The Battle of Supergroups - The Highwaymen vs Travelling Wilburys

Both 80's supergroups had HUGE, monumental names in their line-ups, unmatched before or since. Johny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings. Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty. The Highwaymen did 3 albums, TW two (though the second of was called Vol 3!). Both had classic debuts and not-as-good follow ups. Which one lived up to their expectations more? Which ones simply had better music?

 

To call the Traveling Wilburys a 'Super group' is to go against exactly what they stood for, they were playing a part, ie they didn't use there real names etc, and it was purely for fun, it was fresh and different and they invented there own simple little world that revolved around music free from the Business of the record companys not so sure if that ethos was the same for The Highwaymen. Obviously my vote is for The Wilburys although Harrison, Dylan, Petty, Lynne and Orbison were not members of The Traveling Wilburys rather Nelson, Otis, Lefty, Charlie T, Lucky, Buster and Ayrton Wilbury

 

Sorry, as much as I like the artist that make up The Highwaymen, the Wilburys are made up of the artists I really relate too.

 

No contest - The Wilbury's it has to be

Best Wishes
David

 

Second that.

 

Traveling Wilbury's for me hte Highwaymen never lived up to their potential IMO

 

Wilburys

 

The Ole Wils.

 

The Highwaymen had a standout single, the Wilburys had two.

Clear winner.

Also, producers: Chips Moman vs. Jeff Lynne. You decide.

 

Nine posts without an anti-Jeff Lynne-production comment? OK, here it is...

Moman?

Still, I gotta go Wilburys here. Highwaymen always seemed a bit forced to me, like 4 great artists doing whatever it took to get back on the charts.

 

Funny, that's how I always felt about Wilburys (as much as I love VOL1)!

 

Congratulations...you're right.

 

Travelling Wilburys, but I'd take ASIA over both.

 

Traveling Wilburys, easily

 

This will be a landslide.

 

I never doubted that. This was always a classic rock oriented forum and country fans are in a huge minority here.

 

OMG!

 

As much as I like some of The Highwaymen stuff, The Wilburys got them beat. I mean they have Dylan, Orbison, an ex-Beatle and one of the founding members of ELO...covering three decades of rock 'n' roll (or four).

 

I'm not your god, so no need for bowing at my feet.

 

No contest for me. I listen to the Wilburys at least once a month.

 

Obviously I'm going to vote for the Highwaymen.

Here's a question, though. Within their respective genres, country and rock, which group had the bigger names, individually speaking?

Waylon, Cash, Kris, and Willie are basically top of the heap in country music, but so are the Wilburys' members in rock.


Hmmmm.

 

Both Waylon and Willie were doing reasonably well. They weren't doing '70s well, but they were having hits. Cash and Kris, on the other hand, weren't exactly tearing up the charts. Kris was never as prolific as the other three, so he probably didn't need a hit as such. Cash, though, would have had a hitless decade in the '80s without the Highwaymen.

FWIW, does anybody else feel the Highwaymen's third album, The Road Goes On Forever, is by far their strongest? I think I prefer the second album to the first, too!

This thread has reminded me that I really need to get the Wilburys' albums! It's one of those things that I think of when I'm thinking, "Next time I'm at a music store..." but when I get there, I forget about it!

 

Although I love Johnny, Willie, Kris and Waylon as individual artists I don't think they did much as a group except exploit their names. The Wilburys made great and sort of unique music. I don't think there's any contest.

 

Always loved the Wilburys.......... Great music from some guys just havin´ fun.

 

1 for the Highwaymen. Though I'm not really a huge fan of either group, Highwaymen are closer to the kind of music I really like. After it's all said and done and the cards are counted.