Glenn Frey & The Eagles – The Gateway Drug for Millions of Country Fans
Love them, hate them, evoke the strong opinions of the Coen Brothers’ fictional character Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski all you want, but Glen Frey and The Eagles turned millions of music fans from all around the world into country music listeners through the evocative power of simple, universal sentiments bathed in twangy tones, however filed off the edges may have been, or however commercially successful the pursuit ultimately was.
Founding member, guitarist, singer, and songwriter for the Eagles Glenn Frey passed away on Monday, January 18th in New York City, leaving a music world reeling after a stretch in 2016 that has already claimed numerous titans of popular music. Complications from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Acute Ulcerative Colitis, and Pneumonia had recently forced The Eagles to postpone their appearance at the Kennedy Center Honors where the band was set to be recognized, but few knew the degree of health issues Glenn Frey was suffering from. He was 67-years-old.
If you want to know just how influenced The Eagles were by country music, you don’t have to go any further than Eagles drummer Don Henley’s recent solo album Cass County. What first appeared as a potential move by the aging rocker to find support for a dwindling career by moving in the direction of country like so many pop and rock performers, it turned out to be one of 2015’s best offerings, and one of the most authentically country. The singer and songwriter remembered Glenn Frey in a poignant letter posted shortly after his passing.
“He was like a brother to me; we were family, and like most families, there was some dysfunction. But, the bond we forged 45 years ago was never broken, even during the 14 years that the Eagles were dissolved. We were two young men who made the pilgrimage to Los Angeles with the same dream: to make our mark in the music industry — and with perseverance, a deep love of music, our alliance with other great musicians and our manager, Irving Azoff, we built something that has lasted longer than anyone could have dreamed.
But, Glenn was the one who started it all. He was the spark plug, the man with the plan. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music and a work ethic that wouldn’t quit. He was funny, bullheaded, mercurial, generous, deeply talented and driven. He loved is wife and kids more than anything. We are all in a state of shock, disbelief and profound sorrow. We brought our two-year ‘History of the Eagles Tour’ to a triumphant close at the end of July and now he is gone. I’m not sure I believe in fate, but I know that crossing paths with Glenn Lewis Frey in 1970 changed my life forever, and it eventually had an impact on the lives of millions of other people all over the planet. It will be very strange going forward in a world without him in it. But, I will be grateful, every day, that he was in my life. Rest in peace, my brother. You did what you set out to do, and then some.”
As polarizing as The Eagles have been to country fans, and music fans in general over the years—including some who saw the band as the bastardization of everything great about country music—Glenn Frey was the band’s most polarizing figure of all. His rapaciousness for dealing with the business affairs of the band, especially with past members like guitarist Don Felder, gave him the reputation of a “money first, then music” musician. But what Glenn possessed was the ability to take music that meant something to millions of people, and make sure they heard it, turning the Eagles into arguably the most successful and important band in the history of American music.
When Gram Parsons passed away in 1973, the movement to turn young baby boomer rock fans into rock solid country listeners was in limbo. To the flower power generation, country music was the music for the silent majority and the conservative mindset. Reports say that Gram scoffed at the Eagles as softer, fluffier version of what he’d tried to do with The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and eventually as a solo artist. But it was the balance of musical passion and business acumen that allowed the Eagles to take mantle of making country music cool, and made it a reality.
How many millions of fans first heard a steel guitar or the twang indicative of a Telecaster from an Eagles song, or heard the old bluegrass tune “Midnight Flyer” on their album On The Border, and immediately went searching for something similar? And as the backing band for Linda Ronstadt during her early country days, the Eagles were right there when rock and country were becoming intertwined to make a hybrid sound that appealed to people’s historical perspectives on American music, and their modern sensibilities.
