Celebration of "Soul Searchin"

[UndertheWire]

You may be right. I'm not listening closely.

[chaim]

You may be right. I'm not listening closely.

I'm not either, but when Working Man starts, a very mechanic sounding bass seems to jump out of my "speakers". Funnily enough I don't remember paying attention to possible synth basses or possible drums machines when I listened to this album in my teens.

[VAisForEagleLovers]

Didn't he say that when he had the opportunity back in Detroit to tour with Seger he was going to be the bass player?

[chaim]

Didn't he say that when he had the opportunity back in Detroit to tour with Seger he was going to be the bass player?

Very possible. I'm not saying that Glenn can't play bass. Most guitarists can play it to some degree. But some of the bass parts on Soul Searchin' don't sound like a real bass to my ears. I'm not bashing Glenn at all. If some of those bass parts are in fact a keyboard, the reason is not that he couldn't play them with a real bass. The reason was that he wanted a certain sound.

The simple bass part in KISS's "Somewhere between heaven and hell" is obviously a keyboard, although it's Gene's song and he's a great rock bass player.

[VAisForEagleLovers]

I'm not either, but when Working Man starts, a very mechanic sounding bass seems to jump out of my "speakers". Funnily enough I don't remember paying attention to possible synth basses or possible drums machines when I listened to this album in my teens.

Unfortunately, synthetic everything was very popular back then. A lot of artists did it. It eventually led to today's propensity to create 'music' with a computer.

[chaim]

Unfortunately, synthetic everything was very popular back then. A lot of artists did it. It eventually led to today's propensity to create 'music' with a computer.

Yeah. And I actually dig synthetic sounds if the song was written with a synthetic sound in mind. But a song like Working Man would work better IMO with a raw rock band sound (see Out Of Control)

EDIT:

It is possible, of course, that if some songs were "really organic" and raw productionwise, they would sound out of place on the album.

[Funk 50]

I still love Two Hearts, which most people around here hate.

Hey Hey! Somebody else loves Two Hearts!

... er I love Somebody Else too since I mentioned it.

The 3 Soul Searching tracks I've heard on the radio are the single, True Love, the title track, Soul Searching, during a Frey interview to promote the Strange Weather album release and Two Hearts, totally out of the blue because it's great I suppose.

I like many tracks on the album with the reservations others have pointed out. I thought it was retreading the same ground Glenn had covered on his previous two albums. I remember thinking at the time, when Glenn releases his next solo album, I'll be able to compile a top ten of Frey songs with "love" in the title. Strange Weather scuppered it.

Actually, with After Hours the list is complete.

01 - Lovers Moon
02 - The One You Love
03 - I Did It For Your Love
04 - The Look Of Love
05 - True Love
06 - Love in the 21st Century
07 - Let's Pretend We're Still In Love
08 - New Love
09 - I Got Love
10 - Ain't It Love

[chaim]

Ha! How about a collection of songs where Glenn sings "you and me" or "me and you"?

[Freypower]

I agree that it should read "drum programming" if he didn't actually play a kit. I don't think he did, and even some of his bass credits could refer to a keyboard bass.

I listened to this album a few days ago after a long break. I have mixed feelings about it. There are tracks that are up there with anything Eagles has done. I Did It For Your Love is amazing - one of the most beautiful melodies I've ever heard in my life - and I'll never understand why there's never been any fuss about it. The title track and It's Your Life are amazing too. Then there are songs that are ok, but nothing special, like True Love.

I noticed something interesting about this album now that I listened to it again. There are songs that I don't care for when I think about them, but when I actually listen to them, there are some really lovely moments (CPOTF & LPWSIL). Jack's dull guitar "riff" in CPOTF had been used many times before (see ELO's "So Fine" for example). But when it gets to the pre-chorus, it's lovely! LPWSIL has a very common/dull chord hook, but it has lovely moments, too. The ending is BEAUTIFUL. I think this song should be a bit slower.

Livin' Right works, because it's a bit humorous lyrically. I still love Two Hearts, which most people around here hate.

Perhaps the production on this album is more dull and flat than the song material. There could be more "punch" on the drums and stuff. A rocker like Working Man could do with more "punch" and more organic sound.

Also, Glenn's lead guitar playing could be more imaginative, like it was on the Eagles stuff - especially Too Many Hands! His leads on his solo material tend to be very safe and too comfortable and smooth rhythmically. Check out the first few phrases in the Two Hearts solo. Hard to believe it's the same guy who played some very interesting things on the Eagles albums - especially from Eagles to One Of These Nights. There were a lot of not-so-obvious note choices back then. I feel that as a lead guitar player he got a bit lazy at some point - in terms of constructing a solo and searching for something interesting.

Incidentally, it's very Glenn to throw in an extra phrase after sentences in his songs. Usually it's "me and you"

Just remember you will always be my girl - you're my girl

I still keep dreamin' 'bout me and you - me and you

You're part of me and I am part of you - part of you

I'm feeling things I swear I've never felt before - yes I am, baby

But now I realize this world was made for two - like me and you

Tonight, they're gonna do what must be done - what must be done

You make some interesting points. CPOTF & So Fine? Interesting!

I'm not a great fan of the end of LPWSIL, though you might think I'd swoon with him whispering 'we're still in love'. I don't know why but it seems out of place to me.

The throwing in an extra phrase - thanks for listing them! They all work, excpet I've never liked 'like me & you' in True Love. You want to say, 'yeah, we know who you mean, Glenn'. The one in LPWSTIL is a bit unnecessary as well, I feel.

Regarding It's Your Life I have never taken to it because I feel it's over-produced. You are right about IDIFYL though - what a sleeper that song is.

[sodascouts]

Catching up on this thread... interesting reading! I'd never given to much thought to what was "real" and what wasn't, but I'm going to have to go back and give a closer listen.