# Travelling Wilburys or Wings **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [July 25, 2020, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323 "2020-07-25T16:22:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/81 "2020-07-30T13:10:42Z")
I like Orbison, but arguing personal taste to someone is silly. **MrDibble** doesn’t like Orbison’s voice. It is personal taste. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Catly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@Bob\_Catly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Catly)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/82 "2020-07-30T14:15:27Z")
Wings was just a little too “pop” for my taste. Paul McCartney said “There’s nothing wrong with a good pop song” and he’s right, but the Willburys seemed to be a little more interesting to me. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/83 "2020-07-30T14:24:04Z")
I’m sorry, The Willburys aren’t poppy? Here’s the the thing … Wings was McCartney in his prime, moving on from the Beatles. The Traveling Willburys were a cash grab super group with slapped together songs that made sure everyone got a line just like We Are the World. So, Wings is the obvious correct answer, you heathens. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/84 "2020-07-30T14:36:33Z")
No Ono Plastic Band in this equation? 😒 ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/85 "2020-07-30T15:14:20Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Roy had the voice of an angel. It’s pure, clean, tuneful. Even when I don’t like a song he’s singing, I still love his voice. I can’t think of a man with a more beautiful voice. I compare his voice to Aaron Neville. Both relied HEAVILY on falsetto. Maybe that’s what’s behind Mr. Dibble’s distaste. Personally, I love both of them. As for the OP, Wilburys. Wings is pop music. It’s good pop music, but it’s pop music. It’s about as deep as a mud puddle. It’s over-produced; very little meaningful lyrics; sung and performed pitch perfect. Their music had no soul. Yeah, Wilburys was a concoction; there was a lot of stars stepping all over each other, but the song writing was amazing, and you could hear the fun that they were having together. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/86 "2020-07-30T15:33:08Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Plastic Ono Band? Ringo Starr And His All Starr Band? Chopped liver? Never heard of Chopped Liver. Who did they record with? Ringo and his All Star Band were never really a band - did they ever release a studio album? Did a series of tours with a revolving cast of old stars in rehab (someone described the first tour as the “Drying Out Tour”); even the live albums didn’t sound coherent. Plastic Ono Band - was that a real band, or just John Lennon’s backup for an album and tour? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/87 "2020-07-30T17:59:50Z")
Can’t stand the Beatles or any of their spinoff bands. I do enjoy Traveling Wilbury’s though. Question was a little like, “Which do you prefer on your hotdog, hot bile or mustard?” ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/88 "2020-07-30T18:02:49Z")
The Traveling Wilburys were, in fact, a “spin-off” band of George Harrison. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/89 "2020-07-30T18:04:35Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > The Traveling Willburys were a cash grab super group with slapped together songs that made sure everyone got a line just like We Are the World. I’m biased, but I think that’s an inaccurate description of the Wilburys. The five of them came together to collaborate on making and recording a song to be used as the B-side of one of Harrison’s singles, and enjoyed working together so much that they decided to make an album together. The first album may have been “slapped together” a bit, simply because, due to schedules, they only had a couple of weeks in which they could all work together, but it was pretty clearly a labor of love for the five of them. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/90 "2020-07-30T18:06:45Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > The Traveling Wilburys were, in fact, a “spin-off” band of George Harrison. Well yeah (which is to say I totally forgot that). But it was a better crew to run around with and sounded unlike Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2020, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/91 "2020-07-31T09:31:39Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > I compare his voice to Aaron Neville. Both relied HEAVILY on falsetto. Maybe that’s what’s behind Mr. Dibble’s distaste. Naah, I like Beach Boys, Earth Wind and Fire, The Darkness, Scissor Sisters, the aforementioned Del Shannon’s _Runaway_. Also local _mbube_ music (you probably know _The Lion Sleeps Tonight_ and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.) Falsetto isn’t the issue. I think it’s something along the lines of a fake-y kind of melodrama? In the voice? I can’t qualify it better than that, but that’s what I see as a commonality between Orbison, Elvis and Cash that I don’t like. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/92 "2020-07-31T16:35:33Z")
I get it. I feel the same way about a lot of music - can’t stand Celine Deon or Whitney Houston for that reason. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2020, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/93 "2020-07-31T18:40:43Z")
