Celebration of "The Long Run"!

[Scarlet Sun]

I can see the guys snickering to themselves as they wrote about melodramatic teens. I think I even read Don say it showed they had a "dark sense of humor."

I'm not sure if the average listener who heard it on the radio would get that they're not supposed to take it seriously, though... unless they thought, "Surely a song this terrible has to be a joke."

I can't speak for the average listener, but whenever I hear Don's vocal part, i laugh out loud

I have a feeling the song started out seriously, but as time and the making of the album dragged on, they just said "f#$% it" and turned it into a joke . . .

[Ive always been a dreamer]

It's just that simple to me! I love reading all the analysis from others and maybe I just don't concentrate enough or "get it" or something. But when I listen to any music, I just don't find myself trying to figure out who's singing what part or when a certain instrument does something or what they were thinking when they wrote a certain line, or even who wrote a song, I just don't really care I guess. I am much to simple apparently for that. I just want to enjoy the music and not have to think. When I listen to this album (or any other for that matter) I listen to the music and lyrics and either I like it and play it more or I don't and just don't play it. When this album goes on the turntable (and it does a lot!), cd player or Ipod, it gets played all the way thru without skipping any song.

Does that make sense to anyone else?

This makes perfect sense to me too, TBF. I certainly don't think there is any right or wrong way to enjoy music. As the old saying goes 'it's different strokes for different folks". I'm a little of both - sometimes I like to just enjoy the song without thinking about it at all, and then there are other times when I think hard about it ... just depends on the mood I'm in.

I still say Teenage Jail is intentionally and successfully hilarious

I would tend to agree with Soda about this. While I agree there may be some intended tongue-in-cheek humor, I don't think it is necessarily obvious to the casual listener. "Greeks" is overtly funny, but I think you would have to listen to Teenage Jail in context to the other songs on the album to detect any facetious, subtle comic twist to the song, and even then, it would be left up to the listener's interpretation. JMHO

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Well, as our week long celebration of The Long Run winds down, I am surprised that there has been no mention of the "image makeover" for the band. Not only was the music on this album a huge departure for the band, but their 'look' also changed drastically ...





I've told this before, but I remember when I first bought the album, I was stunned at the change in their appearance. It took me a while to figure out who was who, and it was actually when I first realized that Randy had left the band, and had been replaced with Tim. I guess I had been slackin' on my Eagles updates back then. But hey - there wasn't any internet with The Border or anything ... how was I supposed to know!

[Freypower]

Um - Dreamer, please check my avatar. This entire week for me has been all about the image change, especially in a very specific case.

I may as well say here that 30 years ago when I first saw the cover, I was staggered at how they had all changed (with the exception of Felder, and even his hair was somewhat shorter). I couldn't remember ever having seen Joe with a moustache (had I forgotten the HC video)?

When you say 'it took me a while to figure out who was who' I knew four out of five straight away. I knew Tim had joined (I knew what he looked like from the Rose of Cimarron video). It was the guy in the centre that I could not pick at first. I had to go by a process of elimination. I suppose that is one way of describing it.

[sodascouts]

I know, it's really amazing. Glenn's makeover was especially dramatic and he looks incredible - much better than the long-haired look (IMHO - I know some will disagree!) Maybe they were thinking that it was about to be the 80s and they needed to update their look. Smart guys - by 1981 'fros and super-long hair were SO seventies.

[EagleLady]

I love the long hair look, but Change is good

[TimothyBFan]

I remember that the only thing that really shocked me when I saw the album was that Glenn had cut his hair! I was devastated--well until I noticed the new guy.

[Prettymaid]

Don't get me wrong - I love a long-haired rocker as much as the next girl, but you gotta admit, Glenn's transformation was the biggest and the best!

[GlennLover]

Don't get me wrong - I love a long-haired rocker as much as the next girl, but you gotta admit, Glenn's transformation was the biggest and the best!

I do agree!

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Well - I am reviving this thread to say ...

HAPPY 31st BIRTHDAY "THE LONG RUN"!!!

There is already quite a celebration going on with the impending start of the Survivor game this evening. However, I just went back and reread this thread and found the discussion quite entertaining.