Traveling Wilburys | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Los Angeles, California, US |
Genres | |
Years active | 1988 | –1991
Labels |
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Past members | |
Website | travelingwilburys |
Traveling Wilburys were a British-American supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 1988, consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. They were a roots rock band and described as "perhaps the biggest supergroup of all time". [2]
Originating from an idea discussed by Harrison and Lynne during the sessions for Harrison's 1987 album Cloud Nine , the band formed in April 1988 after the five members united to record a bonus track for Harrison's next European single. When this collaboration, "Handle with Care", was deemed too good for such a limited release, the group agreed to record a full album, titled Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 , released in October 1988. Following Orbison's death in December 1988, the Wilburys continued as a quartet and released a second album, incongruously titled Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 , in 1990.
The release of their debut album was much anticipated because of the stature of the participants. The band members adopted tongue-in-cheek pseudonyms as half-brothers from the fictional Wilbury family of travelling musicians. Vol. 1 was a critical and commercial success, helping to revitalise Dylan's and Petty's careers. In 1990, the album won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.
Although Harrison envisioned a series of Wilburys albums and a film about the band, to be produced through his company HandMade, the group became dormant after 1991 and never officially reunited, though the individual members continued to collaborate on each other's solo projects at various times. Harrison died in 2001, followed by Petty in 2017, leaving Dylan and Lynne as the only surviving members. After being unavailable for several years, the two Wilburys albums were reissued by the Harrison estate in the 2007 box set The Traveling Wilburys Collection .
None of this would've happened without him. It was George's band – it was always George's band and it was a dream he had for a long time. [3]
George Harrison first mentioned the Traveling Wilburys publicly during a radio interview with Bob Coburn on the show Rockline in February 1988. [4] [5] When asked how he planned to follow up the success of his Cloud Nine album, Harrison replied: "What I'd really like to do next is ... to do an album with me and some of my mates ... It's this new group I got [in mind]: it's called the Traveling Wilburys, I'd like to do an album with them and then later we can all do our own albums again." [6] [nb 1] According to Jeff Lynne, who co-produced Cloud Nine, Harrison introduced the idea of the two of them starting a band together around two months into the sessions for his album, [8] which began in early January 1987. [9] When discussing who the other members might be, Harrison chose Bob Dylan and Lynne opted for Roy Orbison. [8] [10] The term "Wilbury" also originated during the Cloud Nine sessions. Referring to recording errors created by faulty equipment, Harrison jokingly remarked to Lynne, "We'll bury 'em in the mix." [4] [11] Thereafter, they used the term for any small error in performance. Harrison first suggested "the Trembling Wilburys" as the group's name; at Lynne's suggestion, they amended it to "Traveling Wilburys". [4] [nb 2]
During his Rockline interview, Harrison voiced his support for Dylan, [13] at a time when Dylan was experiencing an artistic and commercial low point in his career. [14] Harrison and Lynne became friends with Tom Petty in October 1987, when Petty and his band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, toured Europe as Dylan's backing group on the Temples in Flames Tour. [15] [16] The friendship continued in Los Angeles later that year. [17] There, Harrison struck up a musical rapport with Petty based on their shared love of 1950s rock 'n' roll, [18] and Lynne began collaborating with Petty on what became Petty's debut solo album, Full Moon Fever , and writing songs with Orbison, Lynne's longtime musical hero, [19] for Orbison's comeback album, Mystery Girl . [20] [21] According to Petty, Harrison's dream for the Wilburys was to handpick the participants and create "the perfect little band", but the criteria for inclusion were governed most by "who you could hang out with". [22] The five musicians also bonded over a shared appreciation of the English comedy troupe Monty Python. [23] Harrison, who had worked with the members of Monty Python on various productions by his company HandMade Films since the late 1970s, particularly appreciated Orbison's gift for impersonation and his ability to recite entire sketches by the troupe. [24] [25]
