Celebration of "Long Road Out of Eden"!

[Freypower]

For me, and this is entirely personal, the strength of the double album is that we finally got away from the situation that occurred on the last 3 70s Eagles albums where Glenn sang either one or one and a half songs. He seems to have finally decided that it was time for him to regain his position as being co-lead singer on the band. I don't know what would have happened if he had agreed with Don that it should only have been a single album. I suspect that again, he would have dropped most of his songs and kept Don's. As it is, at least we have these songs on an album because he doesn't seem to want to play most of them live (although he did play a couple in solo shows).

[sodascouts]

OK, next part of my review:

Fast Company- Very retro with its falsetto – and not in a good way. I hate falsetto; it can occasionally work in very small doses but when it’s throughout – no. It does have a good beat and the harmonies work. You can hear Glenn very well in the chorus. I think the line "Fast company... you're going nowhere fast" is very catchy. I’m not impressed with much else.

Do Something- Gorgeous. Tim's vocals are terrific, lovely melody, and I like the country-fied arrangement. Brining Don in on the end again emphasizes the Eagles-ness of it (I LOVE shared lead vocals – so few bands can pull that off). Easy on the ears, that's for sure!

You Are Not Alone From the moment I heard this way back in 2007 at Niagara Falls, it struck me. The music, like the lyrics, is straightforward and comforting, and they complement each other perfectly. I don't know what it is about the arrangement and chording that makes them work so well with the emotion of the song - I just know they do. Like No More Cloudy days, the song makes you feel all warm inside, even before he starts singing. Glenn is very good at evoking that kind of emotion. The only thing I would change is less "do-do-do-do-do" at the end, but otherwise I love it.

Long Road Out of Eden This is a song that has really grown on me. At first, I was “eh” about it. I thought it was overdone almost to the point of self-indulgence and could have used some trimming. I still think it has a lot of weaknesses - the Middle Eastern instrumental bits go on way too long. Yes, I know it's done for effect, but we could have gotten the effect in a lot less time! I mean it goes on for over a minute at the beginning! Once we get into the song, it's not so bad. The verse has an interesting progressive, almost trudging melody, but I think that fits the mood of the song. I like the way they sing the title line, I love the way Henley sings "I'd give anything to be there in your arms tonight," and I love the guitar solo - in fact, the guitar solo almost seems too good for this song in the sense that a guitar solo of that quality shouldn't go into a Middle Eastern music solo, which drains it of all its energy, and then further down to Henley's plodding final verse. It almost feels like a chastisement - "You were starting to enjoy this song? To think it rocked? Don't forget it's serious and political! To remind you, here's a boring middle eastern interlude." It totally kills the song. The only thing that saved it for me was the guitar, really.

HOWEVER, once I saw it live with those vivid backgrounds, the cinematic / epic nature of it hit me full force. Now I listen to it when new appreciation.


I Dreamed There Was No War I am so impressed by the eloquence and expressiveness of this piece, simply because it always amazes me how a talented musician can make an instrumental "speak." Its poignant, mournful beauty evokes both hope and sadness, dream and disappointment, in a way that I find very moving. And all in a little over a minute. I adore this song!

[sodascouts]

And another video I made:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS-JWovfAug[/ame]

[Prettymaid]

Long Road Out of Eden ... and I love the guitar solo - in fact, the guitar solo almost seems too good for this song in the sense that a guitar solo of that quality shouldn't go into a Middle Eastern music solo, which drains it of all its energy, and then further down to Henley's plodding final verse. It almost feels like a chastisement - "You were starting to enjoy this song? To think it rocked? Don't forget it's serious and political! To remind you, here's a boring middle eastern interlude." It totally kills the song. The only thing that saved it for me was the guitar, really.

Soda this is priceless! I never actually thought of it that way but now that you mention it...

