A few song questions

[OntheBorder74]

Thought I'd put some of my thoughts into one thread, just to undertsand a few things

1. what instruments aside from the banjo are in Journey of the Sorcerer, can't figure it out even though they played it live too

2. who is came up with the Indian/eastern sounding guitar section in Too Many Hands that starts at 2 minutes and 43 seconds in? Sounds so different to what the eagles usually play.

3. And finally more of a thoguht but is it possible that B sides can take a single to no 1. Wondering if Best of my Love made it to no 1 because of the cover of ol 55 on the flip side as I'm a fan of ol 55 but not so much of BOML?

Thanks, OTB74

[Freypower]

I don't believe JOTS was ever played live (someone correct me if I'm wrong but I doubt it). You can hear the usual drums, bass & (I think) acoustic guitar in it.

I imagine it was Felder who wrote the guitar parts of Too Many Hands as he has a writer's credit.

To my knowledge BOML/Ol '55 wasn't a double A side & I don't know if the flip side would have been played on the radio. I'm not a great BOML fan either, but many people love the song.

[GlennLover]

I don't believe JOTS was ever played live (someone correct me if I'm wrong but I doubt it). You can hear the usual drums, bass & (I think) acoustic guitar in it.

I believe that I have a bootleg of them playing JOTS. I'll check on that.

[UndertheWire]

Journey of the Sorcerer -
the liner notes mention fiddles by David Bromberg and strings by "The Royal Martian Orchestra" (which may just be a reference to Bernie Leadon's nickname rather than being a real musical group).

It was played live for a few shows. Setlist.fm lists 8 dates and it's on an audio bootleg from Philidephia, PA from 1975 . It sounds like there's a synthesiser in the mix. The live version is less lush but surprisingly similar to the studio version considering the limitations of a 5-piece band. Too Many Hands was also in that live set.

My understanding is the Billboard 100 chart takes into account radio plays as well as record sales and I assume only plays of the A side would count. So my feeling is that Ol' 55 wasn't a big part of the success of Best of My Love.

[GlennLover]

I found my disc with JOTS on it, but it doesn't say what year it is. Probably the same year or maybe the same concert that UtW mentioned. As well as TMH, You Never Cry Like A Lover is on the disc. Haven't we wondered whether they ever played it live?

[OntheBorder74]

I think it's 1975 cause thats hen one of these nights, my personal favourite eagles album, came out and based on this youtube of video of the same bootleg recording;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ufdz0BbEjc

I think your right the high pitched wails could be a synthesizer or a maybe like some of steel guitar; it has a cosmic feel to it.

The thought about ol 55 was probably too out there, it's just I love Glenn's singing in that song.

[scottside]

I saw JOURNEY OF THE SORCERER played in May of 1975 at the Capital Theater in Passaic, NJ. Bernie played banjo, Don Felder played slide and I'm pretty sure Glenn played acoustic guitar.

That same show also contained ONE OF THESE NIGHTS and TOO MANY HANDS. On the latter, Glenn and Don F played lead guitar and Bernie played 12 string acoustic.

This show was about three weeks before the album was released so they only gave us a taste of it.

[OntheBorder74]

That's interesting, probably felder on sldie that I'm hearing in the live version.And you're probably right it's felder doing the indian guitar bit, as he came up with the spanish reggae style of guitar sound of hotel california too

[UndertheWire]

Scottside, I'm impressed you remember so much. Do you remember if there was anyone else performing with them or how the achieved the "string" effect?

[Freypower]

They could only have played JOTS in 1975. That was when it was recorded & Bernie left the band after that.

[scottside]

I remember that Dan Fogelberg was the opening act, but I believe it was just the five of them on stage. As for the string effect, that I can't recall. I just remember after first hearing this song, that I was a bit concerned what the rest of the album might sound like. It's not that I didn't like it, but it was so out of character or so it seemed at the time.

[UndertheWire]

I can understand your concern as I think it was a few years before I warmed to it. These days I love it because it takes me to that happy - "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" on the radio place.

