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March 3, 2008 -- Contact Music

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY - MCCARTNEY ENDS 30-YEAR FEUD WITH LAINE

Sir Paul McCartney has patched up his broken friendship with former Wings bandmate Denny Laine - nearly 30 years after they fell out. The ex-Beatle formed Wings with his late first wife Linda, guitarist Laine and drummer Denny Seiwell in 1971 - one year after the Fab Four's split was officially announced.

McCartney and Laine came to blows in 1980 after the singer's arrest for marijuana possession by Japanese customs officials forced the band to scrap their planned tour of the country. But the 65-year-old has since made up with Laine, with the pair meeting up in December (2007) to enjoy a U2 concert in London.

I wish that this would have happened before Linda died, for the chance of a possible Wings reunion. I'm actually a huge Wings fan. For as much **** as my friends give me, I can't help but love the Wings stuff more than the rest of solo Beatles stuff. (even though John's songs are far and away my favorite Beatles numbers.)

Looks like Macca is mellowing in his old-age!! I'm with you Dusty, i was right into Wings in the mid-70's.great stuff!
Now has he made peace with Pete Best yet??? That's one i'd like to read about!

I wasn't aware of a rift, I guess. Although I heard recently that George Martin publicly apologized to Pete recently.

I'm glad they have ended their rift. It was a long time coming. As for Pete Best, despite being booted from the Beatles, being an ex-Beatle worked out pretty weel for him. He was still able to cash in on his Beatle days. I think he made a pretty good penny from the Anthology series.

I had read somewhere that John Lennon purchased a grocery store for fellow quarryman Pete Schotton (sic)? Is that true?

I never quite understood Denny's beef with Paul, but I'm glad they patched things up. I saw video of Denny on Youtube doing Wings songs, and I would not pay to see him.

dustymurphy wrote:. I'm actually a huge Wings fan. For as much **** as my friends give me, I can't help but love the Wings stuff more than the rest of solo Beatles stuff.

+1

REUNION

scotty wrote:

dustymurphy wrote:. I'm actually a huge Wings fan. For as much **** as my friends give me, I can't help but love the Wings stuff more than the rest of solo Beatles stuff.

+1

Finally someone who relates!

revolver323 wrote:I never quite understood Denny's beef with Paul, but I'm glad they patched things up. I saw video of Denny on Youtube doing Wings songs, and I would not pay to see him.

I actually quite enjoyed listening to Denny play at a BeatleFest several years ago. He played a few Wings songs and they (and he) sounded great. I always liked his contributions to Wings.

>>>I had read somewhere that John Lennon purchased a grocery store for fellow quarryman Pete Schotton (sic)? Is that true?

Yes, John had given his old friend money on more than on occasion. Pete later began the Fatty Arbuckle's chain of restaurants, which he later sold for mega-millions.

If I remember things right from one of the books I read, Paul paid Denny as a contract player. The Japan tour was important because he could earn some decent money.

Wasn't Denny in the original Moody Blues and sang "Go Now"?

Yes David.

Well... Denny WAS a contract player. But being a contract player for McCartney is pretty special. Certainly he wasn't being paid "scale." And I'm sure that whatever he made with Wings, Denny would not have made as much singing "Go Now" with an "original Moody Blues" reunion tour.

I seem to recall that a further bone of contention that Denny Laine may have had with Mr & Mrs McCartney revolved around dealings concerning the "Mull of Kintyre”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mull_of_Kintyre_%28song%29

Has as already been mentioned, Denny Laine was required to forgo “a nice little earner” with the abandonment of a lucrative Wings tour of Japan in 1980 followed a year later by the break-up of Wings. He quite frankly needed the money. And, as credited co-writer with Paul McCartney of Mull of Kintyre, he was eventually forced to sign over (effectively to Paul McCartney) his future royalty rights to the song for what turned out to be a fire-sale price of reportedly £5,000 ($10,000). While Mull of Kintyre never sold well in the USA it nevertheless went on to achieve sales in excess of two million globally – which as one can imagine, didn’t best please Denny Laine at the time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denny_Laine