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Sat 23 August 2025 2:00, UK
Considering how busy all of the respective members of the group were in their own output, it’s frankly a miracle that Traveling Wilburys even existed in the first place.
Bringing together two or three incredible and illustrious musicians to collaborate on a record is a feat in itself, but to have five of the greatest songwriters all working together on the same project is almost unheard of. Even hearing a record from George Harrison and Bob Dylan would have been enough to get people licking their lips in anticipation, but to throw Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison into the equation as well feels like something of a flex, and that’s why there hasn’t been another supergroup quite like them since.
If you think that this is the sort of one-and-done project that wouldn’t have the legs to survive, then you can think again. Traveling Wilburys somehow managed to put out a second record together against the odds, outlasting all expectations that had been laid out for them, although things weren’t exactly as straightforward on their sophomore outing.
They were no longer operating as a quintet when their second album was recorded, on account of the fact that Orbison passed away in 1989. Of course, there was enough talent between the four remaining members to be able to carry on without Orbison. Still, the hole that was left in his absence was also too large to be ignored. While it didn’t necessarily impact the band in terms of quality, it certainly affected the members who cherished him not only as a bandmate, but as a songwriting idol.
Jeff Lynne was of the opinion that a second record shouldn’t have happened without Orbison, and the release of their version of Hank Snow’s ‘Nobody’s Child’, which was recorded at the same time as the sessions for the second Traveling Wilbury’s album, ought to have signalled that they should have quit while they were ahead, and retired from activity when they lost such a valuable member.
“‘Nobody’s Child’ was a charity thing we did after the first album,” Lynne later explained in an interview with Rolling Stone. “It raised money for orphans. It’s an old American folk song. It’s got a real nice sentiment to it.”
However, while Lynne recognised the significance and poignance of recording this song, he went on to say that all of the recordings they did without Orbison in the group felt superfluous, and that if he’d had the foresight, he would have put his foot down much firmer and attempted to stop the rest of the group from continuing. “We did a second album after Roy died, but I could have done without it,” he said. “Roy was just too big a part of the original group.”
Lynne’s relationship with Orbison was a strong one, and his admiration for ‘The Big O’ was one that had stuck with him for decades prior to them working together in the same band. You can understand exactly why Lynne wouldn’t have wanted to ruin Orbison’s legacy by releasing something he could have been a part of, but hindsight can be a cruel thing.
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