Eagles Short Run vs. Longevity

[BillBailey1976]

I was pondering the Eagles time together today, and it just amazes me, when I put it in perspective, how short the original run of the Eagles was.
If you count from the release of "Eagles", the run to the last show at Long Beach was 8 yrs and 2 months exactly. Eagles released on June 1 1972, and the last concert was July 31, 1980.
When you think about the amazing amount of hit music they created in 7 years, from June 72, to September 79 it's pretty incredible. 6 albums in 7 years, with those hits!!!

Then you compare that with the "second act", you have a run from April 23 1994 to July 2015, that's 21 yrs!!!!
They were together almost 3 times as long the second time around.

It's hard to believe that Hell Freezes Over will be 25 years old in 2 years.

[Funk 50]

It wasn't just the Eagles BillBailey1976, practically all today's heritage acts were releasing great new albums annually. It was a magic time to be a recorded, rock music fan.

I'm a little too young to remember the early 70s but I was lucky enough to spend many hours in record shops checking out albums by Genesis, ELO, Joe Walsh and stuff I'd seen on TV or heard on the heard on the radio, and then deliberating for ages over which LP I'd be taking home to get better acquainted with.:wink:

The whole of the Eagles original run isn't that much longer than the time it took them to produce the Long Road Out Of Eden album. You can sorta see why Don's singing Wasted Time in a new light since Glenn's passing.

It's difficult to see an Eagles anniversary celebration of the release Hell Freezes Over or The Long Run without first honoring Hotel California but it'll be an achievement worth celebrating in a business that you very rarely get to retire from before it retires you. :applause:

[BillBailey1976]

I was watching an old Glenn Frey video of Heartache Tonight from 86. I think it was the Japan show with Christopher Cross...and having the discussion with my wife about the great music and performances that stubbornness cost the Eagles getting to make.
Imagine Don, Glenn and Joe's best songs from the 80s as Eagles tunes, along with the stuff that they'd have co-written for sure.
Oh well....Wasted Time is right.

[Dawn]

Alot of this has to do with being in the right place at the right time.

Namely the 1960s early 70s Southern California/LA/Laurel Canyon. Birthplace of what became known as the Country Rock Sound

The Troubadour Nightclub

Meeting and associating with people each playing a pivotal role in their success:

Bob Seger, JD Souther, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Jack Tempchin, David Geffen of Asylum Records, Bill Szymczyk and the very talented, artistically well connected and generous Linda Ronstadt who ultimately led them to Bernie Leadon who in turn led them to Don Felder.

IIRC it was John Boylan who suggested Randy Meisner of Poco
And Irving Azoff who later recommended Joe Walsh

It's a primitive incomplete disjointed timeline I know - these are just a few events and names that come to mind.

FWIW I think Irving Azoff has been highly influential in terms of securing the Eagles financial success as a touring band and other ventures but there is no disputing the significant role played by David Geffen early in their career. Or decisions made by Frey, Henley and the other band members themselves.

Of course we must acknowledge the successful marriage of Classic Rock and Nostalgia Filled Baby Boomers which is still going strong and the main reason why it can cost a home mortgage payment to see certain legendary bands up close and personal. Supply and Demand.

The History of the Eagles documentary tells their story in their own words.

[UndertheWire]

I was watching an old Glenn Frey video of Heartache Tonight from 86. I think it was the Japan show with Christopher Cross...and having the discussion with my wife about the great music and performances that stubbornness cost the Eagles getting to make.
Imagine Don, Glenn and Joe's best songs from the 80s as Eagles tunes, along with the stuff that they'd have co-written for sure.
Oh well....Wasted Time is right.
The other way of looking at it is that instead of sharing writer's block and unproductive months in the studio, they recorded lots of new music with other collaborators.