The band came together in April 1988, [26] when Harrison was in Los Angeles to oversee the filming of his HandMade production Checking Out . [27] At that time, Warner Bros. Records asked Harrison for a new song to serve as the B-side for the European release of his third single from Cloud Nine, "This Is Love". [28] During a meal with Lynne and Orbison, Harrison asked Lynne to help him record the track and invited Orbison to attend the session, [29] which he then arranged to take place at Dylan's garage studio in Malibu [7] since no professional studios were available at such short notice. [13] Petty's involvement came about when Harrison went to retrieve his guitar from Petty's house and invited him to attend also. [30]
Working on a song that Harrison had recently started writing, the ensemble completed the track, which they titled "Handle with Care" after a label on a box in Dylan's garage. [7] When Harrison presented the recording to Mo Ostin and Lenny Waronker of Warner Bros., the executives insisted that the song was too good to be used as a B-side. [31] [32] In Petty's recollection, Harrison and Lynne then decided to realise their idea of forming a Wilburys band, and first invited him to join before phoning Dylan, who also agreed to join. [33] That night, Harrison, Lynne and Petty drove to Anaheim to see Orbison perform at the Celebrity Theatre and recruited him for the group shortly before he went on stage. In Petty's description, Orbison performed an "unbelievable show", during which "we'd punch each other and go, 'He's in our band, too.' ... We were all so excited." [33]
From my point of view, I just tried to preserve our relationship. I worked so hard to make sure that all the guys who were in that band, and consequently on record and film, that their friendship wasn't abused. Just to preserve our friendship – that was the underlying contribution, I think, that I was trying to do. [34]
The band members decided to create a full album together, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 . Video footage of the creative process was later edited by Harrison into a promotional film for Warner Bros. staff, titled Whatever Wilbury Wilbury. [26] [35] The album was recorded primarily over a ten-day period in May 1988, [36] to allow for Dylan's limited availability as he prepared for the start of what became known as his Never Ending Tour [37] [38] and for Orbison's tour schedule. [39] These sessions were held in the house of Eurythmics member Dave Stewart, in Los Angeles. [40]
The five band members sat in a circle playing acoustic guitars in Stewart's kitchen; [41] once each song's basic track had been written and recorded there (with accompaniment from a drum machine), [42] the group recorded their vocals in another room, usually after dinner each night. [43] [44] Petty recalled that, as a friend but also an avowed fan of Dylan's, Harrison felt the need to clear the air on the first day by saying to him: "We know that you're Bob Dylan and everything, but we're going to just treat you and talk to you like we would anybody else." Dylan replied: "Well, great. Believe it or not, I'm in awe of you guys, and it's the same for me." [45] While most of the songs had a primary composer, [46] all of the band members were creative equals. [37] [47] Petty later described Harrison as the Wilburys' "leader and manager", [48] and credited him with being a bandleader and producer that had a natural instinct for bringing out the best in people and keeping a recording session productive. [47] [nb 3] As the group's producers, Harrison and Lynne directed the sessions, with Harrison often auditioning each member to decide who should sing a particular lead vocal part. [52] [53] The two producers then flew back to England; Lynne recalls that, throughout the flight, he and Harrison enthused about how to turn the sparse, acoustic-based tracks into completed recordings. [54] Overdubs and further recording took place at Harrison's studio, FPSHOT, [33] with "Sideburys" Jim Keltner (drums), Jim Horn (saxophones) and Ray Cooper (percussion). [26] Harrison described the band's sound as "skiffle for the 1990s". [55]
The album was released on 18 October 1988. [56] Distributed by Warner Bros., it appeared on the new Wilbury record label rather than on Harrison's Dark Horse label, in the interests of maintaining the group identity. [50] Over the months following the end of recording in the summer, contractual issues had been successfully negotiated between Warner and the record companies representing Dylan, Petty, Lynne and Orbison. As was the case in 1971 when EMI prepared Harrison's multi-artist live album from the Concert for Bangladesh for release, Dylan's label, Columbia, presented the main stumbling block. [26] [nb 4] In the album credits, the "Wilburys" joke was extended further, with the band members listed under various pseudonyms and pretending to be half-brothers – sons of a fictional Charles Truscott Wilbury Sr. [57] [58] During promotion for the album, Orbison played along with the mock history, saying: "Some people say Daddy was a cad and a bounder, but I remember him as a Baptist minister." [59] [36]
