Quote Originally Posted by thelastresort View Post

The Last Resort and Sad Cafe also have a difference which I believes justifies their inclusions on their original records. The Last Resort is a scathing criticism of the American Dream and all the carelessness, hedonism and greed that entailed; which fits perfectly as a closure on the record the band have said is about the American lifestyle, and the change from innocence to experience. Sad Cafe on the other hand is a wistful critique of themselves and all the other country / folk artists who came from the late 60s / early 70s California scene, and how in the end it all proved to be a career based on a false premise that anything ever changes. The critical element for me is that for 14 years, this is what people thought was America's biggest band's last ever song; a reflection that through all the youthful exuberance of Take It Easy, the country and R'n'B years to their stardom with Hotel California and The Long Run, it was all just a fad that had amounted to nothing but wasted years.
I never thought about that, about The Sad Café, but you're right, it must have seemed like a fitting swan song for what appeared to be the end of the band at the time. Almost as if they saw the end coming themselves, while at the same time writing about longevity with The Long Run.

To get back to YEF's original topic, I too wouldn't change anything. While I may not like every song on an album, the tracks were put there for a reason and who am I to want to change anything. I even think that in the age of iTunes and songs played on shuffle, it takes away from the time an artist spends putting songs in a particular order on an album. (Even though I mainly listen to music on shuffle).