Traveling Wilburys (Official Thread)
- Thread starter TheFeldster
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TheFeldster
Mr Kite
Re: Traveling Wilburys
Well, the story I heard about the Shannon affair was that they were planning to ask Shannon to join but he died before he could reply, so the offer was sort of null and void.. the source I got that from quoted either Harrison or Dylan on this (I can't remember which one, was a few years ago now). But you're right, it is all rumours, and having 5 frontmen in effect, stories can always vary.
Having "Full Moon Fever", "Mystery Girl" and "Volume 1" all in the Top 10 is just a testament to the strength of those 5 musicians - especially considering all except Petty - and in particular Harrison (until Cloud Nine) and Orbison - were considered past their prime by many at the time. My main point with raising those was that it was RUMOR that they considered them as "Volume 2", yet I've already stated that I accepted the official reason of "George being George"
And it came across like you were saying it can't be an "unofficial" Wlibury release as musicians, including Keltner, were involved, but he was clearly with the Wilburys the whole way anyway. And I believe Keltner was also good friends with George, Jeff, Tom, Roy and Bob through involvement in other projects as well, so I tend to accept him as a Wilbury, if just not as high profile as his bandmates.
There's a bit you can learn from Beatles forums as well as ELO forums
Well, the story I heard about the Shannon affair was that they were planning to ask Shannon to join but he died before he could reply, so the offer was sort of null and void.. the source I got that from quoted either Harrison or Dylan on this (I can't remember which one, was a few years ago now). But you're right, it is all rumours, and having 5 frontmen in effect, stories can always vary.
Having "Full Moon Fever", "Mystery Girl" and "Volume 1" all in the Top 10 is just a testament to the strength of those 5 musicians - especially considering all except Petty - and in particular Harrison (until Cloud Nine) and Orbison - were considered past their prime by many at the time. My main point with raising those was that it was RUMOR that they considered them as "Volume 2", yet I've already stated that I accepted the official reason of "George being George"
And it came across like you were saying it can't be an "unofficial" Wlibury release as musicians, including Keltner, were involved, but he was clearly with the Wilburys the whole way anyway. And I believe Keltner was also good friends with George, Jeff, Tom, Roy and Bob through involvement in other projects as well, so I tend to accept him as a Wilbury, if just not as high profile as his bandmates.
There's a bit you can learn from Beatles forums as well as ELO forums
Sweaty
ThE OtHeR rAmOnE
Re: Traveling Wilburys
I remember buying the Wilbury's first album for my then girlfriend, secretly wanting it for myself, complete with free stickers, you don't see that anymore now. I love all their stuff,
The birth of the Traveling Wilburys was actually a happy accident. Warner Brothers Records' International Department had asked that George Harrison come up with a B-side for "This Is Love," a single from his fantastic, "Cloud Nine album".
George, along with cowriter Jeff Lynne and their friends Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison, had been hanging out in Dylan's studio. George used his friends to help him come up with a track for the B-side (remember when B-sides were tracks not on the album)
George took it to the office to play the song and then went next door to A&R head Lenny Waronker's office so he could hear it too. The song George played was "Handle With Care." the reaction was that this song could not be wasted on a B-side. The rest was history, thanks for the thread, "The Feldster", you beat me to it..........
I remember buying the Wilbury's first album for my then girlfriend, secretly wanting it for myself, complete with free stickers, you don't see that anymore now. I love all their stuff,
The birth of the Traveling Wilburys was actually a happy accident. Warner Brothers Records' International Department had asked that George Harrison come up with a B-side for "This Is Love," a single from his fantastic, "Cloud Nine album".
George, along with cowriter Jeff Lynne and their friends Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison, had been hanging out in Dylan's studio. George used his friends to help him come up with a track for the B-side (remember when B-sides were tracks not on the album)
George took it to the office to play the song and then went next door to A&R head Lenny Waronker's office so he could hear it too. The song George played was "Handle With Care." the reaction was that this song could not be wasted on a B-side. The rest was history, thanks for the thread, "The Feldster", you beat me to it..........