The Eagles were seminal to the onset of country music’s Outlaw movement of the mid 70’s. By making country music cool to listen to, it put country rockers like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson in a prime position to deliver the authenticity the American music public was yearning for. And when country music’s “Class of ’89” took the stage—represented by artists like Garth Brooks, Clint Black, and Alan Jackson—it paralleled a resurgence of interest in the music of the Eagles, who helped set the stage for the “young country” sound. It was during this era when the Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits (19711975) surpassed Michael Jackson’s Thriller as the best-selling American album of all time.
Appeal for the music of the Eagles crosses generations, and crosses genres. And without a figure like Glenn Frey, country music, and the influence of country in rock, arguably would have never risen to become the ultimate, definable sound of all American music.
Great music takes dreamers, but it also takes doers. Glenn Frey was both.
January 18, 2016 @ 5:45 pm
Very well said/written. Glenn was definitely polarizing, but I can’t imagine growing up in the ’70s without hearing them. They were indeed the gateway to many more great artists that played country-rock. Appreciation for and the discovery of artists like Gram and Emmylou, as well as Poco and even the Dead’s country side were because in no small part to the Eagles’ success.
Just as the Stones did with the Blues, the Eagles pointed the way of discovery for many a baby boomer and generations to come toward the world of country music. Sure those fans found more substantive music along the path but they never would have taken the first step if it wasn’t for those Laurel Canyon guys and gals (including Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, and even James Taylor to a degree).
January is a horrible month for baby boomer rock fans. 🙁
January 18, 2016 @ 5:51 pm
I never cared to put The Eagles under the umbella of a certain genre. To me they simply wrote great songs. They cared about the craft of song writing, and had huge success. Henley-Fry are one of the greatest song writing duo’s in American music.
Shooter, you do a great job putting this site together. I’ve discovered a lot of good music through here. Thank you for your efforts!!!
January 18, 2016 @ 8:39 pm
What?!?!
I think it’s an honest mistake, but a hilarious one!!!
January 18, 2016 @ 8:43 pm
I don’t know maybe Jeremiah has inadvertently blown the lid off this whole place.
If Trigger and Shooter are the same person then that would be a story!
January 19, 2016 @ 5:25 am
Yes, honest mistake!! Sorry Trigger.
I can’t even put a decent comment together, let alone write a great song like Henley-Fry!!
January 18, 2016 @ 5:51 pm
I can’t say I know all that much about them. Before my time. I’ve learned some. They credit Travis tritt as the reason they got back together. If you remember them doing “take it easy” together and he made sure to get them in the video/song.
January 18, 2016 @ 5:52 pm
Amid his Andy Williams, Ray Conniff, and Herb Alpert records, my father also listened to Jim Reeves, Eddy Arnold, Patti Page, and Patsy Cline – with a little Bob Wills and Hank Williams tossed in. That was my musical foundation. But Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and the Eagles built the house on that foundation, in which I live today: Wade Bowen, Chris Stapleton, Will Hoge, Turnpike Troubadours, Ashley Monroe, Marty Stuart, Alan, Dwight, Emmylou, Radney, and Vince, among others. Gateway drug, indeed. Well written, Trigger, as always. Many thanks. BTW, an additional thanks to you for introducing me to some of these artists, whom I’ve found reside quite comfortably in my house. RIP Glenn.
January 18, 2016 @ 5:57 pm
I can understand not liking the Eagles’ style, but questioning their authenticity and purpose? Absurd. Was “Hotel California,” “Lying Eyes,” or “Tequila Sunrise” written for commercial gain? I’ll never believe that. Glenn and the Eagles did it the way they felt it. Massive success perpetually draws haters out of the woodpile. Mr. Frey, you were brilliant. May God rest your soul
January 18, 2016 @ 6:11 pm
Thanks for posting this, Trigger. Been a fan of the Eagles since I was a kid. If it weren’t for them, I don’t know if I would have discovered Gram, the Flying Burrito Brothers and Emmylou. They were a gateway band for me in discovering some great music. RIP, Glenn Frey.