[BillBailey1976]

I think they mention in the documentary, that what they really needed to do was take time off to recharge more between albums.
I think a post Hotel California break would have done them a huge good, but the record company wants wants wants. Gotta deliver the album.....it's sort of ironic that the pushing of the record company probably cost them millions.
Had they let the band take more time, and pace themselves with albums better, they may have gotten several more quality albums out of the band.

[thelastresort]

It would be interesting to know what was the straw that broke the camels back: I'm sure Glenn has said in the past he knew way before Long Beach et al that he was going to take time out of the Eagles, but I can't remember if that was before or after the strain of making The Long Run began to manifest itself.

[Dawn]

I think Glenn realized losing his cool on stage was a tipping point in and of itself.

[New Kid In Town]

If I remember right, Glenn stated he knew while making TLR that he would be leaving the group. I think based on the monster success of HC, which they never expected, put too much pressure on them. They were the cash cow for Asylum records at that time, and were under constant pressure to turn out albums and tour. The more they toured, the more albums they sold. I had read(forget which book) that the OFTN tour was 9-10 months and the HC Tour was 11 months. I can't imagine how exhausting that must have been. Especially when working on a album at the same time.
At one point while making HC and TLR, they would do a concert, fly to Miami after the concert, work till the next afternoon, fly to the next concert, and than repeat the same thing the next day.
When they resumed in 1994, the were older and wiser and knew those long tours were no good for them and structured their touring schedule with numerous breaks to spend time with their families. Which, should have been done to begin with but, they were not in a position to do so.

[sodascouts]

"Back in the day" the Eagles were getting grief for taking two whole years to complete an album! It's hard to imagine that kind of pace being the norm nowadays.

However, the "pressure cooker" often yields great results for a while because they were motivated to work hard. Once they got the point where they didn't HAVE to do it (HFO), they lost the drive to make new music regularly. It became "we'll do it when we feel like it" which was all of once in over two decades. No pressure, no results.

[thelastresort]

... they lost the drive to make new music regularly. It became "we'll do it when we feel like it" which was all of once in over two decades. No pressure, no results.

Judging by the quality of half of Long Road Out of Eden, it may be a blessing we didn't get more new era Eagles music!

[Funk 50]

I think Glenn realized losing his cool on stage was a tipping point in and of itself.

One of Felder's pre-exit Eagles anecdotes was that he thought that the band split the first day he joined them. Leadon reassured Don that it was just a regular day in the Eagles and they were always on the brink of splitting up.

If the Eagles had a couple more gigs scheduled to fulfill after the "Long Night At Wrong Beach" I'm sure they would have performed them and maybe even delivered the further album they were contracted to produce.

The record company accepted a bunch of solo albums instead.

Long Road Out Of Eden is a great Eagles album. I really hope that they make another. If the Buckingham / McVie thing is a success maybe Don, Joe and Tim will feel like putting something out. With Trump in office there's a whole album's worth of material begging to be written right there.

[UndertheWire]

I can't find them now, but I think I've read/heard interviews where Glenn said he knew he would be leaving either half way through the recording of The Long Run or after two weeks (he probably said both at different times). What is clear from any interview with Glenn from the 1980s was that he really did need to leave for his own well-being.

If we're think of "what ifs", What if they'd taken a break after Hotel California to work on solo albums? What if Hotel California hadn't been quite as successful? What if someone had convinced them that drugs weren't helping?

[groupie2686]

"Back in the day" the Eagles were getting grief for taking two whole years to complete an album! It's hard to imagine that kind of pace being the norm nowadays.

However, the "pressure cooker" often yields great results for a while because they were motivated to work hard. Once they got the point where they didn't HAVE to do it (HFO), they lost the drive to make new music regularly. It became "we'll do it when we feel like it" which was all of once in over two decades. No pressure, no results.

I think that was part of it, but I think it was also that they had other things going on the second time around - families, solo careers, other activities. The Eagles took up all of their time in the 70s. I don't think Glenn wanted to move at that pace anymore.

