History of the Eagles
The Eagles must be the world’s most uncool band. Recently a budget box set of their albums was released and every reviewer in the music press felt compelled to preface their review with “love em or hate them” or some other perjorative comment. The Eagles have sold over 100 million albums of soft AOR and country rock. I like their music; always have – it is very inoffensive to listen to on a long car drive. Hotel California is one of the great guitar tracks. For many years I felt it too uncool to admit to liking the Eagles’ music; but my wife bought tickets for a concert a couple of years ago and I really enjoyed it.
Music biographers have always portrayed the Eagles as manufactured syrupy commercial country rock riding on the coattails of the (more important) Laurel Canyon artists – Jackson Brown, CSN, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell etc. In addition, they have been portrayed as nasty money grabbing businessmen with no sense of altruism. So, a couple of years ago I bought a biography of the band, but shelved it in case reading the book made me dislike the band so much that I would be turned off the music. Last week: Showtime’s “The Story of the Eagles” was shown on the BBC; I couldn’t resist hitting the DVR button.
So, for the past 2 nights, having nothing better to do, I reclined in my lazyboy to hear the (official) truth.
Part 1 recounted the story of the Eagles from 1971 to 1980 and it was tremendously entertaining, if a little obviously sanitized. You got a great sense of who was who: the ambitious Frey and Henley, the old pro Bernie Leadon, the reluctant hippy Meissner, Joe “the madman” Walsh, the slick Felder and the nice guy Schmidt. And then there was the classic 70s manager Azoff and of course David Geffen (who defies description).
The band generously credited their collaborators – JD Souther, Linda Ronatadt, Browne etc. The Glyn Johns thing was nicely explained, along with the cowboy nonsense of Desperado.
While the UK basked in Prog glow in the mid 70s, America went all AOR and the Eagles anticipated this by bring in Felder (who played a mean Clarence Whyte style guitar. As things became heavier – out went Meisner and in came Joe Walsh (which was a little like Slash joining Coldplay).
The break up came in 1980 and wasn’t really explained. Clearly nobody particularly liked Felder, Henley was a little paranoid, and Frey – well he was toxic. It was a good time to split: AOR was on its last legs, but soft rock radio was in its infancy. The band managed to survive the entire 80s with its reputation intact, by not releasing overproduced albums with drum machines that sound like whips and banks of synths.
I should not have watched episode 2: the return. A tightly choreographed store featuring lots of concert footage, Walsh going into rehab and Felder getting the shaft. So, Henley Nd Frey had successful solo careers after the Eagles and this entitled them to more money than the rest of the band: if Felder doesn’t like it – he’s out. I would think that very few if the teenyboppers who bought the awful “heat is on” or “boys of summer” had any idea that the artists involved were in the Eagles. Certainly the solo careers did nothing for the Eagles reputation (does anyone believe that Ian Brown’s solo career enhanced the reputation of the Sone Roses – “hey Reni you’re getting less money.” I would have though that the publishing differential would have been enough for Henley and Frey. Nevertheless, they would argue tht they writ the songs and sang the songs, and they could have Kermit the frog on stage with them and most of the audience would not notice. Hence David Gilmour can be Pink Floyd as it is his voice and guitar that everyone recognises.
At the end of the day you feel sympathetic for Leadon, Meisner and Felder. Geffen is exactly as you would expect.Irving Azoff escapes with his reputation enhanced. You feel relieved that Joe Walsh is alive and Tim Schmidt has a job. Henley comes across as gruff and grumpy and Frey – not a sympathetic character. Arrogant, insulting, a touch – unsavoury.
As a footnote: in 2007 the Eagles release “Long Road into Eden”. It received good reviews, so I went down to FYI in Philadelphia to buy a copy. I couldn’t find it in the store – and it was new release Tuesday – so I was expecting a big display and a discount. The clerk behind the counter gave me his best Jack Black (you tasteless jerk) before informing me that FYI were not carrying that album. It turned out that the album was being “exclusively” sold at Walmart.
In the documentary, the Eagles present Thais as a great deal for the middleman (13 bucks for a doubler album). I’m sure all of the struggling mom n pop record stores were delighted. After all, who do they think sold their 100 million records? The Rolling Stines pulled a similar stroke with DVD sets of their tours, sold exclusively at Best Buy (at least BB was a store that I was likely to visit).
So, at the end of the day, how do I feel about the Eagles. Perhaps it’s a middle age thing, but I sort of understand all the money grabbing (when you think o Alex Chilton dying because he had no health insurance). Don Felder go his settlement and scored a kiss and tell bestseller. Like many nostalgia acts, the Eagles are now struggling to fill the stadiums that they sold out during the early reunion years. I admire the band: they have a great repertoire, their concerts are a great mixture o hits and fresh material (keeping fans happy unlike my recent experience with Neil Young), and “Long Road” was a pretty good album: with a little editing they cold have released 2 single albums. It was good value, though.
So I think I’ll dig out that Eagles biography as part if my summer reading.
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