Once again, happy birthday to my favorite Eagles album!
HAPPY 38th ANNIVERSARY …
DESPERADO!!!
Such a wonderful and magnificent concept album that has grown better with time. Since there has been so much discussion on the board recently about whether or not Desperado is a country album or rock and roll album, I thought I would mention it in this thread as well. As I’ve said before, while it may sound more country by today’s standards, it was a ground-breaking sound at the time the album was recorded and was definitely not considered country. I believe this is really where the Eagles made their mark. They have influenced so many wannabe artists with their unique blend of sounds. So much so, that today’s modern country music sounds pretty much just like what the Eagles did back in the 70’s with their early work, especially Desperado.
As I’ve said many times, Desperado is my second favorite Eagles album, and the one that epitomizes the country rock sound, IMO. Like many, the rockier Hotel California is my very favorite. I’m one of those people that likes some of all kinds of music. While pure country and bluegrass music are far from my favorites, I don’t hate them. On the rock side, I am not a fan of heavy metal or acid rock. So, I guess it makes sense that the blend of country and rock showcased on this album is the sound that appeals to me most.
And BTW, Soda - love your Desperado avatar and banner!
"People don't run out of dreams: People just run out of time ..."
Glenn Frey 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016
This is a fun segment from Under the Covers about the Desperado photo album / video shoot. Lots of behind-the-scenes footage. I know it has been posted before but what better time to bring it forward, eh? Enjoy!
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcTTdwv1Xp4[/ame]
I'd also like to bring forward the video of Saturday Night from 1973 (which sadly just recently left Desperado Survivor Island). Glenn introduces it by talking about the then-new Desperado album's concept.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwKrSlGqdiY&feature=player_embedded[/ame]
I Love Saturday Night - so much!....from Bernie's Mandolin and Don's vocals, I can't believe it's been voted out so soon
It must surely remind everyone of "times gone by" .....it does me!
~Carole~
There is no more new frontier - we have got to make it here
I love Saturday Night too! Love the harmonies!
Thanks for those videos, Soda. Always love watching them!
I thought I’d make a few more comments about the Desperado album as the celebration week winds down. In that Under the Covers interview, Glenn described the album as a rock opera. If you have any doubt about whether the album was considered country back in the 70’s, all you have to do is ask some of the more traditional country music purists. This was actually quite a controversial topic back then – the two sides were pretty much in a war of words with one another. The Eagles didn’t want to be labeled as country and the country music industry didn’t claim them either.
Here’s what Marc Eliot has to say about this in his book, To the Limit. In the section about the recording and album cover shoot for Desperado, he writes:
I actually find this very interesting. Although there is much more of a mutual embracement of our guys and the country music community these days, that was most definitely not always the case. Even now, there is still a split between the old and new country music establishment about whether or not the Eagles should be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. I hope that eventually they will be inducted since their influence is undeniable. When that happens, I guess that’s when we’ll know for sure that the times, they are a'changin'!No matter how great it (the album) may have looked, sounded, and felt to those there, the public didn't buy it. Nor did the critics, who for the most part seemed to underscore what Henley, Frey and Meisner had feared from the beginning, that (Glyn) Johns's production of Desperado sounded too country for rock and too rock for country. The album's commercial failure helped clarify and intensify the ongoing conflict of style between the band and its producer. What Henley and Frey had instinctively known all along, what had identified and united them as rock and roll songwriters, was their shared sense of the idealism of youth, the passion, hopes, dreams, and desires of first loves, and the illusion that everyone will stay together and remain forever young. Country, on the other hand, was all about disillusionment, the failure of all those hopes and dreams, the bitterness of losing those desires, the inevitability of growing old. This was the reason rock stars had to stay youthful to remain relevant, while country stars' presence improved with age. And, thematically and aurally, the reason the album failed as an artistic statement. Predictably, it was seen by rock radio programmers as too heavily tilted toward country, and all but completely ignored by country music radio stations.
"People don't run out of dreams: People just run out of time ..."
Glenn Frey 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016
Interesting.
I'd really never associated any "age factor" with Rock or Country. But after thinking about it, it does seem to be true.
Back then though, Country was Grand Ole Opry and that style of country music. There were a bunch of Country Rebels out there trying to bring more youth and rock to Country music and they were sort of Blackballed out of Nashville and if you weren't part of that family as a Country Musician, you were in pretty bad shape.
But folks like Willy, Waylon, Hank Jr. and a few others kind of made it backfire to an extent in Texas. Eventually Country became more receptive to the Rock influence but they to this day STILL maintain a group of musicians who carry on the old original Country Style.
MikeA