Sox
Avoiding The Swan Song
Re: Traveling Wilburys
I played the first album over and over when it came out brilliant stuff. I have not long since bought the Traveling Wilburys Collection cd, dvd set and it's ace.
I played the first album over and over when it came out brilliant stuff. I have not long since bought the Traveling Wilburys Collection cd, dvd set and it's ace.
annie
metal maniac
Re: Traveling Wilburys
I missed this one. I never heard of Jeff going to college. Here is his bio, starting from his first band The Andicaps in 1963 when Jeff was 16 years of age.
Jeff Lynne was born in Birmingham on December 30, 1947 and lived with his parents in a council house at 368 Shard End Crescent. In 1963 at age 16, Jeff first got together with Robert Reader and Dave Walsh playing Spanish guitars before purchasing cheap electric instruments. What the line-up lacked in financial resources, they certainly made up for in enthusiasm. The band was originally called "The Rockin' Hellcats" but Dave Walsh (who had only a drummer's practice pad) had to save up for a set of drums which resulted in his idea to re-name the group "The Handicaps". This was wisely amended to "The Andicaps" and so avoid offending those with a physical disability.
It was during his time with the Andicaps that Jeff Lynne first started to write songs. One of his early efforts was an instrumental number written for the band entitled Andicapped but even at this early stage, Jeff showed an interest in classical compositions. The Andicaps performed a version of Tchaikovsky's famous Swan Lake as an up-tempo arrangement apparently entitled "Saturday Night At The Duck Pond" - probably the same as The Cougars record that reached the charts in 1963. However, the Andicaps' performances featured mostly songs that were hit records played on the radio at the time. By now, The Shadows had been replaced by The Beatles as Jeff Lynne's favourite band so many of their songs were incorporated into the Andicaps' shows. A lead singer was now considered an essential part of the band so John Kerton was enlisted as vocalist. The Andicaps started to play many more gigs around Birmingham which included weekly bookings at the Regal Cinema in Handsworth where they played sets in between the Saturday matinee shows.
As with many amateur bands who formed at a young age, there was some pressure after leaving school to find "real" jobs. Dave Walsh left the Andicaps in 1964. According to Dave; "Jeff and I were always falling out (nothing new there!) Jeff Lynne soon brought in Kevin "Kex" Gorin on drums and Dave Merrick as bass guitarist to replace Rob Reader who was also leaving. Dave Watson's brother Willie joined the Andicaps for a short time as harmonica player which gave the band a more blues-based sound. Despite winning second place at a local competition for "Band of The Year", Jeff Lynne had musical ambitions that lay beyond what the Andicaps provided and longed to turn "pro" with an established band. It was to this aim that Jeff left the Andicaps at the end of 1964 (17 years of age) and joined a well known local group called The Chads (see The Sundowners) as replacement for their departing lead guitarist Mick Adkins.
Jeff Lynne, after his time with The Chads, joined Birmingham's legendary Nightriders who became the psychedelically-styled Idle Race in 1967. From there, he went on to join Roy Wood in The Move. By 1972, The Move had evolved into the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and fronted by Jeff Lynne and the rest is history.
I missed this one. I never heard of Jeff going to college. Here is his bio, starting from his first band The Andicaps in 1963 when Jeff was 16 years of age.
Jeff Lynne was born in Birmingham on December 30, 1947 and lived with his parents in a council house at 368 Shard End Crescent. In 1963 at age 16, Jeff first got together with Robert Reader and Dave Walsh playing Spanish guitars before purchasing cheap electric instruments. What the line-up lacked in financial resources, they certainly made up for in enthusiasm. The band was originally called "The Rockin' Hellcats" but Dave Walsh (who had only a drummer's practice pad) had to save up for a set of drums which resulted in his idea to re-name the group "The Handicaps". This was wisely amended to "The Andicaps" and so avoid offending those with a physical disability.