[chaim]

In a way this album reminds me of "On the border", because there's so many songs written by other people. I'm kind of glad still that it was a double album, because we got more Eagles music. In the history books of the future the album probably might have looked better if it had been a really cohesive single album, but at the moment when I can just enjoy the music, without looking at it from a distance as a "piece from a certain era", I like it this way. There are one or two songs I wish they'de left off; "Guilty of the crime". I mean, I can take a song I'm not that fond of, if it at least is an original. But having a cover I don't enjoy, is a bit of a bore. "What to I do with my heart" is funny, because Glenn says he won't stand in the woman's way, but for the rest of the song keeps crying her back. Seems more like a Randy Newman idea. I would have liked to hear this song with a real piano, and with a more 70's production, but as a composition it's fine.
I really enjoy "No more walks..." (Timeless. Musically, just by hearing it there's no way of knowing if this was written in the 60's or in 2010), "Waiting in the weeds" (aaaaaaahhh!!!), "Long road out of Eden" (gotta love those Henley/Frey harmonies, and the strong chords after the second "chorus"), "Fail grasp..." (this one has energy), "Last good time..." (especially in the context of the album, because it's so different from the rest), "You are not alone" (tears the heart apart) , "No more cloudy days" (except for the sax solo, and a bit too pie in the sky chorus lyric), "Do something" (except for the observations about all the news being bad in the paper). "Fast company" I like very much also, although it does bother me that it shares a pretty identical chorus with "Frail grasp...". I actually find the falsetto amusing. I find it a bit of a parody of a youthful, "cool"/"Hey, I know what's happening" king of thing. It always makes me smile. "Busy being fabulous" I understand if Don is also talking to himself, and not just to somebody else. Musically it doesn't grab me.
Some stream of conscience stuff about the album. Haven't listened to it for a while. Gotta give it a go tonight...

[Freypower]

Soda, regarding your oriignal dislike of the 'Middle Eastern' parts of the title track, to me it was a huge quantum leap for this band to record something that wasn't all chiming guitars and harmonies. After all, the song is (in part) about what American influence has done to that part of the world. You say the song is 'drained of all its energy' at that point but it is the contrast between American hi-tech and more 'simple' Middle Eastern sounds which makes it work so well. It was a risk for them to do this because I guess many people have had the same reaction to it as you have. I also disagree with you about the final verse, which is the climax and high point of the song because it sums it all up, 'serious' or not. But as you say, it seems to have grown on you.

Regarding Chaim's comment about the sax in NMCD, I tend to agree with this now. Glenn's obsession with sax meant that he insisted on using it in a song which didn't need it, although it's pleasant enough.

And the comment about Fast Company & Frail Grasp having similar choruses - they certainly do, but FG is a far superior song. I don't hear Glenn nearly as prominently in FC as others do, something which bothers me as I love the man's voice so much.

I am playing the album in the car and I must say that I'm finally developing an affection for Guilty of the Crime, a song which left me cold for two years. Perhaps I will have the same reaction to IDWTHAM, my least favourite track.

The song which hasn't aged well for me is Busy Being Fabulous. It just plods along and doesn't really go anywhere (I know a lot of people love the song).

[chaim]

Glenn's obsession with sax meant that he insisted on using it in a song which didn't need it, although it's pleasant enough.

Exactly what I meant. I've nothing against saxophone, but it's so out of place in this song.

[GlennLover]

I agree. I don't think that the sax adds anything to the song. I find that it detracts from it. That being said, I still love the song.

[sodascouts]

Somebody (aka All Those Lies part 2! lol) This one has grown on me to the degree that I now think it’s great. At first, I was completely put off by the "creepy" voices Glenn does in parts of the song. However, those don't dominate the song, and after I got over those, I began to appreciate it. It has a good beat and the bass line propels the song with an urgency that matches the "trapped" desperation of the lyrics, rushing towards inevitable doom as the lead guitar wails its minor chords.


Frail Grasp on the Big Picture I can't stand this song, I'm sorry to say. It's basically Henley preaching with a meadering and repetitive backing track. It's like they wrote off the melody as unimportant next to his "message" lyrics. The title line sounds like a "Fast Company" rip off. Sorry, the difference between a song and a sermon is musicality, which this is sadly lacking. In fact Henley's voice sounds downright unpleasant in parts, like he's smirking as he's singing, and as he goes on and on and on and on it just becomes tiresome. The only good lines: "Who left the cap off the freaking toothpaste? Whose turn to take the garbage out?" That made me laugh. The rest of made me roll my eyes. (BTW - Henley - if you're going to have a message song, ENUNCIATE CLEARLY. There are several lines where I can't even figure out what the words are.) The use of organ music during the criticism of religion could not be more trite.