Vol. 1 was a critical and commercial success, and revitalised the careers of Dylan, Orbison and Petty. [60] As Harrison had intended, the album defied contemporary musical trends such as hip hop, acid house and synthesised pop; author Alan Clayson likens its release to "a Viking longship docking in a hovercraft terminal". [61] [nb 5] The album produced two successful singles and went on to achieve triple-platinum certification for sales in the United States. It was nominated for several awards and won the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. Liner notes on the album cover were written by Monty Python's Michael Palin under a pseudonym. [36] Palin's essay was based on an idea by Derek Taylor, [58] who wrote an extensive fictional history of the Wilburys family that otherwise went unused. [48] Harrison planned a feature film about the band, to be produced by HandMade and directed by David Leland, but contractual problems ended the project. [63]
Roy Orbison died of a heart attack on 6 December 1988. [64] In tribute to him, the music video for the band's second single, "End of the Line", shows a black-and-white framed photo of Orbison, and his guitar is shown, rocking in a chair, whenever his vocals are heard. [65] Lynne recalled that Orbison's death in the wake of Vol. 1's success was "the most sickening thing to me". He added: "I was devastated for ages ... Me and Roy had had plans to do much more together, and his voice was in really good shape. It was just so sad for that to happen." [66] Although there was speculation in the press that Del Shannon or Roger McGuinn might join the Wilburys, the remaining members never considered replacing Orbison. [48] [67] [nb 6] Lynne later said: "We'd become this unit, we were all good pals … We always knew we were going to do another one, and now it's just the four of us." [67]
Harrison was the most active in promoting the Wilburys, carrying out interviews well into 1989. [36] He said he was "wait[ing] for all the other Wilburys to finish being solo artists" so that they could renew the collaboration. [68] By contrast, according to author Clinton Heylin, Dylan appeared to give the band little attention as he focused on re-establishing himself as a live performer before recording his 1989 album Oh Mercy . [69] [nb 7]
In March 1990, Harrison, Lynne, Petty and Dylan reunited to work on a second Wilburys album, which they intentionally misnumbered Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 . [71] It was preceded by a non-album single, a cover of "Nobody's Child", [58] which the band recorded for Olivia Harrison's Romanian Angel Appeal charity project. [71] [72] The duration of the main album sessions was again dictated by Dylan's touring schedule and limited availability. Having asked Dylan to record a lead vocal for all the songs before his departure, Harrison was then loath to replace many of the parts, resulting in a greater prominence for Dylan as a lead singer. [71] Although he ceded his own role as a lead vocalist to Dylan and to Petty, [73] Harrison took over more of the production and contributed more prominently as a lead guitarist than before. [74] Petty described the album as "a little more rough and ready, a bit more raucous" than Vol. 1, [75] while Dylan said the new songs were more developed as compositions relative to the "scraped up from jam tapes" approach to the band's debut. [71]
Vol. 3 was released on 29 October 1990. [76] It was dedicated to Orbison, as "Lefty Wilbury", the pseudonym that Orbison had used in 1988 in honour of his hero Lefty Frizzell. [77] The album met with less success than the previous one. According to Mo Ostin, the choice of album title came about through "George being George"; [11] apparently Harrison was making a wry reference to the appearance of a bootleg that served as a sort of Volume 2. [78] The album's liner notes were written by Eric Idle, another Python member, who again adopted a pseudonym. For the band's final single, "Wilbury Twist", they filmed a video in which Idle, John Candy and other comedic actors attempt to master the song's eponymous dance style. The clip was filmed in Los Angeles and completed on 28 February 1991. [79] [nb 8]
According to Jim Keltner, the decision on the group's future after Vol. 3 lay with Harrison. Keltner said that from his conversations with Lynne, Petty and Dylan, they were all keen to reunite, whereas Harrison wavered in his enthusiasm. [81]
After his 1991 tour of Japan – his first series of concerts since 1974 – Harrison spoke of a possible Traveling Wilburys tour:
That would be something I'd like to experience. I've always played around in my own mind what a Wilburys tour could be. Would each person do a solo set and then do Wilburys at the end, or would we all go right on from beginning to end and make everything Wilburys? It's an intriguing thought. We could have a great band up there and the four of us could play acoustic if we wanted to. We could all sing "Blowin' in the Wind" and Bob could sing "Something". Or we could just sing our individual songs and make them Wilbury tunes, as if we'd recorded them that way. Whatever it was, we could do it.
