Traveling Wilburys
Posted by shanoah on March 14, 2008
Thought I’d share a band I rather like, the Traveling Wilburys. For those that aren’t familiar with the band, it was a superband, consisting of well known musicians George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan.
They deliberately released their two albums under pseudonyms, so they could see if they were still as good without their names. IIRC, the album liner portrayed them as a band of travelers, with no fixed abode, which rather goes with Seans last post.
I love just about all their songs. For example, the song “Last Night” is quite memorable to me due to the lyrics:
I asked, “Will you marry me?”;
She smiled and pulled out a knife.
This party’s just beginning, she said,
“Your money or your life.”
However due to a lack of good videos for that song and another I had in mind, let me share two of my other favorite tracks:
This song is a very upbeat song, and makes you feel like everything will come out properly in the end, which is one reason why I like it.
One thing you may notice on this video; while Roy Orbison can be heard on the song, he isn’t in the video other then a picture, and when he sings, the camera shows an empty rocking chair with his guitar on it.
The fact is that he actually died after the song was made, but before the video, so the empty chair and picture were essentially their tribute to him.
No picture on this one, but it’s still a fun story and song, and is one I’ve always enjoyed.
Aimee Wilbury said
I’m a Wilburys fan. Although there aren’t very many Wilburys videos, there are a lot of what I call “pseudo-Wilburys” videos. Meaning, there’s more than one Wilbury in it, but its not the Wilburys. Examples are Tom Petty’s I Won’t Back Down and the Dylan/Petty tour back in ‘86-early ‘87.
Why no Volume 2? My theory is it’s a joke. Other theories say that there were bootlegs called Volume 2, it’s a tribute to Roy Orbison’s death, or Tom Petty’s Full Moon Fever, due to the Wilbury collaborations, is Volume 2. (Strange thing is, Full Moon Fever was recorded BEFORE the Wilburys — but it was released AFTER the Wilburys!)
I have one Question, though: If Full Moon Fever is Volume 2, does that make Mike Campbell a pseudo-Sidebury?
Okay, I’ll shut up now.