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Why Don't You Come to Your Senses?
Now here's something I did not know: Eagles—Their Greatest Hits, the one that doesn't have "Hotel California," is the top-selling album in the history of the United States. This information comes from a Canadian paper, so they may just be making it up to humiliate us, but the numbers are: 28 million copies sold so far (enough, notes The Globe and Mail's J.D. Considine, for "Lyin' Eyes" and "Witchy Woman" to be owned by "nearly one in every 10 Americans"), with bigger sales than such lumbering dinosaurs as Rumours, Thriller, and The Wall, and with a quarter of those sales coming in the last decade alone. (I'm assuming upgrades to CD from 8-track and wax-cylinder media accounts for some portion of this last bit).
How does The G&M explain this lingering affection for an Eagles lineup that at the time didn't even include Joe Walsh? It was all about putting old-fashioned gringo imagery into a more accessible package:
Truth be told, it's Desperado, Take It Easy and Already Gone that speak most directly to the American psyche. On a musical level, that shouldn't be too surprising, because the country-rock sound the early Eagles perfected was profoundly influential. Unlike the archival approach taken by such country-rock predecessors as Gram Parsons or the Flying Burrito Brothers, the Eagles' sound was more interested in adding polish than in tracing roots. However much their vocal harmonies owed to the Southern gospel tradition, the singing spoke not of a high, lonesome sound but of the cool professionalism of Crosby, Stills and Nash or the Beach Boys. Likewise, the guitar arrangements were painstakingly plotted, with the parts intertwining as intricately as anything Steely Dan ever did. Their sound was slick, urban, rock 'n' roll.
Yet their subject matter was anything but citified. Even though their protagonists -- and by extension, their audience -- rarely got closer to horseback than riding in a Ford Bronco, they identified deeply and frequently with cowboys and Western independence.
That is to say, The Eagles, more than any actual country acts, are responsible for the current denatured state of "Country" music. "In the nineties," says Considine, "a whole generation of Stetson-topped singers and pickers insisted that the Eagles were as much an inspiration as Hank Williams (if not more)." That jibes with my experience: It takes me ten minutes to figure out whether I'm listening to a country station or some reanimated corpse of KlassiK RocK.
Other possible explanations for ongoing Eaglemania: Glenn Frey's mid-80s admission that he was born in the city and pre-Traffic exercise in pusillanimous Drug-War fence-sitting "Smuggler's Blues," which prompted the tersely named Rock magazine to declare: "To Glenn Frey, the current propensity toward a marriage between the auditory and the visual might, for the most part, mean the obliteration of music by performance. The music scene is just that—a scene. And with the advent of form over content comes dependence on it. Form that is." And of course, Don Henley's intervention to rescue Walden Pond, in the mistaken belief that it was the site of an Oscar-winning film starring Katherine Hepburn and two Fondas.
|3.30.05 @ 12:27PM|#
"...upgrades to CD from 8-track and wax-cylinder media..."
Don't you be dissing my 8-tracks! Especially the quadrophonic
ones!
|3.30.05 @ 12:33PM|#
The Eagles' appeal transcended many a genre--the soft rock of
the Carpenters Brigade, John Denverish Folk Meisters, Rednecks,
yeah, even Black Sabbath Stoners and Zepplo-Hippie Wannabe
Douchebags jumped on board.
...I still find it curious that Hotel California is their most
requested song (courtesy of the ZHWD lobby I suspect). I would have
put my money on Seven Bridges Road--more universal appeal, less
weird imagery, more twang, lots of harmony, etc. It was up there at
the time with, like, Green Grass and High Tides.
I think the only people the Eagles didn't appeal to was certain
Disco types and Punks. Personally, I'd rather listen to The James
Gang or Linda Ronstadt. ...or the Gun Club.
|3.30.05 @ 12:35PM|#
"I got two words for Don Henley -- Joe Fuckin' Walsh. Thanks for playing, Don; how long's your pony tail now?" -- Denis Leary
Jesse Walker|3.30.05 @ 12:36PM|#
I still find it curious that Hotel California is their most
requested song
Might have something to do with the fact that it's their only
listenable song.
|3.30.05 @ 12:49PM|#
I've known Christians who were fond of burning Eagles CDs,
tapes, etc. because of their "satanic content." They claim that
they can hear the voice of satan CD goes up in flames.
