Denny Laine - a brief appreciation

Musician Denny Laine's death has saddened me as an unembarrassed fan of Wings since the age of 9 when I first heard the classic single 'Jet'. This was a time of profound musical addiction when I lived for hearing BBC Radio 1 and London's Capital Radio. Laine's musical contributions to Paul McCartney's second post-Beatles' incarnation were important, including co-writing 'No Words' on probably the best Wings' LP, 'Band On The Run'. A fellow Beat Boom northerner, Laine, with the Moody Blues and earlier, was as important as McCartney in the shaping and influencing of the '60s UK pop group explosion. In 1967 Laine wrote and first released ‘Say You Don’t Mind’, a classic psychedelic pop number later recorded by Colin Blunstone. Laine’s pedigree made him a crucial prop to McCartney in forging the solo Beatle’s new musical identity in the 1970s. However, it is surely for his and the Moody Blues’ take on ‘Go Now’, one of the greatest musical performances/UK pop singles ever, that Denny Laine should be most appreciated.