The "Eagles giving each other compliments" Thread

[MortSahlFan]

I'm also a member of the biggest Pink Floyd forum, and created something like this. With so much negativity, with "camps" and favorites, let's insert ONLY positive statements made by members of the Eagles in quotes saying nice things about each other.

The media focuses on bad news, but it makes news. You'd be surprised how many times they give "props" to one another.

I just moved, my internet is in and out, so I'll post this and return with what I find.

[AlreadyGone95]

I don't know about any other members, but Soda (the founder of this site) has alot of quotes from Glenn on her site for him. Here's the link for quotes about the band.
http://www.glennfreyonline.com/quotes/band.htm

[VAisForEagleLovers]

I like this idea.

One thing that springs to mind is what Glenn says when introducing Don every night in concert. "The best singer/songwriter I've ever had the privilege to work with, my friend since 1971, Don Henley."

[Houston Baby]

Great idea MSF! I will need to do some research. :thumbsup:

And WELCOME to The Border!

[chaim]

Indeed a great idea. While I was browsing through the Glenn quotes behind that link, I noticed a familiar one. I remember hearing the interview where Glenn talked about Don F not having Joe's name, but being an incredible player. I still remember the tone in Glenn's voice when he said that. There was soooo much respect there.

[NightMistBlue]

Welcome, MortSahl - great name, BTW :) Those Americans "of a certain age" will get the reference. :)

This isn't a lavish or even a direct compliment, but I do recall Henley saying that he and Frey decided to work on distinguishing themselves in songwriting because Randy and Bernie were really great on their instruments while he and Frey weren't.

[MortSahlFan]

Thanks! I went from Michigan to SF to see Mort Sahl, twice. The first time, he signed his book for me, so I signed my book and CD for him. The next week, I was able to meet him after the show, talked for 10 minutes or so. He couldn't believe someone at my age (I was 31 two years ago) would come so far away, and wrote that in the book.


I found one: "The irony is that Leadon and Meisner were considered by many as the key to the band's potential. Without them, Frey admits, the group may never have gotten a record deal."



I found something interested, but the page wasn't loaded properly, as there were graphics in front of the text. As I refreshed, the page turned blank. I'll paste it :

https://www.teamrock.com/features/2014-05-14/exclusive-previously-unpublished-eagles-interview

[MortSahlFan]

Nobody likes a know-it-all, Don.
Don Henley: That’s true. But what I learned about lyrics, and rejecting lyrics, I learned from Glenn and (early Eagles collaborators) J.D. Souther and Jackson Browne. So it’s just coming back to haunt them.

[MortSahlFan]

Glenn Frey: We got the best country guitarist in Bernie Leadon, an’ the best rock and roll player in the world in Felder, an’ the best high-singin’ bass player, an’ the best singin’ drummer an’ I know I’m the grease an’ we are goin’. I know when we’re on, there’s nobody better. An’ that’s all I know." (Phonograph Record 1975)

If anyone has something, even if you don't have a source, please reply. I'd love to hear it myself since I've heard so much bitterness. I think most members might find things they would have never heard before, too.

I'm putting emphasis on that because from the past experiences in a Pink Floyd forum I've been a member of for over 8 years, there was a lot of bitterness between the FANS! The media always puts the negative stuff out there because it makes money, but if you look hard enough, you can find a lot of nice words, and I think it brings more perspective, and more truth, and helps with the relationships between the fans more more harmony and discussion as opposed to personal attacks.

[GlennLover]

This is a wonderful thread, MSF! I'll try to do some digging for quotes.

[UndertheWire]

Randy http://www.smoothjazznow.com/interviews/randy_meisner.htm


John - Do you remember the first gig you played with the other guys in the Eagle's?
Randy - Yeah, it was the first time I played with Linda Ronstadt (http://www.smoothjazznow.com/reviews/linda_ronstadt_very_best_of.htm) in San Jose, California and it was so much fun playing with Don and Glen. (Laughing) That was when it all started. Don and Glen knew me from Poco and Glen came from a group called Longbranch Pennywhistle with J.D. Souther. Henley came from a group out of Texas called Shiloh. So, that is how we all met and for me it all started with them noticing me in Poco. Then David Geffen got involved once we were already together.


Randy - Don he is a perfectionist and so am I. So, I guess we are both the same. I have heard Don's last album and he is always good. He has got the golden throat. I think David Geffen said that of him so many years ago. Looking back I had the real high voice in the Eagles. The purpose of the whole Eagles thing to me was that combination and the chemistry that made all the harmonies just sound perfect. The funny thing is after we made those albums I never listened to them and it is only when some one comes over or I am at some body's house and it gets played in the background that is when I'll tell myself, "Damn, these records are good." (Laughing)
There's another interview that I can't find at the moment in which Randy is asked who inspired him and he says Glenn Frey. He talks about how Glenn didn't always sing on-key in the early days but how he worked on it until he got it right every time.