It was during his time with the Andicaps that Jeff Lynne first started to write songs. One of his early efforts was an instrumental number written for the band entitled Andicapped but even at this early stage, Jeff showed an interest in classical compositions. The Andicaps performed a version of Tchaikovsky's famous Swan Lake as an up-tempo arrangement apparently entitled "Saturday Night At The Duck Pond" - probably the same as The Cougars record that reached the charts in 1963. However, the Andicaps' performances featured mostly songs that were hit records played on the radio at the time. By now, The Shadows had been replaced by The Beatles as Jeff Lynne's favourite band so many of their songs were incorporated into the Andicaps' shows. A lead singer was now considered an essential part of the band so John Kerton was enlisted as vocalist. The Andicaps started to play many more gigs around Birmingham which included weekly bookings at the Regal Cinema in Handsworth where they played sets in between the Saturday matinee shows.
As with many amateur bands who formed at a young age, there was some pressure after leaving school to find "real" jobs. Dave Walsh left the Andicaps in 1964. According to Dave; "Jeff and I were always falling out (nothing new there!) Jeff Lynne soon brought in Kevin "Kex" Gorin on drums and Dave Merrick as bass guitarist to replace Rob Reader who was also leaving. Dave Watson's brother Willie joined the Andicaps for a short time as harmonica player which gave the band a more blues-based sound. Despite winning second place at a local competition for "Band of The Year", Jeff Lynne had musical ambitions that lay beyond what the Andicaps provided and longed to turn "pro" with an established band. It was to this aim that Jeff left the Andicaps at the end of 1964 (17 years of age) and joined a well known local group called The Chads (see The Sundowners) as replacement for their departing lead guitarist Mick Adkins.
Jeff Lynne, after his time with The Chads, joined Birmingham's legendary Nightriders who became the psychedelically-styled Idle Race in 1967. From there, he went on to join Roy Wood in The Move. By 1972, The Move had evolved into the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and fronted by Jeff Lynne and the rest is history.
annie
metal maniac
Re: Traveling Wilburys
Where were you last night? Traveling Wilburys in LA
In addition to Wilburys Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Sidebury Jim Keltner, last night Olivia Harrison, Barbara Orbison, Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, Eric Idle and Gary Wright all attended an evening in celebration of the new Genesis limited edition book The Traveling Wilburys.
James Perse hosted the event at their Beverly Hills store, in celebration of this supergroup of friends, and it was a very special evening for friends to gather together, toast the new book, and offer profound gratitude for the inevitable circumstances that were to bring Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty together.
To see more about this wonderful signed book, a milestone in the history Genesis of publishing, please follow the links below…
http://www.genesis-publications.com/product/the-traveling-wilburys/collector
George Harrisons website..
http://www.georgeharrison.com/#/new...g-wilburys-book-launch-celebrated-los-angeles
Where were you last night? Traveling Wilburys in LA
In addition to Wilburys Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Sidebury Jim Keltner, last night Olivia Harrison, Barbara Orbison, Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, Eric Idle and Gary Wright all attended an evening in celebration of the new Genesis limited edition book The Traveling Wilburys.
James Perse hosted the event at their Beverly Hills store, in celebration of this supergroup of friends, and it was a very special evening for friends to gather together, toast the new book, and offer profound gratitude for the inevitable circumstances that were to bring Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty together.
To see more about this wonderful signed book, a milestone in the history Genesis of publishing, please follow the links below…
http://www.genesis-publications.com/product/the-traveling-wilburys/collector
George Harrisons website..
http://www.georgeharrison.com/#/new...g-wilburys-book-launch-celebrated-los-angeles
TheFeldster
Mr Kite
Re: Traveling Wilburys
Thanks for those links Annie
I've noticed that in Wilbury things, Bob never seems to show and just leaves Tom and Jeff to it. But then, Bob Dylan has always been a bit of a recluse.
