AD HOC: The Next Wilburys
(I Guess I Just Feel Like - John Mayer)
I love music. I tell people this a lot if we ever get down to conversations about my hobbies and 'likes'. I'm also very quick to tell them that I'm a musical snob, and have no use for the vast majority of music that was made after 1985.
Existing in the minority of post '85 music is a semi-rare gem of a group called The Traveling Wilburys. The Wilburys are, by every sane definition, a Super Group. Every member of the Wilburys is, in their own right, an absolute titan of the music industry:
- Roy Orbison
- Tom Petty
- George Harrison
- Bob Dylan
- Jeff Lynne
Anyone even remotely versed in the 'Golden Age' of music will know who all of these people are. Anyone who isn't might ask, and would be told that each of these people has written and performed their own material, has a better than average command of their chosen instrument, has an intimate and thorough knowledge of musical production, and has amassed followers, album sales, and accolades that span decades. Regardless of how you feel about these people, their impact on the industry and the respect they carry is rationally undeniable.
I don't believe there's ever been a group like the Wilburys before the Wilburys.
Recently, a friend of mine with musical tastes equally as wide-spread as my own asked me a few days ago who the next Wilburys might be, and said I should write a blog post about it.
I told him it would be a short discussion. One only has to look at why the Traveling Wilburys worked so well together to understand why there probably won't be another collection like them:
First, there's the subject of the men themselves. They're monsters of the industry with decades of time spent on their respective thrones. They were forged during a time when music as an art-form was probably at its pinnacle. At the risk of sounding old and cranky, they don't make 'em like this anymore.
Second, you've got subject material. All five of these men swam in the same circles with regard to their musical abilities. Their likes, dislikes, and talent pools were all compatible. They -fit- together.
Third, they were all very good friends. Seriously, the story of how the Wilburys came to be is a face-palmingly simple one. Below is a WONDERFUL video about the group, and at 47 seconds in, George Harrison lays out the short, incredible set of circumstances that led to the group's formation:
I love music. I tell people this a lot if we ever get down to conversations about my hobbies and 'likes'. I'm also very quick to tell them that I'm a musical snob, and have no use for the vast majority of music that was made after 1985.
Existing in the minority of post '85 music is a semi-rare gem of a group called The Traveling Wilburys. The Wilburys are, by every sane definition, a Super Group. Every member of the Wilburys is, in their own right, an absolute titan of the music industry:
- Roy Orbison
- Tom Petty
- George Harrison
- Bob Dylan
- Jeff Lynne
Anyone even remotely versed in the 'Golden Age' of music will know who all of these people are. Anyone who isn't might ask, and would be told that each of these people has written and performed their own material, has a better than average command of their chosen instrument, has an intimate and thorough knowledge of musical production, and has amassed followers, album sales, and accolades that span decades. Regardless of how you feel about these people, their impact on the industry and the respect they carry is rationally undeniable.
I don't believe there's ever been a group like the Wilburys before the Wilburys.
Recently, a friend of mine with musical tastes equally as wide-spread as my own asked me a few days ago who the next Wilburys might be, and said I should write a blog post about it.
I told him it would be a short discussion. One only has to look at why the Traveling Wilburys worked so well together to understand why there probably won't be another collection like them:
First, there's the subject of the men themselves. They're monsters of the industry with decades of time spent on their respective thrones. They were forged during a time when music as an art-form was probably at its pinnacle. At the risk of sounding old and cranky, they don't make 'em like this anymore.
Second, you've got subject material. All five of these men swam in the same circles with regard to their musical abilities. Their likes, dislikes, and talent pools were all compatible. They -fit- together.
Third, they were all very good friends. Seriously, the story of how the Wilburys came to be is a face-palmingly simple one. Below is a WONDERFUL video about the group, and at 47 seconds in, George Harrison lays out the short, incredible set of circumstances that led to the group's formation:
Lastly, and this one's huge, is the problem of EGO. There isn't enough ego-less talent out there of a high enough caliber to ever make another group like this possible right now. There might not ever be. Seriously, watch that video above, and you'll see no 'My guitar is MUCH bigger!' conversations. Ever. More than that, none of these people ever billed themselves or the Traveling Wilburys as the second coming of Musical Jesus.
Could the planets align again in the future? Certainly. I just don't see it happening any time soon.
You need 5 accomplished musicians, secure in their place in history and with each other, who want to make an album for fun.
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