Howard Wyeth - Desire

Stoner brought Wyeth to drum on Desire in July 1975, a decision that satisfied Dylan who said, ""Your drummer sounds great, it sounds great." The songs were co-written with Jacques Levy, and the personnel were Dylan (vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano), Vinnie Bell (bouzouki), Scarlet Rivera (violin), Dom Cortese (accordion), Stoner (bass, background vocals), Wyeth (drums), Luther Rix (congas), and Emmylou Harris, Ronee Blakley and Soles (background vocals). In September 1975, a few months before the album release in January, Dylan, with Rivera on violin, Stoner on bass and Wyeth on drums, performed Hurricane, Oh, Sister and Simple Twist of Fate for the PBS tribute to John Hammond recorded at the WTTW television studios in Chicago.

The group found themselves with a Billboard No. 1 pop album, the last Dylan effort to reach that mark for thirty years until 2006 when he released Modern Times. Robert Christgau who distrusted the project thought the song Joey was "deceitful bathos," and Dave Marsh called Joey "elitist sophistry" and "contemptible," but Rolling Stone counted Desire the 174th greatest album of all time. Desire eventually reached RIAA multi-platinum, selling over two million copies before its re-release in 2003.

The project is remembered for its "loose and swirling" sound and the songs Isis, Sara, Hurricane, Black Diamond Bay and Oh, Sister. Sony credited Wyeth as an accompanist with an "uncannily sympathetic ear." Larry Sloman called his drumming ethereal. Billboard said Stoner and Wyeth were one of the strongest rhythm sections in music.