The Wilburys tour never came about. Petty said about the Wilburys touring:
I think it would work, if we wanted to do it. I don't think we ever considered it, really. There were a lot of nights when the conversation would roll around to that. But I don't think anybody ever took it seriously. I think it would ruin it in a way. Then you're obligated to be responsible and it's not in the character of that group. It would make it very formal and that would be the wrong spirit.
One of the most amazing things ever about the Wilburys was this poles-apart thing of Roy [Orbison] and Bob Dylan. That's what I thought was wonderful – the best singer and the best lyricist, and they're both in the same group. [82]
In the Rolling Stone Press book The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, the Traveling Wilburys are described as "the ultimate supergroup", with a line-up that represented four eras of rock music history and included "three indisputable gods" in Dylan, Harrison and Orbison. The editors also recognise the band as "the antithesis of a supergroup", due to the musicians' adoption of fraternal alter egos and the humour inherent in the project. [83] AllMusic managing editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine has similarly written: "It's impossible to picture a supergroup with a stronger pedigree than that (all that's missing is a Rolling Stone), but in another sense it's hard to call the Wilburys a true supergroup, since they arrived nearly two decades after the all-star craze of the '70s peaked, and they never had the self-important air of nearly all the other supergroups. That, of course, was the key to their charm …" [60] Speaking to music journalist Paul Zollo in 2004, Petty agreed that humour and self-effacement had been key factors in the Wilburys' success, adding: "We wanted to make something good in a world that seemed to get uglier and uglier and meaner and meaner … And I'm really proud that I was part of it. Because I do think that it brought a little sunshine into the world." [84]
Harrison said the project was an opportunity to "put a finger up to the rules" by challenging the norms associated with the music industry. [23] Discussing the Wilburys in Peter Bogdanovich's 2007 documentary Runnin' Down a Dream , Petty said that one of the strengths behind the concept was that it was free of any intervention from record company, management or marketing concerns, and instead developed naturally from a spirit of co-operation and mutual admiration among five established artists. [43] Author Simon Leng recognises the venture as primarily a channel through which Harrison and Dylan could escape the restrictions of their serious media images, but also, in its guise as a "phantom band", a development by Harrison of the Rutles' satirical approach to the Beatles' legacy, in this case by "de-mythologizing" rock history. [85]
Inspired by the Traveling Wilburys' success and particularly its benefit to Petty and Orbison as artists, Lenny Waronker encouraged American guitarist Ry Cooder to form the band Little Village and record for Warner Bros. [86] The group – comprising Cooder, Keltner, John Hiatt and Nick Lowe – released a self-titled album in 1992. [87] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune described the Notting Hillbillies' Missing ... Presumed Having a Good Time as a Traveling Wilburys-type side project for Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. [88] Writing in New York magazine in late 1990, Elizabeth Wurtzel cited the Notting Hillbillies' album and the self-titled debut by Hindu Love Gods – a band consisting of Warren Zevon and members of R.E.M. – as examples of a trend whereby, following the Wilburys' Vol. 1, "more and more albums seem to be the rock-and-roll equivalents of bowling night." [89]
Writing in The Encyclopedia of Popular Music , Colin Larkin cites the Wilburys' contemporary skiffle as evidence of Lonnie Donegan's continued influence on popular music long after the early 1960s. [90] In his book Lonnie Donegan and the Birth of British Rock & Roll, Patrick Humphries describes the Wilburys as "a makeshift quintet whose roots were firmly and joyously planted in low-key, low-tech skiffle music". He credits the band with inspiring a brief revival of Donegan's "DIY skiffle", which included Knopfler's Notting Hillbillies. [91] Each member of the Traveling Wilburys has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, although the band itself has not been inducted. Orbison and Dylan were inducted as solo artists, Harrison was inducted as a member of the Beatles and, posthumously, as a solo artist, Petty as the leader of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Lynne as a member of the Electric Light Orchestra. [92]