[NightMistBlue]

There's another interview that I can't find at the moment in which Randy is asked who inspired him and he says Glenn Frey. He talks about how Glenn didn't always sing on-key in the early days but how he worked on it until he got it right every time.

I think that's what is known as a back-handed or left-handed compliment, you know like "For a fat girl, you don't sweat much." :)

But maybe Randy didn't mean it as a subtle dig and it's just my evil mind. I look forward to the forthcoming "Eagles insulting each other" thread :angel:

[LuvTim]

I think that's what is known as a back-handed or left-handed compliment, you know like "For a fat girl, you don't sweat much." :)

But maybe Randy didn't mean it as a subtle dig and it's just my evil mind. I look forward to the forthcoming "Eagles insulting each other" thread :angel:


This is just too funny. :hilarious:

[DJ]

Randy http://www.smoothjazznow.com/interviews/randy_meisner.htm
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There's another interview that I can't find at the moment in which Randy is asked who inspired him and he says Glenn Frey. He talks about how Glenn didn't always sing on-key in the early days but how he worked on it until he got it right every time.

I think Randy is just saying that Glenn always wanted everything he sang to sound perfect. Practice makes Perfect. :hilarious:

[AlreadyGone95]

I think Randy is just saying that Glenn always wanted everything he sang to sound perfect. Practice makes Perfect. :hilarious:

I thought that Don Henley was the perfectionist of the group. Maybe I was wrong.

[VAisForEagleLovers]

I thought that Don Henley was the perfectionist of the group. Maybe I was wrong.

They both are, and always have been as far as I can tell. From the beginning, they both knew that taking short cuts wouldn't get them where they wanted to be.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Great idea for a thread.

Joe at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ...

"I'd like to thank Don and Glenn for writing all those songs. It makes my job real easy".

[VAisForEagleLovers]

Glenn, from a 1984 interview:


When we had Don Henley to sing the rock 'n' roll songs, why should I screw around with it at a lot? I loved the way he sings-he reminds me of Seger, Wilson Pickett, the real thing. I think emphasizing his voice really helped push us over the top.


No, as a matter of fact, I'm a happy lead guitarist. But then again, the best way to learn how to play guitar is to play with people who are better than you are. So what does it hurt me to play with the Joe Walshes and the Don Felders and the Bernie Leadons of this world?

About Don:

I have a great deal of respect for him, and the reason he and I don't talk so much is because the Eagles were our common interest, not because we had any falling out.

[VAisForEagleLovers]

Don, from a 1984 article published just ahead of Glenn's interview mentioned above:


Glenn never thought of himself as a great lead player, he was sort of intimidated by Joe Walsh and Don Felder, even though he hired them. But Glenn was like the glue, he was like what Keith Richards is to the Rolling Stones- he was a great rhythm player; he understood the importance of Chuck Berry and of great rhythm guitar. He understood how to play in his place and stay in his place and make everybody else look good, not have to step out in the spotlight and take a solo and be a virtuoso.


I still love Glenn and I know that he still loves me and stuff.

[UndertheWire]

Bernie (maybe from 2004 but I've closed the tab):

But I give a lot of credit to Glenn Frey who insisted that we got commercial success with three hits on the first album, but that we should immediately do an artsy album and try to get critical success also as soon as possible. He thought that would help give the band enough weight to last for awhile. The band lasted for awhile so maybe that was the right move.

This is form the 90s.

Leadon and Frey had agreed that a second lead player would give the group a tougher sound. "Neither one of us were as facile as Don Felder at classical lead guitar," says Leadon. "But in our own way, we had out own little styles. Mine was more the country, and Frey's was more the blues.
"So when Felder came in, we made room for him, which meant Frey and I both played less lead guitar.
"But that was ok - it meant the band's music expanded, that we weren't status creatively. I was enjoying it a lot, playing with Felder again, and it seemed like the political stuff in the band eased off for a while."

These guys don't go overboard with the praise, do they?

[AlreadyGone95]

They both are, and always have been as far as I can tell. From the beginning, they both knew that taking short cuts wouldn't get them where they wanted to be.

I meant to put "the biggest perfectionist of the group". I knew that they were keen and insistent on everything being just right, but sometimes, I can't believe what they did/do, like the 100 times thing for a new song.