Ken Shultz,
Hmm, punk. That explains my dislike of the Eagles. Linda Ronstadt?
*puke*
fyodor|3.30.05 @ 12:55PM|#
Might have something to do with the fact that it's their
only listenable song.
If I'm listening to that in the afterlife, I've gone to the wrong
place.
|3.30.05 @ 1:08PM|#
I much prefer the Spanishified version of "Hotel California" by the Gipsy Kings (it's on the Big Lebowski soundtrack).
|3.30.05 @ 1:11PM|#
I saw the Eagles first tour back in 71 or 72 when they were the backup band for Jethro Tull. Linda Rondstant also toured with the band and did lots of the singing. Bernie Leadon was on lead guitar
|3.30.05 @ 1:11PM|#
Stevo,
Right on about the Gypsy Kings version. Also, what made Hotel
California listenable was the that it was bit off of We Used to
Know by Jethro Tull. Or so says Ian...
Warren|3.30.05 @ 1:20PM|#
Eagles�Their Greatest Hits, the one that doesn't have "Hotel
California," is the top-selling album in the history of the United
States.
I can't be the only one that finds this, not even remotely
believable.
Matt Welch|3.30.05 @ 1:23PM|#
Fun fact about "Hotel California" -- its working title in the
studio was "Mexican reggae." Listen to it again, keeping that in
mind, and you'll realize that it's basically a reggae song (the
drum fill after "steely knives," the weird diction of lines like
"she got the Mercedes Benz," the wacka rhythm guitar).
Beyond that, I'd just add that I'm unaware of a single
*interesting* harmony on an Eagles song (or CS&N, for that
matter). It's all predictable fourths and fifths and octaves, with
very little variation or note-bending. There's more harmonic
innovation in Brian Wilson's foot-long toenail than on an entire
stage full of screamin' Eagles.
|3.30.05 @ 1:27PM|#
Now here's something I did not know: Eagles�Their Greatest
Hits, the one that doesn't have "Hotel California," is the
top-selling album in the history of the United States. This
information comes from a Canadian paper, so they may just be making
it up to humiliate us....
I hope they are just making this up to humiliate us, because if
it's not made up, then I completely understand why America could be
doomed to crumble from the inside out.
The Eagles are pure, unadulterated crap.
They are the ultimate downfall of pop music.
They are perpetuators of the ever-present generic, conglomerate,
adult-contemporary-RnB-rock-roots-pseudo-psychadelic-pop garbage
that clogs radio airwaves across our nation.
[Rock over London, Rock on Chicago.
Western Union: It's the Fastest Way to Send Money! ]
I did like the Gypsy Kings version of "Hotel California", though.
Mexican/Spanish music rocks.
|3.30.05 @ 1:28PM|#
The version of Desperado in the movie "In America", which is sung by a 12 year old girl, is much better than the original.
|3.30.05 @ 1:40PM|#
The version of Desperado in the movie "In America", which is
sung by a 12 year old girl, is much better than the
original.
Incidentally, I have a copy of the CD from which that song was
taken...it's called "The Langely Schools Music Project"...and yes,
sadly the little girl sings the song much better than Don Henley
could manage, to his discredit.
Also, with regards to Matt Welch's post, I initially had meant to
type:
They are perpetuators of the ever-present generic, conglomerate,
adult-contemporary-RnB-rock-roots-pseudo-psychadelic-reggae-pop
garbage that clogs radio airwaves across our nation.
|3.30.05 @ 1:52PM|#
To me Joe Walsh is not an Eagle. He is a peacock feather stuck
up the ass of a once proud bird. And the Eagles without Randy
Meisner and Bernie Leadon are eagles without a heart and
soul.
How dare they desecrate the name Eagles by touring without two of
their best musicians?
|3.30.05 @ 1:52PM|#
"I'm an old punker, and I like the Eagles."
