Denny Laine the guy in Wings who wasn't Paul McCartney. He was much more. Laine made important earlier contributions to the Moody Blues (like their first hit "Go Now," which he'd sing at Wings concerts), then recorded a bunch of too-often-overlooked songs with Wings (including some that never made it onto their albums). Source UCR
"Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)"
From: 'Band on the Run' (1973)
Laine began this popular Wings song with a straight face, offering a stoic lyric – "The grand old painter died last night" – only to see it dissolve into a raucous funeral party: "Drink to me, drink to my health / You know I can't drink anymore." "Picasso's Last Words" also featured a reunion of sorts with Ginger Baker, who supplied the song with shaker percussion. Laine worked with him in 1970 as part of the former Cream drummer's Air Force.
No Words"
From: 'Band on the Run' (1973)
The first official songwriting collaboration between Laine and McCartney, "No Words" was an uplifting meditation on wordlessly loving someone. It grew out of an unfinished tune by Laine that he brought along to Wings' Band on the Run sessions for completion by the trio.
"Mull of Kintyre"
From: 1977 Single
Long the biggest-selling non-charity song in U.K. chart history, Wings' Celtic-tinged "Mull of Kintyre" combined McCartney's love of Scotland (where he's owned a farm since the Beatles' heyday) with Laine's underrated gift of songcraft. "Mull of Kintyre" was recorded during a break from the sessions for 1978's London Town, and became the first song to ever sell two million copies in the U.K. – even though it stiffed in the U.S.
"Go Now"
From: 'The Magnificent Moodies' (1965)
Laine sang "Go Now" at almost every single Wings concert in the '70s. But the original version recorded with the Moody Blues a decade earlier was the definitive take. This song underscored the gritty R&B elements that would disappear once Justin Hayward arrived and took the Moody Blues in a different direction.
Source UCR
