In the late 1980s, a rock n roll miracle occurred. George Harrison was asked by his label to record a b-side for one of the singles from his big comeback album, Cloud Nine. Through an incredible set of circumstances, he and his producer, Jeff Lynne (of ELO fame), found themselves in the studio with Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison. The feeling was so good that they decided, on the spot, to make a full album together, and release it under the name The Traveling Wilburys. There had been no plan – it just happened:
(If the video’s down, go here.)
The story of the Traveling Wilburys is a story of grace. These guys were friends; they loved and respected one another and were close enough in stature that they clearly felt some sorely needed kinship. With the exception of Petty, the “relevant” phases of their careers were behind them. The pressure to make important statements, in other words, to prove themselves, or even receive credit at all, was gone. In its place they found freedom, humor and a shared love of rock n’ roll. They let down their guards, and the songs simply poured out, spontaneously and haphazardly. As if to underscore the playful and selfless spirit of the project, they all adopted silly pseudonyms and traded instruments.
Listen to the records, especially the first one – after being out of print for years, it was finally reissued in 2007 – the joy still leaps out of the speakers! There is simply not a trace of ego in the grooves; it is the sound of genuine fellowship, the kind which can never be engineered or commanded, calculated or planned. Their collaboration was the fruit of feeling loved and known, the by-product of the great time they were having rather than the occasion for it.
The fun was clearly infectious. The Wilbury phenomenon spilled over into each of their solo careers, resulting in number one hits for Harrison (“Got My Mind Set On You”), Orbison (“You Got It”) and Petty (“Free Fallin”, “Won’t Back Down” – in fact, the entire Full Moon Fever record). For more details, go here.
The intended b-side that brought them together, “Handle Me With Care,” remains the purest expression of the Wilbury sound and spirit, capturing the camaraderie in both its roundtable arrangement and its sweet, self-effacing lyric. It also happens to be one of the best singles of the 1980s, period. I have no doubt it’ll be playing in heaven:
5 comments
Liz says:
Feb 22, 2008
Now that’s some sweet fruit! Such a brilliant reflection of the freedom only grace can provide us to be & enjoy who we’ve been created to be… yes!
Pingbacks/Trackbacks
Another Week Ends: Advent Mudballs, Freaks and Geeks, Christian Pariahs, Yiddish Petraeus, Hitchcock Communion and Scott Walker | Mockingbird says:
Dec 7, 2012
[…] people looking to explore the relationship between creativity and fun/love (it’s positively Wilbury-esque). And right on cue, a wonderful (and highly relevant) article about the show went up on Curator […]
Agnetha Faltskog Is God? (Mbird Find of the Century) | Mockingbird says:
Sep 7, 2014
[…] quote Elaine Benes, I have no speech. I mean, a Wilbury-written OWL, sung by ‘the girl with the golden hair’, the one who was by all accounts the most […]
Lifting Up Jeff Lynne, ELO and the Wilbury Sound | Mockingbird says:
Nov 5, 2015
[…] second wind, which was really more of an explosion, has as its center The Traveling Wilburys’ first album. We’ve talked before about the genius of that record; the spontaneity, the ego-less-ness, the […]
From the Archives: Like Dylan in the 80s | Mockingbird says:
Oct 14, 2016
[…] maligned as his most uninspired. I’m talking specifically about his post-Gospel, pre-Oh Mercy/Wilburys “wilderness period,” a time when he seemed genuinely at drift, both personally and […]