...but did you like the Eagles when you were punk? Was this not the
very definition of "long hair" music?
|3.30.05 @ 1:54PM|#
Mojo Nixon said it best:
This is the sound of my brain
Then I said -This is the sound of my brain on Don Henley
Then I said -One two three four
He's a tortured artist
Used to be in the eagles
Now he whines like a wounded beagle
Poet of despair
Puffed up with hot air
He's serious, pretentious and I just don't care
Don henley must die
Don't let him get back together
With Glenn Frey, Don Henley must die
Cut on the TV
And what did I see
This bloated hairy thing winnin' a grammy
Huah
Best rock vocalist
Compared to what
Bunch of pseudo-serious Kraft angst-a-matic
Satanic plot
Don Henley Must die
Put a sharp stick in his eye, don henley must die
Ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya
Oh
Quit playin' that crap
Youí²¥ out of the band
I'm only kidding, can't you tell?
I love his sensitve music
Idiot poetry swell
You and your kind
Are killin' rock and roll
It's not because youí²¥ o-l-d
--Cause you ain't
Got no soul
Don't be afraid of fun
Loosen up your ponytail
Be wild, young
Free and-a
Get your head
Outta your tail
Don Henley
Must die
Doní´ let him get back together
With Glenn Frey
Don Henley
Must die
Put him in the electric chair
Watch him fry, Don Henley must die
Don Henley must die
Ah ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya ya
No Eagles reunion
The same goes for you too Sting
Ah
Oh
|3.30.05 @ 2:01PM|#
The Eagles are responsible for Puntry Music? My ass. This is
backwards shite.
The Eagles may have taken a country-influenced style and polished
it up, but today's "Puntry" (pop-country) works in the other
direction; it starts with generic top-40 pop garbage, and adds a
li'l bit o' twang: a slide guitar or two, a southern accent, and a
dash of "country" lyrics.
This is a far cry from polished-up southern rock.
|3.30.05 @ 2:06PM|#
Evan Williams,
Remember the craze in the 1990s when every country song had to be
danceable? :)
|3.30.05 @ 2:11PM|#
"In the nineties," says Considine, "a whole generation of
Stetson-topped singers and pickers insisted that the Eagles were as
much an inspiration as Hank Williams (if not more)."
That may have been true in the 1990s, but I swear that on the few
occasions I listen to country radio today, Journey seems to be an
even bigger influence than the Eagles or Hank.
|3.30.05 @ 2:14PM|#
"This information comes from a Canadian paper, so they may just
be making it up to humiliate us..."
I take offense at that - far be it from us to undertake a classic
rawk misinformation campaign, when everyone already knows that
Randy Bachman can kick Glenn Frey's flaccid, country-lite ass, and
still have enough left to roll over the Doobie Bros.
(b-b-b-baby!)
|3.30.05 @ 2:21PM|#
As revenge, maybe I will start a smear campaign on Cananada
claiming that Avril Lavigne's albums are the top selling albums
there.
That seems equally unbecoming, IMHO.
Tim Cavanaugh|3.30.05 @ 2:36PM|#
I think you meant to say that Randy Bachman could eat Frey, Henley, and Walsh, and have room left over for all the Doobie Brothers and their roadies.
Dan H.|3.30.05 @ 2:56PM|#
Bah. The Eagles are the band the rock snots love to hate. They
weren't 'edgy' enough, they weren't punk enough, they didn't rock
hard enough. Whatever.
What the Eagles were is a band of highly professional, highly
skilled musicians playing songs that were brilliantly crafted.
There is nothing wrong with that, even if it isn't Radiohead or the
Allman Brothers.
The Eagles were the most successful band of the 1970's, and one of
the most successful touring bands in the 1990's. There's a reason
for that. Great songs don't have to fit your preconception of what
rock or country is 'supposed' to be. They can stand on their own.
Songs like "Peaceful Easy Feeling", "Tequila Sunrise", "Desperado",
"New Kid in Town", "I Can't Tell You Why", "Seven Bridges Road",
"Best of My Love", and "Wasted Time" are just beautiful songs,
performed beautifully. They can be appreciated on the level that
you appreciate a beautiful sunset. And that's the key to the
success of the Eagles - listening to their music makes people feel
relaxed and happy the same way a warm summer evening does.
|3.30.05 @ 2:57PM|#
28 million sold thus far - topping thriller which is next at
26
http://www.riaa.com/gp/bestsellers/topalbums.asp
|3.30.05 @ 3:04PM|#
"They can be appreciated on the level that you appreciate a
beautiful sunset. And that's the key to the success of the Eagles -
listening to their music makes people feel relaxed and happy the
same way a warm summer evening does."
