UAWIL #148: Traveling Wilburys - Volume 1
Traveling Wilburys were a happy supergroup formed from legendary friends wanting to eschew the music business and just have fun making music again
October 25, 1988 saw the release of Traveling Wilburys Volume 1, the debut of a supergroup that no one saw coming. Born out of an idea that George Harrison and Jeff Lynne shared as they worked on his hit album Cloud Nine, they decided they'd like to make music with friends and people they admired. Jeff wanted to work with Roy Orbison and George wanted to work with Bob Dylan. After enlisting the help of new buddy Tom Petty, they set about putting together the most high-powered supergroup of all-time. They all took turns writing, singing lead and playing guitar and the results were strong - more than 3 million in US sales and a grammy nomination for album of the year.
The harmonies between all their voices are something to behold and while some songs give most everyone a chance to sing lead (Handle With Care, End of the Line) others are showcases for their individual styles like like Roy Orbison on Not Alone Anymore and Tweeter and the Monkey Man for Bob Dylan. You can really sense the joy coming from George Harrison as he had been jaded with the music industry and was happy to be part of something special again. Roy was completely chuffed to be back on top of the charts (#3 US, #16 UK, #1 Canada, #1 Australia) but unfortunately he would pass away mere weeks after the album was released. This collaboration helped revive the careers of all these legends and they would continue to work together on each others projects immediately after this. It may not be our typical musical style but as this record turns 35, it was fun to reflect and take a listen to what true rock legends can accomplish by working together and having a bit of fun.
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