The Traveling Wilburys

The original Wilburys were a stationary people who, realizing that their civilization could not stand still forever, began to go for short walks - not the "traveling", as we now know it, but certainly as far as the corner and back. They must have taken to motion, in much the same way as penguins were at that time taking to ledges, for the next we hear of them they were going out for the day (often taking lunch or a picnic). Later, we don't as yet know how much later, some intrepid Wilburys began to go away for the weekend, leaving late Friday and coming back Sunday. It was they who evolved simple rhythmic forms to describe their adventures.

A remarkable sophisticated musical culture developed, considering there were no managers or agents, and the further the Wilburys traveled the more adventurous their music became, and the more it was revered by the elders of the tribe who believed it had the power to stave off madness, turn brunettes into blondes and increase the size of their ears.

But as the Wilburys began to go further and further in their search for musical inspiration they found themselves the object of interest among many less developed species - nightclub owners, tour operators and recording executives. To the Wilburys, who had only just learnt to cope with wives, roadies and drummers, it was a blow from which many of them never recovered. They became Hairdressers or TV Rental Salespersons.

A tiny handful survived - the last of the Traveling Wilburys - and the songs gathered here represent the popular laments, the epic and heroic tales, which characterize the apotheosis of the elusive Wilbury sound. The message of the music travels, as indeed they traveled and as I myself must now travel for further treatment. Good listening, good night and let thy Wilbury be done . . .

-Sleeve Note:- Hugh Jampton, E F Norti-Bitz Reader in Applied Jacket, Faculty of Sleeve Notes, University of Krakatoa (East of Java)

The birth of The Traveling Wilburys is shrouded in very little mystery. A group of friends, brothers in all but name, came together in Santa Monica to record a single track as a B-side for George Harrison's soon to be released single, 'This is Love'. The quality of the track with Orbison's powerful voice, Harrison's masterful guitar and the contributions of Petty, Dylan and Lynne was such that 'Handle With Care' signaled the start of a collaboration of giants.

Roy Orbison was born on April 23, 1936 in Vernon, Texas and was probably one of the most influential singer/songwriters of his generation. His first recordings were for Sun Records in 1956 but after minor success with 'Ooby Dooby', he concentrated on songwriting until after a brief stint with RCA he moved to Monument Records. Between 1960 and 1965 he had a string of hits including classics such as 'Running Scared', 'Only the Lonely' and 'Pretty Woman', all of which showcased his massive vocal range and virtuosity. He toured with the Beatles in 1964 and John Lennon is said to have tried to emulate him with their hit, 'Please, Please Me' - perhaps a foretaste of Wilburyness!

The twenty years running up to the mid 80's were not kind to Orbison either personally or professionally though his influence could be seen in the music of Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello and k.d lang to name a few. The resurgence in his career came about with the release of David Lynch's film, Blue Velvet, which featured 'In Dreams' - another Orbison hit. The combination of that together with the recording of a 'Roy Orbison and Friends, a Black and White Night' brought his music and his soaring talent to the attention of a new generation of listeners.

His contribution to The Traveling Wilburys is immeasurable and his death in December 1988 was a blow to all his 'brothers'. The latest Album had been recorded but Videos were still to be made. Perhaps the most moving tribute can be seen in the video for 'End Of the Line' - during the verse sung by Orbison there is a shot of an empty Rocking Chair with his Guitar resting in it which cuts away to a photograph of the man but more poignant still is the look on George Harrison's face as he glances towards it.

The final chapter in his career was the release of 'Mystery Girl' shortly after his death - it became his greatest hit album.

One of my own most vivid memories is a damp September evening in 1975, the 17th to be exact, when I sat mesmerised by the huge talent of one of my heroes as he stood on the stage - a man dressed in black - and sang from his soul.

George Harrison was born in Liverpool on February 25 1943 and went on to become a living legend. He began his association with Paul McCartney as a schoolboy and through him met John Lennon and became a part of the Quarrymen which eventually went on to become The Beatles. Always regarded as 'the quiet one', his guitar skills were often underrated by his fellow Beatles and he was certainly not regarded as a great songwriter until towards the end of the Beatles career when McCartney is reported to have said to Lennon that 'his songs are as good as ours this year (1969)'. It was during this period of his life that he became deeply involved in Eastern Spiritual traditions, espousing beliefs he held for the rest of his life.

Following the breakup of The Beatles, Harrison developed his solo career and collaborated with artists such as Ravi Shankar and Eric Clapton. 'All Things Must Pass' was perhaps the greatest achievement of this stage of his career, the first triple album by a solo artist it was a stunning achievement and launched many of his great songs - 'My Sweet Lord' among them. He also organised the first of the great charity fundraisers that are now a feature of our lives with the 'Concert for Bangladesh' in 1971.

Throughout the 70's and early 80's George continued to work on a variety of projects, Living in the Material World, Dark Horse, Thirty Three & 1/3 to name a few. Relatively little was released in the 80's until work began on 'Cloud Nine' and the coming together of a group of friends to record a track to form the 'B' side of a single and George realized that he too, was a Wilbury.

George Harrison was probably the catalyst for the formation of The Traveling Wilburys, bringing together a true supergroup which worked because, before anything else, they were friends who respected each other personally and professionally. 'So we went out to Bob Dylan's house', said Tom Petty, 'we sat on the grass and from the germ of an idea that George had on the guitar we wound up writing this song called Handle with Care'. George's comment was 'So everybody was there and I thought I'm not just gonna sing it myself, I've got Roy Orbison standing there. I'm gonna write a bit for Roy to sing. And then as it progressed I started doing the vocals and I just thought I might as well push it a bit and get Tom and Bob to sing the bridge....'

George died from Cancer in November 2001.