Thanks for those links Annie
I've noticed that in Wilbury things, Bob never seems to show and just leaves Tom and Jeff to it. But then, Bob Dylan has always been a bit of a recluse.
annie
metal maniac
Re: Traveling Wilburys
He didn't perform at Concert for George either. Only Jeff and Tom were there.
Thanks for those links Annie
I've noticed that in Wilbury things, Bob never seems to show and just leaves Tom and Jeff to it. But then, Bob Dylan has always been a bit of a recluse.
He didn't perform at Concert for George either. Only Jeff and Tom were there.
annie
metal maniac
Re: Traveling Wilburys
Here is a new Jeff Lynne interview (his first since 2001 apparently) in honor of The Traveling Wilburys book, which gives some insight into how the Wilburys were formed.
Sunday March 21,2010
By Sunday Express Reporter
HE was a member of the Electric Light Orchestra and the Move; he produced records for the Beatles, Beach Boy Brian Wilson and Tom Jones and yet, for Jeff Lynne, the highlight of his four-decade career (to date) is the Traveling Wilburys, the Eighties’ supergroup he formed in 1988 with his heroes and friends George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.
Even now, 20 years after they released their last album, Lynne speaks of the band with a kind of disbelieving reverence.
“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!’ We were good pals and it was fun from day one.”
Lynne, 62, barely does any interviews (the most recent in our archives dates from 2001) but he’s breaking his silence to publicise a limited edition, glossy new book containing previously unseen photographs from the surviving band members’ private collections and compiled by Olivia Harrison, widow of George.“It’s a dead posh book,” he laughs in a warm Birmingham accent undiluted by 17 years of living in LA.
He was always a passionate Beatles fan but the respect turned out to be mutual. John Lennon called ELO his favourite band and once said that if the Beatles had stayed together, they’d have sounded like them.
Then George Harrison asked Lynne to produce his 1987 solo album Cloud Nine. Their Every day was like, working relationship quickly developed into a firm friendship that lasted until Harrison’s death in 2001. “We used to hang out all the time, even when we weren’t making music,” recalls Lynne. “George was a great friend of mine.”
They had only been working together for two months when Harrison suggested they form their own group. “I said, ‘Fantastic!’. He said, ‘We’ll have Bob Dylan in it’, and I said, ‘What about Roy Orbison?’.”
As Lynne had worked with Petty on the Full Moon Fever sessions, he was easily able to invite him to join the band. Then, one night, the pair joined George Harrison on a drive to Orange County to see Roy Orbison perform. Lynne recalls: “We went into his dressing room and George said, ‘Roy, do you want to be in our group?’ And Roy went, ‘Let me think about it for a minute. Yes!’.”
On their first day as a band, the Wilburys congregated at the studio Bob Dylan had built in his garage and Harrison presented them with a half-written song that would eventually become Handle With Care. The band finished the music together, had dinner, wrote some lyrics, recorded vocals then moved on to George Harrison’s to mix the track. It seems remarkable that there was never a battle of egos or at least wills but Lynne points out: “Everybody had already done their own thing. We were all doing slightly different things that we weren’t used to.”
Lynne’s personal favourite picture in the book shows the band grouped around a tree, holding their guitars, one of the first photos they had taken. “I was looking round going, ‘That really is Roy Orbison! And he is my mate!’.”
A fan of Orbison since the age of 13 when Only The Lonely stopped him in his tracks, Lynne had co-written and produced tracks that would ultimately be released on his hero’s posthumous album Mystery Girl.
“Obviously when Roy died I had only had a year with him. You Got It was this giant hit and then he died right away, which was such a shame because we’d only just got the hang of writing together and we were going to do all these songs together. He was such a wonderful guy: sweet, kind and really thoughtful.”
Even after years of friendship, Lynne would also experience the odd pang of disbelief at hanging round with a Beatles hero. “George was a great guy, he made me at ease as soon as I got to know him. And I do miss him.”
