(Credits: Far Out / The Traveling Wilburys)
Sat 9 August 2025 18:00, UK
When you think about it, the Traveling Wilburys were essentially like a precursor to the Avengers, if rock and roll and Hollywood superheroes were to ever cross over.
The crack team of George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison were, all things considered, a relatively short-lived outfit, but in that time, much like the saviours on the silver screen, they really did fundamentally change the fabric of the scene.
They were a band who existed for the thrill and sheer novelty of the fans, just as much as they wanted to be true musicians. And don’t get this confused, they were utterly serious about their work. But, in turn, this also raised a notion of exclusivity for followers of the Traveling Wilburys; the ones who really ‘got it’, and understood the level of mastery that went into the supergroup quintet honing their craft.
This was because, from an outsider’s perspective, the band’s artistry and humour could seem confusing, by all accounts. Why would they call their second album Traveling Wilburys Vol 3, for starters? To those excluded from the realm, nothing about the band could possibly make sense, but from the innermost circle, it was almost as if a magical concoction was being produced.
The secret club was also something indulged in as the band themselves, creating music they would sing with equal parts of excitement and intimacy for their fans. Particularly, when it came to 1990’s Volume 3, Petty seemed to take special joy in revelling in this specific aura, as he broke down the sound of the album by saying, “I think we made a little rougher record, a little more rumble—and boom! Bob [Dylan] sang a lot of the second record, he came up front more than he had on the first”.
With all due respect, this is not too dissimilar to any other artist on the journey of progression between their debut and sophomore albums, so what exactly made the Traveling Wilburys that bit different? Of course, Petty held the answer:
“The first was this wonderful blockbuster thing, and the second one’s a little more inside”.
Tom Petty
There were many facets that went into this change, where a more mature sound emerged as they settled into being a band. Dylan’s drawling, dulcet tones largely at the helm, and the tragic death of Orbison two years prior, gave the Traveling Wilburys an edge of tragic depth that they may have never captured otherwise. Nevertheless, this was absolutely a record for the fans, and would transpire to be their ultimate lasting legacy.
While they may have physically aged into relics of the past, with only Lynne and Dylan still here to carry on their memory, it doesn’t make their musical impact any less intangible or seismic. This was a supergroup who redefined the notion of all-star rock, and they didn’t need scores of albums to prove it.
In the space of just two records, or three, if you’re being pedantic about it, they managed to truly change the scene. That’s all you really need.
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