January 18, 2016 @ 6:25 pm
the real Jeff Daniels just tweeted “No. Not another. And not him. #GlennFrey”
In all seriousness, I think it’s safe to say that the remaining Eagles might do a final performance tribute to Frey but I think in the long term, they’re pretty much done as a band.
January 18, 2016 @ 6:25 pm
Oddly enough I actually got into the Eagles through country music, namely the Eagles tribute album that featured Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, Clint Black, etc.
Shame that it seems it is almost impossible to find a place to legally buy “Tequila Sunrise” by Alan Jackson.
January 18, 2016 @ 6:28 pm
They actually credit both that album and Travis Tritt’s video for bringing them back together. The power of fans can be a beautiful thing.
January 18, 2016 @ 7:16 pm
“Tequila Sunrise” by Alan Jackson
Man, he just nailed the shit out of that song. Two decades later that’s still my favorite song from that album, and there wasn’t a bad cut on it.
January 18, 2016 @ 8:13 pm
Yep that is a very good interpretation and I also think that Vince Gill’s version of ‘I Can’t Tell You Why’ may be better than the original sang by Timothy B. Schmidt.
‘Common Thread’ is one of the very best tribute albums ever in my opinion and the contributors are a who’s who of country music circa early 1990s.
January 19, 2016 @ 3:59 am
I think you’re probably right, Scotty J. That song and Vince Gill were quite a pairing.
I also liked Clint Black’s “Desperado.”
January 18, 2016 @ 7:47 pm
The album is ‘Common Thread’
http://www.amazon.com/Common-Thread-Eagles-Various-Artists/dp/B000002L1S
And I was the opposite – I found Travis Tritt, Clint Black et al from this album as I was a classic rock fan, so that album was my introduction to alot of country music. That album still holds up well all these years later.
January 18, 2016 @ 9:18 pm
Same here — as much as I already liked AJ, Clint, Vince, Trisha Yearwood, Suzy Bogguss, Tanya Tucker, Lorrie Morgan and others, hearing their renditions of those tunes made me want to seek out the originals all the more.
RIP Glenn. 🙁
January 18, 2016 @ 6:37 pm
My first cassette tape was the greatest hits album in 1976. I can remember sitting on my floor at six years of age listening to it over and over. Still know the words to every song.
While some may say this points to the Eagles simplistic melodies, the bottom line is millions and millions of people loved their music. To that I tip my cap. RIP Glenn Frey.
January 18, 2016 @ 7:13 pm
Trig do people really hate the Eagles that much? You mention the strong divide whenever you write about them or Don Henley but I’ve never really met anyone who actually hates them. I was born in the early 90s so I don’t really know how they were received back in the day.
January 18, 2016 @ 7:26 pm
That’s a question I would like answered too. I’ve never understood the so called hate either.
January 19, 2016 @ 2:17 am
Not necessarily hate but I worked in an auto parts store that played a crappy local rock station and after the first month I knew the words to about 15 eagles songs. After the year was out I couldn’t stand the Eagles at all. Radio has done a terrible job of running a few of their songs into the ground.
January 19, 2016 @ 7:48 am
I think it’s a case of people being so jealous of a group’s huge success (and this happened to some extent with the Beatles as well) that they think, sometimes out in the open. “That band can’t possibly be THAT good.”
January 24, 2016 @ 5:54 pm
I’ve heard many, many people diss the Eagles — in fact I’ve been surprised with Frey’s death how few put downs I’ve seen in the press (one, in the New York Daily News). And although I’ve loved the Eagles for a long time, and have defended them in many conversations, I understand why they have so many haters. As many brilliant songs as they’ve given us, they’ve also put out some that were more than a little too slick, and their harmonies are sometimes so perfect they seem — Trigger said something about people complaining that the rough edges were sanded off, and they were. For me, though, more than enough of their music was soulful as hell, and nobody had a greater gift for melody. It’s also been interesting to read in some of the tributes what a nice down to earth guy Frey apparently was — I always had the impression he was a nasty sob. Love Trigger’s last line here: “Great music takes dreamers, but it also takes doers. Glenn Frey was both.” That seems just right.
