidebury - Jim Keltner
- Ayrton Wilbury - Dhani Harrison
Jim Keltner, the session drummer and percussionist, was not listed as a Wilbury in Volume 1 or 3; however he is in some of the music videos. In the DVD released in 2007, he is given the Wilbury nickname 'Buster Sidebury'. Furthermore, overdubs to the unreleased tracks "Maxine" and "Like A Ship" credit Ayrton Wilbury, a pseudonym for Dhani Harrison.
Discography
Studio albums
- Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 - October 24 1988 - Wilbury, Warner Bros. - US #3, GER #10
- Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 - October 29 1990 - Wilbury, Warner Bros. - US #11, GER #23
Compilations
- The Traveling Wilburys Collection - June 12 2007 - Wilbury, Rhino - UK #1, US #9, Australia #1, CAN #4, GER #9, Worldwide #1
Singles
- "Handle with Care" - October 1988 - UK #21 UK, US #45 (Mainstream Rock #2, Adult Contemporary #30), AUS #3 (Also re-issued on vinyl in June 2007)
- "Last Night" - December 1988 - US # - (Mainstream Rock #5)
- "End of the Line" - February 1989 - UK # 52, US #63 (Mainstream Rock #2, Adult Contemporary #28), AUS #12
- "Heading For The Light" - April 1989 - US # - (Mainstream Rock #7)
- "Nobody's Child" - June 1990 - UK #44
- "She's My Baby" - October 1990 - UK #79, US # - (Mainstream Rock #2), AUS #45
- "Inside Out" - January 1991 - US # - (Mainstream Rock #16)
Common Bootlegs
- Traveling Wilburys Vol. 2 (1989 demos and extended songs from Vol. 1)
- Traveling Wilburys Vol. 4 (1990 out-takes from Vol. 3)
- Rare Studio Sessions
References
- ^ Traveling Wilburys – Music at Last.fm (HTML). Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
- ^ Traveling Wilburys Questions - Traveling Wilburys Information (HTML). Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
- ^ BBC NEWS (HTML). Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
- ^ Top 50 Albums Chart - Australian Record Industry Assocation (HTML). Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
External links
- Official site
- Traveling Wilburys TheWilburys.com - Traveling Wilburys Information, music videos, lyrics and more
- Comprehensive fan site
- Two blogs from the same author on the Traveling Wilburys: Wilbury Twist and Traveling Wilburys
- All Over the World Jeff Lynne information page (ELO, Traveling Wilburys).
- Entry at VH1.com
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| Studio albums | All Things Must Pass · Living in the Material World · Dark Horse · Extra Texture (Read All About It) · Thirty Three & 1/3 · George Harrison · Somewhere in England · Gone Troppo · Cloud Nine · Brainwashed |
| With Traveling Wilburys | Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 · Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 |
| Live albums | The Concert for Bangla Desh · Live in Japan |
| Compilations | The Best of George Harrison · Best of Dark Horse 1976-1989 |
| Soundtracks | Wonderwall Music · Concert for George |
| Experimental albums | Electronic Sound |
| Box sets | The Dark Horse Years 1976-1992 |
| Related articles | Discography · The Beatles · Concert for George · Harrisongs · Dark Horse Records · Pattie Boyd · Olivia Trinidad Arias · Dhani Harrison · thenewno2 · Friar Park · Traveling Wilburys · George songs in Beatles |
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| Solo | Armchair Theatre |
| With the The Idle Race | The Birthday Party • Idle Race |
| With The Move | Looking On • Message From the Country |
| With Electric Light Orchestra | The Electric Light Orchestra • ELO 2 • On the Third Day • Eldorado, A Symphony • Face the Music • A New World Record • Out of the Blue • Discovery • Time • Secret Messages • Balance of Power • Zoom |
| With the Traveling Wilburys | Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 • Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 |
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| Tom Petty • Mike Campbell • Scott Thurston • Ron Blair • Benmont Tench • Steve Ferrone • Howie Epstein • Stan Lynch | |
| Studio albums | Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers • You're Gonna Get It! • Damn the Torpedoes • Hard Promises • Long After Dark • Southern Accents • Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) • Into the Great Wide Open • Songs and Music from "She's the One" • Echo • The Last DJ |
| Tom Petty solo albums | Full Moon Fever • Wildflowers • Highway Companion |
| Tom Petty with Traveling Wilburys | Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 • Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 |
| Compilations | Greatest Hits • Playback • Anthology: Through the Years |
| Live albums | Pack up the Plantation: Live! • Live at the Olympic: The Last DJ |
| Production | Jimmy Iovine • David A. Stewart • Robbie Robertson • Jeff Lynne • Rick Rubin • George Drakoulias |
| Related articles | Discography |
