“After for ages”: Tom Petty on the catalyst behind the Traveling Wilburys

The majority of musical miracles are something that cannot be willed into existence. Even while there are some fans who are demanding that their favourite bands release a new album or get back together for one final tour around the world, it is ultimately up to the musicians to determine whether or not they want to put themselves through the merry-go-round of travelling and recording. Tom Petty recalled that one of his bandmates was the person who was responsible for the genuine beginnings of the Travelling Wilburys, despite the fact that the Travelling Wilburys may have been produced entirely by chance.

However, while looking at the band as a whole, it appeared that George Harrison was the one who was the most excited about the notion. “The Quiet Beatle” always referred to the Wilburys as his “other band” up until the day he passed away. He had always enjoyed the concept of being a member of a group and drawing inspiration from other musicians, as opposed to being a solo artist.

And why shouldn’t Harrison be pleased with the fact that he has created something new? Cloud Nine was the first time that he managed to sound current with the times, even garnering himself a hit with ‘Got My Mind Set On You.’ He had already been burned out on recording any new solo material ever since he released record albums like Gone Troppo, which were terrible. However, Cloud Nine was the first time that he managed to sound current with the times.

On the other hand, the concept of forming a band did not come into his consciousness until he began working with Jeff Lynne. The frontman for ELO had been quite satisfied to settle into a life behind the production board, but when they looked at the way they brought everyone together, it made perfect sense for Lynne to be the common thread. When everything was said and done, he had already started working on the production of Roy Orbison’s album Mystery Girl, and he was also working on Tom Petty’s Full Moon Fever while the Wilburys were working on their first record simultaneously.

Even though the rest of the band may have been more legendary in certain aspects, Lynne’s touch is more noticeable when it is heard than when it is shown. That wall of sound that is evocative of Phil Spector’s best work can be found throughout the highlights of the album, such as “Not Alone Any More” and “Heading for the Light.” This wall of sound is the result of Lynne’s ongoing experimentation with what the band is capable of doing while yet being true to their distinctive musical approaches.

Petty believed that Lynne was the genuine lynchpin of the entire group in the early days, despite the fact that she was the new kid in town in comparison. He stated, “We have to blame George.” It started out slowly. Everyone was in the same general vicinity. I believe that Jeff was most likely the driving force behind the presence of George, myself, and Roy Orbison in the world. In order to make a record, Jeff had been pursuing Roy Orbison for a very long time. The phrase “Let’s do a song for Roy” was something that we were saying during the sessions of Full Moon Fever.

In spite of the fact that Dylan took some time to warm up to the idea of using his studio for the recording of “Handle With Care,” the Wilburys had already had all of their magic in place from the moment they started singing. It is easy to hear Lynne as the unofficial glue that ties all of them together, whether it be through harmonising with Petty or adding one minor lick in the mix to tie everything together. This is because their harmony vocals blended together so well on the record.

Therefore, despite the fact that the Travelling Wilburys will forever be considered Harrison’s band, Lynne deserves a great deal more credit for actually being able to bring everyone together in the same location. There are certain bands that get together by chance, but they do not remain together by chance. Lynne was the reason why the band was able to create the records that they produced in the first place.