January 18, 2016 @ 7:20 pm
Great writeup as always, Trigger. I’ve always thought the Eagles got a bad rap from a lot of people. They came up with some great stuff, in both the country-rock era and the later years. People slobber all over Lennon-McCartney as the best songwriting team ever, but as far as I am concerned, Don Henley and Glenn Frey were miles ahead of them.
January 18, 2016 @ 8:22 pm
For complexity maybe as the early Beatles stuff was very simple as even McCartney has admitted with virtually every song having an ‘I, Me, She, You’ in the title but the last couple Beatles records were much deeper and complex in subject matter and musically.
But yeah it goes without saying that Henley and Frey complimented each other greatly in many ways which I suspect is a common trait in all uber successful bands no matter the genre.
January 18, 2016 @ 8:17 pm
While the Eagles were in no way a gateway to country for me they have always been a favorite of mine. They seemed to pull off the very tough task of having their music be both timeless and also reminiscent of a specific era (the 1970s in their case).
They pass the ‘ooh I love that song’ test to the max where a song comes on and it’s like a visit from an old friend.
Rest in peace, Glenn Frey.
January 24, 2016 @ 12:46 pm
Oooo, so true. Many have taken the Eagles along for the ride….cross country road trips. I can remember where I was with every Eagles song. The scenery and the feelings. I won’t remember “Donkey”, “Beachin’ , “Chillin’ It” or “Bottom’s Up”….but I can sing every Eagles lyric. I enjoy them a lorra lorra.
January 18, 2016 @ 8:28 pm
So happy to see this Trig,
Yes, I was 11 years old and “life in the fast lane” was all over my AM radio station. I can easily say that New Kid In Town” is still favorite from the eagles.
Going into the 80’s it was Glen Fry “The one you love” amongst my listening favorite. Yes there is Don Henley….to many to list. The Eagles have left their mark on popular music and yes it flowed with Country music too.
January 18, 2016 @ 9:21 pm
“New Kid in Town” is one of my very faves, along with “Desperado,” “Wasted Time,” “The Last Resort” and “I Can’t Tell You Why,” plus “Heartache Tonight” is probably my favorite Glenn vocal. 🙂
January 18, 2016 @ 9:04 pm
I got to see the last show of the ‘Hell freezes over’ tour in Austin when I was 15. It was the first time I ever got to see a classic rock band from the ’70’s and boy did my life change! I later saw them perform in June of 2005 for 4 nights in a row in Honolulu. Glenn Frey was such an amazing singer and lyricist. Great article Trigger! Good tribute! RIP G.F.
January 18, 2016 @ 9:38 pm
I love the fuckin’ Eagles man!
RIP Glenn Frey.
January 18, 2016 @ 10:05 pm
Very sad. The Eagles are one of my favorite bands of all time due to the seamless manner in which they combined country and soft rock, bringing forth some of the finest lyrics and melodies in the history of popular music.
May Glenn Frey rest in peace.
January 18, 2016 @ 11:46 pm
I credit the eagles then lynyrd skynryd and then the alman brothers as my gateway drug.
January 19, 2016 @ 12:21 am
“…don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy”
Good line. Good advice.
January 19, 2016 @ 7:09 am
And “Why Winslow?”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/01/19/glenn-frey-is-dead-but-the-take-it-easy-corner-in-winslow-arizona-lives-on/
January 19, 2016 @ 5:04 pm
Ask Jackson Browne.
The story goes, Jackson had written everything except the second half of the second verse. He got stuck after “I’m standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see…” Glenn was living upstairs and Jackson asked him what he thought and Glenn blurted out, “it’s a girl, my Lord, in a flat bed Ford slowin’ down to take a look at me!”
Jackson said, “leave it to Glenn to write a line about a girl slowing down to look at him!”