[NightMistBlue]

I'm not familiar with the 100 times thing, can you elaborate? I take it that they would play a new song 100 times - would that be before recording it, or before performing it for an audience? Thanks.

[AlreadyGone95]

I'm not familiar with the 100 times thing, can you elaborate? I take it that they would play a new song 100 times - would that be before recording it, or before performing it for an audience? Thanks.

100 times before playing it live. In the 2007 60 minutes interview, they're doing that during a "circle of fear" rehearsal. If you want to watch it, you can download it here (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/downloads/multimediafunstuffvideo.htm) (scroll all the way down to the bottom)

[NightMistBlue]

Thank you! I had seen the Australian 60 Minutes interview, but not this one.

[AlreadyGone95]

Thank you! I had seen the Australian 60 Minutes interview, but not this one.

You're welcome. It's a great interview :).

[bluefeather]

great to see this, thanks a lot

[MortSahlFan]

I wanted to read more about the song "One Of These Nights" and found this:

"Don Felder, who was the Eagles newest guitarist, came up with the opening bass line. In a 1975 Rolling Stone interview, Don Henley credited Felder with helping the Eagles get away from ballads: 'With Don Felder, we can really rock. He's made us nastier and he's done a great guitar solo on One Of These Nights.'"


(I also remember Frey and Felder having their arms around each other as they came back onstage for an encore)

[NOLA]

Not sure if this really fits the theme of this thread, but I think it's a witty, yet sweet, remark about their personal relationship.

Don H., on living with Glenn: "Glenn and I were the odd couple. I was sort of the housekeeper, the tidy one. He was the lovable slob."

[UndertheWire]

Along those lines, this was Don Henley around 1983:

I still love Glenn and I know that he still loves me and stuff.

[maryc2130]

Love that quote, NOLA. What an adorable odd couple!

[NOLA]

Agree, MaryC! They seemed to be polar opposites, but the chemistry was there, and we're all the better for it.

In the HOTE doc, Glenn, on Don as the lead vocal: "“If you look at my vocal participation over the course of the ’70s, I sang less and less. It was intentional. We had Don Henley.”

Ah, the "Golden Throat," indeed!

[Freypower]

Agree, MaryC! They seemed to be polar opposites, but the chemistry was there, and we're all the better for it.

In the HOTE doc, Glenn, on Don as the lead vocal: "“If you look at my vocal participation over the course of the ’70s, I sang less and less. It was intentional. We had Don Henley.”

Ah, the "Golden Throat," indeed!

They had Glenn Frey too. I'm sorry, but that part annoys me every time. He has every right to praise Don's talent but he sold himself short. Their albums were the poorer when he reduced his vocal leads. Every time this comes up I feel I have to say something in Glenn's defence, even if he won't himself. I will stick to my other line, which is that the songs he DID sing were in fact the best tracks on those albums, at least where I was concerned.

[GlennLover]

They had Glenn Frey too. I'm sorry, but that part annoys me every time. He has every right to praise Don's talent but he sold himself short. Their albums were the poorer when he reduced his vocal leads. Every time this comes up I feel I have to say something in Glenn's defence, even if he won't himself. I will stick to my other line, which is that the songs he DID sing were in fact the best tracks on those albums, at least where I was concerned.

I agree, FP, that Glenn greatly underestimates his talent & it's value to the band.

[maryc2130]

They had Glenn Frey too. I'm sorry, but that part annoys me every time. He has every right to praise Don's talent but he sold himself short. Their albums were the poorer when he reduced his vocal leads. Every time this comes up I feel I have to say something in Glenn's defence, even if he won't himself. I will stick to my other line, which is that the songs he DID sing were in fact the best tracks on those albums, at least where I was concerned.

I don't agree that their albums got poorer, but I will agree to disagree. I also admit that GF was underplaying his abilities, and it says something about him that he was willing to step back and give Don more of the leads.

Now, to get back on topic. This is a quote from Don that comes from an interview with Don and Danny Kortchmar that's been playing in the back of my mind since this thread first started:


Kootch is a lot like what Glenn was, in a way. Glenn never thought of himself as a great lead player, he was sort of intimidated by Joe Walsh and Don Felder, even though he hired them. But Glenn was like the glue, he was like what Keith Richards is to the Rolling Stones- he was a great rhythm player; he understood the importance of Chuck Berry and of great rhythm guitar. He understood how to play in his place and stay in his place and make everybody else look good, not have to step out in the spotlight and take a solo and be a virtuoso. And Danny is that way, too. He plays all the great rhythm parts and arranges all the stuff, and can play lead when he wants to. Danny's a little more avant-garde and crazy and more modern than Glenn, but they're both walking encyclopedias of the history of rock 'n' roll. You can name a song title and he or Glenn could tell you who did it, what label it was on, what year it came out. It's such a new art form anyway-if you want to call it art.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

I really like reading this thread - some good stuff here! :thumbsup:

And while I agree that Glenn does have a tendency to diminish his contributions, it seems to me that he has come to realize in recent years that the Eagles greatness is best realized when there is a collaborative effort from all of the band members ... yep - the sum is greater than the parts.

