Discussion of Eagles Documentary "History of the Eagles"

[AEW21]

Welcome! I agree with everything you've said and I want to add something that has been bothering me more and more, (I am probably feeling the way Glenn felt when Don Felder said, "I guess" after Senator Cranston thanked the Eagles for playing the benefit for him and Glenn got more and more angry the more he thought about it.) It has to do with Glenn retelling the story of why Randy left the band. Glenn could have said, "Randy was unhappy and decided to leave", and left it at that, but instead he mentions the "Take It to the Limit" issue and says that he told Randy, "If you don't want to sing it, then why don't you f**king quit? If you're so unhappy, just quit." Glenn may have been 100% right about the situation, but I feel that it was very disrespectful to Randy. Randy wasn't just some lackey, he, and Bernie for that matter, were founding members of the Eagles along with Glenn and Don H. and I don't think Glenn's comments were called for in the retelling.

Thanks for listening, I feel better now.

This has been nagging at me and seems as good as time as any to bring it up. I swear in either Ben Fong-Torres' or Marc Eliot's book (or maybe both...?) that it was said that it was Don who reached his breaking point first with what he perceived as Randy's performing "moodiness," and that it was Glenn who was more patient working with Randy "after hours" on the song and altering the range/arrangements to give Randy the extra boost of confidence on stage when doing TITTL. Then the book(s) said that caused tension between Glenn and Don because Don thought Glenn was "coddling" Randy. Finally, even Glenn's patience wore thin, and both he and Don put out an ultimatum to Randy, and then the blow-up came after oneshow between Glenn and Randy...

So it shocked me a bit in the doc to see the conflict as being portrayed as so one-sided between Glenn and Randy, minimizing Don's part in the matter. Perhaps Glenn and Don made a pact long ago that Glenn would be the "enforcer" and the public face of these sorts of disputes, leaving Don out of it, and Glenn doesn't mind being portrayed as the "heavy." But I thought the way it was portrayed in the doc drastically-minimized the fact that Glenn was a long time champion of Randy singing more leads on songs, and really honestly tried to work with Randy before things went south...

Anyone else remember this version of events?

[sodascouts]

Yes. The doc seemed to oversimplify the relationships. Glenn's prior championing of Randy and Don's belief that Glenn coddled Randy were subtly hinted at by a couple comments in the doc, but the focus on the final confrontation overwhelmed that.

I think Glenn took on the role of enforcer as part of the leadership role. If someone in the band is refusing to do their job, the band leader is the one who had to deal with it, like it or not.

[Houston Debutante]

I can understand why Don wouldn't like to see Glenn coddling Randy. I don't like to see that kind of thing either, when one team member gets coddled, it causes resentment in the others who are doing their job without having to be coaxed.

[NYC Fan]

It seemed to me like Glenn had been very encouraging of Randy, but he was sick of Randy not wanting to sing the song. Can't say I blame him. Glenn and Don are doing the lions share of the singing and, high notes or not, I'm sure he lost patience with that. Add on top of it Randy showing up not wanting to sing it after partying all night. It was his job after all, rock star or not.

But just to defend Glenn one one more point Springbo, I think you may be confusing them almost coming to blows with the Long Beach Felder incident. I don't remember anything about the cops with Glenn and Randy. I think Glenn just blew up and told him to quit if he didn't like his job. Fair enough.

Personally, I didn't find this any more disrespectful than Bernie pouring a beer over Glenn's head. Clearly they all had tempers

[AEW21]

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Personally, I didn't find this any more disrespectful than Bernie pouring a beer over Glenn's head. Clearly they all had tempers

I think it's also easy to forget they were still pretty young yet--mid-to-late-twenties, who basically were undergoing the rollercoaster ride of fame and fortune as if it was their college experience. Going from playing the stage at the Trobadour to packed arenas has to addle the brain and warp your relations with people, and distort your view of yourself.

There were bound to be tempers flaring and fights happening and too much partying--they're guys; they do immature things because they can. And drug use never helps, esp. cocaine. It sounds as if it made them all nastier and more paranoid, which is never good for a group dynamic.

[VAisForEagleLovers]

It seemed to me like Glenn had been very encouraging of Randy, but he was sick of Randy not wanting to sing the song. Can't say I blame him. Glenn and Don are doing the lions share of the singing and, high notes or not, I'm sure he lost patience with that. Add on top of it Randy showing up not wanting to sing it after partying all night. It was his job after all, rock star or not.