[New Kid In Town]

I was just looking through a book I have called "The Eagles-Flying High" by Laura Jackson. She is a British journalist and wrote what I consider the most balanced book on the band. There is a quote from Glenn in the 1980's stating he knew he would be leaving the group half way through the making of TLR. He states it was the worst, most stressful experience of his life and he would never go through that again. There is also a quote from Don H. stating due to the exhaustive tour schedules and the pressure to produce a new album every year by the record company, they could only keep going by using Cocaine. He states by July 1980, they were all beyond physically and emotionally exhausted and under presser by Asylum to begin another album. The record company wanted one more album, which was their cash cow. In addition, Asylum knew music was changing with disco and punk and they(Asylum) knew the band had reached it's peak and were on the verge of breaking up. Instead of the new album they made the "Eagles Live" album. Asylum President Joe Smith had offered them 2 million for two knew songs on the album and Glenn refused. At that time he was done with the band no matter how much Asylum offered.
I think Glenn left for his physical/emotional well being. There is a quote from him while making NFA, that he would never put himself through the brutal schedule like he did when he was in the Eagles. He also states he lived the Eagles 24/7 for nine years and could count on one hand the times he had taken a vacation. Obviously, he was physically, mentally and emotionally burned out.
I believe his experience making TLR was a big reason why it took them so long to make another record. IMHO, they probably felt they did not have too as they were selling out concerts all over the world and making mega bucks.

[thelastresort]

I think that was part of it, but I think it was also that they had other things going on the second time around - families, solo careers, other activities. The Eagles took up all of their time in the 70s. I don't think Glenn wanted to move at that pace anymore.

One of them (either Glenn or TBS) says as much in one of the interviews for the HFO concert. Obviously in the 14 years most of them had married and had kids and begun to have a 'normal' personal life. Once that happens you can't go out for beer, cocaine and willing females every night!

[Delilah]

I was watching an old Glenn Frey video of Heartache Tonight from 86. I think it was the Japan show with Christopher Cross...and having the discussion with my wife about the great music and performances that stubbornness cost the Eagles getting to make.
Imagine Don, Glenn and Joe's best songs from the 80s as Eagles tunes, along with the stuff that they'd have co-written for sure.
Oh well....Wasted Time is right.

I don't know if I would consider it "wasted time." There was some great solo material created during that time. Don H, Glenn and Joe had such different-sounding albums and songs; I don't see them coming together and agreeing to the collaborative effort required for an album. Especially given the ordeal they endured with "The Long Run"--a decent album with a couple of great tracks, but hardly their best work.

By the 80s, the Eagles were considered passé, a throwback to the hippie era. I don't believe they were simpatico enough then to agree to what the next "Eagles" sound should be to keep up with the times. What might have happened is an album with a collection of solo tracks--not unlike LROOE. At least "The Long Run" sounds like the band working together, however painful it may have been.

[thelastresort]

What might have happened is an album with a collection of solo tracks--not unlike LROOE. At least "The Long Run" sounds like the band working together, however painful it may have been.

This is one of my reasons for not being overly eager on LROOE, nor the concept of more to follow.
Glenn has three (of many) songs on it LROOE that are excellent - ILTWAWD, It's Your World Now and You Are Not Alone. The trouble is is that for the first two especially, there's basically no input at all from the other Eagles. They belong on solo albums just as LTBS belongs on a Don Henley album.
Don H. gets far too preachy on some of his contributions too - what made The Last Resort and LROOE (the title track) so good was that they hold the truth as Don Henley saw it, but in the way that a philosopher tells a story, not the way an angry church minister does. I got the sense that with Henley not having an equal (as in control) songwriting partner for something like Business As Usual like Glenn would be perhaps led him to go all guns blazing, and it makes him sound like an angry, bitter old man.
Joe's two contributions vocally range from bang average (GOTC) to so bad I've never actually listened to it all the way through (Last Good Time in Town). Not his finest hour by a long way. I wonder if any of his potentially better contributions were sacrificed to be saved for Analog Man (as I believe One Day at a Time was).
TBS is actually very good on it and his two songs are two of the better ones on the album.
If LROOE had been a single disk of the ten best songs on the album (yes, I know, it'd be different depending on who you asked) then it would be a belter - How Long, Long Road Out of Eden and Somebody are cracking tracks that I am so glad saw the light of day. The abundant, mediocre tat though drags it down so badly. Not a chance in a million years that all four of them are present on every track, which is what a band should be doing as a starter!

