Denny Laine, of Wings and The Moody Blues, has passed away at 79. The multi-instrumentalist and songwriter battled interstitial lung disease. “Denny was so very thankful to all of you who sent him so much love, support, and the many kind words during these past few months of his health crisis-it brought him to tears,” Laine’s wife said in a statement.
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Laine left many integral rock offerings in his wake. To honor his musical legacy, we have selected five songs that highlight Laine’s songwriting power and/or his chops as a vocalist, below.
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5. “The Note You Never Wrote“
The musicality of Wings cannot be defined by a singular sound. McCartney used the breadth of his creativity on all seven of the band’s studio albums, painting with a vast sonic pallet. Nevertheless, “The Note You Never Wrote” stands out from the crowd. There is something unique about this jaunting, slightly off-kilter track when you compare it to the other songs in Wings’ discography. A large contribution to that is the fact that Laine is on lead vocals. McCartney’s titular tenor steps out of the spotlight for a moment and lets Laine’s soft vocals soar.
4. “Mull of Kintyre“
The instrumentation of the “Mull of Kintyre” has no problem evoking the rural Scottish settings described in the lyrics. One can almost see the rolling hills and feel the sea breeze when hearing the soft melody of this Wings track. With this song, co-writers Laine and McCartney secured their biggest single ever back home in Britain. It’s not hard to understand why it proved so successful. It has a lulling effect that prompts endless replays.
3. “Again and Again and Again“
Wings’ affection for the blues is deeply apparent in this Back To The Egg cut. Laine again takes over lead vocals, proving his chops in that department. The ear-worm melody of this track could rival any of the band’s biggest hits. Laine goes toe-to-toe with McCartney with his frontman duties on this track.
2. “Go Now“
Representing his time with The Moody Blues on this list is “Go Now.” Laine’s vocals are as acrobatic as ever on this 1964 release. Though the band wasn’t the first to record it (Bessie Banks beat them by a few months), their version remains the definitive. We have to assume Laine’s insatiably catchy vocal line was a large part of the draw to this cover.
1. “Time to Hide“
Last but not least we have arguably Laine’s biggest contribution to Wings, “Time to Hide.” Laine hops on the mic while McCartney becomes part of the backing band. With Laine at the helm, this song evokes a different atmosphere than most of Wings’ offerings.
Photo by Mike Moore/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
