The Traveling Wilburys always kept themselves a fairly tight-knit group half the time. Nothing was really off the table for them, but George Harrison knew not to let too many hangers-on into the studio for fear that things might get too crazy. But for everyone else around them, there was always a chance that someone else could have picked up a guitar and started jamming along with them had things been slightly different.
After all, the whole concept of the band was created by accident, so who’s to say that they couldn’t have had some other members in the group had the stars aligned in a different direction? Most of them were open to suggestions whenever they entered the room, but if they were going to bring in another person, it was always going to be about the kind of person that they could hang around with, rather than any member who happened to be big at the time.
Tom Petty only joined because he was mates with all the band members, so if someone was brought in, it would have been out of mutual respect. Everyone in the group needed to be able to play, write, and banter with the rest of them on the same level, and even if that meant going back in time, some of the biggest names in music could have easily found a way to join the band had they been in control of their schedules a little bit more.
Most would argue that time worked out exactly like it should have, but even if it were only for a song or two, I’m sure that none of the artists here would shake a stick at the idea of working with music legends. This was the moment when any songwriter made it to the big leagues, and if the Wilburys worked so well together, there was bound to be some chemistry going into a jam session with these artists.
Five artists that could have been in the Traveling Wilburys:
5.Elton John
The unofficial description of every one of the Wilburys was about being a musical Swiss army knife. The idea of being able to switch on a dime or know the exact kind of style that someone was going for is always key to getting the vibe right for every one of their songs. And while Elton John may have been a relative newcomer by comparison, he had enough hours under his belt and chart hits to not feel that out of place if the band needed some honky-tonk piano parts to throw into the mix.
After all, John had already contributed to Harrison’s album Cloud Nine with Jeff Lynne, and since he had been working with Bob Dylan on the album Under the Red Sky only a few years after their time was up, the only thing getting in the way of him being an honorary member was the timing. It would have been fantastic, but considering his work with everyone from Billy Joel to Leon Russell to John Lennon in his solo career, John seems content to have already checked enough boxes off on his collaboration bucket list.
4.Del Shannon
There’s no sense in trying to replace someone like Roy Orbison. His voice was the kind that only surfaces once every other lifetime, and while his death did throw a wrench into any plans for the Wilburys, it was a noble effort for them to continue without thinking of bringing in someone else. But since some names were getting thrown out around that time, Del Shannon hardly seemed like a bad choice, considering how close he had worked with some of the band members around that time.
Some bad blood may have still been hanging around from the time that Petty stole his bassist, Howie Epstein, away from him, but considering the band recorded their own version of his tune ‘Runaway’, it’s not like they weren’t proud to be fans of his work. But out of all the prospective members, this feels like the kind of person who would only turn up for a guest vocal on one song instead of a long-term member.
3.Bruce Springsteen
None of the Wilburys ever stopped being fans of music. Even though they could have easily started playing the old country songs that they all loved so much, there was still a lot of great songwriting going on if they were willing to look for it, whether it was the smooth sounds of Fleetwood Mac or Carole King making some of the greatest lines that anyone had ever thought of. But since the band had already made an entire song centred around Bruce Springsteen, why not have him take a stab at joining the group?
Admittedly, both ‘The Boss’ and Dylan were both storytellers more than anything, so their turns of phrase may have been competing with each other, but that would be no reason for them to walk away from the opportunity. Springsteen was more than capable of this kind of collaboration, and given where he was at the time, he may very well have needed it. He was coming off of Tunnel of Love during their first conversations, and since Human Touch saw him going in a poppy direction, the Wilburys may have helped him avoid being a little bit corny.
2.Dave Stewart
The Wilburys’ entire magic came from being in the right place at the right time. Harrison often joked that there was a full moon the night that they first encountered each other, but even if there was no celestial help, it does feel strangely coincidental seeing all of them get together. But had they been able to use the studio for a little while longer, chances are that they would have had a taste of new wave coming into their sound with Dave Stewart entering the mix.
Stewart was already friendly enough with them to let the band use his house to record a lot of their debut record, but if he had joined, chances are he would not have been bringing his synthesisers into the equation. He was about creating textures the same way that Jeff Lynne did, and if that meant setting the right mood, ‘Tweeter and the Monkey Man’ may have had a few more overdubs to make it sound more like a Western song. Every member of the band may have been a lyrical mastermind in many respects, but having Stewart in would have given them their true sonic artist.
1.John Lennon
The one thing working against the Wilburys since their inception was time. None of them claimed to be the most “young and hip” artists in the world, but part of the group’s charm was like watching a bunch of dads coming together with their guitars and having a laugh together. No one was there to take themselves terribly seriously, but if there was already one Fab member in the group, there was no reason to think John Lennon wouldn’t have got in on the action if he had the chance.
While Lennon obviously wasn’t around during this time, Harrison always endorsed the theory of him being a Wilbury, telling Petty that he would have joined in a second had he been around to work on it. And listening to his later records, it sounds like he could have fit right in alongside Dylan trading a few lines back and forth with each other. Lennon may have transitioned into being a far more serious songwriter, but since he was lightening up by the time of Double Fantasy, what was wrong with taking the pieces of his old sound and merging them with the kind of silly wordplay he used in ‘I Am the Walrus’ or ‘Meat City’?