January 19, 2016 @ 2:41 am
Wow rip Glen Frey you wrote the soundtrack to my country high school heart n made me go oh cool someone new is copying real country
Speaking of saving country music… Anyone seen Gary Allan s twitter? Dudes majorly screwed up n sleeping with his kids playmate (see vid 4 around 10 min mark)
Where the fuck is umg n his “manager” John Lytle? Seriously where the fuck are you assholes?
January 19, 2016 @ 3:01 am
Ummmm.. Eagles were kinda cool but then I went “why are these dudes copying country music?” seriously that’s what I said
January 19, 2016 @ 3:08 am
https://youtu.be/B-Xq1rBb-Ms
January 19, 2016 @ 7:33 am
Thank you very much for this article. It really made me happy.
Then I was a teenager I were only listening to Country,(everything from The Carter Family to
Joe Ely),The eagles and Jimi Hendrix,(Yeah I know it’s an odd combination).
If more people had your view of things,especially music,this site would probably not be
necessary 🙂
January 19, 2016 @ 8:29 am
“I love the fuckin’ Eagles man.”
January 19, 2016 @ 9:01 am
C’est un triste jour. Glenn Frey est une voix qui continuera d’accompagner ma vie comme elle l’accompagne depuis mon enfance. Je me suis toujours foutu de l’avis des uns et des autres, pour moi les chansons d’Eagles sont des chansons magnifiques, interprétées de façon magnifique. Elles me rendent heureux, elles me consolent. Jamais je n’avais pensé à la mort en pensant aux Eagles. Je suis profondément attristé par cette perte.
Les Eagles avaient su se faire aimer partout dans le monde par le seul pouvoir de leurs chansons, ils n’ont jamais donné de concerts en France, je ne sais même pas si ils en ont donné en dehors des USA et pourtant nous sommes des millions à les aimer. Peut être qu’aux Etats-Unis vous en avez une vision différente mais croyez moi qu’ici ce n’est pas un plan marketing qui a fait que l’on aime autant leur musique. C’est simplement parce qu’elle est magnifique, humaine et profondément touchante.
Love & Respect pour Glenn Frey.
And thanks for all this wonderful songs.
January 19, 2016 @ 9:13 am
For me, I guess The Eagles were somewhat of a gateway, as they were the ones that I first heard described as “country rock.” Growing up in the NYC area in the ’70s, I thought of country music as one of the types of music that my parents liked (including my Bronx born dad, who I remember quite liked Lying Eyes.) Since the Eagles were country rock, I gave them a chance. I did like some of their songs and others left me a little cold. The more obvious gateways for me were the southern rock bands with overt country influences like Charlie Daniels Band, Marshall Tucker Band and The Outlaws. Interestingly enough, The Eagles were a big influence on the Outlaws. The Outlaws were drawn to the vocal harmonies in the Eagles music and wanted to marry that to a more muscular guitar attack.
At some point, I bought Eagles Greatest Hits 71-75 on LP. I only really liked about 5 or 6 of the songs, but those I liked, I really liked. The Frey sung songs that I loved were Take It Easy, Peaceful Easy Feeling, Tequila Sunrise and Already Gone. I think the Desperado album is a great one, with some really good deep album cuts. I got sick of the songs from Hotel California and The Long Run that made it to rock radio and so avoided those albums.
Here’s a fun fact for classic rock fans. The chord progression on the verses of Hotel California is the same as that of the Jethro Tull song We Used to Know from the Stand Up album (Am-E-G-D-F-C-Dm-E). Apparently, the Eagles opened for Jethro Tull in their early years and that’s where they got the idea for that particular progression. Not plagiarism, as you can’t copyright a chord progression. I know I never thought of them as sounding similar from listening to the two songs.
January 19, 2016 @ 9:23 am
I remember about seven years ago The Eagles had the song out called “Too Busy Being Fabulous”, I’m not sure how big a hit it was but I remember my country station playing it quite often, great song that they even got to preform on the country award show (CMA’s I think) I remember it was Brad Paisley that introduced them as the men that dug the well.