[Jonny Come Lately]

I've found a Youtube video of the Eagles playing JOTS live in 1975:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ufdz0BbEjc

Bernie will almost certainly have been playing the banjo as on the record. It sounds to me as though there's definitely a synthesiser in there - I would guess this was probably played by Glenn as he was generally the go-to live keyboard player but without video footage it's difficult to tell for sure. Unlike the original I think there's some vocals (I'm sure I can hear some 'ahs' towards the end, not sure though). Randy and Don H would have been on bass and drums as normal. Not sure what Don F would have been playing though.

[chaim]

I remember Don F discussing his lead guitar work in JOTS in an interview from that era. I think it was the same interview I have mentioned here a hew times - where he emphasizes his contributions to the writing.
Glenn plays some mean licks in Too Many Hands.:rockguitar:

[UndertheWire]

Could the "whale song" sounds have been done on electric guitar?

[chaim]

Interesting. I've never really thought about those "whale song" sounds, but I think they are Don on guitar (unless Bernie did them on steel guitar), although I don't know. Don was a brilliant guitarist even at that point, so he certainly could have done stuff like that easily.

[DJ]

Could the "whale song" sounds have been done on electric guitar?


Ask our guitar expert Austin????

[RhodesFender]

I have a question about an instrumental song at the end of disk 2 of the Live Farewell 1 Tour Melbourne DVD. After Desperado has ended, the guys go off stage and the end titles will start and also a piano/ synth melody will start at time 1:00:58 till 1:01:33. Can anyone tell me from which Eagles song this is? Thanks in advance,

Edwin
The Netherlands.

[thelastresort]

Not got time to check (exams :(), but I think that's a Glenn solo song, Silent Spring. It's played in concert at the start of the second half before Tequila Sunrise.

[thelastresort]

Thinking about it it may also be Wasted Time (Reprise), which was from the Hotel California album. Both play over the credits I think.

[UndertheWire]

The closing credits have
- Silent Spring
- Wasted Time (reprise)
- No More Cloudy Days (instrumental)

Wasted Time starts about a minute in so it's probably the track you're asking about.

[RhodesFender]

Not got time to check (exams :(), but I think that's a Glenn solo song, Silent Spring. It's played in concert at the start of the second half before Tequila Sunrise.
Indeed that's the song! Thanks for your help!!!

[RhodesFender]

Does anyone of you know what the type is of the electric piano Glenn play's on You Belong To The City at the Farewell 1 Tour Melbourne DVD?

[thelastresort]

This one I'm not too confident on but I think it's a clavinet.

[Jonny Come Lately]

I was listening to the original studio version of The Last Resort earlier today and was wondering how the seagull sound during the quiet bridge section prior to the 'sail to Lahaina' verse was achieved? The Last Resort is one of my absolute favourite songs so I'd love to know this.

[chaim]

I was listening to the original studio version of The Last Resort earlier today and was wondering how the seagull sound during the quiet bridge section prior to the 'sail to Lahaina' verse was achieved? The Last Resort is one of my absolute favourite songs so I'd love to know this.

Never noticed that. Sounds like "glissando harmonics" on a cello to me. You can see a similar thing here on a violin, starting at around 1:57 mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZkIAVGlfWk

That's just what it sounds like to me. I don't have a clue what it is.

[Shadowland07]

Does anyone of you know what the type is of the electric piano Glenn play's on You Belong To The City at the Farewell 1 Tour Melbourne DVD?

I think it's a Fender Rhodes Piano, like the one he uses on ICTYW. It's not a clarinet. Though he did play a clarinet on the studio version of LITFL, and I'm pretty sure it's him playing one on the Eagles Live album.

[Funk 50]

I'd love to see Glen playing a clarinet (woodwind), Shadowland07 :grin:

I think you meant the funky, Stevie Wonder, Superstition, keyboard, the Clavinet.

