The original lineup underrated?

[chaim]

Am I the only one on the planet who feels that the original Eagles doesn't get the recognition it deserves? This post was inspired by the Taylor/Joe discussion in the other thread.

When Felder was let go, there were (and still are) an awful lot of people who insisted they're nothing without him. There also seems to be people who feel the same away about Joe/Eagles.

But when you look at their first Greatest Hits album, which sold a copy or two, I think the original lineup did just fine too:

Take It Easy (original lineup)
Witchy Woman (original lineup)
Lyin' Eyes (original lineup, with Felder probably strumming an acoustic with Glenn)
Already Gone (original lineup, with Felder playing some long notes on top of Glenn's solo)
Desperado (original lineup)
One Of These Nights (Felder was important in arranging this one. He has made this very clear. Although I still say that Glenn did the harmony guitars. Felder also plays a nice solo.)
Tequila Sunrise (original lineup)
Take It To The Limit (I don't know who played what here, but certainly Felder didn't make it what it is)
Peaceful Easy Feeling (original lineup)
Best Of My Love (original lineup)

Felder says in his book that Randy and Bernie deserved to be honored for this album as much as Glenn, Don and himself. I think he was being a bit kind to himself. Randy and Bernie are a much bigger part of this album than him! Of course one could say that Felder (and later Joe) joining the band made people buy this album!

I understand that Don F and Joe were great additions - especially live - when they joined, but it seems to me that today a lot of people have forgotten that there even was an Eagles before them. Even Glenn's ICTYW solo is Don's today. So it seems that the history of the Eagles has been distorted slightly in people's minds. How many people even know who Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon are?

And a lot of those who do remember the original lineup seem to remember what they lacked before Felder joined, and not what was already there.

I'm biased, of course, as I'm a big Randy/Bernie fan, and Desperado is my favorite Eagles album...

[UndertheWire]

I agree with you but then I'm biased - the peak of my fandom was Desperado/On the Border.

Their Greatest Hits 1972-75 was awarded platinum status after just 3 weeks of release and 8 months before the release of Hotel California. So there's a good case that GH drove sales of HC rather than the reverse.

What's interesting is to see how the reunion boosted the sales of GH - it went from 14xplatinum in Dec 1993 to 22x in Jun 1995

[VAisForEagleLovers]

In the couple weeks after HOTE being shown on Showtime, and for several weeks after HOTE was released here in the US, GH made the Billboard 200. That amazes me, because if I was a casual fan looking to restock my CD collection with Eagles music, I'd choose The Very Best Of. I think there was a week or so where it was on the Billboard 200 as well after the release of HOTE.

To go along with the premise of the thread, yes, I think the original line up is very underrated. I really liked Joe and the James Gang, so when it was announced he was joining the Eagles I thought I was in heaven. Yet of my top Eagles songs, NKIT is the only one made after Bernie left.

[UndertheWire]

I've seen several comments recently from people who liked the original lineup. One was Glyn Johns who noted they were more successful after they stopped working for him but he prefered the earlier version. The other was Chris Hillman.

Do people who buy Greatest Hits albums necessarily know who's in the band and how much do they care? I doubt I would know or care that much if it was another band. Yet, I'm still shocked when people don't seem to realise that the Eagles were successful before Joe and before Felder.

FWIW, when it came to seeing the band for the first time, for me the decider was Bernie. A chance to see three out of the original four? A no brainer.

[Scarlet Sun]

The original lineup is pretty much the only reason i'm an Eagles fan. "Overrated/underrated" though, I know what I think about them and that's enough

[chaim]

The original lineup is pretty much the only reason i'm an Eagles fan. "Overrated/underrated" though, I know what I think about them and that's enough

:hilarious: I know exactly what you mean. I hate all this overrated/underrated stuff too. But this is one exception where I feel the term "underrated" can really be used. When it comes to the original four, people tend to mention problems between the guitarists (Bernie being country, Glenn being rock), Randy not wanting to be in the spotlight, people fighting for album space, problems with the producer etc. etc. So the common conception of the Eagles history seems to be that there were nothing but problems before Don F (and later Joe) came to rescue.

But when you look at the material (and the first GH album), they did quite a bit of classic Eagles stuff, just the four of them. The material is not underrated, but the band is IMO.

