How big of a deal was it when the Traveling Wilburys formed?

"They" were not 'The Hot Artists of the Day'; however, think fans of all were happy to see it happen.
Believe there was just as much or more admiration for the group getting together to show their collective respect for "The BIG O".
R.I.P.

 

My memory is the two hits were huge on MTV, but I don't remember any real talk about a tour or even that they would continue as a band. It seemed like a one-off deal at the time. At least that is how I remember it .

 

Bought the album when it came out and I doubt I played it five times... as some mention above, it was on MTV more'n enuff...

 

I thought it was a cheesy super group deal and none of the artists, outside of Petty, interested me. It seemed to have Jeff Lynne’s finger prints all over it. I didn’t like the single on MTV and avoided buying it. I’ve never heard the album and don’t want to. I rank it up there with ‘bad ideas for super groups like Damn Yankees’ but the participants of TTW have far greater fame and influence on rock, folk, and pop (a real understatement there if there ever was one).

 

Some overlap with points already raised:

--There wasn't a big buildup, it seemed to just appear.

--It was presented as a fun, off-the-cuff things these guys had done, not as some kind of collaboration of musical giants.

--It was huge on AOR/Classic Rock radio, and the album was a strong seller (it hit #3 on the Billboard album chart).

--It received a much less enthusiastic response from Pop radio. People are often surprised to learn that neither single from the album made the Top 40 in Billboard.

The cable system in my town didn't have MTV at the time (we didn't get it until 1992), so I can't comment on that aspect.

 

I saw it as a big deal, but knew right away it was just a fun sideline for all of them. To have that many "big" names in the group, there was no way they were ever going to go out on a tour, especially when the main instigator of the group had always hated and avoided touring.

 

I don't agree about the album being a snore, but like your post because I couldn't agree more about Roy.

I knew the Big O was a good singer, but The Traveling Wilburys and Mystery Girl helped make me realise what an exceptional singer he was.

 

It was a pretty big deal.

I do remember that Monkey Man and his pal Tweeter were desperate for cash. That all changed after that and this was long before the internet, social media and Twitter.

 

There certainly was a buzz, but I'm not sure you could call it a "big deal". All members were of course famous artists, but most were also somewhat past their prime, apart from Tom Petty. But then again, Tom was probably the least iconic member of the original five (at least in Europe, where I lived).

During interviews there were always questions about doing a tour, but George in particular was quick to dismiss that option. Already during The Beatles' days Harrison loathed touring, and I think he was the most delighted when the Fab Four quit hitting the road.

 

Not to start a silly argument, but you think Jeff Lynne was more “iconic” than Petty? Sure, a lot know Electric Light Orchestra, but Jeff Lynne? Not so much. Petty was the main figure in his band and had put out several quality and big selling albums by the time of TTW. But, he didn’t have the longevity at the time of Lynne, so maybe you’re right. I’d still say that Lynne, to the general audience, would have been the least known of the five.

 

I'm sorry, because I just added and extra part to my post which clarifies my point. At least in Europe, where I lived, Tom Petty was not a big deal, wheras ELO was huge for ten long years, responsible for an impressive string of hit singles and success albums.

 

It was a pretty big event at the time and it definitely revived Dylan, Orbison and Tom Petty's careers to varying degrees. The first album would end up eventually going triple platinum and it would win a Grammy for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group in 1990. It would also be nominated in the even more prestigious Album Of The Year category, but would not win that award.

I had the absolute thrill of seeing Roy Orbison live at the Celebrity Theater in Anaheim, CA in 1987 as I recall and I had just seen him a few days before at an outside venue at Disneyland where I took my youngest daughter, who was only about three years old and she bopped and danced along to Roy's music. I found out that he would be playing the Celebrity Theater in a few days and I decided that might be a better sounding gig than the outdoor venue at Disneyland.

Oh boy was the sound different at the Celebrity Theater gig, I mean just fantastic as the outside venue at Disneyland could not handle the power and range of his voice and there was some distortion and cracking with the sound system. My God, his voice was stupendous, like nothing I have ever heard since and I have seen a few hundred concerts in my life and everybody from Adele to Sinatra, George Jones to Charlie Rich and everything in between.

What I did not know at the time and would not even find out until a couple of years ago, while reading some liner notes I believe and then verified in an old article in the January 26, 1989 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, is that George Harrison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne were also in the audience with their wives. Here is the direct quote from Tom Petty himself in the Rolling Stone article:

"Roy was playing a show in Anaheim. So Jeff and George and myself and our wives drove to Anaheim, and I remember running into his dressing room. And we said, 'Roy, we want you to be in our band.' And he said okay and we just went crazy. And he was so calm. 'Sure, sounds like a lot of fun.' Then we went out and watched the show. And it was incredible. All the way home, we were going, 'Roy Orbison's in our band.' I don't think we ever got over it."

It took me me about 30 years before I would find out that George Harrison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and their respective wives were sitting somewhere by me in the audience, watching the great Roy Orbison! Sometimes you just never know who else is a fan of one of your favorite artists.

 

Initially I was not expecting much. I talked to the owner of a record store and he thought that it was safe and middle of the road kind of album. I started to listen to the album and I was confused. I liked the album a lot. After awhile I realized that somebody else's opinion may not correspond with my own and it was ok to like the album. I now consider it a great album. I would not change a thing about it. Also, about the touring. I remember reading in one of the music magazines that the group voted on whether to tour or not. Initially they were going to tour because Orbison, Dylan and Petty wanted to tour and Harrison and Lynne did not want to tour Majority rule, etc. But then Orbison died and it became a 2-2 tie so they decided not to tour.

 

You're absolutely right, I think I'd mixed this up in my mind.

 

There were those of us who saw the project as a breath of fresh air after a decade of aging rockers "updating" their sound for the '80s.

It could've used a bit less "Cloud 9" sheen, but hey ...

 

Q: Did you ever give serious thought to replacing Roy after he passed away?

Petty: No.

Lynne: No, we didn't, because we were a tightknit unit by then. Even though it was rumored by then that lots of people, including Del Shannon whom Tom and myself were great pals with as well, could eventually have been in, it was never thought of. Because when Roy was gone, it just left us as more of a unit, the four of us. We never felt like we needed anybody else.​

Traveling Wilburys coming out on CD

 

You're not a fan of ELO, Harrison/the Beatles, Dylan or Orbison?

 

that's cool. i was just putting it out there and never found out what ended up happening

 

i find it hard to believe that anyone would not like at least something from all of them. five absolute legends and as far as the idea of super groups go, that's the biggest bunch of names i have ever known of in a band. the thing that made it even better was they were just having a bit of a laugh

 

Whether it was really merited or not, by the later 70s, most folks who were at all interested in ELO saw Jeff Lynne as ELO's Trent Reznor.

 

It was an

"Oh really?? Interesting..."

event.

And when I heard the album, it was pretty much a letdown, given the talent involved. It wasn't hideous--decent enough as a lark, and some catchy tunes. But no great shakes. The second album was less of the same.

 

not being as well known as dylan, orbison, petty and harrison is hardly a slight lol
and for some reason in the eighties there was a distinct backlash on the idea of elo, i never really understood why.

 

Big deal for me.

 

Would have been better if Jeff “everything I do sounds like ELO” Lynne hadn’t been producer.

 

you think the wilbury's sounded like elo?