Why was there no ‘Traveling Wilburys Vol. 2’?
The concept of a supergroup may seem overdone today, but there was a time when it was all the rage. This era was marked by a significant gap between famous musicians and their fans. Despite technological progress, artists were elevated to near-mythical status, supported by extensive media coverage, a favourable media narrative, and the absence of the internet and omnipresent smartphones, which allowed them to maintain an air of mystery. It was during this time that The Traveling Wilburys, the ultimate supergroup, came into existence.
It was 1988, and the MTV era was still in full swing. The band members, who had all been around for two decades at least, were experiencing varying fortunes. Bob Dylan, the most influential of them all, had emerged from his strange exploration of Christian music with 1983’s Infidels. Although he had now returned to secular sounds, he was in a protracted period of recentring. Most of his albums throughout the rest of the decade were commercially panned because of this. Only the quality of his most important work from the 1960s and 1970s stopped him from fading away.
On the other hand, former Beatles guitarist George Harrison had been experiencing a tremendously successful solo career since the Fab Four split in 1970. Cloud Nine—which set the scene for the Traveling Wilburys—was one of his greatest successes. During an interview with Rockline in 1988, he revealed that he wanted his next album to feature a collection of his friends that he’d call the Traveling Wilburys. He also significantly defended Dylan amid his nadir.
As for the record’s co-producer, ELO leader Jeff Lynne, he was coming to prominence as a songwriter and studio whizz for hire. This professional development would provide the two other ingredients needed for the Traveling Wilburys to come to fruition.
In many ways, it was an unlikely group on paper, and the wheels were set in motion when Harrison and his good friend Lynne jokingly discussed who they would have as members of a dream supergroup when making Cloud Nine. The Liverpudlian chose the folk hero Dylan, a man who’d had a significant impact on his work within and without The Beatles, and his Brummie collaborator chose Orbison – his musical idol – whose dreamy experiments with pop music were the precursor of ELO’s expansive universe.
The duo reminisced about the past, seasoned veterans of the scene reflecting on the golden days, much like friends naming their dream five-a-side team at the pub, recalling legendary figures whose names have become ingrained in the sport’s history. Fortunately for them, their dreams would soon become a reality.
In October 1987, Harrison and Lynne met Petty while he and the Heartbreakers were supporting Dylan in Europe, sparking a strong friendship. Spiritually and musically aligned, Harrison admired the Floridian’s anthemic music and sincere nature, seeing much of himself in him. At that time, Lynne was also working on Petty’s debut solo album, Full Moon Fever, and Orbison’s long-awaited comeback, Mystery Girl. The bond among the five was instant, and after Harrison brought them together to work on ‘Handle with Care’ in April 1988, the Traveling Wilburys were born—a band rooted in friendship.
They released their debut album, titled Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, in October, and it was a worldwide success. However, tragedy was about to strike, ending what could have been an extensive career for this star-studded lineup.
So, why was there no Traveling Wilburys Vol. 2?
On December 6th, 1988, Roy Orbison died from a heart attack, aged just 52. He was found collapsed on his mother’s bathroom floor after not returning to the dinner table for 30 minutes and was promptly rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. It was an incredible tragedy. Not only was he so young, but he would not live to feel the success of the Traveling Wilburys. More importantly, he would witness his comeback with Mystery Girl, which was an enormous success and confirmed that his talents had not faded.
Everyone was heartbroken, and Lynne was particularly saddened. He’d lost a hero and a friend he’d planned to keep working with. Throughout this black period, though, somewhat questionably, Harrison kept promoting the band. He maintained that they would return once they’d finished their solo endeavours, one of which was Dylan’s 1989 return to form, Oh Mercy.
In 1990, the surviving four members reunited to work on their second and final album, which they misnumbered, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3. It was released on October 29th that year and was dedicated to ‘Lefty Wilbury’, the pseudonym Orbison had chosen when the band started. The reason why they selected that inexplicable title for the second effort was because of Harrison’s Pythonesque sense of humour, wherein he wanted to “confuse the buggers” – the band’s fans – as Lynne claimed, and also make a wry reference to a bootleg record that had served as a spiritual Vol. 2. They split up not long after its release, as they all knew their work here was done.