January 19, 2016 @ 9:50 am
My first recollection is an appearance they made on The Midnight Special – as a lead in (if not Leadon), act~ 🙂
Hooked then and there~ GF’s solo album, NO FUN ALOUD was decent ~ better than his guest slot on Miami Vice~
His passing like this makes me feel my age~
January 19, 2016 @ 2:08 pm
Trigger, very nicely written, better than most the other write ups i have seen. I never understood people getting down on a band for being overplayed. its not really their fault that people love them. i made it a practice from the time i was 16 that when a song i liked became very popular, i would instantly turn it off when it came on then radio. i would only listen to it only when i wanted to by playing my cassette, cd etc. as time went on, i just stopped listening to the radio altogether. As a result, songs like Hotel California never became overplayed to me. To me, all the Eagles songs still sound fresh and exciting whenever i hear them. They were consummate musicians, songwriters and singers. They were a band with almost no bad songs. i put on my mixed playlist of the Eagles yesterday after reading about Glenn Frey’s passing. He may be gone but his music will live on in my heart and head forever. Great stuff by a great band.
January 19, 2016 @ 2:32 pm
On a similar note, i personally love the way the Eagles integrated country into rock. i know they were not the innovators, but they did it right and gained mass acceptance for the sound as a result. As a die hard rocker growing up, they primed me to listen to country music. As a result, I always enjoy when I hear a rock band doing a country sounding song.
I have long wanted to ask Trigger to list his favorite “country” songs by rock bands. Obviously, almost any Eagles song can qualify. Other favorites of mine are Dead Flowers and Far Away Eyes by the Stones, Harvest Moon and Heart of Gold by Neil Young, Aerosmith’s little known b-side Once is Enough (the first half a great country version of the song, the second half a revved up rocking version of the same tune) and (love him or hate him) Kid Rock’s Blue Jeans and a Rosary. The hair metal bands had several great ones as well, including Cinderella’s One for Rock and Roll. Although a good cover version fits, such as George Thorogood’s Johnny Cash covers, Wanted Man and Cocaine Blues or Mike Ness (of Social Distortion) doing Long Black Veil, I am more interested in originals by rock bands that have a country flavor to them.
I would love to hear Trigger and other commenters on this website’s favorites that fit this description so i can add them to my mixed playlist of rock bands playing country style songs.
January 19, 2016 @ 3:12 pm
That’s a good topic Mark. Probably better to broach in article form. When I get some time I might delve into that.
January 19, 2016 @ 5:00 pm
Here are some of mine:
HOT DOG–Led Zeppelin
SALLY G–Paul McCartney and Wings
CRIPPLED INSIDE–John Lennon
LAY LADY LAY–Bob Dylan
PANAMA RED–New Riders of the Purple Sage
DRUG STORE TRUCK DRIVIN’ MAN–The Byrds
WILLING–Linda Ronstadt
SHE BELONGS TO ME–Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band
ROSE OF CIMARRON–Poco
JOANNE–Mike Nesmith and the First National Band
January 19, 2016 @ 5:36 pm
And I’ll add a few:
Rolling Stones – Sweet Virginia, Dear Doctor
Led Zeppelin: Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, Down By The Seaside
Cracker: Mr. Wrong, EuroTrash Girl, California Country Boy
Poco: Pickin’ Up The Pieces, Bad Weather
White Stripes: Hotel Yorba
Grateful Dead: Cumberland Blues, Friend of the Devil, Operator
John Hiatt: Icy Blue Heart
Bob Dylan: Girl from the North Country
Flying Burrito Brothers: Sin City, Hot Burrito #1
Beatles: Rocky Racoon, Act Naturally, What Goes On, I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party
January 19, 2016 @ 9:59 pm
Jack, my man, I was going to suggest Hotel Yorba. White’s last tour he was doing a really countrified version.