[UndertheWire]

If this has been posted in this thread before, I apologise. I was looking for the quote on HC, but realised it was a rare compliment.


Nobody likes a know-it-all, Don.

Don Henley: That’s true. But what I learned about lyrics, and rejecting lyrics, I learned from Glenn and (early Eagles collaborators) J.D. Souther and Jackson Browne. So it’s just coming back to haunt them. They made me the opinionated prick that I am today! Now Glenn’s pretty good at policing lyrics himself. Sometimes I will defer. We all get too close to things to see them sometimes, and it’s great to have him come in, if I get stuck he’s great at unsticking. He wrote some of the best parts of Hotel California and Desperado too. I get credit for a lot of that, but the fact is that he wrote some of the pivotal lines that I wouldn’t have thought of in a million years. He’s a great at arranging too – his nickname is The Lone Arranger.
http://classicrock.teamrock.com/features/2014-05-14/exclusive-previously-unpublished-eagles-interview

[sodascouts]

Great quote. Thanks for that!

[MortSahlFan]

I thought the same, why is Glenn talking about Don Henley like he was a God? Each singer of the band has a few songs that I think are magnificent. "One Of These Nights" might be my favorite song (it's Glenn's), and I love when Don (though seldom) sings falsetto, adding vibrato, trills, etc.

I like Glenn's calming voice ala "New Kid In Town" which is probably my #2, and then again, Timothy sounds great on "I Can't tell You Why" - and let's not forget Randy sang their first #1, Bernie was also a heck of a singer, I just listened to some of his sollo stuff, some which is real good though if I had to criticize, there are parts where his voice sounds a bit dull, like he's not trying.


There's also another interview where Glenn is asked what he does. I'll paraphrase: He says something like "I'm the arranger, piano player" - doesn't even mention playing guitar, and some friends who are fans don't know he played that great solo on ICTYW - usually the best solos are easy to play; it has the emotion.

[Freypower]

I thought the same, why is Glenn talking about Don Henley like he was a God? Each singer of the band has a few songs that I think are magnificent. "One Of These Nights" might be my favorite song (it's Glenn's), and I love when Don (though seldom) sings falsetto, adding vibrato, trills, etc.

I like Glenn's calming voice ala "New Kid In Town" which is probably my #2, and then again, Timothy sounds great on "I Can't tell You Why" - and let's not forget Randy sang their first #1, Bernie was also a heck of a singer, I just listened to some of his sollo stuff, some which is real good though if I had to criticize, there are parts where his voice sounds a bit dull, like he's not trying.


There's also another interview where Glenn is asked what he does. I'll paraphrase: He says something like "I'm the arranger, piano player" - doesn't even mention playing guitar, and some friends who are fans don't know he played that great solo on ICTYW - usually the best solos are easy to play; it has the emotion.

In relation to this on the last TV interview Glenn did he referred to himself as a 'songwriter'. He had to be coaxed into putting the word 'singer' in front of songwriter. Forgive me for being cynical but he has shown no evidence of being a songwriter since LROOE was released. I love After Hours but he didn't write the majority of it & the one track he did write was old. When AH was released he did talk a lot about his vocal capabilities, which I loved.

[MaryCalifornia]

I think that by anyone's standard, Glenn is a fantastic singer/songwriter and musician, even if he refuses to refer to himself as such. I believe that his experience being in the Eagles 1971-1980 was so intense emotionally, physically, psychologically for lots of different reasons that he seriously just doesn't care about things like his legacy or how people view him, and definitely doesn't feel the need to toot his own horn. His success was so all encompassing and overwhelming during that time period that he elects to let the output stand on its own and speak for itself.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

I think that by anyone's standard, Glenn is a fantastic singer/songwriter and musician, even if he refuses to refer to himself as such. I believe that his experience being in the Eagles 1971-1980 was so intense emotionally, physically, psychologically for lots of different reasons that he seriously just doesn't care about things like his legacy or how people view him, and definitely doesn't feel the need to toot his own horn. His success was so all encompassing and overwhelming during that time period that he elects to let the output stand on its own and speak for itself.

Well said, MC. I pretty much agree with everything you said, and to some extent feel that the same may apply to the other band members as well. However, even though I believe Glenn is not overly concerned about his individual legacy, I do believe he is protective about the legacy of the band.