[groupie2686]

This is one of my reasons for not being overly eager on LROOE, nor the concept of more to follow.
Glenn has three (of many) songs on it LROOE that are excellent - ILTWAWD, It's Your World Now and You Are Not Alone. The trouble is is that for the first two especially, there's basically no input at all from the other Eagles. They belong on solo albums just as LTBS belongs on a Don Henley album.
Don H. gets far too preachy on some of his contributions too - what made The Last Resort and LROOE (the title track) so good was that they hold the truth as Don Henley saw it, but in the way that a philosopher tells a story, not the way an angry church minister does. I got the sense that with Henley not having an equal (as in control) songwriting partner for something like Business As Usual like Glenn would be perhaps led him to go all guns blazing, and it makes him sound like an angry, bitter old man.
Joe's two contributions vocally range from bang average (GOTC) to so bad I've never actually listened to it all the way through (Last Good Time in Town). Not his finest hour by a long way. I wonder if any of his potentially better contributions were sacrificed to be saved for Analog Man (as I believe One Day at a Time was).
TBS is actually very good on it and his two songs are two of the better ones on the album.
If LROOE had been a single disk of the ten best songs on the album (yes, I know, it'd be different depending on who you asked) then it would be a belter - How Long, Long Road Out of Eden and Somebody are cracking tracks that I am so glad saw the light of day. The abundant, mediocre tat though drags it down so badly. Not a chance in a million years that all four of them are present on every track, which is what a band should be doing as a starter!

LROOE is hit or miss to me. There are some songs that I love, and some that I don't care for. I agree with you, TLR, about Henley's ranting on Business As Usual and other tracks like it. It sounds reminiscent of some of his solo work (If Dirt Were Dollars, Gimme What You Got, I Will Not Go Quietly, etc.) - those songs all sound the same to me. I agree with you about Joe's songs too. Mixed bag though it is, I'm glad they got together to make LROOE.

[sodascouts]

I think that was part of it, but I think it was also that they had other things going on the second time around - families, solo careers, other activities. The Eagles took up all of their time in the 70s. I don't think Glenn wanted to move at that pace anymore.

That's a fair point.

I am glad, however, that we got Long Road Out of Eden. Its virtues outweigh its shortcomings in my mind.

[GlennLover]

That's a fair point.

I am glad, however, that we got Long Road Out of Eden. Its virtues outweigh its shortcomings in my mind.

I agree with you, Soda. I really enjoy most of LROOE.

[BillBailey1976]

That's a fair point.

I am glad, however, that we got Long Road Out of Eden. Its virtues outweigh its shortcomings in my mind.

I think Long Road could have been a great single cd. I wonder if they made up their minds BEFORE they started that they were going to do a double album and stuck to that even though the material didn't really support a double album?

[UndertheWire]

I'm always mystified why someone would think LROOE would be better as a single album. I haven't seen anything close to a consensus on favourite tracks and so almost everyone would have missed out on something.

[Funk 50]

There's a lot of info documented about Long Road Out Of Eden. When it was released in October 2007 (10 Years!) it was extensively premiered on Gold Radio in the UK with all the tracks played intertwined with comments and interview segments from all the band. It was run over several hour long episodes, presented by Nicky Horne.

