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Eagles
Posted by Rachel Lux on 11-Jan-08 @ 06:00 PM|
YEARS OF EXISTENCE: 1971-1980, followed by a period of portfolio building before reuniting in 1994 and running intermittently until now YEARS OF DECENT EXISTENCE: N/A BEST RECORDS: N/A WORST RECORDS: Eagles (1972), Desperado (1973), On The Border (1974), One Of These Nights (1975), Hotel California (1976), The Long Run (1979), Eagles Live (1980), Hell Freezes Over (1994) GO DOWNLOAD: "Take It Easy," "Desperado," "Hotel California," "Lyin' Eyes," "Take It To The Limit," "Heartache Tonight" FILE UNDER: Reasons For Punk To Exist, Vol. I SIMILAR SOUNDING DINOSAURS: Brewer & Shipley, Poco, America, Pure Prairie League and an unlimited supply of also-ran acoustic-guitar-toting assclowns whose records go for pennies on the nickel in Salvation Army basement sales. THE MUSIC: Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon, Glenn Frey and Don Henley met in 1971, during sessions for the annoying Linda Ronstadt's self-titled album. At the time, record mogul David Geffen was launching his Asylum Records imprint and suggested the guys team up and sign with him. For the next nine years, Eagles' wussy-assed country-rock spread across America like wildfire and herpes. Like any successful rock band run by a dictatorship (Frey and Henley), there were casualties: Leadon left in 1975 and was replaced by Joe Walsh (who traded his cool points for cooler groupies and top-shelf liquor), while Meisner split during a '77 tour and was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit. The band finally broke up in 1980, but Henley and Frey continued to make bank with individual solo careers that had them pimping everything from Miami Vice episodes to the preservation of Walden Woods. They routinely refused mega-buck reunion offers until 1994, when they embarked on a two-year trek appropriately titled "Hell Freezes Over," fleecing many a learning-disabled fan with hefty ticket prices. Nobody complained. WHAT THEY SAY: "The group were closely identified with a country- and folk-tinged sound that initially found favor in and around Los Angeles in the late '60s. Their later work helped define the broadly popular rock sound eventually referred to as classic rock." -Allmusic WHAT I SAY: Every action has a reaction, and Eagles' massive success (25 million copies of their first "hits" collection sold) helped jump-start the American underground, galvanizing legions of listeners who refused the band's "peaceful, easy feeling" bullshit to seek out-or create-something far more rockin' and maniacal. Do you now see why Ramones, the Sex Pistols and Black Flag were so important? Don't make me set fire to that Boys Like Girls shirt you're wearing, kidlet... WHY YOUR (GRAND)PARENTS LIKE THEM: I can't tell you why. (That's a joke for everyone in the room over 38.) A love of "West Coast cool" (Dad); the lure of sexy facial hair (Mom); the typically banal herd mentality of the USA at the time (both); and its ability to resonate today (see below). CURRENT WHEREABOUTS: Hell froze over, and now they're gonna sell you Sno-Cones: Long Road Out Of Eden, the first new Eagles music in close to 30 years, will be released at the end of October. Take heart in knowing that while your parents may dis your music, they're too stupid to know how to download their withered nostalgia for free. -Jason Pettigrew |
