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Gus T.T. Showbiz
03-13-2011, 06:04 PM
For me The Eagles just isn't The Eagles without Don Felder. They wouldn't have had Hotel California without him. And it's doubtful the group would have become what they are without that song.

So, here's to the rocking guitar that made The Eagles The Eagles!

http://www.gibson.com/Files/aaFeaturesImages2010/don-felder_Doubleneck.jpg

MikeA
03-13-2011, 07:00 PM
I don't think I'd carry it quite that far Gus, but Don definitely did place his stamp on their transitional and subsequently on their Rock sound. And, they are carrying on without him now though truth be known, I'd much rather that he was with them than "without" them. A shame it turned out the way it did.

Gus T.T. Showbiz
03-13-2011, 08:16 PM
Hey - if Van Halen can reunite with David Lee Roth, The Eagles could reunite with Felder.

MikeA
03-13-2011, 08:25 PM
I think that a Felder/Eagles reunion would be Highly Unlikely if not Impossible due to the settlement made a few years ago. Too much Dirty Laundry.

Now what I'm wondering is this: Walsh is a hired gun with Eagles. He's coming out with a new CD according to innuendos Joe has made. Walsh and Felder have done work together outside of Eagles bookings so why not get Joe and Don together and fuse a few strings?

Ive always been a dreamer
03-13-2011, 08:28 PM
Well said Milke. ITA. While all seven members have each made their special contributions to the band which I appreciate immensely, I don't believe any of them are solely responsible for the Eagles being the Eagles.

And as Mike said, it is a shame that things turned out the way they did with Felder. But I always jokingly say - I think hell would have to freeze over about three more times before we'll ever see a Felder reunion.

However, I am eagerly anticipating the release of his solo album later this year. (And Joe's too)

ETA: I may be wrong about this, but I've gotten the impression from Felder's book and interviews that he is not on friendly terms with any of the current members of the band.

MikeA
03-13-2011, 08:40 PM
I don't think that he's so much "mad" at Joe as he is disappointed. From Felder's perspective, Joe didn't respond to his attempts at contact the way Don thought he should have. it was Felder I think that had Joe's back when he checked into rehab at one point and Don didn't think it appropriate for Joe not to back him to the hilt.

What we don't know is how binding prohibition of Joe's involvement with Felder was as dictated by the almost certain legal proceedings following the termination. Joe was in a very precarious situation!

I would like to think that things have mellowed out enough between them to allow a production of some astounding sonic events! That type presentation would definitely be defined as "ART" and should not at this time be dictated by the business model set by the other Band and its management that Joe is involved with today.

I think that there is at least a possibility that it could happen, though I've heard absolutely no speculation prior to this discussion on the subject.

Gus T.T. Showbiz
03-13-2011, 09:02 PM
Walsh and Felder have done work together outside of Eagles bookings so why not get Joe and Don together and fuse a few strings?

That would be fantastic. Would almost be cooler than seeing the current Eagles lineup cause of how special it would be.

sodascouts
03-13-2011, 09:04 PM
Felder's contributions were significant, that is without question. Felder made an indelible mark on the band, and his large contribution of the music to their most famous song "Hotel California" (although Joe Walsh claims some credit in helping him work out the guitar parts) is undeniable.

It is completely understandable that many miss Felder's presence; he is amazingly talented. I have had the pleasure of seeing a solo show of Felder's and he is a true guitar great. I must admit, however, that I found nothing lacking in the shows I attended sans Felder. I will say it is a little disconcerting to hear Felder's parts duplicated so exactly by a guy who is not even a member of the band (Steuart Smith). You half expect to see Felder over there.

However, I think he came along a bit too late to "make the Eagles the Eagles." Not everyone is aware of this, but Felder was not a founding member of the band.

It is too bad Felder had to leave in such an ignominious fashion. Oh well, Felder himself has said that perhaps it was for the best that he is no longer a member of the Eagles. He gets to spend more time with his family and make new music on his own. He says his new album will come out soon and I look forward to it.
Here's to Don Felder's contributions to the Eagles. :cheers:

sodascouts
03-13-2011, 09:08 PM
Oh, almost forgot - regarding Joe - I believe he and Felder have mended fences. At the time Felder wrote his book, that wasn't the case, but since then Joe has complimented Felder in a couple interviews and said he missed playing with him. I seem to recall that Felder said they are now on good terms. It would be cool to hear him on Joe's new album.

ETA: Found the interview where Felder speaks about making up with Joe but the site says it is down for maintenance. Anyway, my post about it is here (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/showpost.php?p=67454&postcount=13).

WalshFan88
03-13-2011, 09:31 PM
Here is my .02c on it, from a guitarist's perspective... Just my opinion here.