[chaim]

I've seen several comments recently from people who liked the original lineup. One was Glyn Johns who noted they were more successful after they stopped working for him but he prefered the earlier version. The other was Chris Hillman.

Do people who buy Greatest Hits albums necessarily know who's in the band and how much do they care? I doubt I would know or care that much if it was another band. Yet, I'm still shocked when people don't seem to realise that the Eagles were successful before Joe and before Felder.

FWIW, when it came to seeing the band for the first time, for me the decider was Bernie. A chance to see three out of the original four? A no brainer.

A very good point. But when people open the door to this discussion, saying things like "they're nothing without Felder", I think it would be appropriate to point out that they already were something before he joined. And the GH album (a lot of which is part of the common musical consciousness) is a proof of that.
Of course it's kind of pointless to rave about this here, but I had to get it off my chest.:blush:

[DJ]

Am I the only one on the planet who feels that the original Eagles doesn't get the recognition it deserves? This post was inspired by the Taylor/Joe discussion in the other thread.

When Felder was let go, there were (and still are) an awful lot of people who insisted they're nothing without him. There also seems to be people who feel the same away about Joe/Eagles.

But when you look at their first Greatest Hits album, which sold a copy or two, I think the original lineup did just fine too:

Take It Easy (original lineup)
Witchy Woman (original lineup)
Lyin' Eyes (original lineup, with Felder probably strumming an acoustic with Glenn)
Already Gone (original lineup, with Felder playing some long notes on top of Glenn's solo)
Desperado (original lineup)
One Of These Nights (Felder was important in arranging this one. He has made this very clear. Although I still say that Glenn did the harmony guitars. Felder also plays a nice solo.)
Tequila Sunrise (original lineup)
Take It To The Limit (I don't know who played what here, but certainly Felder didn't make it what it is)
Peaceful Easy Feeling (original lineup)
Best Of My Love (original lineup)

Felder says in his book that Randy and Bernie deserved to be honored for this album as much as Glenn, Don and himself. I think he was being a bit kind to himself. Randy and Bernie are a much bigger part of this album than him! Of course one could say that Felder (and later Joe) joining the band made people buy this album!

I understand that Don F and Joe were great additions - especially live - when they joined, but it seems to me that today a lot of people have forgotten that there even was an Eagles before them. Even Glenn's ICTYW solo is Don's today. So it seems that the history of the Eagles has been distorted slightly in people's minds. How many people even know who Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon are?

And a lot of those who do remember the original lineup seem to remember what they lacked before Felder joined, and not what was already there.

I'm biased, of course, as I'm a big Randy/Bernie fan, and Desperado is my favorite Eagles album...


Well Said Chaim! :soda:

[shunlvswx]

I have to admit. I was one of these people who didn't know who Bernie or Randy was before the documentary. I do remember Bernie in the country group Run C&W, but I didn't know he was actually in that group until I read it somewhere. I didn't know his name back then, but I remember him. I had thought Timothy sung TITTL.

I only knew the 1994 to current lineup since when I first discover the Eagles it was the Don/Glenn/Don F/Joe/Timothy lineup and of course the current. I did buy the Very Best CD after the documentary. That was my first Eagles CD and others just followed.

When I did watch the guys get inducted into the HOF in 1998, I was like who are those other two guys. Its funny I said the same thing when I first saw the documentary. So when I first heard of the Eagles, I didn't know it was Randy and Bernie in the early work. I do love some of their early work, but The Long Run/HFO lineup to current lineup is who I'm more familiar with.

It was good to see Bernie back in the band and I wish Randy was well enough when they first started the tour.

[chaim]

I have to admit. I was one of these people who didn't know who Bernie or Randy was before the documentary. I do remember Bernie in the country group Run C&W, but I didn't know he was actually in that group until I read it somewhere. I had thought Timothy sung TITTL.

I only knew the 1994 to current lineup since when I first discover the Eagles it was the Don/Glenn/Don F/Joe/Timothy lineup and of course the current. I did buy the Very Best CD after the documentary. That was my first Eagles CD and others just followed.

When I did watch the guys get inducted into the HOF in 1998, I was like who are those other two guys. Its funny I said the same thing when I first saw the documentary. So when I first heard of the Eagles, I didn't know it was Randy and Bernie in the early work. I do love some of their early work, but The Long Run/HFO lineup to current lineup is who I'm more familiar with.

