Which Wings songs don’t feature Paul McCartney on vocals?
It’s easy to forget that Wings were a band, and not just a pseudonym for Paul McCartney’s new solo venture.
Such is the obsession we have with The Beatles and all the individual members, including McCartney, that we simply couldn’t fathom the idea that they might disperse and form other bands in which to make music, let alone in 1971, just two years after the Fabs’ final studio album and seismic break-up announcement.
But having flirted with the idea of outright solo artistry with his 1970 album McCartney and ‘71 record RAM, Macca wanted to jump back into the idea of shared creation, for he knew that was its purest form, and while the entire musical world would have jumped at the opportunity to team up with him, giving up the pick of the global litter, he decided to look to his inner circles, when it came to forming the line up.
Wife Linda McCartney joined Wings, playing keyboards, piano, and percussion, while Denny Laine was recruited to deliver lead and rhythm guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, and woodwinds. Of course, Linda’s back story needed no explaining, but neither did Laine’s to those who knew the inner workings of The Beatles. As a member of The Moody Blues, a band that toured with The Beatles in the early 1960s, Laine’s talent was nestled in the back of McCartney’s mind, should an opportunity like Wings ever arise.
“Our two bands had a lot of respect for each other and a lot of fun together,” McCartney explained, when paying tribute to Laine after his death in 2023, adding, “Denny joined Wings at the outset. He was an outstanding vocalist and guitar player. His most famous performance is probably ‘Go Now’, an old Bessie Banks song which he would sing brilliantly.”
Not only did Laine provide his multi-instrumental chops to the make-up of the band, but he also provided another set of vocals, having recorded two albums as a solo artist. McCartney clearly had a yearning to form a band that shared vocal duties in the same way as The Beatles, and so recruited him with that in mind. Moreover, his wife Linda was also a keen vocalist who provided more than just a harmonic backdrop for the band.
So, which Wings songs had Linda and Laine on vocals?
In total, Laine contributed lead vocals on 12 Wings songs, with some of the biggest hitters being ‘Again and Again and Again’, ‘Don’t Let It Bring You Down’, ‘Deliver Your Children’ and ‘I Would Only Smile’.
Meanwhile, Linda’s lead vocals can be found on ‘Cook of the House’, which was the B-side to ‘Silly Love Songs’, as well as the single ‘Seaside Woman’.
However, Linda’s vocals were most commonly utilised in partnership with Paul’s, an idea best showcased on ‘Love Is Strange’, ‘Some People Never Know’ and ‘I Am Your Singer’ from the Wild Life album, where her voice is the perfect companion, providing a sharp and angular contrast to his otherwise melodic style.
All of these songs and performances go to prove that Laine and Linda were crucial members of the line-up who did more than just support McCartney’s greatness; instead, he supported theirs, making them key musicians and voices when it comes to discussing the greats of the 1970s.