[DJ]

They had Glenn Frey too. I'm sorry, but that part annoys me every time. He has every right to praise Don's talent but he sold himself short. Their albums were the poorer when he reduced his vocal leads. Every time this comes up I feel I have to say something in Glenn's defence, even if he won't himself. I will stick to my other line, which is that the songs he DID sing were in fact the best tracks on those albums, at least where I was concerned.

I agree with you FP. I thought Glenn had a great voice in the band and I was sorry to see him not sing as much. I like Henley's voice, but it was always one of the special things about the Eagles music is that you got to hear all their voices. Some of my fav's too were song by Glenn. But I've listened to After Hours and love Glenn's take on those tunes. Although I must say I still love Randy's voice the best. :heart:

[UndertheWire]

Resurrecting this thread because Don Henley has some praise for Glenn's playing in the RS special.


Glenn became an avid student of the rhythm guitar style of Chuck Berry and, with the possible exception of Keith Richards (also a Berry disciple) and a couple of others, Glenn was one of the best rhythm guitar players I ever heard... His rhythm playing was chunky and funky; his leads, if not the most technically proficient, were always imaginative, melodic. They were souful and memorable.

I want to tell Don that if he's using "one of", he doesn't need to list exceptions - either "the best except for..." or just "one of the best" but not both.

[Annoying Twit]

Great thread - thanks for resurrecting it.

BTW: Early on someone said that Randy gave Glenn a bit of a back-handed compliment by saying that Glenn originally didn't always sing in tune, but he (Glenn) worked on it until he didn't. I don't interpret this as a back-handed compliment, but as a unqualified compliment that Glenn was prepared to put the work in and get where he needed to go.

[Eagles7]

I like hearing good things they say about one another.

** Everybody had to look good - check, everybody had to play good - check, everybody had to sing good - check, and everybody had to write good - check!

[travlnman2]

"We gone through three albums and the only people who ever sang on hit records were Don and Myself and Randy thought he was a Lead Singer too and I thought that as well I liked his voice so he brought in the beginning to Take It To The Limit and that became the Eagles first number 1 single"

[NightMistBlue]

[whispers] Though Glenn meant to say TITTL was the band's first million-selling single. BOML was actually their first #1 song. We all understood. :rockguitar:

[Delilah]

Timothy had some nice things to say about Bernie in the recent Rockcellar interview posted in his thread. I thought I'd include that part here (about performing together on the HOTE tour):


Standing next to him and playing those earlier songs and hearing him play those guitar parts that he made up really showed me how influential he was as a member. I didn’t fully get that until I was playing those songs and listening to him onstage. He was playing the parts that he made up.

http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2016/11/10/timothy-b-schmit-interview-leap-of-faith-album-eagles-poco/#sthash.R3bj9gls.Nxc66Rus.dpuf

[UndertheWire]

It's also worth including Timothy's comment on Glenn in the same interview:


Glenn worked everything out. We used to call him “The Lone Arranger.” He was so good at that, so good at figuring out parts and what should lay there. When you were comparing Poco and the Eagles earlier, that’s the difference.
http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2016/11/10/timothy-b-schmit-interview-leap-of-faith-album-eagles-poco/#sthash.R3bj9gls.7FFk5Ym9.dpuf

[Delilah]

Here are some Randy quotes from the Rockcellar article NightMistBlue posted on his thread. The interview is from "a few years ago" (i.e. when he was performing with the World Classic Rockers).

Bernie: "Bernie’s acoustic playing was just incredible, still is. And his banjo playing too." "He was a master acoustic player."

Glenn and Don H: "Don and Glenn wrote such great songs. They’d work on a song until it was finished and you knew it was gonna be real good. They had in mind what they wanted to do and wouldn’t stop until they achieved it...Glenn’s a really good lyricist too but Henley always had the fine little details in his lyric writing. They were a great team and that's been proven over and over again."

Don F: "what do you say, great guitar player. He’s such a precise player, you can tell he studied Clapton, I think."

Joe: "He was really talented, he could do lots of different things. He was also a really fun person to work with. I had a lot of fun times with him, maybe too much fun (laughs)."
Also, "Getting Joe Walsh in that band and on [Hotel California] was great. It was a great combo between him and Felder. Between the two of them that’s what I think really enhanced the sound of the record. Walsh gave us some new blood. His guitar playing and great ideas really helped."

See more at: http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2016/11/10/randy-meisner-interview-eagles-poco-hall-of-fame-stories/#sthash.Fi9eQqfZ.T34S7pBp.dpuf