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Annoying Twit
06-03-2016, 09:57 AM
Anyone think there are such songs?

Glenn does a good job on "I Love to See a Woman Dance", but surely this song is made for Randy.

UndertheWire
06-03-2016, 11:06 AM
The Disco Strangler would be interesting.

Overall, I'm not a fan of Randy as a lead vocalist . His voice adds an edge to harmonies but for lead I'd choose Frey, Leadon, Schmit or Henley over him. I prefer Randy when he's singing the rockers rather than the ballads like Tryin' and Take the Devil.

NightMistBlue
06-03-2016, 12:24 PM
Yes, "I Love to Watch a Woman Dance" suits Randy right down to the ground. I can also hear him singing "New Kid in Town" "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and Henley's almost lead in "Seven Bridges Road." I think he would do justice to "Lyin' Eyes" and possibly "Best of My Love."

"The Disco Strangler" is too nasty for Randy! He doesn't "do" contemptuous, though he can do nasty ("Bad Man").

P.S. I'm not saying that these songs would be *better* if the Randman sang them. Just good and interesting - he'd throw different colors on them.

thelastresort
06-03-2016, 12:33 PM
I have to agree with where UtW was going, the best thing about Randy's vocal use in the Eagles (ditto TBS's) was his ability to harmonise with any combination of the others, but only occasional use as a lead. You couldn't have anyone bar Glenn sing New Kid in Town, anyone bar Henley on The Last Resort, or anyone bar Timothy on I Can't Tell You Why; they had a fantastic ability to pick the right person for the right lead. We could be here all day speculating if Glenn could have pulled off Desperado better than Henley, if Felder could have made a decent try of Victim of Love or Randy had sung My Man but at the end of the day there are very few Eagles songs I think they ever got the wrong vocalist for.

That said however, I have always wondered how well Joe would have pulled off Take It to the Limit instead of Glenn, he is surprisingly good at ballads (we've all cried to PMAIAR at some point, right?) and has a little bit of Randy's delicateness in his voice.

Annoying Twit
06-03-2016, 12:46 PM
Interesting comments here.

Hasn't Joe sung Take it to the Limit live? I think there's a recent version with backing singers taking over (and IMHO doing a reasonable job).

thelastresort
06-03-2016, 12:52 PM
Interesting comments here.

Hasn't Joe sung Take it to the Limit live? I think there's a recent version with backing singers taking over (and IMHO doing a reasonable job).

Never though to search that! He has, by the looks of it on his most recent tour. Watching the videos of it, he does a very good job of it.

Annoying Twit
06-03-2016, 01:51 PM
Never though to search that! He has, by the looks of it on his most recent tour. Watching the videos of it, he does a very good job of it.

Didn't Joe say that Don H helped him improve his singing? All that harmonising with the Eagles may have had an effect. He sounds better than ever.

Returning to topic, I'm still trying to imagine Randy doing King of Hollywood. He could definitely do those 'he's calling' vocals.

NightMistBlue
06-03-2016, 02:45 PM
I believe Joe said Glenn helped him to be a better singer.

Freypower
06-03-2016, 08:01 PM
Anyone think there are such songs?

Glenn does a good job on "I Love to See a Woman Dance", but surely this song is made for Randy.

Why? The vocal has to be soft & warm. I'm afraid I have never heard Randy Mesner sing this way. I don't even consider Most Of Us Are Sad to be in this category. Apologies to his fans.

Apart from anything else why would you choose a song that was recorded decades after Randy left the band?

I know I am in a very small minority, but Glenn's vocal on ILTWAWD is one of my absoute favourites.

As for NMB's suggestion of New Kid In Town & Lyin' Eyes I make no comment. I would have thought something like Outlaw Man or even Witchy Woman would have been better. I associate Randy with uptempo songs, not ballads, for the most part.

Annoying Twit
06-03-2016, 08:23 PM
I quite like thinking about hypothetical situations. What if Randy was onboard for LROOE?

It's all subjective - there is no right answer. But, I think that if Randy sang ILTSAWD with a similay voice to how he sings Most of us are Sad, I think it would sound excellent.

I'm not criticising Glenn's vocal, I'm just thinking about hypothetical possibilities. I think it's more interesting to consider songs from after Randy left. After all, for songs when he was in the band, he could have done them if the band thought he should have.