...That's what my grandparents used to say about Lawrence Welk.
|3.30.05 @ 3:09PM|#
...but did you like the Eagles when you were punk? Was this
not the very definition of "long hair" music?
I'm not sure I ever did stop being punk. I've got Minor Threat
playing at my desk right now. But yeah, I liked them even as a punk
kid. Granted, they're not edgy or particularly innovative, but they
did write some good songs.
|3.30.05 @ 3:13PM|#
The Eagles were just a lighter version of the entire Cosmic Cowboy Country Rocker scene of the 70s. After Gene Clark left the Byrds he was replaced by Graham Parsons. The Byrds released Sweetheard of the Rodeo in 1968. Parsons and Chris Hillman leave to form the Flying Burrito Bros. Soon Bands like Marshall Tucker from South Carolina are putting out Gold Albums. A few old timers take notice like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Austin Texas is going to be the Nashville of the country rock scene. Michael Murphy, Doug Sahm,and Augie Meyer. Armadillo World Headquarters, Split Rail, Soap Creek Saloon and the Broken Spoke. Dickey Betts, guitarist for Allman Brothers puts out a country rocker album in the mid 70s. Good 12yr run for this type of music and then the movie Urban Cowboy comes out and pretty much destroys it all :>)
|3.30.05 @ 3:27PM|#
"They weren't 'edgy' enough, they weren't punk enough, they
didn't rock hard enough."
Just for the record, I'd like to say that I wasn't suggesting that
the Eagles weren't punk enough--they weren't punk at all.
In fact, it's their brand of music--at least as much as Disco--that
made punk absolutely essential.
"I'm not sure I ever did stop being punk."
...yeah, it never completely leaves you.
"...and then the movie Urban Cowboy comes out and pretty much
destroys it all."
It's hard to overstate the influence of John Travolta on popular
culture in the '70s, I think.
People in Philadelphia and Boston started buying their clothes at
Miller's Outpost--belt buckles with chunks of turquoise and
colorful cowboy shirts with plastic buttons that looked like pearl.
I understand that neighborhood bars in Los Angeles installed
mechanical bulls! ...WTF?
|3.30.05 @ 3:36PM|#
"28 million sold thus far - topping thriller which is next at
26"
Thriller still has the distinction of being the best selling
original release, I do believe.
|3.30.05 @ 3:37PM|#
Yep, seems everyone wanted to get in on that mechanical bull
nonsense.
This
albumepitomizes the country rocker scene of the 70s.
|3.30.05 @ 3:37PM|#
Michael Nesmith invented Country-Rock. Just listen to his songs on the Monkee albums circa 1966 through 1970.
Jesse Walker|3.30.05 @ 4:13PM|#
The Eagles were just a lighter version of the entire Cosmic
Cowboy Country Rocker scene of the 70s.
Speaking as someone who really likes that Parsons/Nelson/Sahm/etc.
cosmic-cowboy music, and really dislikes most of the Eagles'
output, I have to disagree. You couldn't have had the Eagles
without going through Parsons first, I guess, but their records
lacked the other acts' soul.
Joe Walsh gets a pass, though, 'cause "Life's Been Good" is
hilarious.
NoStar: Michael Newsmith didn't invent it, but he recorded
some of the best country-rock I've heard. Ever hear "Some of
Shelley's Blues"? Now that's a brilliantly crafted pop
song.
|3.30.05 @ 4:28PM|#
Jesse,
Joe Walsh gets a pass from me for the James Gang, "Life's Been
Good" *and* "Rocky Mountain Way". As much as I disklike the Eagles,
Walsh's solo work is mostly pretty bloody good. He can play
too...
|3.30.05 @ 4:50PM|#
Jesse, Heard it? I've lived and performed it. I've got it in
recordings by Linda Ronstadt, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Nez
himself. I've written two different arrangements for it, my
favorite being an up-tempo 4/4 swing version.
