Celebration of "Desperado"

[sodascouts]

Oh, WOW and thank you Soda!!

I'd never seen this one before - and Glenn is so passionate and he just looks so HOT!!!

Oh my gosh, I know! LOVE it. I also love the footage from the Desperado cover shoot, especially at the end when Glenn makes a run for it after all of the other Eagles have been killed! (How dramatic was Bernie's "death scene"? He was hamming it up - and I was lovin' it! lol)

[Henley Honey]

If they're going to continue to end every show with Desperado, I'd love for them to do the whole Doolin Dalton/Desperado piece. I just love it.

[whitcap]

Here's my list. I love every song on this album.

1. Bitter Creek
2. Doolin Dalton/Desperado (Reprise)
3. Desperado
4. Out of Control
5. Twenty One
6. Doolin Dalton
7. Outlaw Man
8. Certain Kind of Fool
9. Saturday Night
10. Tequila Sunrise

[BBKron]

As I've said previously in this forum, Desperado is not only my favorite Eagles album, but one of my very top all-time favorites of all music. Not to mention, one of the best 'concept' albums ever made. And as great as all the other Eagles albums and songs are, I think Desperado is still their true masterpiece. So, I certainly want to join in this renewed celebration of all things Desperado. So hard to believe that it was really 39 years ago. I listened to this all through high school back then, and, of course, still listen to it these days, too. Man, I am getting old.

Anyway, here is my ordered 'favorites' list. Although as others have also indicated, every track on this album is great, so it is just a matter of degrees of greatness.

1. Doolin Dalton/Desperado (Reprise) - The perfect culmination of the album, and thus arguably the most important track, yet it seems to often get ignored (especially in concert - are you listening out there Eagles?), because it is considered 'just' a reprise of previous songs
2. Desperado
3. Bitter Creek
4. Doolin Dalton
5. Twenty-One
6. Certain Kind of Fool
7. Tequila Sunrise
8. Outlaw man
9. Out of Control
10. Saturday Night

BTW, it is no sign of disrespect that Tequila Sunrise ranked #7 here. I love the song. Rather, it is just an indication of the strength of all of the songs on this album, that to me, so many Desperado songs are actually just a bit 'better' than this 'classic' track, yet most of these often don't get the level of recognition they deserve. I know that some have said that they don't think some of these songs 'stand-alone' very well, that they need to be heard within the context of the rest of the album to be appreciated. but, while it is true that the whole album fits together as one large piece of work or song cycle that 'tells' a story, each individual song also works just fine independently as a great song. So, Here's to Desperado, great from beginning to end.

[Brooke]

So hard to believe that it was really 39 years ago. I listened to this all through high school back then, and, of course, still listen to it these days, too. Man, I am getting old.

Don't say that BBK! I'm right there witcha!

And again, I also love this album, front to back.

[Topkat]

I'm suddenly having a whole new appreciation of the Desperado album........especially Glenn

[Ive always been a dreamer]

You know I was going back through this thread looking for some info, and there really is a whole lot of good stuff in here. For those who haven't read through this thread, I would highly recommend it.

[sodascouts]

As I listened to my Desperado CD in the car today, it occurred to me that one of the reasons I love this album is the drama of it, the drama of the narrative... and that's probably why I like the Reprise better than the origin Doolin-Dalton and Desperado songs. That last bit where Don is singing back and forth with Glenn Desperado (Is there gonna be anything left, is there gonna be... anything) You sealed your fate up a long time ago (Ain't it hard when you're all alone in the center ring?) Now there's no time left to borrow (Is there gonna be anything left?) Only stardust.... maybe tomorrow.... Desperado....

LOVE IT.

[zeldabjr]

As I listened to my Desperado CD in the car today, it occurred to me that one of the reasons I love this album is the drama of it, the drama of the narrative... and that's probably why I like the Reprise better than the origin Doolin-Dalton and Desperado songs. That last bit where Don is singing back and forth with Glenn Desperado (Is there gonna be anything left, is there gonna be... anything) You sealed your fate up a long time ago (Ain't it hard when you're all alone in the center ring?) Now there's no time left to borrow (Is there gonna be anything left?) Only stardust.... maybe tomorrow.... Desperado....

LOVE IT.

can't wait to get it...looked for it today in the mail but nothing yet...I have to see what others I don't have...

zelda

[sodascouts]

Though this is obviously about the Eagles album, I've always found co-writer JD Souther's abbreviated version of "Doolin-Dalton/Desperado Reprise" interesting:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-ma_nPOZn0[/ame]

The slight lyrical differences and more mournful tone/sparse arrangement make it even more tragic, wouldn't you say?

The change that really gets me is "Is there gonna be anyone left... is there gonna be anyone?" as opposed to "anything."

It makes me wonder how all those wild west outlaws must have felt as they saw their compatriots gunned down or hanged, one by one, as the government started increasing the bounties on their heads. With the huge prices on their heads that made not only lawmen but every bounty hunter in the country out for their blood - not to mention the dangers of getting shot in the midst of committing a crime - very few escaped an early grave.

In the case of Doolin-Dalton: Both Bill Doolin and Bill Dalton were able to dodge the law and the bounty hunters for years, but eventually their luck ran out. Both of them wound up being shot and killed by lawmen.