It's perfectly understandable that there are people who don't know Randy and Bernie - especially if they don't own the albums. And I don't really mind that. It's only when people go "they're nothing without this or that guy" - failing to see that the band recorded great material without them - that I start seeing red.

People who say that they're nothing without Felder or Joe should know that a lot of the time they are (were, in Felder's case) playing Bernie's classic licks (Take It Easy, Lyin' Eyes...).

[MaryCalifornia]

I don't think the original lineup is underrated, but unknown to casual fans. Eagles fans and music critics know that those four produced the bulk of the hits. The problem is that Bernie and Randy were only in the band for 5 or 6 years (?), and then were basically never heard from again as far as the general public was concerned until the HOTE documentary came out. [Acknowledging Randy had some solo attempts in the 80s and some sort of Poco reunion.] In the 38 years since Randy left, the Eagles have gained many new fans, especially after HFO and HOTE, and those fans simply have no connection to him or Bernie, as much as they enjoy the vocals every time they listen - they don't know who is singing. We hear this over and over and over.

If the Eagles had quit in 1977, Bernie and Randy would be much more well-known and appreciated. The sheer length of time that the band has been active with Joe and Tim has resulted in a diminishing of the perceived impact by the public of those early years.

In terms of playing his instrument, professionalism, ability to navigate the cut-throat music industry and make music his priority, his ongoing presence on other talented musicians' projects, and other intangibles, I would think Timothy is the most underrated Eagle. Everyone thinks he stands there looking pretty and taking direction from Don and Glenn, (which is all true), but I think he's done a lot more to keep the peace and keep the band together, due to his personality and professionalism, since 1994 than he gets credit for.

[WalshFan88]

I'm personally not a huge fan of the first two albums myself, being not a bluegrass light country fan, outside of the hits like TIE and PEF and Witchy Woman and Desperado. But I don't care so much for Tequila Sunrise or some of the other tracks on the Desperado record.

I love On The Border and One Of These Nights, but even that pales in comparison to my love for Hotel California and The Long Run. For me I like the more rockin' Eagles.

As far as over/underrated - I'm not going to comment because I have no opinion on either side. I loved the HC lineup with Meisner still in it. I also equally love Tim.

That said, I respect Leadon's guitar playing and musicianship but guitar wise and music wise we are a bit, er, different stylistically. I'm not a bluegrass/folk fan and I like my country rockin'. I'm more of a fan of today's country where it has some rock edge to it with country vocals.

[sodascouts]

It's perfectly understandable that there are people who don't know Randy and Bernie - especially if they don't own the albums. And I don't really mind that. It's only when people go "they're nothing without this or that guy" - failing to see that the band recorded great material without them - that I start seeing red.

People who say that they're nothing without Felder or Joe should know that a lot of the time they are (were, in Felder's case) playing Bernie's classic licks (Take It Easy, Lyin' Eyes...).

Right. It's like that guy who said that they didn't sound like the Eagles without Felder... As if the Eagles never existed without him! As I said in reply to that, I guess the Eagles must not have sounded like the Eagles on their first three albums (except for Felder's guest spot on OTB, presumably).

To answer your question: YES, they are definitely underrated. Desperado is my favorite Eagles album, too. I'm not saying they're better necessarily - all the line-ups have their virtues - but they're certainly not lesser than those that came later (in my mind at least).

[Funk 50]

I share Glynn Johns opinion. The Eagles couldn't rock but were brilliant at the vocal harmony stuff.

I wonder if Johns was against the recruitment of Felder.

One of the things that made, Their Greatest Hits 1972-1975 the great success it became was that it was actually a more cohesive collection of songs than the formal album releases. Any track left out to accommodate a Leadon track would've weakened the album.

Neither Bernie or Randy had much success beyond the Eagles despite that being on their CV. It's a testament to just how great the "gods" Glenn and Don were.

I do believe, however that nearly all the early up-tempo rockish tracks would sound better re-recorded with Walsh in the mix.

By the same measure, I think some of the ballads on Long Road Out Of Eden would sound great performed by the original quartet.

