The Traveling Wilburys’ “End of the Line” music video has been remastered in 4K. The legendary supergroup was composed of George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne. Filmed in Los Angeles in December 1988, the visual portrays the five musicians performing on a moving passenger car pulled by a steam locomotive. Orbison, who passed away shortly before the shoot, is honored as his guitar rests in a rocking chair alongside a framed portrait.
“End of the Line” originally appeared on the quintet’s 1988 debut, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, which was a critical and commercial success, receiving an Album of the Year nomination at the 1990 Grammys. The Traveling Wilburys had formed in the late 1980s. The group’s name originated from Harrison’s Cloud Nine sessions, during which time he and co-producer Lynne called recording errors “Wilburys,” as in “We’ll bury them in the mix.”
Harrison and Lynne had previously worked with the band’s other members. Orbison had toured with The Beatles while Dylan and Harrison had become friends across their storied careers. Dylan and Petty were friends and collaborators, with The Heartbreakers serving as his backing band in 1986. Meanwhile, Lynne was working on solo albums by Petty (Full Moon Fever) and Orbison (Mystery Girl).
The group adopted elaborate backstories and nicknames: Nelson Wilbury (Harrison), Otis Wilbury (Lynne), Lefty Wilbury (Orbison), Charlie T Wilbury, Jr (Petty) and Lucky Wilbury (Dylan).
Harrison needed a b-side for the European release of the Cloud Nine single “This Is Love.” The group spontaneously wrote “Handle With Care,” which was deemed too good to be a b-side and instead became The Traveling Wilburys’ first single.
Sessions for Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 were similarly easygoing. “We would have some coffee and somebody would say, ‘What about this?“ and start on a riff,” recalled guitarist and co-producer Lynne. “Then we’d all join in, and it would turn into something. We’d finish around midnight and just sit for a bit while Roy would tell us fabulous stories about Sun Records or hanging out with Elvis Presley. Then we’d come back the next day to work on another one. That’s why the songs are so good and fresh – because they haven’t been second-guessed and dissected and replaced.”
Listen to the best of the Traveling Wilburys now.