Anyone would be hard pressed to find an earlier recorded
country-rock tune that pre-dates Papa Gene's Blues.
|3.30.05 @ 5:05PM|#
smacky: I did like the Gypsy Kings version of "Hotel
California", though. Mexican/Spanish music rocks.
BTW, on the soundtrack for "Kill Bill, Vol. 1" there is a
butt-kickin' cover of the Animals' "Don't Let Me Misunderstood" (as
in "I'm just a soul whose intentions are good") by Santa Esmeralda.
The cover version by Santa Exmeralda is rather Spanishified,
flamenco-style -- although it's also sorta disco, but not in a
sucky kind of way, even though most disco sucked. (There are also a
number of other cool bits of music on that soundtrack, including
the very nifty "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" by Tomoyasu Hotei
[which is not at all Spanish].)
Some nice Spanish/Mexican-influenced rock is also on the soundtrack
to "Desperado," too. (The movie with Salma Hayek and Antonio
Banderas, not the Eagles song. Hey, check out all the synchronicity
in this post of mine!)
Also BTW, just in case anyone decides to look up the Gipsy Kings,
it really is spelled "Gipsy Kings," even though "gypsy" is spelled
"gypsy."
clarityiniowa|3.30.05 @ 5:15PM|#
I saw the Eagles in Ames, IA a few years back on one of their
too-frequent reunion tours. Impressive performances by Walsh,
especially, despite his being apparently too stoned and/or too old
to care. The most interesting thing was watching Frey, Henley and
Walsh alternately trying to keep their distance from one another on
a crowded stage, and making believe they weren't.
As a sometime musician myself, I don't get into discussions of
"that's good, that's bad, that's commercial, that's cool," etc., or
especially about who influenced whom. Most of what you hear or read
along those lines by actual players is bullshit anyway, because
they know fans expect it. I've met a lot of big names and former
big names in my time, including Ian Anderson and Dave Pegg of
Jethro Tull, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles and others in my
former capacity doing backstage catering and arrangements at Hilton
Coliseum in Ames. By and large, musicians don't think that way.
They just do what they do, hope people like it, and hope it
sells.
Analysis gets left to half-fast musicians like me, critics and
blowhard bloggers.
|3.30.05 @ 5:21PM|#
"Also BTW, just in case anyone decides to look up the Gipsy
Kings, it really is spelled "Gipsy Kings," even though "gypsy" is
spelled "gypsy."
So it's "Stevo Gipsy" now, is it?
|3.30.05 @ 6:11PM|#
Upon reflection, I find that I rather liked "One of These Nights" and didn't mind "I Can't Tell You Why," "Take It Easy," "Already Gone," and the live version of "Seven Bridges Road." I probably shouldn't admit that, though.
|3.30.05 @ 6:12PM|#
That is to say, The Eagles, more than any actual country
acts, are responsible for the current denatured state of "Country"
music.
I'd like to be able to blame the Eagles for something like that, if
Nashville didn't have such a long history of running on all fours
toward whatever crap they figured could bring in more of the
'mainstream' audience & the associated big bucks. I think
Lynyrd Skynyrd had at least as much influence on the current
generation of 'country' performers as the Eagles, probably
more,really.
|3.30.05 @ 6:55PM|#
The Eagles "Their Greatest Hits" is indeed the bestselling album
of all time in the United States (not sure why that's so shocking
-- and it passed "Thriller" several years ago).
And J.D. Considine is an American rock writer.
|3.30.05 @ 6:59PM|#
The truth is that there is not a song in the entire 'Country-rock' milieu, whether you think that contains the Eagles or not, that can hold a candle to 'Wanna Be Starting Something' or 'Billie Jean'.
|3.30.05 @ 7:47PM|#
Actually, anyone who follows music sales stats at all ( such as
RIAA Platinum Certifications,Soundscan,etc) Knows that the Eagles
have had the album with highest # of US Shipments for quite some
time now. Thriller used to be #1 but I think after the initial
public molestation allegations about 11-12 years ago and the
lukewarm sales of HIStory, Michael jackson's catalog sales slowed
considerably.