Well, most of Celine Dion’s music is horribly painful. Whitney, I like quite a bit better and really enjoyed some of her earlier peppy stuff and bluesy stuff. But I’m guessing you’re talking about songs like “I Will Always Love you”? I agree, that one is an assault on my ears. she actually did one of the best Star Spangle Banner renditions I’ve ever heard. [Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH3giaIzONA) was fun and I enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2020, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/94 "2020-07-31T18:56:06Z")
Boy, you and I are at opposite ends. Whitney Houston’s Star Spangled Banner is an abomination. She has no respect for the song - it’s entirely about her voice and how she can show off her vocal prowess. Singing our National Anthem is not about you - it’s about our nation. Sing it like you mean it. Ask not what the National Anthem can do with your voice, but what your voice should do with the National Anthem. I hate anthem singers that use it as an opportunity to show off their voice. I am a firm believer that you should only be performing music that has meaning to you. I’m not saying everything has to be deep and meaningful. I’m saying you have to believe in what you’re singing. Sing the anthem with respect, not with arogance. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2020, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/95 "2020-07-31T19:03:20Z")
Has anyone else been seeing the thread title for the better part of a week and wondered _what the heck?_ Why Wilburys and Wings? There’s almost no overlap in music style or fan base. This is like staring a thread “Ozzy or Pavarotti?” _(Do it, **Happy** , I double-dog dare ya)_ I mean, what would your friends say if you walked into the bar, sat down with them _(ahhh, remember sitting down at a bar with friends?..sigh)_ and immediately asked “Wilburys or Wings?” My friends would say “That’s comparing apples and orangutans, man…” … On topic, I vote for the Wilburys. _But,_ if we were comparing post-Beatles output from each of the fab four, I’d vote McCartney. _Maybe I’m Amazed_ and _Admiral Halsey_ (which weren’t Wings, just Paul) gave me hope after the breakup. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2020, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/96 "2020-07-31T19:11:41Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > Boy, you and I are at opposite ends. Whitney Houston’s Star Spangled Banner is an abomination. She has no respect for the song - it’s entirely about her voice and how she can show off her vocal prowess. Singing our National Anthem is not about you - it’s about our nation. Sing it like you mean it. Ask not what the National Anthem can do with your voice, but what your voice should do with the National Anthem. > > I hate anthem singers that use it as an opportunity to show off their voice. I am a firm believer that you should only be performing music that has meaning to you. I’m not saying everything has to be deep and meaningful. > I’m saying you have to believe in what you’re singing. Sing the anthem with respect, not with arogance Ever heard Sacha Baron Cohen’s version? 😉 [https://youtu.be/ePQ9\_re7f1A](https://youtu.be/ePQ9_re7f1A) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2020, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/97 "2020-07-31T19:42:37Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Has anyone else been seeing the thread title for the better part of a week and wondered _what the heck?_ > > Why Wilburys and Wings? There’s almost no overlap in music style or fan base. This is like staring a thread “Ozzy or Pavarotti?” > > _(Do it, **Happy** , I double-dog dare ya)_ Wings was Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles band. The Willburys were George Harrison’s post-Beatles band. Both men were in the Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2020, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/98 "2020-07-31T19:55:51Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Wings was Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles band. The Willburys were George Harrison’s post-Beatles band. Both men were in the Beatles. And no one is going to vote the Plastic Ono Band as better than either Wings or the Traveling Wilburys. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2020, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/99 "2020-07-31T20:03:57Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > Plastic Ono Band - was that a real band, or just John Lennon’s backup for an album and tour? That’s the same way I feel about Wings. That “band’s” oeuvre would not have been much different without the contributions of Denny Laine and Linda McCartney. In structure, the Wilbury’s are more like Ringo’s All-Star Band, ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323/100 "2020-07-31T20:08:43Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > Ever heard Sacha Baron Cohen’s version? 😉 > > [https://youtu.be/ePQ9\_re7f1A](https://youtu.be/ePQ9_re7f1A) I’m afraid to click on this… Humor is humor. I can’t get too upset at [Rosanne Barr’s anthem at a baseball game](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMzIk2pUuNU) - she’s a comedian, not a singer. What did they expect to come out of her mouth (or her hands…)? Although, were I there, I would probably have been upset. They shouldn’t have asked her, and she shouldn’t have said yes. Sacha is using this to make a point (and, it takes a lot of balls to make fun of our national anthem at a rodeo) (yes, I clicked on it). I’m not a fan. Cohen is doing an art piece, and that’s fine. The producers of the rodeo were expecting a performance of our National Anthem, so he bilked them. They probably should have done more due diligence and figured out that this wasn’t a real attempt; maybe they really were in on the joke, in which case they bilked the audience. Were I there, I would be upset. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travelling-wilburys-or-wings/916323.md?page=6)