But just to defend Glenn one one more point Springbo, I think you may be confusing them almost coming to blows with the Long Beach Felder incident. I don't remember anything about the cops with Glenn and Randy. I think Glenn just blew up and told him to quit if he didn't like his job. Fair enough.

Personally, I didn't find this any more disrespectful than Bernie pouring a beer over Glenn's head. Clearly they all had tempers

Actually, the cops tried to involve themselves with Glenn and Randy, and Don told them to stay back. Probably because he was all for the 'talk' Glenn was about to have with Randy. What was confusing about the footage was that they made it look like it was the same night as the DC concert since they didn't have concert and backstage footage of the night it actually happened.

[TimothyBFan]

At the risk of angering some, I want to play devils advocate for a minute.

Since it has been stated that at times Glenn did seem compassionate to Randy's fear of hitting the high notes, being encouraging to him and working with him, at least for awhile, I wonder what would have happened had he re-arranged it so that Randy's fears could no longer be used as an excuse. Correct me if I'm wrong, but once Glenn started singing it, they did arrange it differently so that he was able to sing it?

I also find it somewhat ironic that this many years later it is believed that there are songs that Glenn no longer sings because he has trouble singing the high notes.

I think it's also easy to forget they were still pretty young yet--mid-to-late-twenties, who basically were undergoing the rollercoaster ride of fame and fortune as if it was their college experience. Going from playing the stage at the Trobadour to packed arenas has to addle the brain and warp your relations with people, and distort your view of yourself.

There were bound to be tempers flaring and fights happening and too much partying--they're guys; they do immature things because they can. And drug use never helps, esp. cocaine. It sounds as if it made them all nastier and more paranoid, which is never good for a group dynamic.

I think you make a very valid point here.

Personally, I didn't find this any more disrespectful than Bernie pouring a beer over Glenn's head. Clearly they all had tempers

I agree BUT the difference to me is that Bernie now seems as if he's regretful about the way he handled that, and pretty much said just that in the documentary. I didn't get that impression from Glenn.

OK--- take your best shots at me-- I can take it!!

[Glennhoney]

Isn't it funny how people look at things differently??...My husband was never a big fan of Glenn Frey ...he was a Don Henley guy....and after watching the DVDs, he says he has great respect and admiration for Glenn now.., moreso than for DOn...I knew he's see things my way eventually..hahaha..

[pueblo47]

Willie, I was wondering if anyone would bring that up about the re-arrangement of certain songs. A simple thing that could have made everything a lot easier on all of them.

As far as taking some heat for giving your opinion, this board is supposed to be able to discuss differing viewpoints without getting all bent out of shape if one person's opinion doesn't comply with the majority. That hasn't always been the case lately.....just sayin'......

[VAisForEagleLovers]

At the risk of angering some, I want to play devils advocate for a minute.

Since it has been stated that at times Glenn did seem compassionate to Randy's fear of hitting the high notes, being encouraging to him and working with him, at least for awhile, I wonder what would have happened had he re-arranged it so that Randy's fears could no longer be used as an excuse. Correct me if I'm wrong, but once Glenn started singing it, they did arrange it differently so that he was able to sing it?

I also find it somewhat ironic that this many years later it is believed that there are songs that Glenn no longer sings because he has trouble singing the high notes.



I think you make a very valid point here.



I agree BUT the difference to me is that Bernie now seems as if he's regretful about the way he handled that, and pretty much said just that in the documentary. I didn't get that impression from Glenn.

OK--- take your best shots at me-- I can take it!!

OK, TBF! You asked for it!! Here it comes! I mostly agree. That was my best shot!

I will say that audiences wouldn't have been kind if it had been rearranged and brought down enough to make a difference, plus Randy's notes were so high that bringing it down enough to make him comfortable would have been too low for others. Rearranging was the only option, kind of how they do for Glenn now, but that wasn't what audiences wanted to hear, and critics would have been brutal. I still think they should have done it, and I'm thinking there was more to him leaving than just this issue.

As for Glenn and maybe others today and not reaching the notes, in my mind there's a big difference between not hitting higher notes due to being in your mid-60's than not hitting the high notes after a night of drinking, smoking, and partying in your twenties. One is unavoidable, the other could have been avoided.

None of these guys were, to my knowledge, professionally voice-trained. Having a coach come in for a while might have helped. Like with an athlete, if you do the right vocal exercises you keep your range and have more confidence.