[chaim]

Very interesting points, Funk 50. Johns could also have been delighted by the recruitment of Felder, if he went, "well, now they can really rock as well, because that's what they wanna do".

Personally I love Bernie's and Randy's songs (especially Take The Devil, Early Bird, Bitter Creek and My Man), but in terms of mass appeal you may be right about GH and its cohesiveness.

Even more interesting thought was Eagles re-recording the "up-tempo rockish tracks" with Walsh in the mix. But the most interesting one was the original four performing the LROOE ballads!

[sodascouts]

I don't know - I think the assumption that one line-up always does ballads better and one lineup always does rockers better is over-simplifying their skills. The line-ups had different sounds, yes, but they all were fully capable of doing excellent work on more than one type of song.

[chaim]

Well, personally I've always loved the original four playing rock songs, but so many people (including their producer) have said that they couldn't rock, so I must believe that there must be some truth in that.

I love how Bernie plays the Tryin' riff - the attack. I love the Out Of Control groove...

[Funk 50]

Well, personally I've always loved the original four playing rock songs, but so many people (including their producer) have said that they couldn't rock, so I must believe that there must be some truth in that.

I love how Bernie plays the Tryin' riff - the attack. I love the Out Of Control groove...

Actually it's over generalising to say they couldn't rock. To be more accurate I'd say they were in the top 2% bands playing acoustic harmonies but only the top 40% or so with the gas on. If that makes sense...

[Glennsallnighter]

Congrats on becoming a Border Rebel (500 Posts) Chaim!

[sodascouts]

Yes, well done, Toni! Congrats on your new user ranking - your posts are always interesting!

[VAisForEagleLovers]

Yes, congrats, Toni!!! I, too, always enjoy your posts!

[Ive always been a dreamer]

I tend to agree with MC that the original lineup is probably more unknown than underrated. Not really that surprising when you consider that many fans don't know the names of the present lineup.

And congrats on becoming a Border Rebel from me too, Toni. Thanks for your insightful contributions to the board and :cheers: to many more posts.

[chaim]

Thank you. I didn't realize I'm now a Border Rebel.:hilarious:

EDIT:

Maybe they are more unknown than underrated. There are couples (at least in movies) who don't get along anymore, but at least they recognize that they made some lovely children together. It seems that even Glenn doesn't realize how many terrific babies the original lineup produced, even if they had problems.:D
Like I've said twice already, they (the band included) always talk about all the problems, problems, problems they had. But I must say that when I listen to the stuff on those first three albums, I don't tend to go "This would sound so much better if they had gotten along better". Maybe they weren't a dazzling live band, but they sure could come up with great stuff in the studio.

[Jonny Come Lately]

I do believe, however that nearly all the early up-tempo rockish tracks would sound better re-recorded with Walsh in the mix.

By the same measure, I think some of the ballads on Long Road Out Of Eden would sound great performed by the original quartet.

I definitely agree with you about Long Road Out Of Eden - I think part of the reason why they had to bring in so many session players on that album is because the Don-Glenn-Joe-Tim lineup doesn't have the correct skill set. None of them as far as I'm aware can play pedal steel or mandolin, any such parts in earlier Eagles songs were originally played by Bernie and then went to Felder after Bernie's departure. With Bernie there would have been no need to bring in a session musician to play the pedal steel part on Do Something, for instance (the irony being that this was one of Tim's vocals!). Similarly, I think it's not difficult to imagine Bernie playing quite a lot of Steuart Smith's guitar parts on the album.

I can definitely imagine some of the songs turning out great with the original four. Hearing them play Center Of The Universe in particular would have been great I think - their peerless harmony vocals and Bernie's ability to play any stringed instrument would have fitted that one perfectly. Of course we are lucky in that we do have a version of one of the LROOE songs played this quartet, this being the original How Long. Having said this, the LROOE line up is better suited to songs like the title track or Somebody, as well as most obviously Joe's two songs, and the horns and sax parts on Fast Company and No More Cloudy Days would have required additional musicians at any stage in the band's history.