The whole experience was some of the best days of my life, really, and I think it probably was for us all ... The thing I guess would be hardest for people to understand is what good friends we were. It really had very little to do with combining a bunch of famous people. It was a bunch of friends that just happened to be really good at making music. [93]
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the two Traveling Wilburys albums had limited availability and were out of print in most areas. Harrison, as primary holder of the rights, did not reissue them before his death. In June 2007, the two albums were reissued as The Traveling Wilburys Collection , a box set including both albums on CD (with bonus tracks) and a DVD featuring a 25-minute documentary entitled The True History of the Traveling Wilburys and a collection of music videos. The box set was released in three editions; the standard edition, with both CDs and DVD in a double Digipak package and a 16-page booklet; a "deluxe" boxed edition with the CDs and DVD and an extensive 40-page booklet, artist postcards, and photographs; or a "deluxe" boxed edition on vinyl. This version omits the DVD, but adds a 12-inch vinyl disc with rare versions of the songs.
The release debuted at number 1 in the UK [94] and topped the albums chart in Australia, [95] Ireland [96] and other countries. [97] On the US Billboard 200 it reached number 9. The collection sold 500,000 copies worldwide during the first three weeks and remained in the UK top 5 for seven weeks after its release.
In November 2009, Genesis Publications, a company with which Harrison had been associated since the late 1970s, [98] announced the release of a limited edition fine-bound book titled The Traveling Wilburys. [99] Compiled by Olivia Harrison, [100] the book includes rare photographs, recording notes, handwritten lyrics, sketches, [23] [101] and first-hand commentary on the band's history, together with a foreword by Lynne. [99] Petty, Lynne, Olivia Harrison, Barbara Orbison, Keltner and Idle were among those who attended the US launch at a Beverly Hills bookshop in March 2010. [102] In an interview to publicise the book, Lynne expressed his sadness at the deaths of Harrison and Orbison, and reflected: "The Wilburys was such a wonderful band, such a marvellous thing to be part of. They were the best people I could ever wish to work with. Every day was like, 'Wow!' ... it was fun from day one." [100]
Jim Keltner, the session drummer and percussionist, was not officially listed as a Wilbury on either album, but was given the nickname "Buster Sidebury". Overdubs on the 2007 bonus tracks "Maxine" and "Like a Ship" were credited to "Ayrton Wilbury", a pseudonym for Dhani Harrison. The name Ayrton was used in honour of F1 driver Ayrton Senna. [103] Jim Horn and Ray Cooper played saxophones and percussion, respectively, on both albums. The lead guitar part on the Vol. 3 track "She's My Baby" was played by rock guitarist Gary Moore, who received the credit "Ken Wilbury". [104]
Harrison appeared as Nelson Wilbury on Warner Bros. Records' Christmas 1988 promotional album Winter Warnerland (which also included Paul Reubens as "Pee Wee Wilbury"). In 1992, in his capacity as producer, Harrison credited himself as "Spike and Nelson Wilbury" on his live album Live in Japan . During that Japanese tour, in December 1991, Harrison credited himself as Nakihama Wilbury. The Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 1992 single "Christmas All Over Again" contained a greeting that read "Merry Christmas from Nelson and Pee Wee Wilbury". Additionally, at Tom Petty Celebration in 2019, Roy Orbison Jr. was dubbed "Lefty Wilbury Jr." and Alex Orbison as "Ginger Wilbury". The Harrison-made film promoting the Traveling Wilburys, Whatever Wilbury Wilbury, lists the following credits: "Cecil Bidet Wilbury" (directed by), "Lenny W. Wilbury" (sound), "Chopper Wilbury" (editor), "Edison Wilbury" (lighting), "Evelyn Wilbury" (wardrobe), "Clyde B. Wilbury" (special effects), "Big Mac Wilbury" (catering), "Zsa Zsa Wilbury" (make-up) and "Tell M. Wilbury" (production manager). A squirrel is named "Eddie Wilbury" in that film as well. David Bone was a minor writer and also contributed to other musical scores by Jeff Lynne.
Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AUS [105] | AUT [106] | CAN [107] | NOR [108] | NZ [109] | SWE [110] | SWI [111] | UK [112] | US [113] | |||
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 3 | ||
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 |
| 14 | 22 | 6 | 3 | 19 | 5 | 18 | 14 | 11 |
Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AUS [105] | AUT [106] | NOR [108] | NZ [109] | SWE [110] | SWI [111] | UK [112] | US [113] | |||
The Traveling Wilburys Collection |
| 1 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 45 | 1 | 9 |
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AUS [105] [123] | CAN [124] | IRE [125] | NZ [109] | UK [112] | US [126] | US Main [127] | US AC [128] | ||||
1988 | "Handle with Care" | 3 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 21 | 45 | 2 | 30 | Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 | |
1989 | "End of the Line" | 12 | 8 | 14 | 11 | 52 | 63 | 2 | 28 |
| |
"Heading for the Light" | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | |||
1990 | "Nobody's Child" | 66 | — | — | 9 | 44 | — | — | — | Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal | |
"She's My Baby" | 58 | 30 | — | — | 79 | — | 2 | — | Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 | ||
"Inside Out" | 117 | 50 | — | — | — | — | 16 | — | |||
1991 | "Wilbury Twist" | 137 | 86 | — | — | — | — | 46 | — | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
US Main [127] | |||
1988 | "Last Night" | 5 | Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 |
1989 | "Tweeter and the Monkey Man" | 41 |
Year | Project | Artist | Collaborators |
---|---|---|---|
1970 | "I'd Have You Anytime" | George Harrison | Harrison, Dylan (as co-writers) |
1971 | The Concert for Bangladesh | George Harrison & Friends | Harrison, Dylan |
1985 | Porky's Revenge! soundtrack | Various (George Harrison) | Harrison debuts Dylan's song "I Don't Want to Do It" |
1986 | "Band of the Hand" | Bob Dylan with the Heartbreakers | Dylan, Petty |
Knocked Out Loaded | Bob Dylan | Dylan, Petty | |
Shanghai Surprise soundtrack | George Harrison | Harrison, Lynne | |
1987 | "Jammin' Me" | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | Petty, Dylan (as co-writers) |
Cloud Nine | George Harrison | Harrison, Lynne | |
Duane Eddy | Duane Eddy | Lynne, Harrison | |
1988 | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | Various | Dylan, Harrison |
Land of Dreams | Randy Newman | Lynne, Petty | |
1989 | Mystery Girl | Roy Orbison | Orbison, Lynne, Petty, Harrison |
Full Moon Fever | Tom Petty | Petty, Lynne, Harrison, Orbison | |
"Cheer Down" | George Harrison | Harrison, Lynne, Petty (as co-writer) | |
1990 | Work It Out | Jim Horn | Harrison, Lynne, Petty |
Hell to Pay | Jeff Healey Band | Harrison, Lynne | |
Armchair Theatre | Jeff Lynne | Lynne, Harrison, Petty (as co-writer) | |
Under the Red Sky | Bob Dylan | Dylan, Harrison | |
A Tribute to John Lennon | Various (Ringo Starr) | Lynne, Petty | |
1991 | Back from Rio | Roger McGuinn | Petty, Lynne (as co-writers) |
Into the Great Wide Open | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | Petty, Lynne | |
Rock On! | Del Shannon | Lynne, Petty [129] | |
"Hot Love" | Del Shannon | Petty, Lynne, Harrison [130] | |
1992 | The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration | Various | Dylan, Harrison, Petty |
"Christmas All Over Again" | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | Petty, Lynne | |
King of Hearts | Roy Orbison | Orbison, Lynne | |
1995 | "Free as a Bird" | The Beatles | Harrison, Lynne |
1996 | "Real Love" | ||
2001 | Zoom | Electric Light Orchestra | Lynne, Harrison |
2002 | Brainwashed | George Harrison | Harrison, Lynne |
Concert for George | Various | Lynne, Petty | |
2006 | Highway Companion | Tom Petty | Petty, Lynne |
2023 | "Now and Then" | The Beatles | Harrison, Lynne |
Jeffrey Lynne is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is the co-founder, and latterly the sole member, of the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970, and has written all of the band's music since 1972. This includes hits such as "Evil Woman", "Livin' Thing", "Telephone Line", "Mr. Blue Sky", "Don't Bring Me Down", and "Hold On Tight". He also has had a solo career, with two albums: Armchair Theatre (1990) and Long Wave (2012).