Felder is a GREAT guitar player. Very, very underrated IMO. I love his guitar licks and his style, technique, and tone. I also think he brought a LOT of good things to the Eagles, including my favorite song of all time (Hotel California). He without a doubt made significant contributions to the band, no denying it.

I also think it is a darn shame that it "went down the way it did". I, too, miss Felder. I have seen the band post-Felder (I didn't get a chance to see them with Felder) and I have to say, it was still a really enjoyable concert for me. Stu (Steuart Smith) is a great guitarist too, who can copy Felder's licks note for note, but even I will admit, even though it's note for note, that tone and soul of Felder's playing style is still missed for me. But again, I loved the concert and is without a doubt the best concert I've ever been too. I didn't dwell on Felder not being there. But of course I would have loved to see them with Felder on the HFO tour. I would have loved that. But I enjoyed my show.

I have full intentions of catching a Felder solo show when he comes to Central Illinois. I would love to get his autograph and talk guitars with him for a bit. He is a true guitar god. Just like my personal favorite Eagle, Joe Walsh. Joe is my favorite guitarist of all time and my personal hero for guitar and life. Joe Walsh (and Felder to a degree) is the reason I started playing guitar and even played in an Eagles tribute band for almost 3 years. I sorely miss that band.

That is my own opinion on Felder. He is an amazing guitarist, no doubt. I DO miss him with the Eagles, but I can't go as far to say they are nothing without him, as I've seen a show post-Felder and while I missed his style and tone, the concert was the best I've been too. Again, I didn't get to see a show with Felder but I really enjoyed the concert I went to. But I agree, it would be great if Felder could rejoin the Eagles, but as others have said, that will be when Hell Freezes Over 3 or more times I'm afraid. It was a bitter ending and unfortunately that bridge has been burned I'm afraid. I don't see it happening.

Just a guitar player's opinion on Felder and his contributions to the Eagles.

EaglesKiwi
03-14-2011, 04:11 AM
I agree that Felder is an amazing guitar player, and he certainly contributed A LOT to the band...

Having said that, there was great Eagles music before he joined the band, and great new songs after his departure (LROOE).

Freypower
03-14-2011, 05:56 PM
I agree that Felder is an amazing guitar player, and he certainly contributed A LOT to the band...

Having said that, there was great Eagles music before he joined the band, and great new songs after his departure (LROOE).

I agree. To me the Eagles became successful primarily because of their songs.

WalshFan88
03-15-2011, 04:47 AM
Here is my .02c on it, from a guitarist's perspective... Just my opinion here.

Felder is a GREAT guitar player. Very, very underrated IMO. I love his guitar licks and his style, technique, and tone. I also think he brought a LOT of good things to the Eagles, including my favorite song of all time (Hotel California). He without a doubt made significant contributions to the band, no denying it.

I also think it is a darn shame that it "went down the way it did". I, too, miss Felder. I have seen the band post-Felder (I didn't get a chance to see them with Felder) and I have to say, it was still a really enjoyable concert for me. Stu (Steuart Smith) is a great guitarist too, who can copy Felder's licks note for note, but even I will admit, even though it's note for note, that tone and soul of Felder's playing style is still missed for me. But again, I loved the concert and is without a doubt the best concert I've ever been too. I didn't dwell on Felder not being there. But of course I would have loved to see them with Felder on the HFO tour. I would have loved that. But I enjoyed my show.

I have full intentions of catching a Felder solo show when he comes to Central Illinois. I would love to get his autograph and talk guitars with him for a bit. He is a true guitar god. Just like my personal favorite Eagle, Joe Walsh. Joe is my favorite guitarist of all time and my personal hero for guitar and life. Joe Walsh (and Felder to a degree) is the reason I started playing guitar and even played in an Eagles tribute band for almost 3 years. I sorely miss that band.

That is my own opinion on Felder. He is an amazing guitarist, no doubt. I DO miss him with the Eagles, but I can't go as far to say they are nothing without him, as I've seen a show post-Felder and while I missed his style and tone, the concert was the best I've been too. Again, I didn't get to see a show with Felder but I really enjoyed the concert I went to. But I agree, it would be great if Felder could rejoin the Eagles, but as others have said, that will be when Hell Freezes Over 3 or more times I'm afraid. It was a bitter ending and unfortunately that bridge has been burned I'm afraid. I don't see it happening.

Just a guitar player's opinion on Felder and his contributions to the Eagles.

One thing I want to add to this is the fact I think Walsh and Felder brought out the best in each other. I loved seeing them play and it seems like they "fed" musically off of one another.

GettheLeadonOut!!
03-15-2011, 05:37 PM
Felder and Walsh are outstanding guitarists, but Bernie Leadon is the architect of the Eagles guitar sound.