I like the early rockers as they are although one thing I do think is that on the first two Eagles albums they hadn't really established their own sound as rockers yet - as much as I love Out Of Control for instance it doesn't really sound like how I'd expect an Eagles song to sound whereas Already Gone has their mark stamped all over it, to the point where I find it difficult to imagine any other band playing that song in that way. If there's one early rocker I'd like to have had Joe on then it would be Outlaw Man, the Seattle performance of that is absolutely first rate. By contrast I would not change Take The Devil, where I think the lead guitar on the original - by Glenn - essential to the 'alone in the desert' atmosphere of this song and as great as Joe is I fear this would have been lost had he been there to play lead at that time.

As far as the original lineup goes, I do think they're underrated. My overall favourite Eagles album is Hotel California, but my second favourite is Desperado and On The Border is third, while I also rate the debut album higher than most. By contrast I've always felt that the wider public and critics consider One Of These Nights to be the next best studio album after HC and Greatest Hits Volume 1. Admittedly GH Vol 1 does feature six tracks by the original line up with only Already Gone and OOTN being Felder showcases (he does play lead on TITTL, but that's hardly the song's main attraction) but as only one of these songs is by Randy and none are by Bernie this just emphasises to me how the original quartet are underrated.

I once read an opinion that OOTN was essentially the same things the band had done before, but better. I have to disagree - Desperado is the best album the pre-Walsh Eagles did, and OOTN is definitely not as coherent an album. In fact, I don't think GH Vol 1 is, either. Certain Kind Of Fool and Bitter Creek may not be hits but I think they are great songs which also form part of an even greater whole. This isn't true for OOTN which has two of my least favourite Eagles songs (one of which is written and sung by Felder, the only non-original member at the time). One thing I will say is that the HOTE tour has perhaps improved recognition of the music they produced with several songs from Desperado and Train Leaves Here This Morning being included.

(As an aside, one vaguely relevant whinge I have is that Fleetwood Mac, though I do like them a lot as well, always seem to get a significantly easier ride than the Eagles. For instance, Chug All Night's 'We're gonna do a little chuggin'/We're gonna do a little huggin'' always gets criticised whereas FM seemed to got away with 'We will never forget tonight/We're gonna be alright' several times over on Tusk's Never Forget. Likewise, and more relevant to this thread, the original Eagles lineup is dismissed as not being able to rock whereas the weak original version of I'm So Afraid on FM's White Album rarely receives these comments.)

[chaim]

I don't think it's just Glenn's lead guitar that contributes to the "alone in the desert" atmosphere in Take The Devil. It's his rhythm part as well. The way he first comes in (that sustained "dummmm" chord), it's brilliant. He plays very sparingly, often just root notes of the chords as opposed to adding even the 5th. Brilliant. Although he does this on CKOF as well, here it really supports the "desert" vibe. I think it's also great that Glenn seems to have played the lead parts when they were cutting the basic tracks, and they didn't punch in a rhythm guitar underneath the solos. So his rhythm part disappears every time he plays lead. Bernie's acoustic is enough. Very sparse - and atmospheric.

That high, echoed guitar bend in the intro (some distant howl in the desert) is a fantastic touch as well.

The thought about Bernie playing on some of the LROOE tracks never crossed my mind, but now that I think of it, it would make perfect sense.

[BBKron]

Some good points made in this thread (as well as some rather silly statements - early band couldn't rock, lack of success by Bernie and Randy after Eagles somehow suggests they were lesser talents, early rockers would be better with Joe, etc).

To me, yes, of course the original lineup is underrated, precisely because in this day and age of the band, they are not very well-known, and certainly the important and essential contributions that Bernie and Randy made to the band are not well-recognized any more. Certainly it is not surprising that most current fans of the group were not around for those early days, have not followed the group all this time, but have become fans much more recently, and so are not that aware of the changes made in the lineup since the early days (After all, aside from Felder leaving in 2001, the rest of the lineup has stayed the same for ~35 years!). They may listen to and enjoy the old, classic songs (like those on GH and done in concert) without ever knowing anything about Bernie and Randy, and that's OK.

But make no mistake as to their importance in the group. The Eagles would never have even existed without Bernie and Randy, nor achieved the almost instant success that they did as a band, as they were essential to the sound and style of the band, and all of those great early songs. Sure, Don and Glenn could have formed some other group with other guys, but it would not have been the Eagles, and it would have been very different, at least in those early days.