Despite his love of the Wilburys, Lynne concedes that one other project competes for pride of place on his musical CV. “I did actually produce the Beatles as well,” he says, saying the words incredulously, as if trying them for size. He was enlisted in 1994 to help produce Free As A Bird and Real Live, taken from unfinished demos that had passed to Yoko Ono.
“That was beyond and above anything that I could imagine. Nobody gets to produce the Beatles! Lennon’s voice was recorded on cassette so it was the most difficult piece of work I had to do. It was marvellous but scary to try to make a record out of this mono cassette with a voice and piano that wasn’t even very high quality because it was 25 years old.” Jeff Lynne ’s break came in 1970 when his fellow Brummie Roy Wood invited him to join the Move. Within a couple of years, the pair had branched off to form ELO, only for Wood to leave after the first album.
It was never entirely clear why Wood left; Lynne has spoken of the pair being too competitive with each other while Wood has said he didn’t like being the centre of attention. “Yes, I do talk to Roy now and again,” says Lynne. “He’s still me mate. I haven’t seen him for ages but that’s because I live in LA and he lives in the UK.”
Wood’s departure didn’t stop ELO becoming one of the biggest bands in the world during the late Seventies, enjoying a string of symphonic rock hits including Livin’ Thing and Mr Blue Sky. However, Lynne never bought into a lifestyle of rock ’n’ roll excess. His drug of choice was real ale and his big passion in life, music aside, was Birmingham City FC (he still watches their games from LA on satellite TV).
ELO split in 1986, as soon as Lynne had fulfilled contractual obligations, and since then this studio boffin has largely focused his attentions on producing other artists’ work. Who else would he like to collaborate with?
“There isn’t anyone I can think of, really. All my heroes like Roy Orbison and Del Shannon, the Beatles, I’ve done all the ones I always wanted to.”
That said, he’s enjoying working on Joe Walsh’s new album, at the same time as writing a couple of albums under his own name, though he won’t tell us in which musical direction he’s heading. What Lynne will confirm is that the surviving Wilburys will never travel again. “It wouldn’t be the same now,” he says. “It’s best to leave the band in the book and just look at it from afar with absolute pride and pleasure. It’s wonderful to have these fantastic memories and this book has brought it back home to me how extra-special the Traveling Wilburys were.”
Here is a new Jeff Lynne interview (his first since 2001 apparently) in honor of The Traveling Wilburys book, which gives some insight into how the Wilburys were formed.
Sunday March 21,2010
By Sunday Express Reporter
HE was a member of the Electric Light Orchestra and the Move; he produced records for the Beatles, Beach Boy Brian Wilson and Tom Jones and yet, for Jeff Lynne, the highlight of his four-decade career (to date) is the Traveling Wilburys, the Eighties’ supergroup he formed in 1988 with his heroes and friends George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.
Even now, 20 years after they released their last album, Lynne speaks of the band with a kind of disbelieving reverence.
“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!’ We were good pals and it was fun from day one.”
Lynne, 62, barely does any interviews (the most recent in our archives dates from 2001) but he’s breaking his silence to publicise a limited edition, glossy new book containing previously unseen photographs from the surviving band members’ private collections and compiled by Olivia Harrison, widow of George.“It’s a dead posh book,” he laughs in a warm Birmingham accent undiluted by 17 years of living in LA.
He was always a passionate Beatles fan but the respect turned out to be mutual. John Lennon called ELO his favourite band and once said that if the Beatles had stayed together, they’d have sounded like them.
Then George Harrison asked Lynne to produce his 1987 solo album Cloud Nine. Their Every day was like, working relationship quickly developed into a firm friendship that lasted until Harrison’s death in 2001. “We used to hang out all the time, even when we weren’t making music,” recalls Lynne. “George was a great friend of mine.”
They had only been working together for two months when Harrison suggested they form their own group. “I said, ‘Fantastic!’. He said, ‘We’ll have Bob Dylan in it’, and I said, ‘What about Roy Orbison?’.”
