Eagles
The group chose the name Eagles as a nod to The Byrds (as founding member Bernie Leadon had been in Dillard & Clark with former Byrds singer Gene Clark and in The Flying Burrito Brothers with former Byrds Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke). Comedian Steve Martin records in his autobiography, Born Standing Up, that Frey was very particular that the name was Eagles and not The Eagles. The band played initially as Linda Ronstadt’s backing group.
With five #1 singles and six #1 albums, Eagles was one of the most successful recording artists of the 1970s.
At the end of the 20th century, two of their albums, Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975 and Hotel California, ranked among the 20 best-selling albums according to the Recording Industry Association of America. The best-selling studio album Hotel California is rated as the 37th album in the Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and the band was ranked #75 on the magazine's 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. They also have the best selling album in the U.S.
to date with Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975.
The Eagles broke up in 1980, but reunited in 1994 for Hell Freezes Over, a mix of live and new studio tracks. They have toured intermittently since then, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
In 2007, Eagles released Long Road out of Eden, their first full studio album in 28 years. The next year they launched The Long Road out of Eden Tour in support of their album.
The tour continued on into 2009, crossing North America and Europe, with its last date on July 22, 2009 in Lisbon, Portugal.
First incarnation
The seeds for the band were planted when Linda Ronstadt and then-manager John Boylan recruited session musicians Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner to back Ronstadt. They were missing a drummer until Frey telephoned Don Henley, whom he had met at the Troubadour club in Los Angeles.
The group auditioned for Ronstadt; she approved, and the band backed her on a two-month tour and on her eponymous 1972 album. After their tenure with Ronstadt and with her encouragement, they decided to form their own band, signing with Asylum Records, the new label started by David Geffen.
Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts also initially managed the band.
Eagles (1972)
The group's eponymous debut album was quickly recorded and released in June 1972. Eagles was filled with natural, sometimes innocent country rock, and yielded 3 Top 40 singles.
The first single and lead track, "Take It Easy", was a song written by Glenn Frey and his neighbor and fellow country-folk rocker Jackson Browne. Browne had written the first and third verses, and the chorus, but his work on the song had stalled.
After giving Frey permission to work on it, Frey added the second verse. The single was followed by the bluesy "Witchy Woman" and the soft country rock ballad "Peaceful Easy Feeling", charting at #9 and #22 respectively.
Eagles were a major force in popularizing the Southern California country rock sound.
Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" ranked Eagles at number 374.
Desperado (1973)
Eagles playing dead on back cover of Desperado photographed by Henry Diltz (The two additional "bodies" are those of J.D. It was during the recording sessions that Don Henley and Glenn Frey began writing with each other, co-writing 8 of the album's 11 songs, including two of the group's most popular songs: "Tequila Sunrise" and "Desperado." The bluegrass songs "Twenty-One," "Doolin' Dalton" and the ballad "Saturday Night" showcased guitarist Bernie Leadon's abilities on the banjo, fingerpicked guitar and mandolin.
Throughout the album, the story of the notorious Wild West "Doolin-Dalton" gang was the main focus, featuring in the songs "Doolin-Dalton," "Bittercreek" and "Desperado." The album was less successful than the first, reaching only #41 on the U.S.
pop album charts, and yielding only 2 singles, "Tequila Sunrise," which reached #61 on the Billboard charts, and "Outlaw Man," which peaked at #59.
The album marked a significant change to the band, with Henley and Frey co-writing the bulk of the album, a pattern that would continue for years to come. After completing only two songs, the band turned to Bill Szymczyk to produce the rest of the album.
He appeared on only one other song on the album, the uptempo breakup song "Already Gone," where he performed the guitar duet with Glenn Frey. 1 Billboard single ("Best of My Love"), which hit the top of the charts on March 1, 1975, becoming the Eagles' first of five chart toppers.
One of These Nights (1975)
Their next album, One of These Nights, had an aggressive, sinewy rock stance.
The album further displayed the growing strength of the Henley/Frey songwriting team, particularly on the album's title track and the Grammy Award winning "Lyin' Eyes." "One of These Nights" hit #1 on the Billboard chart on August 2, 1975. The song itself has often been cited by Frey as his all-time favorite Eagles tune. The album also contains the Leadon instrumental "Journey of the Sorcerer," which is known to many as the theme to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
By this time, conflict within the band had escalated.
Recording and touring created stress; tempers were boiling over, and egos were clashing. Between the release of One of These Nights and the supporting tour, Bernie Leadon left the group, disillusioned with the direction the band's music was taking.
