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View Full Version : Randy playing acoustic guitar in concert w/ Eagles



NightMistBlue
03-06-2015, 01:32 PM
I saw this fetching photo online of Randy playing guitar during a 1976 Eagles concert. This is a long shot, but would anyone know what song it was?

I imagine it was a rare event for Randy to play guitar onstage when he was with the Eagles. This is the only example I've seen.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d128/Shenandoah07/nasty_zpsvzphzuuw.jpg

thelastresort
03-06-2015, 04:05 PM
I'll throw some into the mix here: I went back through setlist.fm for 1976 and these are the only ones I don't know for certain Randy played bass on are the following, all of which would be a bit odd though: Too Many Hands (perhaps he found it easier to sing it that way?), You Never Cry Like a Lover, Carole, Train Leaves Here This Morning (he does in the BBC concert) and Blackberry Blossom...

chaim
03-06-2015, 04:10 PM
If the guitar is in standard tuning, it looks like Randy is playing a C#m7 chord. Too Many Hands and You Never Cry Like a Lover have no such chord. Train Leaves Here This Morning has (the first chord in the chorus), - although I think Glenn and Bernie played it as a triad - so it could be that one. Glenn and Bernie played it in E, but with a capo on the 2nd fret it means that Randy played it in D - if that was the song. Would make sense - one less barre chord to play!

Or maybe Randy did play a triad (no 7th), but this photo was taken right before he managed to place his little finger on the the 6th fret of the G-string!:hilarious:

I don't know "Carole" and "Blackberry Blossom", so I can't say anything about their chords...

(There's a small possibility that it's a G#7 chord, as it's not easy to be sure from this angle, but it's very unlikely. (If it's a G#7, TLHM is out too!)

NightMistBlue
03-06-2015, 04:18 PM
Wow, good detective work, Chaim!

Come to think of it, I believe Randy played acoustic guitar on the studio version of "On the Border." I've never seen them play it live. But no, who would play the bass while Randy strummed his geetar - wouldn't have worked.

Funk 50
03-06-2015, 04:21 PM
Are you sure it's from a 70s Eagles show MightMistBlue? It looks like an early 80s shot to me. :shrug:

thelastresort
03-06-2015, 04:22 PM
... "On the Border." I've never seen them play it live. But no, who would play the bass while Randy strummed his geetar - wouldn't have worked.

There's a good reason for having never seen them play OTB live ;)

Bass in a broad sense links the guitar and drum parts in a song, which doesn't apply to TLHTM obviously. They perform it nowadays with no bass guitar (even though it is quite audible on the studio version), so it could have happened I suppose, if they fancied going super-acoustic.

chaim
03-06-2015, 04:23 PM
Wow, good detective work, Chaim!

Come to think of it, I believe Randy played acoustic guitar on the studio version of "On the Border." I've never seen them play it live. But no, who would play the bass while Randy strummed his geetar - wouldn't have worked.

I remember in my first copy of the first Eagles album it said "Randy Meisner: Bass, guitar". I thought that the comma could've been a mistake and it should have read "bass guitar". When Bernie was answering questions on his official forum ages ago, I asked if Randy played guitar in his songs. Bernie said that Randy wrote songs on acoustic guitar, but he doesn't remember Randy ever playing guitar in the studio. He said "I think I played those parts in Randy's songs". So Bernie would play the part Randy played when he wrote a song, and Glenn would come up with a rhythm part of his own.

So it's very unlikely that Randy ever played guitar (acoustic or electric) on the records. I wasn't even aware that there's an acoustic in OTB. I've only ever heard Glenn's and Bernie's electric guitars.

chaim
03-06-2015, 04:23 PM
Wow, good detective work, Chaim!

Come to think of it, I believe Randy played acoustic guitar on the studio version of "On the Border." I've never seen them play it live. But no, who would play the bass while Randy strummed his geetar - wouldn't have worked.

My first thought was "are we sure it's from an Eagles concert".