Ive always been a dreamer
03-15-2011, 10:03 PM
First of all, it’s good to know that Joe and Felder have ‘mended fences’ so to speak. I have said this many times that I think Felder’s presence is missed in the Eagles’ live shows. However, I am only basing this opinion on watching bootlegs and DVDs since, unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to see him live. He did seem to bring a certain energy to the shows, and I always love watching the interaction between him and Joe.

I think it is natural for someone who is a huge fan of a particular artist to want to give them their props about their contributions to their bands. But in the case of the Eagles, I repeat that I don’t believe there is any one member, past or present, that is responsible for the band’s sound, songs, or success. Frey and Henley generally get most of the credit, and deservingly so, IMHO. They are the two that have been in the trenches throughout the band’s history and they wrote and/or sang most of the songs. However, even they have stated that the success of the Eagles is not attributable to any one member. Each band member has offered a unique contribution that none of the others matched, but I think a lot of that is because the band kept changing their sound and recorded so many different types of music. So, while Bernie and Glenn may have defined the band’s country rock guitar sound, Felder and Walsh came along at exactly the right time to replace them as the band’s guitar gods. Although some of you may not agree, I’ll go so far as to say I think that had the band not made the switch from country rock and successfully experimented with different musical styles, they probably would not have achieved the longevity and legendary status that they now enjoy.

WalshFan88
03-15-2011, 10:20 PM
First of all, it’s good to know that Joe and Felder have ‘mended fences’ so to speak. I have said this many times that I think Felder’s presence is missed in the Eagles’ live shows. However, I am only basing this opinion on watching bootlegs and DVDs since, unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to see him live. He did seem to bring a certain energy to the shows, and I always love watching the interaction between him and Joe.

I think it is natural for someone who is a huge fan of a particular artist to want to give them their props about their contributions to their bands. But in the case of the Eagles, I repeat that I don’t believe there is any one member, past or present, that is responsible for the band’s sound, songs, or success. Frey and Henley generally get most of the credit, and deservingly so, IMHO. They are the two that have been in the trenches throughout the band’s history and they wrote and/or sang most of the songs. However, even they have stated that the success of the Eagles is not attributable to any one member. Each band member has offered a unique contribution that none of the others matched, but I think a lot of that is because the band kept changing their sound and recorded so many different types of music. So, while Bernie and Glenn may have defined the band’s country rock guitar sound, Felder and Walsh came along at exactly the right time to replace them as the band’s guitar gods. Although some of you may not agree, I’ll go so far as to say I think that had the band not made the switch from country rock and successfully experimented with different musical styles, they probably would not have achieved the longevity and legendary status that they now enjoy.

+1

Well said Dreamer. I fully respect Leadon and his contributions and think he is a great guitarist (especially country guitar), but I much prefer the Hotel California or even Long Run lineup, HC being my favorite. But I'm a rock n' roll guy at heart. I like some country if there is rock with it. My favorite albums from the Eagles reflect that. For instance, most of you know that Hotel California is my favorite Eagles album and Desperado is my least favorite Eagles album. But that's just me. EACH and EVERY member has brought something great to the band.

I miss Felder's presence - but I still like to go to the shows and enjoy them. Stu is a great player. But I definitely want to catch Felder solo. I miss seeing him with Joe (from videos and things). Christchurch is my favorite DVD of the Eagles and I love watching Walsh and Felder trade guitar licks and have fun.

MikeA
03-16-2011, 08:15 AM
I read this thread yesterday and meant to come back and reply to it.

Eagles are have really been two pretty distinct bands during their original hey-day. From 70 to around 74 or so, they were introducing the Country Rock sound to the world. They didn't "invent it" but did make it "marketable". During that time, Bernie Leadon along with Glenn Frey did indeed "define" the "Eagles Sound".

But there was a transitional time there in 75 and 76 when the powers that be brought in Felder and later Walsh to add a heaver Rock mood to the Eagles Music. Then from 77 (late 76) they became known as a Rock & Roll band more so than Country Rock.

They were HUGE in all of these manifestations.

jdubfan
03-16-2011, 02:16 PM
You're right on all counts MikeA. Over the years, I've always missed the personnel that left, but the Eagles as an entity have always been intriguing lyrically and powerful musically. I'm not a big country fan, so the swerve into rock suited me fine. Then adding my bud Joe was great. I'd love to see a Felder/Walsh combo show. I missed gettting to see live- toe-to-toe, fret-to-fret, smirk-to-smirk, duking it out as Eagles live. What excellent listening that'd be...:rockguitar: :guitar:

WalshFan88
03-18-2011, 05:06 AM
You're right on all counts MikeA. Over the years, I've always missed the personnel that left, but the Eagles as an entity have always been intriguing lyrically and powerful musically. I'm not a big country fan, so the swerve into rock suited me fine. Then adding my bud Joe was great. I'd love to see a Felder/Walsh combo show. I missed gettting to see live- toe-to-toe, fret-to-fret, smirk-to-smirk, duking it out as Eagles live. What excellent listening that'd be...:rockguitar: :guitar:

