Bernie Speaks! A new interview with Mr. Leadon

[WalshFan88]

I have to say though, I sure don't agree with Bernie's opinion about his and Glenn's vocal talents. They didn't achieve the level of success they did with just average or mediocre vocal skills. I appreciate his humility, but I think he greatly undersells their abilities.

I completely agree.

When it comes to vocals in the Eagles - Glenn was as good as any of them. And TBH, while Henley IS a great singer, I get a little tired of this notion that some present that he was *that* much better than the others. Glenn was every bit as good of a singer as Don, even if he himself didn't think so.

So while I agree with Bernie's opinion on his own vocals, I vehemently disagree with him on Glenn's vocal abilities. Glenn was a terrific singer.

[UndertheWire]

When the band started, there wasn't much to choose between Glenn and Bernie for vocals and based on "Take the Devil", Randy was amazing. However, I think Glenn's vocals improved over the years, especially in his solo work. I'm happy to accept Bernie's assessment.

Don and Glenn's antipathy towards "I wish you peace" makes more sense now. Jackson Browne said that for OoTN, D&G were especially keen that all the songs should have been written by the band and having a song mostly written by the governor's daughter must have been particularly annoying.

[chaim]

I completely agree.

When it comes to vocals in the Eagles - Glenn was as good as any of them. And TBH, while Henley IS a great singer, I get a little tired of this notion that some present that he was *that* much better than the others. Glenn was every bit as good of a singer as Don, even if he himself didn't think so.

So while I agree with Bernie's opinion on his own vocals, I vehemently disagree with him on Glenn's vocal abilities. Glenn was a terrific singer.

I think Bernie may have meant the techical side of things, which I believe Glenn struggled a bit with in the early days. But in terms of TONE, remove Glenn's voice from the harmonies on those records and you don't have Eagles a anymore.

Once again I'm reminded of something my father (whose not particularly a fan of any member) said years ago. Said that Don Henley is a great singer, but Glenn's voice is what makes it EAGLES for him. I agree - whether it was Glenn singing a lead or a harmony part.

[WalshFan88]

Eh, to me, Glenn's vocals were spot on from the first record through LROOE. And certainly live until the very end. Maybe the trouble he was having was before they ever recorded anything. He never seemed to have problems with his voice or any trouble hitting the notes, even on the HOTE tour. Where as Don has had to lower the key of some of his songs both Eagles and solo. Again, not a bad thing, but I think it's fair to say Glenn was every bit as good of a singer as Don, just different. But equal. There is more to singing than technicality or sheer range. Tonality is way more important IMO and Glenn had excellent tone and pitch.

Well said, chaim!

[chaim]

Eh, to me, Glenn's vocals were spot on from the first record through LROOE. And certainly live until the very end. Maybe the trouble he was having was before they ever recorded anything. He never seemed to have problems with his voice or any trouble hitting the notes, even on the HOTE tour. Where as Don has had to lower the key of some of his songs both Eagles and solo. Again, not a bad thing, but I think it's fair to say Glenn was very bit as good of a singer as Don, just different. But equal. There is more to singing than technicality or sheer range. Tonality is way more important IMO and Glenn had excellent tone and pitch.

Well said, chaim!

Well, "struggled" was perhaps a bit too much, but I remember Glenn or somebody else saying that in the early days Glenn had to concentrate to sing in tune. Indeed I don't recall if this happened before the Eagles recorded anything or if it still went on when they started recording.

[New Kid In Town]

Well, "struggled" was perhaps a bit too much, but I remember Glenn or somebody else saying that in the early days Glenn had to concentrate to sing in tune. Indeed I don't recall if this happened before the Eagles recorded anything or if it still went on when they started recording.

Hi Chaim ! That somebody was Felder in his book. I love Glenn's voice. However, I do think Randy had the best voice/vocals of all seven Eagles. In MHO, Don and Glenn were both great - just different. I also think Bernie has a nice voice. He was not giving himself enough credit for his voice. Felder stated in his book how worried they were about replacing Bernie with Joe and how Joe's voice would blend in. Bernie really helped make those Harmonies special.

[Scarlet Sun]

Well, "struggled" was perhaps a bit too much, but I remember Glenn or somebody else saying that in the early days Glenn had to concentrate to sing in tune. Indeed I don't recall if this happened before the Eagles recorded anything or if it still went on when they started recording.

Yes it's true, watch DKRC in '74. Glenn himself said he wasn't a very good singer Musici​an magazine in '82. Plus his "I had be in tune - all in time" quote regarding his role changing after Joe joined.

[Delilah]

I love Glenn’s voice. He’s one of my favorite male vocalists ever. His voice was the only one I instantly recognized as an Eagle’s when they all went solo. But having a great voice is not necessarily the same thing as being a great singer.

Bernie said in the interview that he and Glenn were “pretty good” singers and Don and Randy were “superior.” I believe that’s a fair assessment that is rather consistent with what other people who were part of the scene and in the studio have said, including David Geffen, Felder, Henley, J.D. Souther and Glenn himself.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Well - I guess this is all a matter of perspective. I am totally uninformed about the technical aspects of what qualifies someone as a great singer. I can only say this - the song's that Don H. and Glenn sang were consistently the biggest hits and most popular and well-loved Eagles songs. Now, part of that can probably be attributed to songwriting, lyrics, harmonies, arrangements, and music. However, I don't think it's an accident that Glenn's song were among the most well-loved. Again, I don't know if Glenn was 'technically' a great singer or not, but I don't think that there's any doubt that his vocals had wide massive appeal among the general public. And he managed to sing at a very high level up until and including his last public performance. So, if you measure a singer by their long-term success, I think Glenn qualifies as a great singer. My own theory is that his voice had one of those intangible qualities that can't be measured. People just loved it.

[sodascouts]

Yeah, I guess it's basically how you define "good" singer that's the sticking point. When I think of it, I include singers who have tones to their voices that I really love, like Glenn. But if you're defining it as singers who have an impressive vocal range - who can hit those high notes, as Bernie puts it - or a similar type of criteria, then that would exclude singers like Glenn and Bernie. It seems that's where Bernie is coming from.