I admit the condescending nature of the song turns me off as well. It seems there might be worthier targets of Henley's "most acerbic lyrics" than fathers praying for their sons to play unhurt at a football game.

I will say that there are a couple good moments in the song. I like the way Don sings "journalism's dead and gone"; I like the instrumental interludes as; I like that line about the toothpaste like I said above. The song does pick up a bit of energy at the end before it becomes repetitive. Otherwise.... blech!

Last Good Time in Town It starts off pretty good, kind of funky, and then comes to a screeching halt with the "Lately I've been stayin' at home" / Glenn's whispering echoes (These echoes annoy me. I don't care if it's Glenn, they're annoying!) Then the song goes into that terrific chorus and all is well again. Basically, I like everything about the song except those bits, so it's enjoyable overall. In fact I’ve had that chorus starting "And I dream I'm on vacation, 'cause I like the way that sounds..." stuck in my head many times.

I Love to Watch a Woman Dance Some people have said this seems out of place on the album, and while I see what they mean, it's so gorgeous that I think we should overlook that. Again, more than anything else, the expressiveness of Glenn's voice makes this work for me. So romantic. Some have called it “creepy” but I don’t see that. It would be creepy if she didn't want to dance with him, but she does, so it moves beyond observation to participation. It reminds me thematically a bit of "Lady in Red" by Chris DeBurgh, where he starts out talking about how good the woman looks and how many men want her, then later winds up dancing with her himself. The part I like best is the slow-dancing part. What a visual! So sexy. This song is especially hot live.

I think that the main reason this song sounds out of place is because we're not used to such romantic songs from the Eagles. When I hear this song, I think of Glenn and only Glenn, not the Eagles. Perhaps that's a drawback in the sense that this is an Eagles album, but I still think the song is strong and affecting. The impassioned vocal is what makes this song.

Business As Usual This song is what Frail Grasp should have been - a song with both a message and a melody. I love that "soul-suckin'" part. It really energizes the song and keeps it from the repetitive monotony of Frail Grasp, as do the prominent guitar parts throughout the song. The dramatic rhythmic build-up to a full stop before "Business as Usual" is effective, too. Once again we run into message-song-without-clear-enunciation in parts, unfortunately, but otherwise I think it's a good song. For me the song really starts working with the "I thought that I would be above it all by now..." the melody picks up, and then the building rhythm to the full stop - that's so effective. The chorus is actually catchy to me and I like the "woah-woah"s. The inclusion of the "prettiest White House" works because the workings of politics, as I said before, are "business as usual" no matter where you turn. It's a progression from the personal to the global. I think the only weakness to the song is that it does get off to a slow start and the ending could be a bit more powerful, as it just kind of peters out. But otherwise I really like it.

Center of the Universe A nice, mellow, pleasant song. Excellent harmonies, of course. The melody isn't the most interesting in the world; I love the "Oh, love..." parts but the first part of the verse and the title lines don't really strike me. Still, as I said before, it's pleasant enough. The instrumental parts are nice.

It's Your World Now I wasn't expecting such a Spanish-style song to be on the album, much less be the closer, but I like it. It doesn't stray much from that Spanish-style formula for the melody, but I do appreciate the significance of the lyrics and the sincerity of the vocal. I love the way he sings "I'd do it all again if I could, somehow." It's another good song that's not the best on the album, but is still strong. (BTW - does anyone else think that "no tears allowed" is a deliberate lyrical oppositional reference to 'No Fun Aloud'?) It's Your World Now forces issues of finality and mortality that most of us would rather not think about. One time I was listening to the album while posting some older photos of the Eagles and that song came on... it made me kind of "verklempt” thinking of the past, the present, and the inevitable ending in the future. But even when these guys are gone, the music will live on. They have literally changed the world forever, and will leave a lasting legacy. How good must that feel!

[sodascouts]

More videos I made (I'll stop soon! lol)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycnQqGBkbvc[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTppU_CQLUw[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgreaf4wZWA[/ame]