As Lynne had worked with Petty on the Full Moon Fever sessions, he was easily able to invite him to join the band. Then, one night, the pair joined George Harrison on a drive to Orange County to see Roy Orbison perform. Lynne recalls: “We went into his dressing room and George said, ‘Roy, do you want to be in our group?’ And Roy went, ‘Let me think about it for a minute. Yes!’.”
On their first day as a band, the Wilburys congregated at the studio Bob Dylan had built in his garage and Harrison presented them with a half-written song that would eventually become Handle With Care. The band finished the music together, had dinner, wrote some lyrics, recorded vocals then moved on to George Harrison’s to mix the track. It seems remarkable that there was never a battle of egos or at least wills but Lynne points out: “Everybody had already done their own thing. We were all doing slightly different things that we weren’t used to.”
Lynne’s personal favourite picture in the book shows the band grouped around a tree, holding their guitars, one of the first photos they had taken. “I was looking round going, ‘That really is Roy Orbison! And he is my mate!’.”
A fan of Orbison since the age of 13 when Only The Lonely stopped him in his tracks, Lynne had co-written and produced tracks that would ultimately be released on his hero’s posthumous album Mystery Girl.
“Obviously when Roy died I had only had a year with him. You Got It was this giant hit and then he died right away, which was such a shame because we’d only just got the hang of writing together and we were going to do all these songs together. He was such a wonderful guy: sweet, kind and really thoughtful.”
Even after years of friendship, Lynne would also experience the odd pang of disbelief at hanging round with a Beatles hero. “George was a great guy, he made me at ease as soon as I got to know him. And I do miss him.”
Despite his love of the Wilburys, Lynne concedes that one other project competes for pride of place on his musical CV. “I did actually produce the Beatles as well,” he says, saying the words incredulously, as if trying them for size. He was enlisted in 1994 to help produce Free As A Bird and Real Live, taken from unfinished demos that had passed to Yoko Ono.
“That was beyond and above anything that I could imagine. Nobody gets to produce the Beatles! Lennon’s voice was recorded on cassette so it was the most difficult piece of work I had to do. It was marvellous but scary to try to make a record out of this mono cassette with a voice and piano that wasn’t even very high quality because it was 25 years old.” Jeff Lynne ’s break came in 1970 when his fellow Brummie Roy Wood invited him to join the Move. Within a couple of years, the pair had branched off to form ELO, only for Wood to leave after the first album.
It was never entirely clear why Wood left; Lynne has spoken of the pair being too competitive with each other while Wood has said he didn’t like being the centre of attention. “Yes, I do talk to Roy now and again,” says Lynne. “He’s still me mate. I haven’t seen him for ages but that’s because I live in LA and he lives in the UK.”
Wood’s departure didn’t stop ELO becoming one of the biggest bands in the world during the late Seventies, enjoying a string of symphonic rock hits including Livin’ Thing and Mr Blue Sky. However, Lynne never bought into a lifestyle of rock ’n’ roll excess. His drug of choice was real ale and his big passion in life, music aside, was Birmingham City FC (he still watches their games from LA on satellite TV).
ELO split in 1986, as soon as Lynne had fulfilled contractual obligations, and since then this studio boffin has largely focused his attentions on producing other artists’ work. Who else would he like to collaborate with?
“There isn’t anyone I can think of, really. All my heroes like Roy Orbison and Del Shannon, the Beatles, I’ve done all the ones I always wanted to.”
That said, he’s enjoying working on Joe Walsh’s new album, at the same time as writing a couple of albums under his own name, though he won’t tell us in which musical direction he’s heading. What Lynne will confirm is that the surviving Wilburys will never travel again. “It wouldn’t be the same now,” he says. “It’s best to leave the band in the book and just look at it from afar with absolute pride and pleasure. It’s wonderful to have these fantastic memories and this book has brought it back home to me how extra-special the Traveling Wilburys were.”
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