How and why did it go all wrong for Denny Laine?

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I've pondered this mystery for years now. The majesty of the original, Laine-led Moody Blues is something to behold. (Needless to say, destroy all subsequent Moody Blues output!) A terrific singer, songwriter and guitarist he was. The cover of "Go Now" was of course the Big Hit, but the 'Magnificent Moodies' CD which conveniently collects the entirety of the Laine era Moody Blues reveals that the hit wasn't anywhere near the high points this band was capable of.

I've not heard the scant output of his immediate post-Moodies carreer - Balls and the Electric String band, though the desciptions sound intriguing. At this point, Denny Laine, by all accounts, was a respected mover and shaker in Swinging London and all expected great things to come. So what the hell happened?

A real tragedy that he settled on being McCartney's tea boy. His two 70s solo albums are pleasant enough, abeit decidedly modest in ambition. ('Ahhhh ... Laine' mostly originals; 'Holly Days' an OK collection of Buddy Holly covers, made just after, er, McCartney purchased the publishing rights to Holly's catalogue, so, yeah, this "solo" album reeks of McCartney's hand.) Did the McCartney damage prove too much to surmount? Did Laine blow his mind during the decline of Swinging London? Was he too dazzled by McCartney or did he just no longer give a damn?

Has anyone else ever wondered about this?

― Kjoerup, Monday, 23 February 2004 20:33 (twenty-two years ago)

but on the other hand, i can think of a lot of ex-swinging london movers and shakers who would have been happy to have the Wings gig throughout the 70's.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 23 February 2004 20:37 (twenty-two years ago)

There's little doubt that the Wings gig brought Denny Laine a nice pile of dosh and probably didn't require a lot of effort or hard work for him. I mean, it's not like he had to do very much there. I don't begrudge him the opportunity or the desire to make an easy, comfortable living. Why not? Easy gig, lots of financial rewards. It's understandable.

I've always wondered if McCartney's original concept of Wings was that of an ACTUAL band. McCartney seemed conflicted throughout the early 1970s. On one hand, he had the desire to be in a group; on the other hand, he insisted on taking full control. Perhaps Denny Laine originally took the job believing that he was to be more of a collaborator, but when it quickly became apparent that all band members were basically session men, well, the pay is good, at least, so why not stick around? (Just take a look at the instability of all of the Wings line-ups. Apparently others were not satisfied with the arrangement, at least not for very long.)

My point is: whatever the lifestyle benefits Denny Laine received from his Wings tenure, it certainly destroyed him as a creative artist. But as I said previously, maybe he had already done all he was capable of doing, who knows? It's entirely possible that had he not hooked up with McCartney, he never would have been heard from again. It's all speculation. I just bring this subject up only because I think this guy had it in him to be a major talent of the era, and it's just odd and a bit saddening to see the way it all went.

― Kjoerup, Monday, 23 February 2004 20:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Do you think he would have played stadium rock if he had ben a solo artist? I think of him as less rock and a little more singer/songwriter (I mean, had he not been in Wings.)

― dave225 (Dave225), Monday, 23 February 2004 20:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Not a stadium rocker, not at all. He never did seem suited for that role. In a more productive alternative universe, Denny Laine would have ideally spent the 70s as one of the notable heavies in the English semi-underground, post-psychedelic scene - a contemporary of people like Martin Stone or early Nick Lowe maybe. You know, Denny Laine as leader of a crack band ala Brinsley Schwarz, Man, Help Yourself, Pink Fairies, something along those lines.

― Kjoerup, Monday, 23 February 2004 21:18 (twenty-two years ago)

There's a book about McCartney—a rather unflattering one—with some pretty petty and nasty comments by Denny about him. If memory serves, it definitely seemed an issue of the golden handcuffs more than anything.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 23 February 2004 21:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I should add that his additions to the Wings catalog from a songwriting standpoint ranged from okay (London Town's "Children Chidren") to godawful ("Again and Again and Again" from Back to the Egg). Based on the evidence, it just might have been that the guy wasn't really all that passionate about songwriting from the get-go...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 23 February 2004 21:27 (twenty-two years ago)

nineteen years pass...

RIP

― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 5 December 2023 18:06 (two years ago)

Oh. RIP Denny.

― Tom D has a right to defend himself (Tom D.), Tuesday, 5 December 2023 18:11 (two years ago)

Love this record:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV9W0YJV3Tc

R.I.P.

― birdistheword, Tuesday, 5 December 2023 18:51 (two years ago)

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