Combine this with the huge resurgence of the Eagles around
1994-1995 and their Hell freezes Over tour and album release which
included major MTV and VH1 coverage, soldout stadium tours, and a
huge hit single ( plus new "unplugged version of past hit
singles,etc)and the Eagles catalog became a fast and steady
seller.
Jesse Walker|3.30.05 @ 8:14PM|#
Stevo: I forgot about "Take It Easy." I don't mind that
one.
All: On reflection, the Eagles' greatest contribution to American
pop culture was to make the "Desperado"
episode of Seinfeld possible.
|3.30.05 @ 9:11PM|#
Enjoyment of Punk and Country are not exclusive. As a young
teenager (b. 1956) I loathed doodley-prog-rock, and got into Irish
music, bluegrass and folk, looking for something with a decent
melody. A little boning up on rawk history clued me into the
rockabilly cats and their country, blues and jump predecessors. I
was listening to country stations, searching for the American
version of "the pure drop," when I couldn't even pick up WSM after
the sun went down, though WWVA from Charleston did fade in and out.
So if the Opry wasn't available there was the Jamboree. Besides,
Johnny Cash was cool.
I got into all the bands BillyRay and NoStar mentioned. Another one
was Pure Prairie League, which, in one of its later incarnations
hired a young Vince Gill as its frontman. Early Eagles, at least
through On The Border was well within the genre. I always
enjoyed the double lead guitars on "Already Gone." As the band got
bigger and more popular they became boring, though, almost as bad
as their buddy Jackson Brown. I'd sooner spin New Riders or
Poco.
I did own a copy of
One Of These Nights, but that was justified by the presence of
"Journey of The Sorceror", which allowed one to make
Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy pastiches for the
answering machine.
When considering a Country/Punk nexus, presumably while listening
to a Knitters side or EC's Almost Blue, one can remember
that the UK's pubrockers grooved on country, and that even CBGB was
supposed to host country bands.
BTW, when comparing total album/CD sales, don't forget how the
introduction of Soundscan affected the charts. It seems that the
reporting systems that relied on compliance by store staff biased
surveys against country acts, and the Garths and Shanias screamed
up the charts once point-of-sales info, not the opinions of the
hipper-than-thou clerk the store manager had doing the reporting,
became the data portal.
Kevin
|3.30.05 @ 10:00PM|#
Bernie Leadon was on lead guitar.
Bernie was also knockin' the bottom out of Patti Davis, which
mortified Ronnie and Nancy, who couldn't stand the idea of their
rebellious little girl living in sin with a pot-smoking musician.
Later, she escalated the game by posing for Playboy...
|3.30.05 @ 10:02PM|#
It's not one in ten, it's us saps that bought the vinyl, bought
the 8-track, bought the cassette, and then bought the CD.
But somebody already said that, I think it was Chuck.
Franklin Harris|3.30.05 @ 10:10PM|#
The only use I have for The Eagles is to drown out arguments with my girlfriend when the neighbors are listening.
|3.30.05 @ 10:38PM|#
I'm with Number6, here. I've never believed in
compartmentalizing taste, nor in the received canon of What Is Good
And What Is Bad in popular music. To my ears, Bob Dylan is
unlistenable garbage, and the Rolling Stones -- with the exception
of several very brilliant singles -- are the most overrated band in
rock history. Not because I'm contrarian or trend-hopping, but
because I don't fuckin' like their music.
Meanwhile, my iPod contains all of the Eagles' two greatest hits
records, and the entirety of the Buzzcocks' Singles Going
Steady, and most of the Beatles' recorded output, and the
avant-garde stuff that Sonic Youth did with Jim O'Rourke on their
SYR label, and the Monkees, and that Ted Leo acoustic version of
the new Kelly Clarkson song, and Blue Train, and all kinds
of stuff. You either like stuff, or you don't, but with a few rare
and remarkable exception, bands aren't "bad" on some objective
scale of worth.
|3.30.05 @ 10:57PM|#
Jesse, thanks for that link to the "Desperado" Seinfeld episode! (I may be the only adult American who loves Seinfeld but has yet to see most of the series. (I've been busy!)
|3.31.05 @ 1:04AM|#
It's just that .. Eagles crap sounds bad and the lyrics grate. And it's far worse when we are supposed to take serously figures like Don Henley with his pretentious (but in fact brain dead) songs.
|3.31.05 @ 10:29AM|#
Jeziz, you gotta hate the Eagles to read/work at this rag?? Most of their songs (not "Hotel California", though) are still very listenable, especially the ones cited in the article. Compare that to Thriller especially, which I can't even listen to without thinking about that freak from Neverland.