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's music is mostly in the rock music genre and his most successful periods were in the early 1960s and the late 1980s. He was nicknamed "The Caruso of Rock" and "The Big O". Many of Orbison's songs conveyed vulnerability at a time when most male rock-and-roll performers projected strength. He performed with minimal motion and in black clothes, matching his dyed black hair and dark sunglasses.
Full Moon Fever is the debut solo studio album by American musician Tom Petty, released on April 24, 1989, by MCA Records. It features contributions from members of his band the Heartbreakers, notably Mike Campbell, as well as Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and George Harrison, Petty's bandmates in the Traveling Wilburys. The record showcases Petty exploring his musical roots with nods to his influences. The songwriting primarily consists of collaborations between Petty and Lynne, who was also a producer on the album. Full Moon Fever became a commercial and critical success, peaking at No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and being certified 5× platinum in the United States and 6× platinum in Canada.
Mystery Girl is the twenty-second album by American singer Roy Orbison. It was his last album to be recorded during his lifetime, as he completed the album in November 1988, a month before his death at the age of 52, and it was released posthumously by Virgin Records on January 31, 1989. It includes the hit singles "You Got It", which was co-written by Orbison and his Traveling Wilburys bandmates Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty, and "She's a Mystery to Me", written by Bono and The Edge. The album was a critical and commercial success; it peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, the highest position Orbison had achieved on that chart, and number 2 on the UK Albums Chart.
"Handle with Care" is a song by the British-American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. It was released in October 1988 as their debut single and as the opening track of their album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. The song was the first recording made by the group, although it was originally intended as a bonus track on a European single by George Harrison. When he and Jeff Lynne presented the song to Harrison's record company, the executives insisted it was too good for that purpose, a decision that resulted in the formation of the Wilburys. The song was written primarily by Harrison, although, as with all the tracks on Vol. 1, the writing credit lists all five members of the band: Harrison, Lynne, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.
The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 is the debut studio album by the English-American supergroup Traveling Wilburys, comprising George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. It was released in October 1988 to commercial success and critical acclaim. Although Harrison had long planned to start such a band, the project came about through happenstance. Harrison was in Los Angeles and in need of a B-side for a single from his album Cloud Nine, which resulted in the participants collaborating informally on the song "Handle with Care" at Dylan's home.
The discography of English singer-songwriter and former Beatle George Harrison consists of 12 studio albums, two live albums, four compilation albums, 35 singles, two video albums and four box sets. Harrison's first solo releases – the Wonderwall Music film soundtrack (1968) and Electronic Sound (1969) – were almost entirely instrumental works, issued during the last two years of the Beatles' career. Following the band's break-up in April 1970, Harrison continued to produce recordings by his fellow Apple Records acts, notably former bandmate Ringo Starr. He recorded and collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Shankar, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Gary Wright.
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 is the second and final studio album by the Traveling Wilburys, a group consisting of George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. It was released on October 29, 1990, as the follow-up to their 1988 debut, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. The band members again adopted pseudonyms for their contributions, using new names from the fictitious Wilbury brothers.
