When it comes to supergroups, they don't get much more super than one containing George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne.
And to make the story even more interesting, this particular supergroup came together quite by accident.
Wilbury Backstory
It started innocuously enough. In the spring of 1988, Warner Brothers Records was about to release Harrison's "This Is Love" -- from the newly released Cloud Nine album -- as a single. Record execs thought the single would have more sales potential if the "B" side contained an original song.
At the time, pals Harrison, Dylan, Orbison and Lynne had been hanging out between tour dates at a small recording studio that Dylan had put together near Los Angeles. When Harrison went to Petty's house to get the guitar he had left there, he persuaded Petty to come along for the ride. After a couple of days of collaborating, jamming, and enjoying one another's company, Harrison dropped by the label offices with a demo tape of "Handle With Care."
It took one listen for the label guys to decide that what they were hearing was too good to be wasted on a single B-side, and urged Harrison to persuade the group to do an entire album.
How to Make a Wilbury Travel
As interesting as the band's birth is the origin of its name.
The group was a collaboration. By design, there was to be no "front man" -- they would all sing, play, write, and produce. To punctuate the ego-free concept, they decided not to use their real names.
As the band did more and more recording and mixing, it became second nature for them to deal with mistakes and odd noises by saying, "we'll bury" them in the final mix. Accordingly, in the language of Dylan's little homemade studio, the various pieces of equipment used to accomplish this became known as "wilburys."
Thus they began calling themselves the Trembling Wilburys, but when Jeff Lynne suggested that "Traveling" might work better than "Trembling" they all agreed, and the band's name was born.
Which Wilbury is Which?
So intent were the Wilburys on disguising their identities (as if nobody would recognize voices like Orbison's and Dylan's) they even used different first names on each of their two albums.
Harrison was Nelson Wilbury on the first album and Spike on the second; Dylan was Lucky and Boo; Lynne was Otis, then Clayton; Petty became Charlie, Jr. and Muddy. Orbison, who died soon after the first album was recorded, was Lefty.
The tradition continues with the 2007 remastered reissues. Session drummer Jim Keltner wasn't originally listed as a Wilbury (although he appeared in the music videos) but on the new release he is credited as Buster Sidebury. Harrison's son, Dhani, who is overdubbed on a couple of previously unreleased tracks is credited as Ayrton Wilbury.
Watch and Listen
There were only two Wilburys albums released. In keeping with the band's penchant for tongue-in-cheek humor, they were titled Volume 1 and Volume 3.
The Traveling Wilburys Collection consists of remastered versions of these long out-of-print albums, each including a pair of previously unreleased tracks.
The real gem is the DVD. The True History Of The Traveling Wilburys documents the band's formation and the recording of the first album and music videos. The mini-doc includes footage shot during the album's production, and interviews with all of the Wilburys except the notoriously interview-shy Dylan. The DVD also contains the Wilburys' five music videos, including "End of the Line" which was still in production when Orbison died, and became a touching tribute with the inclusion of video of his guitar in a rocking chair and a still picture of the late artist during his vocal solo.
Oh, Just Go On and Buy It!
Photo by Alberto Tolot, courtesy Rhino Media
Even if the music wasn't good (which it is) this set would be worth having for its historic value alone. The experience of listening to five of the greatest vocalists/musicians/songwriters of our time is enhanced immeasurably by seeing actual footage of this remarkable collaborative process.
As Petty sees it, "It really had very little to do with combining a bunch of very famous people. It was a bunch of friends who just happened to be good at making music."
It's hard to come up with the name of a "supergroup" before or since that has had the chemistry and the talent of The Traveling Wilburys. The fun these guys had doing these albums is more than evident. (I dare you to listen to "Wilbury Twist" and not get up and start dancing!)
The Traveling Wilburys is a complete and compelling record of the history of a truly unique collaborative effort.