Freypower
06-03-2016, 08:25 PM
I quite like thinking about hypothetical situations. What if Randy was onboard for LROOE?

It's all subjective - there is no right answer. But, I think that if Randy sang ILTSAWD with a simple voice to, say, how he sings Most of us are Sad, I think it would sound excellent.

And I say, I don't thnk his voice was right for it.

Why does it have to be one of Glenn's songs? Why not Busy Being Fabulous? It's more uptempo.

Annoying Twit
06-03-2016, 08:35 PM
And I say, I don't thnk his voice was right for it.

Why does it have to be one of Glenn's songs? Why not Busy Being Fabulous? It's more uptempo.

This is an entirely subjective discussion, and there's nothing wrong with you thinking that his voice isn't right for that song. I've been surprised by the suggestions made by others in this thread, but in no way suggest that my opinions are any more valid or 'right' than anyone else's. It's interesting that we have different opinions.

Part of what made me think of this thread was seeing Randy doing TITTL live in 1977. The audience loves it. The rest of the band loves it (look at Glenn smiling near the end with the high notes - though i'm not sure of Don H's reaction, he looks more inscrutable.) I think it's a pity that it couldn't go on, and that they couldn't get together again.

WS82Classics
06-03-2016, 09:03 PM
Randy could well have done interesting versions of "I Can't Tell You Why," "In the City," "Heartache Tonight,"(that especially is fun to imagine) and "The Sad Cafe" off the 'Long Run' album. I also think that duets with Joe on "Life's Been Good" and "All Night Long" from the 'Eagles Live' album would have simply killed.

"Girl From Yesterday" and "Learn to Be Still" could have also provided interesting showcases for his vocal talents. Have not listened to the 'Long Road Out of Eden' album anywhere near enough to make any pronouncements there.

This is a fun topic to consider!

Brooke
06-06-2016, 02:05 PM
I have to agree with UtW and hesitated to even answer. I think the band chose wisely on all the songs they recorded.

I've heard Glenn's version of Desperado and Take It To the Limit and while he does an awesome job (the crowd goes wild for TITTL at concerts) I still prefer them done by the original singers. I'd never change any of them.

NOLA
06-06-2016, 05:30 PM
None of them! Glenn and Don H. sang the bulk of the catalog and became the main voices of the band. The vocals are as ingrained in popular music and memory as the lyrics and melodies. Therefore, I can't imagine any substitutions of the lead singers. IMO, the songs just would not sound right.

Additionally, I wouldn't even consider a song after Meisner's departure in '77. Even as a hypothetical situation, I consider it an insult to Timothy and the rest of the band. Sorry, but I prefer to keep everything in context.

Glennhoney
06-06-2016, 09:22 PM
None of them! Glenn and Don H. sang the bulk of the catalog and became the main voices of the band. The vocals are as ingrained in popular music and memory as the lyrics and melodies. Therefore, I can't imagine any substitutions of the lead singers. IMO, the songs just would not sound right.

Additionally, I wouldn't even consider a song after Meisner's departure in '77. Even as a hypothetical situation, I consider it an insult to Timothy and the rest of the band. Sorry, but I prefer to keep everything in context.
I agree..

WalshFan88
06-06-2016, 10:14 PM
None of them! Glenn and Don H. sang the bulk of the catalog and became the main voices of the band. The vocals are as ingrained in popular music and memory as the lyrics and melodies. Therefore, I can't imagine any substitutions of the lead singers. IMO, the songs just would not sound right.

Additionally, I wouldn't even consider a song after Meisner's departure in '77. Even as a hypothetical situation, I consider it an insult to Timothy and the rest of the band. Sorry, but I prefer to keep everything in context.

Agreed, I wouldn't have wanted any of those songs not done the way there were but I believe the other guys should have got to sing more songs than they did. I think they are all great singers and while Don Henley or Glenn Frey are great vocalists, I think the other guys were amazing singers too and it would have been cool to hear more songs sang by the other guys.

Freypower
06-06-2016, 10:45 PM
Agreed, I wouldn't have wanted any of those songs not done the way there were but I believe the other guys should have got to sing more songs than they did. I think they are all great singers and while Don Henley or Glenn Frey are great vocalists, I think the other guys were amazing singers too and it would have been cool to hear more songs sang by the other guys.