Best of Dark Horse 1976–1989 is a compilation album by the English musician George Harrison, released in October 1989. His second compilation, after the Capitol/EMI collection The Best of George Harrison (1976), it contains songs from Harrison's releases on his Dark Horse record label between 1976 and 1987. The album also includes a 1989 single, "Cheer Down", which was Harrison's contribution to the soundtrack of the film Lethal Weapon 2, and two tracks recorded specifically for the collection: "Poor Little Girl" and "Cockamamie Business". Despite the popularity of Harrison's work over this period – both as a solo artist with his Cloud Nine album (1987), and as a member of the Traveling Wilburys – the compilation failed to achieve commercial success.
"End of the Line" is a song by the British-American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. It was the final track on their debut album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, released in October 1988. It was also issued in January 1989 as the band's second single. The recording features all the Wilburys except Bob Dylan as lead singers; George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison sing the choruses in turn, while Tom Petty sings the verses. The song was mainly written by Harrison and was assigned to his publishing company, Umlaut Corporation. However, all five members of the group received a songwriting credit in keeping with the collaborative concept behind the Wilburys project.
"Tweeter and the Monkey Man" is a song by the British-American supergroup Traveling Wilburys that first appeared on the 1988 album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1.
"This Is Love" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison that was released on his 1987 album Cloud Nine. Harrison co-wrote the song with Jeff Lynne, who also co-produced the track. In June 1988, it was issued as the third single from Cloud Nine, peaking at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart.
"She's My Baby" is a song by the British–American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys and the opening track of their 1990 album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3. The song was written by all four members of the band – George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty – and each of them sing a portion of the track. The song was released as the first single from the album, although it was only issued as a promotional single in the United States. The lead guitar part is played by Gary Moore.
"Cheer Down" is a song by English musician George Harrison that was first released in 1989. The track was his contribution to the soundtrack of the film Lethal Weapon 2 and was also issued as a single. Harrison wrote the song with Tom Petty and co-produced the recording with Jeff Lynne.
The Traveling Wilburys Collection is a box set compilation album by the British-American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. It comprises the two studio albums recorded by the band in 1988 and 1990, with additional bonus tracks, and a DVD containing their music videos and a documentary about the group. The box set was released on 11 June 2007 by Rhino, in association with Wilbury Records.
"Not Alone Any More" is a song by the British–American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys from their 1988 album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. It was sung by Roy Orbison and serves as his main contribution to the album. The song was written mainly by Jeff Lynne, although all five members of the Wilburys are credited as songwriters.
"Heading for the Light" is a song by the British–American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys from their 1988 album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. It was written primarily by George Harrison but credited to all five members of the band. Harrison sings the song with Jeff Lynne, who also co-produced the track and, with Harrison, formulated the idea for starting the Wilburys. The song was issued as a promotional single in the United States, where it peaked at number 7 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart. The song received a commercial release in Australia in 1989, where it peaked at number 88 on the ARIA singles chart.
"Inside Out" is a song by the British–American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys from their 1990 album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3. It was written by all the members of the band, which had been reduced to a foursome following the death of Roy Orbison in December 1988, and it was the first song they worked on for the album. The lyrics address environmental issues and describe a world turned yellow.
"Ride Rajbun" is a song by English musician George Harrison. It was released in 1992 on the multi-artist charity album The Bunbury Tails, which was the soundtrack to the British animated television series of the same name. Harrison co-wrote the song's lyrics with Bunbury Tails creator David English. The eponymous Rajbun was a character in the series based on English's friend and cricketer Rajendrasinh Jadeja, one of a team of cricket-playing rabbits – in this case, from Bangalore in India. The composition is in the style of a nursery rhyme or children's song, while the all-Indian instrumentation on the recording recalls some of Harrison's compositions for the Beatles during 1966–68.
Songs by George Harrison 2 is a book of song lyrics and commentary by English musician George Harrison, with illustrations by Keith West and an accompanying EP of previously unreleased Harrison recordings. It was published in June 1992, in a limited run of 2500 copies, by Genesis Publications. As with Harrison and West's first volume, published in 1988, each copy was hand-bound and available only by direct order through Genesis in England.