I wasn't sure if this was the right place to post this....I was watching a youtube video of Doolin Dalton from the History of the Eagles tour and Timothy played the harmonica. Does anyone know why Glenn didn't play the harmonica on that anymore?
Doolin Dalton
I wasn't sure if this was the right place to post this....I was watching a youtube video of Doolin Dalton from the History of the Eagles tour and Timothy played the harmonica. Does anyone know why Glenn didn't play the harmonica on that anymore?
Re: Doolin Dalton
It was probably easier for Glenn to just deal with playing the acoustic guitar without having to put down the harmonica after the intro. Since Tim also plays the instrument (and does it well, by the way), it made sense to let him do it. I really don't think there's anything more to it than that.Originally Posted by groupie2686
Re: Doolin Dalton
Also allowed Glenn to play rhythm guitar under it (as on the record), which of course they could never do before live.
Re: Doolin Dalton
Good point about the acoustic guitar. If you listen to the album version of Doolin-Dalton, the first instrument to come in is the acoustic guitar, followed by the harmonica. If you then compare it to the live performance on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, then it starts with Glenn's harmonica and IIRC the acoustic doesn't enter until after he's finished the intro. As others have alluded to, this comes about as a result of Glenn playing both parts on the record, and I think it's quite understandable that they considered the harmonica more important. I don't think I've come across any performances of Doolin-Dalton from the HOTE tour, but on the album version the bass doesn't come in until after the first verse so I think it probably made more sense for Tim to play the harmonica part rather than Glenn, given that either of them could play the instrument. I assume (given his bass playing duties) he just played the intro like Glenn did in the 1970s? One thing I've noticed is that on the studio record the harmonica occasionally returns throughout the song, which they definitely couldn't have achieved live with Glenn playing acoustic.
Just thought - in the DKRC performance Felder had joined by that time, so I can't help but wonder how the intro might have sounded with Don F playing the harmonica intro on guitar. I suspect it wouldn't have quite sounded right though. I do remember reading on here about one tribute band - I think it was the one Toni (chaim) went to see in Finland a couple of years ago - who had someone play the harmonica part on an accordion.
Apart from anything else, I'm delighted to see that Doolin-Dalton now has its own thread, as it's one of my very favourite Eagles songs. It's certainly in with a very good shout at my top ten at the very least, and one of the ones I play most often (it's currently eighth in my iTunes Most Played Songs list!). Looking back, it was probably the first non-hit from the early albums that I fell in love with 3-4 years ago, and therefore pretty important in making me such a big fan.
Re: Doolin Dalton
From what I've seen / heard, the intro changed slightly when done live in the 1970s; they nearly always preceded it with some very, very light electric guitar work (not the acoustic tab) and it didn't segue into Henley's vocal, it went back to the light electric guitar again before Henley came in a few seconds later. When they revived it for HOTE with TBS, it was nearly identical to the album version: acoustic guitar, harmonica then straight into Henley's lead. I did love from the DKRC version that during the Reprise you had the four of them singing their hearts out at the end and Don Felder looking utterly bored whilst messing about on a Les Paul
It's one of my favourite Eagles songs too. The American West is my favourite period of history and absolutely fascinates me, which probably helps its case
Re: Doolin Dalton
It wasn't the first time Glenn gave his part to someone else when they played a song live.
(Incidentally, did he play the harmonica part on the record? Could have been one of their co-writer buddies too.)
Re: Doolin Dalton
What other parts did Glenn give to someone else? I know he gave the guitar solo in I Can't Tell You Why to Felder when they played it live, were there others?
I've seen the Don Kirschner video; I didn't notice any difference in the intro from what was on the record, I'll have to watch it again and pay more attention. According to wikipedia, Glenn played the harmonica on the record.
Re: Doolin Dalton
Joe took over the guitar solo for Witchy Woman. In later years, Glenn stopped playing the piano on Desperado.
Re: Doolin Dalton
After Joe Walsh joined the band, Glenn gave the slide guitar solo and parts on "Midnight Flyer" to him to do live.
Re: Doolin Dalton
I haven't watched either in ages, but isn't it the case that Glenn does lead and Joe rhythm on the Seattle bootleg, but for the Houston one it is then reversed? Different tours obviously but I'm sure I've seen Joe do the rhythm on Midnight Flyer somewhere. I remember from the DKRC version Felder did rhythm and Bernie did banjo: there can't be many Eagles songs where every guitarist ended up playing someone else's part!
In addition to Desperado he abandoned every Eagles-penned piano part bar Wasted Time and ICTYW after their reformation. I realise it probably pained him to play it on account of his arthritis but I do wish he and Don H. had stuck to the way they played in the Seventies more upon reformation. Sometimes you ended up with so many rhythm guitarists on one song you almost felt as though they were wasted.
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