I don't know what keyboard, Glenn played when he sang, You Belong To The City. Fender Rhodes is a good shout. I just know it wasn't a cool look. Some songs just need to be performed with an axe strapped across your loins.

[NightMistBlue]

I imagine it was Felder who wrote the guitar parts of Too Many Hands as he has a writer's credit.

Yes, in a 1988 interview Randy said he wrote the lyrics and Don Felder wrote the music. Circa 24:30:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzt_BDRnCLE

Since we're talking gear, does anyone know what the box thingie on Randy's mike stand was? http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d128/Shenandoah07/box_zpse55d9149.png (http://s34.photobucket.com/user/Shenandoah07/media/box_zpse55d9149.png.html)

[Shadowland07]

I'd love to see Glen playing a clarinet (woodwind), Shadowland07 :grin:

I think you meant the funky, Stevie Wonder, Superstition, keyboard, the Clavinet.

I don't know what keyboard, Glenn played when he sang, You Belong To The City. Fender Rhodes is a good shout. I just know it wasn't a cool look. Some songs just need to be performed with an axe strapped across your loins.

hahaha I just noticed that. That's what happens when you try typing in between games of beer pong.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Since we're talking gear, does anyone know what the box thingie on Randy's mike stand was? http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d128/Shenandoah07/box_zpse55d9149.png (http://s34.photobucket.com/user/Shenandoah07/media/box_zpse55d9149.png.html)

I don't have a clue, NMB. I had never even noticed it before, but I'm thinking it may be something in the background. However, you may be right - it could be something attached to Randy's mike stand. However, I am way far from being a gearhead, so what would I know?? :wink: :shrug:

[UndertheWire]

Who sings lead vocal on the live version of Lazy Days?
http://www.glennfreyonline.com/multimedia/MP3/LazyDaysBerkeley73.mp3
My default would be Glenn but it sounds a bit like Bernie.

Which of The Long Road Leftovers had a second life on solo albums? Is anyone able to give timings?

[scottside]

I think it's Bernie as it was a Flying Burrito Brothers song.

[UndertheWire]

Thanks. I'm convinced.

[Jonny Come Lately]

Which of The Long Road Leftovers had a second life on solo albums? Is anyone able to give timings?

I know that one of the leftover guitar parts was used in Joe Walsh's Rivers (Of The Hidden Funk) - the section featuring the talkbox in background, it appears roughly in the middle, time-wise - which featured on his 1981 album There Goes The Neighborhood, and the longest unused section containing a repeating riff, which makes up the final minute or so of the Leftovers, went on to form the basis of Walsh's Told You So which appeared on his 1983 release You Bought It, You Name It.

I'm not sure whether any of the other riffs were re-used, I've always been of the impression that most (if not all) of the pieces used were originated by Don Felder or Joe Walsh so if they were recycled it would most likely have been on something of theirs. I'm not familiar with Airborne or with much of Joe's 1980s output.

[Freypower]

I think it's Bernie as it was a Flying Burrito Brothers song.

Sorry, it isn't. It's Glenn.

[UndertheWire]

Maybe it's Bernie and Glenn on lead vocals on Lazy Day.
Here's Bernie and Chris Hillman in 1970:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTYIMtHk4H4

[Freypower]

I've only ever heard Glenn on the Eagles version & watching that made me even more convinced that it's Glenn singing lead. I do understand that Bernie may have been the more obvious choice to sing it, but I don't hear him.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

It sounds like both of them are singing throughout most of the song to me. JMO

[sodascouts]

It's Glenn - I know, a surprising choice, but when you listen to the FBB version, you can hear the difference. This is what it sounds like when Bernie sings it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTYIMtHk4H4

ETA: I see the link has already been posted! Well, judge for yourself - but if you listen to the vowel pronunciation (words like "barbecue", "relax", and "time" for instance), you can hear it's Glenn singing lead on the MP3. Bernie is harmonizing.

They probably decided on Glenn because it was easier for Bernie to do high harmony.