And I think Glenn Frey should have sung more songs than he did. For him to only sing one & a half songs on OOTN, one on HC & one & two halves of two songs on TLR, was ridiculous.

I'm afraid I can't agree with the 'they were all great singers and therefore they should all have sung the same number of songs' line. Most of the Eagles' best known songs were sung by Henley and Frey. There are reasons for that.

Ive always been a dreamer
06-06-2016, 11:12 PM
The biggest problem I have with this thread is the title: "Eagles songs that would be better if Randy sung them". In that regard, I have to agree wholeheartedly with most of the comments here that the lead vocalist on most of the songs was the right choice. It's just that, with the exception of Take It to the Limit, only songs sung by Henley and Frey became hits. Actually, on the first four albums, it was not as lop-sided as you may think in terms of lead vocalists - Henley and Frey (approximately 60%) and Leadon, Meisner, and Felder (approximately 40%). As far as the last two 70's albums, it was definitely more uneven with Henley singing lead on approximately 60% of the songs.

Eagles7
06-07-2016, 12:29 AM
It's hard to imagine any Eagles songs not being sung by the originals. The only one I think should have been different is they should have let Felder sing Victim of Love.

Scarlet Sun
06-07-2016, 12:39 AM
It's hard to imagine any Eagles songs not being sung by the originals. The only one I think should have been different is they should have let Felder sing Victim of Love.

Yes, it sounds pretty good

Funk 50
06-07-2016, 05:01 AM
The biggest problem I have with this thread is the title: "Eagles songs that would be better if Randy sung them". In that regard, I have to agree wholeheartedly with most of the comments here that the lead vocalist on most of the songs was the right choice. It's just that, with the exception of Take It to the Limit, only songs sung by Henley and Frey became hits. Actually, on the first four albums, it was not as lop-sided as you may think in terms of lead vocalists - Henley and Frey (approximately 60%) and Leadon, Meisner, and Felder (approximately 40%). As far as the last two 70's albums, it was definitely more uneven with Henley singing lead on approximately 60% of the songs.

I wonder what you define as a hit, I've always been a dreamer. The Eagles had many great songs but the early hits were defined by their inclusion on Their Greatest hits Album 1972-1975. Bernie had left the band by then so he didn't have any tracks on it (Witchy Woman excepted)
I'd suggest that they'd be one, probably two if he'd stuck around 'til after it's release, (I wonder if he was aware of it before he left), which would have required it to be extended to a double album or be a weaker single hits album. Either way, I don't think Their Greatest hits Album 1972-1975 would have had the impact that it did.

Desperado is probably my favourite Eagles song but it wasn't a hit. I couldn't imagine an Eagles hits album without Desperado included. Leadon songs like My Man and I Wish You Peace may have become major Eagles hits, had they got the exposure of being included on the Greatest Hits album.

Back to Randy. The Henley, Frey, Meisner harmonies are peerless imho but I'm not keen on Randy's lead vocals or maybe I'm not keen on the type of song his voice fits best. Adopting a thesbian analogy, he's one of the great supporting actors but hasn't the charisma to carry a lead role :shrug:

I would have loved to see and hear him doing anything onstage during the HOTE Tour.

UndertheWire
06-07-2016, 06:42 AM
I believe the definition of a "hit" in the US is a single that spends at least one week in the Billboard 100. Using that criteria, the only Eagles "hits" to be excluded from Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 are Outlaw Man and James Dean.

The problem that Bernie and Randy had was that their songs weren't chosen as singles. Interesting to see that apart from Witchy Woman, it was always Glenn right up to Best of My Love.

Annoying Twit
06-07-2016, 07:14 AM
The funny-unusual thing is that Don & Glenn helped make TITTL a hit, signature, song for Randy. But, that was the seed of what led to Randy leaving the band.

I do remember reading decades ago that 'Randy Meisner shouldn't be allowed to do lead vocals' which I strongly disagree with. (Please don't challenge me for my source - no idea.)

He has a distinctive voice for sure, and I can understand it being love or hate for many people. However, speaking personally, the last thing I want to hear is people with anodyne voices singing anodyne songs. I like singers to have something distinctive that makes them stand out, and be instantly recognisable.