Jeff Lynne was born on December 30, 1947 in Birmingham (UK)and is currently regarded as one of the best record producers whilst still continuing his long and varied career as a musician. He started his musical apprenticeship in a variety of local bands until in 1966 he joined The Nightriders - soon to become Idle Race. They recorded a couple of highly acclaimed albums but had little commercial success so in 1970 he joined The Move, fronted by his good friend Roy Wood.

The collaboration between Wood, Bev Bevan and Lynne resulted in the formation of ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) where they developed a musical style which blended Rock and light Classical to produce a unique sound epitomised in albums such as 'On The Third Day' and 'Face the Music'. By the late 70's when Lynne was the creative mastermind of ELO, following Wood's departure, the style had changed to a far more pop-rock sound created by an ensemble of musicians. 1978 saw the release of 'Out of The Blue' - a masterwork, followed by 'Discovery' and 'Time'.

The 80's saw far more of a concentration on production and collaboration with other artists, eventually working with George Harrison on 'Cloud Nine' and Roy Orbison on 'Mystery Girl' and it was during this period that Lynne realized that he too was a Wilbury at heart.

As Otis Wilbury he worked on the production of The Traveling Wilburys Vol 1 with his brother Nelson and went on to work with many of his brothers in their non-Wilbury careers. His work on Orbison's 'Mystery Girl' and the posthumously produced 'King Of Hearts' showed Roy's talents at their best - he also co-wrote 'You Got It' - Orbison's last major single hit.

The Album which is widely regarded as The Traveling Wilburys Vol 2 - Tom Petty's 'Full Moon Fever' as brought to fruition under the careful eye of Lynne and again demonstrated all that was best in it's performers and the pair are still working together.

A lifelong ambition was fulfilled in working with another Wilbury - Nelson - in his more normal guise as George Harrison along with the other surviving Beatles to help produce the 'Anthology' Series. Lynne's latest work has involved the re-mastering of all the ELO Catalogue culminating in the re-release of 'Out Of The Blue' in February 2007.

Tom Petty was born on October 20, 1950 in Gainesville, Florida dropping out of High School to pursue his music in a number of bands including Mudcrutch which eventually evolved into The Heartbreakers. Their first Album, Breakdown, was initially a bigger hit in the UK than the US and was actually re-released there the following year (1977) to catch the rising tide of popularity. The next few years of Petty's career were marked by a series of successful albums (always his preferred format) and disputes with record companies where his principles cost him dearly - to the point of filing for Bankruptcy rather than giving in to the dictates of the company. However The Heartbreakers success continued as their music appealed to a wide variety of fans and the album 'Damn The Torpedoes went triple platinum.

Petty slowed down the pace during the early 80's taking some time out - perhaps an early sign of Wilburyness, a need to reconnect with his roots. By 1985 however, he was back in the swing of things with a raft of album releases including 'Southern Accents', 'Pack Up the Plantation' and 'Let Me Up'.

In 1988 Charlie T Wilbury joined his brothers in a collaboration that gave him enormous pleasure summed up by a comment attributed to him after an Orbison Concert the night the Wilbury's were formed "We watched Roy give an incredible concert and kept nudging each other and saying 'Isn't he great, he's in our band.' We were all real happy that night."

Following the release of The Traveling Wilburys album Tom went on to release 'Full Moon Fever' produced by Jeff Lynne. Though this was nominally a solo project, many of The Heartbreakers and The Wilburys featured on it, such that it is often regarded as Vol 2 of The Travelling Wilburys. This album is often cited as the pinnacle of his career. 1991 saw him reunited with The Heartbreakers for 'Into The Great Wide Open' again produced by his Wilbury Brother, Otis.

A second solo album, Wildflowers followed in 1994 and since then Petty has continued to work both on his solo career and with The Heartbreakers, together with cameo appearances in a number of films such as 'The Postman', not to mention 'The Simpsons' and 'King of the Hill' (a personal favorite of mine!)

Bob Dylan was born on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota and has become one of the most prolific and controversial of modern singer/songwriters often being hailed as the spokesman of his generation, a title he detested. He played in a number of bands during his youth but his true musical journey probably began when he dropped out of College in Minnesota and went to New York to meet his hero, Woody Guthrie, in 1960. The early years were marked by his emergence as the voice of protest though many of his fans were dismayed by his 'betrayal' of acoustic music and the move to electric in the mid sixties.

'Blond on Blonde', regarded by many as his masterwork, was released shortly before a motorcycle accident which kept Dylan out of the public eye until the release of 'John Wesley Harding' which was much more Country in style. A mixture of albums followed varying in style and success, some like 'Self Portrait' were slammed, whilst others such as 'New Morning' were hailed as a comeback. He toured and traveled extensively during this period (emerging Wilburyness perhaps?) and for a relatively short period became a Born-Again Christian before returning to his Jewish roots some years later. Early in '72 a new side of Dylan emerged with his appearance in Peckinpah's 'Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid' for which he also wrote a number of songs including 'Knockin on Heaven's Door'.

1986 saw Lucky join his brother, Charlie T, when Dylan and Tom Petty played together in a highly successful tour though the album that followed, 'Knocked Out Loaded' was not well received. The now legendary coming together of the brothers Wilbury was recorded in Dylan's studio where he was overjoyed to play with a man he hugely admired, his brother Lefty, Roy Orbison. Dylan said of him 'His songs had songs within songs. Orbison was deadly serious-no pollywog and no fledgling juvenile. There wasn't anything else on the radio like him'.

The 1990's saw Dylan embark on what has come to be known as 'The Never Ending Tour' playing up to 100 dates a year and returning, musically, to his roots. He has also published Chronicles:Volume One, the first part of his autobiography. This was true to Dylan's style in keeping his fans on their toes as he emphasized many of the lesser regarded parts of his life and work.