Gin Blossoms – Cheatin’
The Meat Purveyors – 2:00 am
The Black Keys – Things Ain’t Like They Used To Be
Bright Eyes – Land Locked Blues and Lua
Bruce Springsteen – Racing in the Street (all-time favorite!!!)
January 19, 2016 @ 2:53 pm
Marky Mark … the Bee Gees aren’t exactly a rock band, but I have always loved their country-flavored song “Come on Over.” It was a hit for Olivia Newton John in 1976, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
January 19, 2016 @ 6:04 pm
If you get the chance…History of the Eagles, Part 1 and 2, is a no-holds barred, hell of a documentary of an American band that has spanned almost 45 years in one way or another.
January 19, 2016 @ 9:47 pm
It’s been on my Netflix “My List” for weeks. 3h 7m run time has kept me from watching it. Maybe I’ll take it tonight.
January 20, 2016 @ 1:00 am
Showing my age, but the original Eagles helped shape my early musicality, along with Poco, the Flying Burrito Brothers, CSN&Y, Jackson Browne, John Stewart, Flatt and Scruggs and the list goes on. The Eagles of the past couple of decades kind of became a bloated, corporatized band that was a prisoner of its own success. But those of us there at the creation remember the original four-piece line-up — Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner — as a shit-hot garage band with great songs, killer harmonies and tons of attitude. I remember reading an interview once with Chris Hillman (another on my list of greats) in which he said the Eagles took what the Burritos were trying to do, improved on it and took it several steps further. The harmonies of Frey and Henley prompted many of us to go dig out the harmonies of Charlie and Ira et al. I don’t think I’m being melodramatic when I say that there are few single musical moments that captured the rawness, twang and glory of that era as when Henley, Meisner and Leadon came in with that high harmony on the line, “There’s a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford/slowin’ down to take a look at me” in “Take it Easy,” which Frey wrote with Jackson Browne. That one moment captures everything and it can still give me chills more than four decades after I first heard it. It is that powerful.
January 20, 2016 @ 10:55 am
For me, the gate swung the other way. I grew up listening to traditional country music ”” Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Hank Snow, etc. The Eagles Greatest Hits cassette was probably the first rock music I had ever listened to, and I loved it. It prepared me for going to college and being introduced to the hard stuff, like Aerosmith, the Stones, and Springsteen.
January 21, 2016 @ 5:21 am
Why are The Eagles Disliked so Much?
Can some one please explain to me why the Eagles are so passionately disliked so much by some people? I don’t get it?
This is a genuine request! I really would like to know!
January 22, 2016 @ 12:40 am
It’s because to many people, particularly those that are snobs, the Eagles represent the epitome of corporate music culture: watered down “fluff” that isn’t challenging or unique, and tailor-made to appeal to as many listeners as possible over as broad a spectrum as possible with catchy hooks and slick production. That the band got huge and the members frequently squabble over who gets what cut of the money has only fueled the fire over the years. To many listeners, the Eagles were only ever generic or mediocre. Once they blew up, they became enemy #1 and many people took to calling them “horrible music” as a defense mechanism to combat the perceived divide between their talent and success levels.
I’m not saying I agree with this opinion, but near as I can tell that’s what it stems from. I myself merely consider their music to be boring and not much else, but I’d never begrudge anyone their right to enjoy it. That said, their live version of “Seven Bridges Road” absolultey smokes, and I can commend each band member for having decent to excellent command of both their instruments and voices (all the more easy to appreciate in today’s music environment).
January 22, 2016 @ 7:33 am
I think your first paragraph is a very good summation of why the Eagles are hated by some people and who the people that hate them. My personal feelings about them as a group is “like but don’t love.” Some of their stuff always bored me (e.g., The Best of My Love), some songs I got sick of because of the radio (e.g., cuts from Hotel California and The Long Run) and some stuff I continue to love (e.g., The Desperado album). I personally found early Poco to be more deeply “country” than the Eagles (and later, when I found out about them, The Flying Burrito Brothers). Still, the Eagles had their charm.