I agree. A combo show would be great. Don't know if it would happen though. :? :guitar:

chaim
03-20-2011, 09:29 AM
I usually get annoyed when I see "Felder made the Eagles sound" kind of comments in the internet, but if I see this kind of comments here, they don't annoy me, because I know that the person who says so, knows that Felder wasn't on the first two albums and wasn't there for most of On the Border...(and therefore has thought about it, and really feels so and doesn't just go with the "yeah yeah Felder yeah!!!" flow that seems to be going 'round at least on YouTube) There are many people, however, who do think that he was there from "Eagles" to "The long run"...
Anyway, someone might say that "New kid in town" wouldn't be what it is without Don's electric guitar parts, and I would agree. But someone might also say that "Lyin' eyes" wouldn't be what it is without Bernie's lead guitar parts. Once again I'd agree. Someone might say that Glenn's slide guitar licks at the end of "Midnight flyer" really take the song to another level. I would agree again. Or how about Glenn's harmony guitar parts on "One of these nights"?
All of those guitarists did something great guitar-wise on those albums. Not just Don Felder. Also, often when I see people praise Don Felder as an Eagles guitarist, the example given is "I can't tell you why", although when they hear the studio version, they hear Glenn playing those leads. (I don't mean this forum. People here know it's Glenn on the album.) "Would these people praise the leads in this song if they knew for sure that it's Glenn on the album?". This is the question I often ask myself.
Don Felder was great, but let us not underestimate the guitar contributions from the other fellows.

MikeA
03-20-2011, 10:33 AM
Don Felder was great, but let us not underestimate the guitar contributions from the other fellows.

I don't think there is much danger of that Chaim. Glenn isn't noted as being a Guitar God...and maybe he isn't. But he is one very accomplished guitar player who stepped back and let the spotlight shine on Bernie, Don and Joe. A guitar to Glenn was just another tool of his trade and that trade was more centered on composition and production. His vocals didn't hurt any either.

Much to my discredit, I never saw Bernie while he was with the Eagles. The first show I saw was one of the first stops on the "Hotel California" tour in Wichita. At that time, Joe was the new kid on the block and he and Felder were swapping licks.

They were pretty good <LOL>

chaim
03-20-2011, 02:11 PM
I don't think there is much danger of that Chaim. Glenn isn't noted as being a Guitar God...and maybe he isn't. But he is one very accomplished guitar player who stepped back and let the spotlight shine on Bernie, Don and Joe. A guitar to Glenn was just another tool of his trade and that trade was more centered on composition and production. His vocals didn't hurt any either.

Much to my discredit, I never saw Bernie while he was with the Eagles. The first show I saw was one of the first stops on the "Hotel California" tour in Wichita. At that time, Joe was the new kid on the block and he and Felder were swapping licks.

They were pretty good <LOL>

Yep, I'd say that Glenn definitely is not a "guitar god", but he has played many important parts on Eagles songs. As has Bernie. Take the song "The long run" for example. When I first heard it years ago, the first thing I remember noticing was Glenn's "---da-chikachika-daada" rhythm part (I can't describe it in words really :laugh:). I didn't know who was playing it. Then of course you notice Joe's slide work. I don't think many people first pay attention to Felder's organ part, which basically doubles Glenn's rhythm part. 8)
But like I said, when someone here says that he/she thinks the band is not really the same without Don Felder, there's actually some thought behind it, because he/she knows, at least to some degree, which parts on all those songs are his. But I bet that most of those "yeah yeah Felder yeah!!!" guitar people on YouTube don't have a clue which parts were Don's, which ones were Bernie's etc.
I don't remember who started this thread, but he/she made it clear that it was his/her opinion that the band is not the same without him. And also, I think it was just a warm-hearted gesture to bring up Don's important contribution and not to say that he actually was the band. So it's a good thread.
By the way, I envy anyone who saw the band in the 70's! :nod:

MikeA
03-20-2011, 06:24 PM
You do have to be fair when discussing this thread though. The Band is not the same after Bernie left. Nor was it the same after Felder left. Both brought their "A Game" to the group and at the time they were Eagles, they helped define the group.

Bernie was there during the Country Rock era and then Felder was brought in to give the Eagles a harder edge in their transition into Rock with less emphasis on Country. Bernie really didn't want to make the switch into full out Rock. But with Felder hanging on the wires, they were off on that switch. Joe coming onboard in '76 or maybe a little earlier just put a lot of icing on the cake.

But you still hear a lot of those Country beginnings in later releases. I'm not sure where that comes from. Don Henley I presume.