The Eagles were no longer concentrating on the country rock in which Leadon excelled, and the hiring of Don Felder meant that Leadon's role had been significantly diminished. In order to continue with their tour schedule, the group quickly replaced Leadon with Joe Walsh, a veteran of such groups as the James Gang and Barnstorm and a solo artist in his own right, who (like the Eagles) was produced by Szymczyk and managed by Irving Azoff.
Meanwhile, in early 1976, Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) was released.
history, selling over 29 million copies in the United States, 42 million copies worldwide to date.
Hotel California (1976-1978)
Band photo on inner sleeve of Hotel California album
The group's next album, Hotel California, came out in December 1976. Told during a 60 Minutes interview (November 25, 2007) that "everyone wants to know what this song means," Don Henley replied, "I know, it's so boring...It's a song about the dark underbelly of the American Dream, and about excess in America, which was something we knew about."
"Life in the Fast Lane" was also a major success, becoming a catchphrase in the process and established Joe Walsh's position in the band with its more hard rock sound.
Is Five-Piece Live", this means that the song "Victim of Love" was recorded live, with just the band and no overdubbing. Don Henley confirms this on the inner booklet of The Very Best of the Eagles.
Hotel California has appeared on several lists of the best albums of all time. It is also their best-selling studio album, with over 16 million copies sold to date in the U.S.
Glenn Frey, Don Felder and Joe Walsh during Hotel California tour
After the tour, Randy Meisner left the band and moved back to his native Nebraska, where he began a solo career. The band replaced Meisner with the same musician who had succeeded him in Poco, Timothy B.
In 1977, the group, minus Don Felder, performed some instrumental work and backing vocals for Randy Newman's album Little Criminals, including the controversial surprise hit "Short People" which has backing vocals by Frey and Schmit.
The Long Run and breakup (1979-1980)
In 1977, the Eagles went into a recording studio to produce their next studio album, The Long Run. "Heartache Tonight" was co-written by Frey and fellow Michigan native Bob Seger.
The Eagles also contributed to Boz Scaggs' hit single Look What You've Done to Me, the love theme from the 1980 film Urban Cowboy, and featured on its soundtrack.
On July 31, 1980, in Long Beach, California, tempers boiled over into what has been described as "Long Night at Wrong Beach." Frey and Felder spent the entire show describing to each other the beating each planned to administer backstage.
"Only three more songs until I kick your ass, pal," Frey recalls Felder telling him near the end of the band's set. Eagles Live (released in November 1980) was mixed by Frey and Henley on opposite coasts; the two decided they couldn't bear to be in the same state, let alone the same studio, and as Bill Szymczyk put it,"The record's perfect three-part harmonies were fixed courtesy of Federal Express." With credits that listed no fewer than five attorneys, the album's liner notes simply said, "Thank you and goodnight."
Post-breakup (1980-1994)
After the breakup of the Eagles, each ex-member tried his hand in a solo career.
Joe Walsh had already established himself as a solo artist in the 1970s before and during his time with the Eagles, but it was uncharted waters for the others.
Joe Walsh released a successful album in 1981, There Goes the Neighborhood , but subsequent albums throughout the 1980s, such as Got Any Gum? were less well-received. In 1982, he released I Can't Stand Still, featuring the hit "Dirty Laundry." That album paled in comparison to his next release, 1984's smash, Building the Perfect Beast which featured Billboard #5 hit and classic rock radio staple, "The Boys of Summer," "All She Wants to Do Is Dance (#9)," "Not Enough Love In The World" (#34), and "Sunset Grill" (#22).
In an interview with CNN, Don Henley declared, "This is probably the last Eagles album that we'll ever make."
The Eagles made their awards show debut on November 7, 2007, when they performed "How Long" live at the Country Music Association Awards.
On January 28, 2008, the second single off Long Road Out of Eden was released. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.
The Eagles won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "How Long." It was the band's fifth Grammy Award.
On March 20, 2008, the Eagles launched their world tour in support of Long Road Out of Eden at The O2 Arena in London, England.
The group was touring in Europe, their last tour date scheduled on July 22, 2009 in Lisbon, Portugal.
Band members
Awards
Eagles have won six Grammy awards:
(1975) Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus: "Lyin' Eyes"
(1977) Record of the Year: "Hotel California" (single)
(1977) Best Arrangement for Voices: "New Kid in Town"
(1979) Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group: "Heartache Tonight"
(2008) Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals: ""How Long"
(2009) Best Pop Instrumental Performance: "I Dreamed There Was No War"
The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
On December 7, 1999 the Recording Industry of America honored the group with the Best Selling Album of the Century for Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975).
Eagles were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001.
The group ranked number 34 on CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music in 2003. http:findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20050620/ai_n14674759 - 56k.
http:www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003668840.