As far as I'm concerned, the original lineup ARE The Eagles, and always will be. Sure, I love Joe and Tim, and all they've brought to the group, but the original lineup is still the one I will always consider as the definitive band (even though it has been almost 40 years since Bernie LEFT the band). And as great as all of the music they've made since then is, I consider Desperado (the whole album) to be their greatest achievement, and one of the very best rock albums ever made.

I was a fan of Joe's and Tim's, too, before they ever became part of he Eagles, and was glad to see them added. Joe was a rock star long before the Eagles, and he is still known more for his early work and solo songs (Walk Away, Funk#49, Rocky Mountain Way, Turn To Stone, Life's Been Good, etc.) than for his songs with the Eagles, and he continued his solo career and playing on other's records after joining the Eagles, too. So, I think of Joe as a premier guitarist who happens to play with the Eagles, as well as does a lot of other stuff, too. That is, he is much more than a member of the Eagles. Tim was great in Poco, and is great with the Eagles, in much the same way (my favorite Tim song is still his Poco classic, Keep On Tryin'). So, yes, great additions to the band, and they each bring their own strengths, but they still can never 'replace' Bernie and Randy and what the band was in the early days.

Lastly, I also think there is TOO MUCH made of the classification of the original lineup as the acoustic 'country' vocal band, and the Felder-Walsh version as the 'rock' band. Sure, Bernie and Randy gave the band more of a 'country-rock' feel (not 'country' at all) and Bernie definitely added more Bluegrass influence (which also is very different from country), but they could also rock (Tryin', Chug All Night, Out of Control, Outlaw Man, James Dean, Already Gone, and Good Day in Hell were all straight-up rockers done before Felder and Walsh arrived [Felder only added at last minute to AG and GDIH - and remember it was Bernie's idea to bring in his old friend Felder to add some slide guitar] - and Out of Control is the hardest-rockin' song the Eagles have ever done). And Great multi-part harmony vocals has always been an important part of the band's sound, now just as much as then, and they still play most of the old 'country-rock' songs with the current band (except for Bernie's). It's gross oversimplification to say that the original lineup was 'country' and the later band 'rock, because it just isn't true. There are all kinds of things that change within a band as the lineup changes (and as the band grows older), most of them much more subtle and nuanced than this perceived dichotomy between country and rock.

[chaim]

I definitely agree that Out Of Control is their hardest rocking song. I've always felt that way. When I mentioned the "couldn't rock", it certainly wasn't my opinion. I was thinking of some comment from Glyn Johns that was in some book. He was there. Maybe it took more takes for the original lineup to nail a rock song in the studio than a more mellow one, who knows. Plus everyone always says (including Don and Glenn) that adding Don F made them a much better rock band.

Personally I've always felt that Out Of Control, Tryin', Chug All Night etc. rock MUCH more than something like Victim Of Love, which is said to be a harder rocker. To me it's a pop song, not a rocker - at least the chorus. Felder's intro is promising a rock song, but when it gets to the chorus, it's a pop song IMO. I love Life In The Fast Lane, but to me it doesn't rock as hard as the songs I mentioned because it sounds much more disciplined and controlled. And polished.

On the other hand, Joe wasn't just a rocker. That's an oversimplification too. What he does on New Kid In Town (electric piano and organ), Wasted Time (organ), Pretty Maids In A Row (composing and piano) is far more than that!

[UndertheWire]

I loved your post BBKron. And thanks for pointing out that AG and GDIH existed before Felder was recruited. You posted a Nov 73 bootleg on your blog (that was you, right?) and that rocks pretty well, although after GDIH we can clearly hear someone say, "That song sucks!" If I had my time machine, I'd go back to here a concert at that time. Maybe I'd save the airfare, and catch them on Neil Young's "Tonight's the night" UK tour.

[WalshFan88]

I must disagree, but ces't la vie!

[Ive always been a dreamer]

While I agree with parts of BBKron's post, especially about too much being made of the line drawn between the band's country and rock eras. It's a fuzzy line for sure, but I do think it is an accurate generalization to illustrate that the band had more country tendencies with Bernie and Randy, and leaned more towards rock with Felder and Walsh.

However, I strongly disagree with the notion that the original Eagles ARE the Eagles and that Leadon and Meisner were irreplaceable. If either of these were true, I don't believe the band would have been able to maintain the level of success of their earlier years. Instead, they simply surpassed the previous accomplishments. Yes, they were a different band with the personnel changes, and it is understandable that some prefer one lineup over the other, but to deny that they weren't as successful is really going out on limb.

