* En anglais uniquement
Reversing the usual process by which groups break up and give way to solo careers,
the Traveling Wilburys are a group made up of solo stars. The group was organized by former
Beatle George Harrison, former
Electric Light Orchestra leader
Jeff Lynne,
Bob Dylan,
Tom Petty, and
Roy Orbison, thus representing three generations of rock stars. In 1988, the five (who had known each other for years) came together to record a
Harrison B-side single and ended up writing and recording an album on which they shared lead vocals. It turned out to be a way to transcend the high expectations made of any of them as individuals, and a delighted public sent the album to number three, with two singles, "Handle With Care" and "End of the Line" hitting the charts. Unfortunately,
Orbison died of a heart attack only a few weeks after the album's release.
Two years later, the remaining quartet released a second album, inexplicably titled
Vol. 3. Although it didn't match the success of the first
Wilburys album, it was another million-selling hit. Throughout the '90s, there were rumors of another
Traveling Wilburys record in the works, but no new albums from the group surfaced.
Harrison and
Lynne did re-team in 1995, when
Lynne produced and reworked two
John Lennon demos with
the Beatles for their Anthology rarities collection.
The Traveling Wilburys albums drifted out of print in the late '90s, making the 2007 release of The Traveling Wilburys Collection -- a double-disc set containing both albums, plus a bonus DVD -- a noteworthy affair. It debuted at number one in the U.K. and nine in the U.S., eventually earning platinum and gold certifications in the respective countries. In 2016, the collection saw a re-release on Concord. ~ William Ruhlmann