What If? The famous musicians who nearly altered your favourite band's history

• What if Morrissey joined a punk band instead of The Smiths, or the Spice Girls settled with their original line-up as Touch?
• We take a look at some of the ‘near misses’ or ‘near hits’ in musical history, when artists almost forwent their own musical history to join up with another set of illustrious acts.
• We also look at what could have been, had some of the acts joined the bands in question before deciding against it.

The Butterfly effect: a concept within Chaos Theory that describes how small, non-linear changes in a complex system can lead to vast, unpredictable differences in the future state of that system.

It is often summarised by the idea that a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil could theoretically set in motion a chain of events that eventually results in a tornado in Texas weeks later.

But in this case, what about if someone went to join a band long before they would write their own piece of musical history in the years ahead? Call it a Madame Butterfly Effect—just to look clever using a musical reference there.

But in all honesty, what about those who could have joined some of the biggest bands on the planet from an earlier juncture, and just how much could have changed with that single act?

We’ve looked at a few of the more popular entries in our 'What If' files for your weekend enjoyment, taking a look at musicians who would either go on to become household names in their own right or, in one sad case, have their 'lottery ticket' yanked out of their hands

The famous musicians who nearly joined equally famous bands

Midge Ure - Queen

Before Freddie Mercury became the iconic frontman of the band who wanted to bring opera to the masses, Queen had another vocalist in mind—the future Ultravox star, Midge Ure.

Ure has confirmed this offer multiple times in autobiographies and interviews, stating the approach came in the early 1970s before Queen had fully solidified their sound and line-up with Freddie Mercury.

The story goes that Ure was contacted by Brian May and Roger Taylor while Queen were trying to find their sound. Should Ure have joined the band, could they have embraced a softer, more electronic sound closer to Ultravox’s synth-rock?

Thankfully, according to Ure, he refused the offer by stating that he couldn’t imagine himself singing someone else’s songs, and Mercury became the lead singer.

Both entities would continue separately, but both brought huge levels of attention and success to both acts.

Morrissey - The Clash

What if Morrissey had fronted a punk band instead of The Smiths? That could have been the case back in 1976, according to the singer in his 2013 autobiography.

Morrissey had responded to a 'singer wanted' advert placed by a guitarist named Mick Jones. Though the two held discussions about the role in Jones's band, London S.S., the opportunity ultimately went to Joe Strummer, and the nucleus of The Clash started to materialise.

Though he did join the Manchester punk band, The Nosebleeds, Morrissey soon returned to music journalism, developing his purple prose before creating history with The Smiths in 1982.

It could have been an interesting juxtaposition: the filth and fury of The Clash’s music, combined with the highly literate and often darkly humorous lyrics of Morrissey’s. Would we have seen the post-punk movement emerge a little earlier?

Courtney Love - Faith No More

It's not that she could have become the lead singer—she was, for a brief period of time, the frontwoman for Faith No More.

According to interviews undertaken previously by the band’s bassist Billy Gould and keyboardist Roddy Bottum, Courtney Love (at that time going by the name Courtney Henley) joined an early incarnation of the group in 1984, while she was dating Bottum.

Though the band noted she was an "awesome" performer, they also noted that she was "too aggressive," with Gould recalling once that she wanted to be a dictator.

Love was fired from the band, which she later admitted was "one of the best things that ever happened to me," fuelling her ambition to form her own band. Which she would: Hole formed in 1989 and became one of the most significant female-fronted bands in the 90s.

But for six months, the prospect of ‘Live Through This’ being released and becoming one of Love’s greatest musical contributions might never have seen the light of day.

Mick Hucknall - Genesis

Lightning would strike Genesis twice in 1996, following Phil Collins’ departure from the group, akin to when Peter Gabriel left the band years earlier.

They had a shortlist of names that included Ray Wilson, but another prominent name was Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall.

Hucknall was a favourite pick for many in the band, due to his commercial appeal after the success of Simply Red and his distinctive blue-eyed soul voice. Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford have since confirmed in interviews and memoirs that Hucknall was a serious consideration.

However, when push came to shove, the band ultimately went with Wilson, while Hucknall continued his massive success with Simply Red.

Hucknall's distinct, soulful voice would have pushed Genesis into a decidedly R&B/soul-pop direction, making their transition from the Phil Collins era much more commercially accessible, but at the risk of once more possibly alienating their progressive rock fans.

Les Claypool - Metallica

Following the tragic death of Cliff Burton in 1986, Metallica were looking to fill the void their bassist and dear friend had left behind.

Hindsight being 20/20, perhaps they were also looking for someone to take their grief out on, if stories about Jason Newsted’s early years after joining from Flotsam and Jetsam are anything to go by.

Among the names who tried out for the band before Newsted was Les Claypool, but in interviews, including the brilliant VH1 Metallica: Behind The Music, there were clashes from the outset between the band and their prospective member.

Claypool recalled that he turned up for the audition with a bleach-blond mohawk, baggies, skater pants, and two different-coloured tennis shoes. He joked, 'Do you guys want to jam on an Isley Brothers tune?'—which didn’t go down as funny as he intended.

James Hetfield would later explain on the same VH1 Behind The Music episode that he rejected Claypool because he was 'too good' and should 'do his own thing,' though in later interviews Claypool believes that 'they thought I was a freak... I definitely didn't look the part. I would have only lasted for a month or two before they kicked me out.'

Claypool, years later, would form Primus, considered to be one of the main proponents of funk metal and even write the theme music to cult favourite, South Park.

Lianne Morgan - Spice Girls

Who, you might be wondering to yourself?

But three years before the Spice Girls led a UK teen-pop revolution, they were still trying to find their footing. This happened after several artists answered a call from Heart Management’s Chris and Bob Herbert - leading them to audition Lianne Morgan.

Touch would be formed after several rounds of auditions, with Morgan joining the initial line-up of Victoria Adams, Melanie Brown, Geri Halliwell, and Michelle Stephenson. Morgan would move into the infamous shared house in Maidenhead, where the original Spice Girls bonded and their ‘Girl Power’ attitude was forged. But it wouldn’t last long for the Cardiff singer.

After several months of rehearsals, Morgan was cut from the line-up, with the excuse given that she 'looked significantly older than the other girls' and that they had found a replacement, even though Lianne was the same age as Geri Halliwell.

Lianne’s departure led to the addition of Melanie Chisholm (Mel C). Later, when Michelle Stephenson left, Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) was added, finalising the iconic five-piece line-up.

She would describe the sacking as 'like winning a lottery ticket and then having it taken away from me' and referred to the experience as an 'injustice.'

Looking back, Lianne stated she struggles to accept the 'Spice Girl tag' but is now 'embracing it with pride,' focusing on her successful career as a singer, artist, and music development mentor.