In a recent interview, Tim said he had fond memories of jamming new music in the early stages of LROOE's creation. He revealed that he felt that they discarded some tracks than the ones they kept.

Glenn declared that most previous Eagles albums had 3,4 or 5 tracks that were a lot stronger than the rest of the album whereas LROOE had over a dozen strong tracks.

He asked an engineer how much music could be put on a CD, When given the answer of about 72 minutes, before the quality starts to decline, Glenn opted to aim for a double CD, giving two tracks, each for Joe and Tim, as he felt that they already had more than 90 minutes worth of music in the can. Don always intimated that he would have preferred LROOE to be a single CD.

I don't know how Don would take being told that the title track was for the chop. It was already being lauded as an Eagles classic before the album was released but I'd say it's the obvious track to be omitted as it doesn't fit in with the rest of the material. I feel tracks like Center Of The Universe, You Are Not Alone, Fast Company, Business As Usual and It's Your World Now have suffered from being overshadowed by the title track. Long Road Out Of Eden is a magnificent track but most of the time I'd rather listen to the other tracks, even I Love To Watch A Woman Dance which I believe was the least liked track in early discussions about the album.

As far as I know, How Long was one of the last tracks recorded. Henley didn't rate Busy Being Fabulous. I Love To Watch A Woman Dance and What Do I Do With My Heart were among the earliest LROOE tracks

http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/larry_john_mcnally/


In September of 1999, as I recall, I got a call from Don Henley and Glenn Frey. The Eagles were re-forming to do a new album and they wanted to record my song "I Love to Watch a Woman Dance." I had sent it to Don after we had talked about him recording "For My Wedding."

That was certainly an exciting call. Eight years went by before it was released with zero communication from the band. My moods swung between high hopes and despair. Finally in July 2007 there was a bootleg of Glenn singing the song at a solo show and mentioning that it "might" be on the new Eagles album. It was, and done very nicely I must say. That may be the last triple-platinum album I hang on my wall.

Larry John released his own version in 2002 on his album Dandelion Soul. https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/LarryJohnMcNally

I love Long Road Out Of Eden as much , if not more than any of the Eagles previous records.

Joe's recently said he's not making any more albums but I really hope I get to hear new music from all the Eagles, separately or together.

[UndertheWire]

Thank you for that roundup of the history of LROOE. I rarely skip tracks on the double CD and I don't think I play one disk more than the other. It has no clunkers of the order of The Disco Strangler.

However, I'd still choose the initial run, particularly when it was the original four. That probably has a lot to do with me being that magic age at the time (I've heard a theory that most indivual's musical tastes are formed around the age of 14).

[scottside]

Thanks, Funk 50, for that analysis and stroll down memory lane. Thinking back to the release of LROOE, I'd have to say that my initial thoughts after hearing the set for the first time was mild disappointment. There were a lot of reasons for feeling that way, but I think the one factor that hit me the hardest was the thought that this would be the last Eagles album and I didn't think it was the best they could do overall.

It grew on me since then, but top to bottom, it is my least favorite album by them, but mostly because it doesn't sound like a band record. To my ears, it sounds like a number of solo songs with a few scattered group sounding songs thrown in. I still feel that it should've been the two disc set it was, but am curious about the 4 or 5 songs that were incomplete at the time that Don Henley felt were better than some of the ones that were included. I had high hopes that we'd hear those at some point and now it doesn't appear that will happen.

[maryc2130]

I really like LROOE and am very glad it was recorded, but most of the time, I only ever listen to the first CD. Even that has a couple of songs that I usually skip. I like the title track, but feel the time could have been cut quite a bit on it, and it might have gained more popularity.

I go back and forth on I Love to Watch A Woman Dance. It has pretty tune and lyrics, but at the same time, I get just a little bit of a creepy vibe from it. I'm not sure why that is, but it's there, and it keeps me from loving the song. (And that's just my opinion, so please don't beat me up over it.)