January 22, 2016 @ 12:34 am
Huh? If that was the case at the time, it certainly isn’t anymore. The Eagles come in 6th in terms of worldwide sales after Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Meat Loaf. In terms of just U.S. sales, they’re fourth, still behind Jackson.
Best-selling albums of all-time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_albums
Best-selling albums in the U.S.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_albums_in_the_United_States
Note: I only chose Wikipedia as a source because they offer an interesting comparison between claimed sales and certified sales. Either way, the Eagles still aren’t on top, and the divide is big enough that I doubt they ever were at any time after Thriller was released.
January 22, 2016 @ 12:44 am
On that list of the best-selling albums in the U.S., “Eagles Their Greatest Hits (1971”“1975)” comes in 4th. The Pink Floyd and Led Zepplin albums are from British-based bands, not U.S. bands. The other one is Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” which The Eagles surpassed back in the 90’s. However when Michael Jackson died, apparently he swelled back into the lead.
There is a great article by “Rolling Stone” (I know, if you can believe it these days), that explains all this and more about that album. The only thing I’m unhappy about with it is that I was in the process of writing basically the same article when Rolling Stone published theirs.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/how-the-eagles-greatest-hits-invented-a-new-kind-of-blockbuster-20160120
January 22, 2016 @ 7:48 am
“The only thing I”™m unhappy about with it is that I was in the process of writing basically the same article when Rolling Stone published theirs.”
Don’t keep your articles on a private server, then Russia, China, and Rolling Stone Magazine won’t be able to steal them.
January 23, 2016 @ 1:48 am
I noted that the album was fourth in domestic sales in my original comment, sir. I also didn’t say anything about Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin; I’m fully aware of their nationalities, hence why I didn’t mention them. If I get a chance I’ll check out that article, thanks for the link. My faulty memory tells me that I saw Jackson on top even before he died in the early aughts (with that ridiculous 100 million units sales figure), but I’ll defer to your expertise on this one.
January 26, 2016 @ 7:42 am
Here is what Linda Ronstadt had to say in Time Magazine about Mr. Frey–and she, more than anyone else, should know:
“I first met Glenn through John David Souther””they had a duo called Longbranch Pennywhistle. I hired Glenn for my tour to replace Bernie Leadon, and I hired Don Henley, too, who I”™d also seen play at the Troubadour. We weren”™t making enough money to afford hotel rooms for everybody, so everyone had to double up, and he and Don were roommates. They wanted to form a band, and we told them we”™d help until they got a record deal””they could play backup until then. I suggested Bernie Leadon to Don and Glenn, and my manager John Boylan suggested Randy Meisner. That”™s how the Eagles were formed. We introduced them.
I believe the last thing Glenn and I ever played together was “Take It Easy,” on a Dick Clark New Year”™s Rockin”™ Eve. But I definitely remember the first time I ever played with him. It was at Disneyland, and Smokey Robinson was there too. I had a massive, massive crush on Smokey. Glenn, being a Detroit boy, of course loved his music. There were long breaks between shows, so we would play cards, and Glenn kept beating him. I said, “Stop winning or Smokey”™s not going to like us!” Glenn was a great poker player””a little bit better at hearts””and he always won.
Our musical milieu back then was the Troubadour crowd””Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Carole King, Crosby Stills and Nash. Serious business. If you screwed up and did something uncool, well, that was not good. Glenn was kind of shy and insecure, and it took a lot of courage to throw your music down in that ring, but he wasn”™t afraid to step up and take his chance.
He had a clear idea of the story he wanted to tell, and he could tell it by just digging into his guitar. He had plenty of talent, but he also had raw nerve and gumption. There are a lot of pushy people out there who have nothing to back it up. But Glenn knew when to make his move. He was incredibly brave. And what he did resonated with the world.”