NightMistBlue
03-06-2015, 04:55 PM
I was taking the seller's word for it that the photograph was from a 1976 Eagles concert.

I'll try to dig deeper, i.e. haircut and setlist research.

Freypower
03-06-2015, 07:16 PM
It looks like an Eagles concert to me. Perhaps it's BOML.

wbm1970
03-08-2015, 12:52 AM
Well, whatever history is associated with this photo, the whole thing is lovely. Thanks for sharing!! That made my night.

NightMistBlue
03-09-2015, 10:00 AM
Photos of Randy's 1978 solo tour are exceedingly rare, but the haircut looks very similar to the photo in question:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d128/Shenandoah07/NotRickNelson_zpsbe2tu8f1.png

DJ
03-13-2015, 02:19 PM
Photos of Randy's 1978 solo tour are exceedingly rare, but the haircut looks very similar to the photo in question:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d128/Shenandoah07/NotRickNelson_zpsbe2tu8f1.png

I agree with you and Funk 50 I think this probably when he was out on his own in the 80's. IMO :) In all the video footage I've watched and I've watched a lot Randy plays Bass, except for the Induction into RR Hall of Fame.

NightMistBlue
04-06-2015, 11:38 AM
It's since been confirmed that the photo in question is from Randy's 1978 solo tour. Here's another photo from the same show.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d128/Shenandoah07/solo1978_zpsbtmix4gi.jpg

DJ
04-15-2015, 02:29 PM
Are you sure it's from a 70s Eagles show MightMistBlue? It looks like an early 80s shot to me. :shrug:

Agree with you Funk looks like from 78- 80's when he played guitar in his own band.

Funk 50
04-16-2015, 06:38 AM
The weird thing about Randy's solo career, judging by the bootlegs I've heard, is that Randy doesn't appear to be the front man of his own band. I can understand him being uncomfortable in the spotlight but letting somebody else take over isn't a feasible alternative.

Twiggy
04-16-2015, 09:23 AM
The weird thing about Randy's solo career, judging by the bootlegs I've heard, is that Randy doesn't appear to be the front man of his own band. I can understand him being uncomfortable in the spotlight but letting somebody else take over isn't a feasible alternative.

Try buying some legit solo albums. You might be able to hear Randy's supreme voice better.

NightMistBlue
04-16-2015, 09:46 AM
The weird thing about Randy's solo career, judging by the bootlegs I've heard, is that Randy doesn't appear to be the front man of his own band. I can understand him being uncomfortable in the spotlight but letting somebody else take over isn't a feasible alternative.

That's interesting, F50. I haven't seen or heard any solo Randy bootlegs but will surely search harder now that I know some exist. What shows have you heard?

Olivia
04-16-2015, 10:57 AM
The weird thing about Randy's solo career, judging by the bootlegs I've heard, is that Randy doesn't appear to be the front man of his own band. I can understand him being uncomfortable in the spotlight but letting somebody else take over isn't a feasible alternative.

What do you mean about not being the frontman? He is singing lead on every song!

Buttercup
04-16-2015, 11:30 AM
Funk, I do not know what you are listening to but I have all of his solo albums and he definitely is the lead singer on all of his songs. From some of your previous comments it is quite obvious you are not a big fan of Randy, which is fine, we all have our favorites.

Funk 50
04-16-2015, 04:11 PM
What do you mean about not being the frontman? He is singing lead on every song!

I'm talking about talking to the audience between the songs. Sure Randy sings all the songs but somebody else does the talking between the songs.



From some of your previous comments it is quite obvious you are not a big fan of Randy

If I wasn't a big fan of Randy, I wouldn't be here



Try buying some legit solo albums. You might be able to hear Randy's supreme voice better.

:hilarious: :hilarious:


I haven't seen or heard any solo Randy bootlegs but will surely search harder now that I know some exist. What shows have you heard?

There are two radio shows, 1 from Dallas and 1 from Denver. I think the Dallas one has been available at Amazon.

As well as some of his solo tracks, you get to hear live versions of Try And Love Again and Too Many Hands as well as the inevitable Take It To The Limit.

