When well-known musicians from various bands come together to form a new band, supergroups are created. Even though they frequently cause a lot of buzz and excitement among supporters, the results are not always favorable. Because of their clashing personalities and disparate musical tastes, some supergroups fall short of fans’ expectations.
As a result, their music lacks cohesion and direction. On the other hand, a few supergroups have been successful in both the commercial and critical worlds while creating excellent music. However, in the competitive music business, where individual musicians sometimes lack the required spark without their comrades, the chemistry between the Traveling Wilburys members was truly amazing.
The Traveling Wilburys were a supergroup formed in 1988 by George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne, and Tom Petty. The group was formed spontaneously when the musicians were hanging out in Harrison’s studio and decided to record some songs together. They adopted the Wilburys moniker as a way of poking fun at the idea of supergroups.
Before he established the rest of the band, Tom Petty and George Harrison collaborated on his album Full Moon Fever, during which they became acquainted. Harrison started working with ELO’s Jeff Lynne, who had previously done wonders for Tom Petty’s album, for his song Cloud Nine.
After spending time in the same creative environment, Harrison submitted his record to the label and was told that he was lacking a B-side. Harrison was able to persuade Roy Orbison to contribute his vocals to the piece while it was being recorded at Bob Dylan’s studio by getting in touch with his idol. Harrison experimented with the composition before inviting Petty to the recording studio to complete it.
Harrison struggled to think of a title, but the solitary word “HANDLE WITH CARE” on a construction crate gave him the inspiration he needed. The label had one significant problem, however, even though the recording session itself went off without a hitch: the song was simply too fantastic. Harrison didn’t squander the opportunity to work on one of his best compositions with other legendary rock musicians. Now that his friends were in the recording studio with him, he was able to quickly finish the last few tracks he needed to finish the album.
The renowned band members agreed that using surnames on the record would be hilarious. Each band member is mentioned in the liner notes under a different pseudonym that ends in “Wilbury,” almost as if to suggest that they were a nomadic group touring the nation. As a result of a joke about recording studios’ penchant for calling any mistakes made during a session “Wilburys,” the group chose to establish themselves as the Traveling Wilburys. The band was subsequently formed.
