The Traveling Wilburys were a British/American supergroup consisting of singer-songwriters:
1. Bob Dylan
2. George Harrison
3. Jeff Lynne
4.Roy Orbison
5. Tom Petty
The group were only active for a short period, getting together in 1988 after the release of George Harrison's 1987 album Cloud Nine where Harrison and Lynne originated the idea of the band, and dismantled by 1991, although each member would still pop up in one another's solo work still. The band first collaborated in 1988 to record the track Handle With Care, but realising this had more potential than the limited release it was intended for, they recorded more tracks and released their first album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 that same year.
After the death of member Roy Orbison in December 1988 from a heart attack, the band only released one more album subsequently in 1990 where they continued as a quartet. The track End of the Line and music video for it was dedicated to Orbison and was featured in their first album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. Talks of the band touring would come about, with Harrison who at first wasn't enthusiastic about the idea proving possibility after his 1991 tour of Japan, although no tour or reunion would ever happen.
Music Video: Handle With Care
Handle With Care was the first track recorded by the band, before Orbison's unexpected death. And the music video for this reflects that even in the opening with the W/S of the band coming together and huddling close to the microphone to record in solidarity, visually emphasised with the 360 degree shot of the band lip-synching into the mic. There is a lot to consider with the video itself, seeing these rock legends past their prime coming together to still record fresh new music makes the video very personal and self-reflective to see how much they have developed, not just as musicians, but as people, made extra sad knowing Orbison would die shortly after. The video is great at reflecting this, firstly with the shot of the bands logo, showing just how desirable it is to see these musicians release new music, but the core themes and heart of the music they recorded in their prime is sill not forgotten. The CU shots of the members recording together also emphasises this point, as it shows they still know what music they want to make and what makes them but also their audience happy, made even more pleasant by the fact they look like a group of dads coming together to play in their garage, which isn't far off considering they were parents of their own at this point such as George and his son Dhani Harrison.
The video has this warmth glow to it, establishing a close bond between the band, being happy to reunite as a band and not a collaboration to play music. This for the audience can also make this personal to watch and listen to, since they were likely to have been around in the 1960-70s when they were the right demographic then to listen to their music, telling us that the audience are likely to be around their age also since they are the ones who would be most glad to see them reunite this way.
Magazine: Advert
This advert featured in a magazine from 1991 which I wasn't able to find the name of. It is a promotional ad for the bands final released album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3. Whilst the ad itself is very simplistic in it's layout and design, there is still enough here of interest worthy of discussion. The copy that tells us of the band name, not even using the logo and the copy that tells us of the new album and some of the tracks featured creates hype surrounding the album as they are can get an idea of what to be expected. Using the copy 'hit's also is another example of creating hype as it tells us of the success the band has already had and tells us the new tracks are already enjoyable without even needing to hearing them. The picture used doesn't feature Roy Orbison considering this was over 2 years since his passing, as audiences are led to imagine even more what to expect of the new album and whether anything will change as a result. The underlining of 'The New Album' is also another example example of the advert creating hype towards the new album, emphasising how important it is and that this is a must buy for anyone.
There is also some confusion with the ad, due to the name of the album itself being Vol. 3 not 2, implying even after the death of one of the bands members, they still have a sense of humour and this won't let them down (presumably a decision by George Harrison due to his connections and love for the Monty Python crew). Although, the black and white does contrast this and makes you wonder whether there will be subtle changes to be expected from their music and persona.
Comments