Olivia
04-16-2015, 07:09 PM
I will check that out further but the live albums I have I have only noticed Randy doing the talking. In one he talks about on the Friday show the host called him Rick Miser and I did hear him talking about his kids in another. I really don't recall anyone but him talking on the live albums but Randy himself.

NightMistBlue
04-17-2015, 09:29 AM
There are two radio shows, 1 from Dallas and 1 from Denver. I think the Dallas one has been available at Amazon.

As well as some of his solo tracks, you get to hear live versions of Try And Love Again and Too Many Hands as well as the inevitable Take It To The Limit.

Oh thank you, Funk. I've heard the Dallas show. I thought both shows were official releases.

I only heard Randy speak during the Dallas show, except for a brief comment from the guitarist thanking the audience and saying something like "we really needed that." Apparently they had been experiencing some not-so-friendly audiences before that, particularly in New York. There's an article in the Retro Press thread about a difficult show at the Bottom Line.

My tuppence: if you compare Randy's stage demeanor in Eagles shows with his solo career performances, it was a big leap forward for him. For a shy person to take center stage (with a different instrument no less), sing all the songs, handle all the press interviews - I give Randy major props. It was a gutsy thing he did. I'm sorry his solo career wasn't as successful as one would hope but everyone knows the music business is a dicey proposition. He tried and there's absolutely no dishonor in that. Not to mention, he got three songs in the top 20, IIRC, which is more than most can say.

Funk 50
04-18-2015, 05:29 AM
Thanks for responding Olivia and NightMistBlue and you're absolutely right. I checked the shows myself and I must say sorry to all the Meisner fans. I was wrong to say that Randy isn't the front man at his solo shows. He does all the singing and he does the vast majority of the communication with the audience too.

My only defense is that, the song I listen to most, Try And Love Again from the Dallas show is introduced by a voice that I don't recognise. Randy pretty much introduces all the other songs. Unusually, his backing band do have a lot to say for themselves and the count ins are distracting and annoying but Randy is the leader of the mob.

Despite all the negative stuff that Don Felder has publicised about the Eagles, Randy, Bernie and Don himself, had their best years under the band's wing.

DJ
04-19-2015, 02:09 PM
Oh thank you, Funk. I've heard the Dallas show. I thought both shows were official releases.

I only heard Randy speak during the Dallas show, except for a brief comment from the guitarist thanking the audience and saying something like "we really needed that." Apparently they had been experiencing some not-so-friendly audiences before that, particularly in New York. There's an article in the Retro Press thread about a difficult show at the Bottom Line.

My tuppence: if you compare Randy's stage demeanor in Eagles shows with his solo career performances, it was a big leap forward for him. For a shy person to take center stage (with a different instrument no less), sing all the songs, handle all the press interviews - I give Randy major props. It was a gutsy thing he did. I'm sorry his solo career wasn't as successful as one would hope but everyone knows the music business is a dicey proposition. He tried and there's absolutely no dishonor in that. Not to mention, he got three songs in the top 20, IIRC, which is more than most can say.

Couldn't Agree More!!

Olivia
04-24-2015, 10:07 AM
Thanks for responding Olivia and NightMistBlue and you're absolutely right. I checked the shows myself and I must say sorry to all the Meisner fans. I was wrong to say that Randy isn't the front man at his solo shows. He does all the singing and he does the vast majority of the communication with the audience too.

My only defense is that, the song I listen to most, Try And Love Again from the Dallas show is introduced by a voice that I don't recognise. Randy pretty much introduces all the other songs. Unusually, his backing band do have a lot to say for themselves and the count ins are distracting and annoying but Randy is the leader of the mob.

Despite all the negative stuff that Don Felder has publicised about the Eagles, Randy, Bernie and Don himself, had their best years under the band's wing.


I love the Randy/Bernie/Don years too of the Eagles but I love Randy's solo stuff. I don't really listen to Felder's solo music but I love his playing on Eagles music.