![]() ![]() staying up all night, smoking dope, living the California life, and I suppose we thought it was as radical as cowboys in the old West. Frey liked the idea of the band positing themselves as outlaws, although Henley said later “The metaphor was probably a little bullshit. ![]() While there’s no central storyline, most of the songs follow the themes of rebellion. The Eagles shot for serious artist status with their second album, a concept album about Wild West outlaws. The Eagles are already professional sounding, but the group don’t have their identity yet, and it’s often a bunch of pointless, pretty country-rock songs. But otherwise, it’s tuneful fluff like ‘Most Of Us Are Sad’ or embarrassing efforts like Frey’s ‘Chug All Night’, a contender for the worst thing the band ever released – “I believe we could chug all night/I believe we could hug all night” is a particularly awkward rhyme. There’s a nice Gene Clark cover with ‘Train Leaves Here This Morning’, and I enjoy Meisner’s dramatic God-rock on’Take The Devil’, even if I’m happy to concede that it’s not a strong composition. The album’s other single was written by Bernie Leadon and Don Henley – ‘Witchy Woman’ is menacing, with Henley’s sinister lead vocal, and its hedonistic subject matter is more telling of the group’s future direction than the album’s more lightweight ditties. Two of the album’s best-known songs came from outside writers – Frey’s only contribution to Jackson Browne’s ‘Take It Easy’ was the line about the girl slowing down to check him out – while Jack Tempchin wrote ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’. In fact, Henley and Frey don’t write together at all, and Henley only supplied one lead vocal on the album before the late addition of ‘Nightingale’. They were a much more democratic band on their first record – lead vocals are shared around, and they’re not yet dominated by the Frey-Henley songwriting team that would later supply most of their material. The Eagles had recently formed as a backing group for Linda Ronstadt’s Silk Purse album and were still finding their identity when they recorded their debut. Eagles Album ReviewsĮagles | Desperado | On The Border | One of These Nights | Hotel California | The Long Run | Eagles Live | Hell Freezes Over | Long Road Out of Eden They’re much stronger as a singles band, and it’s not surprising their most successful album was a compilation. ![]() But their album output is too spotty for them to rate among the great bands of the 1970s. But I do enjoy their middle albums like On The Border and One of These Nights, as they gradually transition from country to rock.Īnother issue with the Eagles is that their stratospheric sales and huge arena tours put them in the top echelon of rock acts. The Eagles also have an identity crisis – they feel like a commercialised version of more sincere country-rock acts on their early albums, but they sound sterile by 1979’s The Long Run, out of energy and with all of the country twang removed from their sound. Glenn Frey was a good tune-smith, but his frat-boy persona wasn’t endearing. But Henley’s drumming is a weak point in an otherwise strong ensemble of musicians, and it’s telling he used outside drummers on his solo records while concentrating on lead vocals and lyrics. Don Felder and Joe Walsh are excellent lead guitarists, Bernie Leadon’s a capable country player who earlier served in Dillard & Clark and The Flying Burrito Brothers, while bassists Randy Meisner and Timothy B Schmitt are excellent musicians and harmony vocalists. There’s a lot to like about the Eagles – their vocal harmonies are often excellent, and I like a lot of the supporting musicians that passed through the group. Frey passed away in 2016, but the group have continued to tour with his son Deacon and country artist Vince Gill taking his parts. The Eagles broke up in 1980, but reformed in 1994 for a live album (with a handful of new studio tracks) and released one further studio album, Long Road Out Of Eden, in 2007. As the decade wore on, they lost most of the country from their sound and became a straightforward rock band. Songwriting team Don Henley and Glenn Frey pumped out a ton of popular singles, and their Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) is one of the highest-selling albums of all time. The Eagles achieved stratospheric success in the 1970s, effectively bridging the country rock and soft rock styles that were popular in the early 1970s. ![]()
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