Discussion of Eagles Documentary "History of the Eagles"

[mustangkim11]

watching it again for the second time and absorbing the specialness all over again. Still can't peel my eyes off of Joe for very long. I thought that the part with him and Lucy was very sweet.

[sodascouts]

It's really interesting how differently we can see things! I thought the limo bit was really funny. I didn't get the sense that either of them were being very serious. I thought Glenn's "You never know what those kids'll do" was deliberately exaggerated and amusing. I love it when Don tells the driver to lock the door and then realises he's not even there! "NOW lock it." Haha. I also find myself laughing when Glenn pushes in front of Don to get into the car and Don says in a deep voice "No, no, you first, I insist." I love their little humorous exchanges. It strikes me how little they have changed really... their personalities are still pretty much the same. It's clear to me now how passionate, driven and ambitious Glenn is, and always has been - and how impulsive and excitable he can be. He knows it, too. I liked it when he said to Joe "I get nuts sometimes and I'm sorry." We're all who we are! I didn't feel any ill will towards Glenn whilst watching the film. I can understand how people might think someone is an asshole for demanding more money or whatever (because most of us don't live in that kind of world) but I was surprised to find myself mostly agreeing with what Don and Glenn said. Not that I don't feel sorry for Bernie, Randy and even Felder... but I genuinely believe that whatever happened happened for the good of the band. Glenn said he began to sing less and less "because we had Henley". Glenn wasn't a hypocrite - he always did what was best for the band and he expected the same from the others. I totally respect that. The Victim of Love thing illustrates that point perfectly... I can understand why Felder wanted to sing it and, in some ways, of course it would have been nice to let him sing his song, but that's not what a meticulous and phenomenally successful band does. They HAVE to do what's best for the band - and there's no doubt that Don Henley singing makes for a much better record. Felder admits that. Don's analogy about Felder demanding to sing VOL being akin to him demanding to play lead guitar on Hotel California is totally accurate, and I don't think it's unkind. Put in that context, it makes perfect sense to me.

Back to the old footage, I love those sweet, humorous moments that come through in the clips. I really got the sense of the band being like brothers - just ordinary guys hanging around in often extraordinary situations. It made me realise how well Don and Glenn got on - it really was them against the world at the beginning. I know Don has had his wild moments, but I think it's really endearing that he's always been kind of quieter and more serious than the others - it's obvious how worried he was during the airport situation in the Bahamas (lol) and the fact that he was the only one who agreed with Glyn Johns about the 'no alcohol/drugs' rule in the studio says a lot about his maturity, even in the early '70s.

I just really enjoyed seeing all of that old footage and getting to know them as young men. It brings it all to life, for me - the passion, the arguments, the desire, the hard work, the fun and the silliness - and I can't get enough of it! I was a bit apprehensive about watching the DVD after all of the bad feeling generated from it, but I can honestly say that I have a new-found respect for the band. It's obvious how hard they have always worked and how each member put the success of the band as a whole at the top of their list. If Glenn really was an egocentric asshole, I'm pretty sure he would be demanding to sing much more than he does and that he and Don would have come to bitter blows a long, long time ago. The Eagles are so successful because the band is bigger than any of the individual members... and that's the way they have always wanted it.

I agree 100% Troub.

I'm not surprised you and Cathy expected a lot worse when seeing the doc after reading this thread than you actually saw. With the level of outrage some people have been expressing against Glenn here, you'd think he'd admitted to spending his spare time kicking puppies and dumping old ladies out of wheelchairs.

The limo part had me cracking up, too!

[Tiffanny Twisted]

I agree troub

[Scarlet Sun]

I can understand why Felder wanted to sing it and, in some ways, of course it would have been nice to let him sing his song, but that's not what a meticulous and phenomenally successful band does. They HAVE to do what's best for the band - and there's no doubt that Don Henley singing makes for a much better record.

I wish they would have included Felder's version in the documentary to provide for support for this position

[VAisForEagleLovers]

... I can honestly say that I have a new-found respect for the band. It's obvious how hard they have always worked and how each member put the success of the band as a whole at the top of their list.

I agree with all that you said, but especially this. Sometimes we get lost in the details and over-analyze, but overall, this is what it comes down to. They really tried, they worked hard. Watching them live today it's very obvious that they still work hard.

Now, if only I didn't have to wait over two months to see them live...

[Prettymaid]

I've watched it twice and still missed some of the bits from the limo scene! The part Troub referenced about Don saying "lock it" to an absent driver??? Missed it! Lol! I'm going to have to watch it again!

I've come to the conclusion that some people just rub other people the wrong way, even if they don't even know them personally. Something as simple as a mannerism, or the way something is said can be enough to turn someone off. As a Joe fan, I could have taken offense to the part where Glenn tries to mimic him, but I didn't think anything of it, except that it was funny. I'm sure there are people out there who didn't find the humor in it. But to me, that was just Glenn being Glenn.

[Troubadour]

I agree that it would be interesting to hear Felder's version - but I don't think there's any doubt that Henley is a much better singer than Felder. Even Felder explicitly acknowledges that. According to the band, Felder had numerous chances to sing the song in the studio and it wasn't working. I trust their judgement.

[Troubadour]

I've watched it twice and still missed some of the bits from the limo scene! The part Troub referenced about Don saying "lock it" to an absent driver??? Missed it! Lol! I'm going to have to watch it again!

Haha! Oh, how will you cope? I think I may have to rewatch that bit too... you know... just to be sure I've got it right. They say something like "lock the door, driver" and then Don goes "oh, he's not even here..." and the driver gets in and Don motions with his hand and says "NOW lock it." It's really cute!

That makes me think of the part in HFO where Don comes out of his trailer calling Glenn and you can hear Glenn in the background saying "Am I going the right way?!" I forget if it was me or Jess who had never heard that bit before but, once one of us introduced the other to it, we couldn't stop listening to it! It's really funny how you can miss certain things until someone else points them out.

[Prettymaid]

They all had their individual talents that contributed to making a successful band.

[Prettymaid]

Haha! Oh, how will you cope? I think I may have to rewatch that bit too... you know... just to be sure I've got it right. They say something like "lock the door, driver" and then Don goes "oh, he's not even here..." and the driver gets in and Don motions with his hand and says "NOW lock it." It's really cute!

That makes me think of the part in HFO where Don comes out of his trailer calling Glenn and you can hear Glenn in the background saying "Am I going the right way?!" I forget if it was me or Jess who had never heard that bit before but, once one of us introduced the other to it, we couldn't stop listening to it! It's really funny how you can miss certain things until someone else points them out.

Oh crap, now I have to watch HFO again...MISSED IT!!!!