TWC|3.31.05 @ 10:33AM|#
What Billie Ray said. Yep.
And I've already forgotten who said it but, yes, as entertaining as
Joe Walsh can be (in a Joe Cocker kind of way) he isn't an
Eagle.
For me it's as simple as the 'old' Eagles vs the 'new'
Eagles.
Is Henley a pretentious elitist? Sure. His lyrics annoy sometimes,
too. (Don, the air in So Ca was hazy before anyone lived here--it's
called the marine layer). But sheesh, he's a rock star. They're all
like that. Being a libertarian brings it's own special problems
with lyric analysis.
|3.31.05 @ 10:39AM|#
A few years ago, I heard the long cut of the Eagle's Hotel California on a juke box, not the 3min, 15 second thing on KlassiK Rock every other hour. This cut really brought out the "reggae" feel. Does anyone know what album that was from?
|3.31.05 @ 10:47AM|#
The best story about Joe Walsh joining the Eagles is when Joe told Neil Young he was going to join the Eagles, Neil responded "What do you want to play with them assholes for?"
|3.31.05 @ 11:19AM|#
This cut really brought out the "reggae" feel.
An analogy for those of you who have seen "Ghost World":
Eagles::reggae
Blues Hammer:: blues
Steven Horwitz|3.31.05 @ 5:42PM|#
Here's a good question: Name the top 4 rock bands in terms of most individual albums having gone gold. First two are easy, next two not so easy.
|3.31.05 @ 7:26PM|#
Most Platinum albums in the US:
1. Elvis Presley, 25
2. Beatles, 24
Tied at 3. and 4. with 13 each,
Barbra Streisand and Led Zepplin
Steve Horwitz|3.31.05 @ 7:39PM|#
I did say "rock" and "bands" :) In which case:
The Beatles 42
The Rolling Stones 39
Kiss 24
Aerosmith 23
Rush 22
Chicago 22
Alabama 22
|3.31.05 @ 8:39PM|#
Joe Walsh is still my favorite Eagle for the same reason Ringo is my favorite Beatle: he never checked his sense of humor at the door...
|4.1.05 @ 2:12PM|#
Steve, Alabama, a country vocal group, was no more a
"band" than N`Sync was.
Kevin
|4.1.05 @ 2:17PM|#
Oops! Seems that country band Alabama did insist on
playing as well as singing, even if some of their songs sound
pretty Statler-ish.
Kevin
|4.21.05 @ 7:44PM|#
ANNE MURRAY ROCKS. OVER 50 MILLION ALBUMS SOLD. YOU MIGHT NOT
ALL LIKE HER, BUT YOU SHOULD ALL RESPECT HER. SHE'S CHARTED ON
BILLBOARD EVERY YEAR SINCE 1970 ALL OVER THE MAP-POP, COUNTRY, A/C,
CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN ETC...SHE'S A TRUE SURVIVOR. AS FOR SHANIA
AND FOR THAT MATTER CELINE, LIKE THEM OR HATE THEM, THEY ARE THE
TWO BIGGEST ACTS ON THE PLANET. CANADA IS TAKING OVER THE MUSICAL
PLANET. ADD TO ANNE, SHANIA AND CELINE BRYAN ADAMS, SARAH
MCLAGHLAN, ALANIS MORRISETTE, AVRIL LAVIGNE, MICHAEL BUBBLE, DIANA
KRALL, NICKELBACK, SIMPLE PLAN, SUM 41, HOOBASTANK ETC ETC ETC ETC
ETC ETC
GOD BLESS THE GREAT WHITE NORTH-RULERS OF YOUR AMERICAN AND WORLD
AIRWAVES.
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