I personally very much appreciate and love the work of both incarnations of the band. I've said many times before I believe the fact that they made this transition in their musical style is largely responsible for the legendary status and mass appeal they enjoy to this day. They have something for everyone! :thumbsup:

[chaim]

Just to make sure in case someone got the wrong impression...

My intention with this thread was not to imply that one lineup was better than another. I tend to love the original lineup most, but I'm not saying that they were the best one. It's just that when I leave this forum, I tend to find myself in a "FelderFelderWalshWalsh" world. People (especially on YouTube) keep saying how Don F and Joe are/were the Eagles sound. Obviously they don't care about the fact (or maybe they don't know) that when they hear a cool Eagles tune on the radio, a lot of the time they don't hear Don F or Joe. In terms of guitars they often hear Frey and Leadon. Usually they even bash Glenn at the same time as they praise Don F and/or Joe. I guess from their perspective it's partly a cover version when they see Glenn and Don play TLHTM with Bernie and not Joe. Just doesn't have that Eagles sound.:hilarious:

It's a different thing with someone like Austin, who simply loves guitars and Don/Joe. He's aware of the original lineup and which songs they recorded, but prefers the Felder/Walsh team. Fair enough. Plus, as far as I know he doesn't go around shouting that there could never be an Eagles without them, although it probably wouldn't be Eagles to him.

Personally I love Don F and Joe. Even though I like to point out weird things in Don's book and interviews, I was sad when he was let go. My musical ear isn't subtle enough to miss him musically, but I miss his presence - seeing him there - very much.

(Toni :hilarious:)

[sodascouts]

I understand and I agree. I love all their line-ups. They each had something special about them; they produced high quality material in every incarnation.

[BBKron]

However, I strongly disagree with the notion that the original Eagles ARE the Eagles and that Leadon and Meisner were irreplaceable. If either of these were true, I don't believe the band would have been able to maintain the level of success of their earlier years. Instead, they simply surpassed the previous accomplishments. Yes, they were a different band with the personnel changes, and it is understandable that some prefer one lineup over the other, but to deny that they weren't as successful is really going out on limb.


Sorry, Dreamer, if that was the impression I gave, because that is not at all how I meant what I said. Of course, they were and are extremely successful as a band, and became even more so after Bernie and Randy left, and I, too, love their music from all the lineups and incarnations. I certainly never meant that they were not good or successful without Bernie or Randy. All I meant by saying that Bernie and Randy could not be 'replaced' was that whoever came into the band would be someone different, and the band would be different because of it, as they were, and as it should be. As I said I'm a big fan of both Joe and Tim, and they certainly are a big part of why the band has continued to be so successful over such a long period. No disrespect for anything they or the band has done at all. I just meant that for me personally, the original band is my favorite, and the early albums my favorite time period, and it is the original lineup who I naturally think of when I think about 'the Eagles', so it is in that sense that the original lineup ARE the Eagles to me, as they are the original band, and who I first knew and loved, and the time period that was so special to me. They just hold a special place for me.

But of course, the band continued to be great moving forward, and managed these transitions (and turmoil within the band) remarkably well, and even after a 28 year break between full-length studio albums, they managed to pull off the incredibly impressive feat of coming back with another stellar album when they returned with LROOE several years ago. Yes, they truly are an amazing band.

It's just that, like chaim, I think that, especially these days, the greatness and artistry of the original band is not as well-recognized or remembered, and not just as a 'more country' band. So yes, I think they definitely are underrated. But that doesn't take anything away from what the band has achieved or accomplished in the subsequent years.

[NightMistBlue]

Well, personally I've always loved the original four playing rock songs, but so many people (including their producer) have said that they couldn't rock, so I must believe that there must be some truth in that.

I love how Bernie plays the Tryin' riff - the attack. I love the Out Of Control groove...

Outlaw Man too: the guitar tone is wonderfully savage. I don't understand people saying they couldn't rock or that they were boring onstage. My impression is the exact opposite.

Soda, your Glenn avatar is mesmerizing me. :)

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Thanks for your clarification, BBKron. I get where you are coming from better since you framed it liked that.