By Jimmy “Explosive Diarrhea” B, SoDak, and Null
The songs from The Eagles, Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975), were played everywhere throughout the 1970s. We could not escape from hearing them. This album was released early 1976, and it is the best-selling record of all time, recently certified as Quadruple Diamond with over 40 million copies sold. This record is often one of the few that almost all our friends and families had. It includes ten songs taken from their first four records. On the fiftieth anniversary, we decided to provide a brief reflection on the record and to rank the songs from least to most favorite. Note, a least favorite song does not necessarily mean that it is bad, although that is also a possibility. We did not share our rankings or reflections with each other before putting this together.
Null: Like many people my age, I grew up hearing these songs on the radio. I also remember having an 8-track tape of the album, which was listened to often. The record contained adult themes and dark mysteries, all taking place in a western sunset filled with desolation and Saguaro cacti. It was full of heartbreak and hard lessons. At least, that was the impression, to a kid living out his days on a dairy farm in Michigan.
I was soon to find myself right in the heart of such a setting. At age eleven, I moved to Paradise Valley, Arizona. At the time, the town was littered with vast and open, empty lots of untouched desert, just like an Arizona postcard, or the setting to the best-selling Eagles album. This move did not deter from finding meaning in the album; it just reenforced it. The radio stations in Arizona loved this album as much as every other radio station in the country, if not more.
Jimmy: When I was a lad, all I had for musical choices were my parent’s polka, country, and crooner records—and a couple of AM radio stations. One of these radio stations would play “rock” if it was soft rock. The most aggressive/rockin’ music they ever played was Steve Miller, but the Eagles were played regularly. An interesting side note is that the radio station owner’s name was Antonio, even though everyone called him Harry. Anthony is my middle name; I was named after the wonderful guy who owned the radio station. Anyhow, the station regularly played the Eagles. In 1979, I was in a dime store with my mother, when I spotted The Long Run, the newest Eagles album. I convinced my mother to buy me the cassette. This was the second album in my early collection.
I recognize the problematic personalities of the band members and their musical limitations, but the Eagles have always been important to me. The first songs I knew well from this group of assholes were the ones from The Long Run album. Within a few years, I had, thanks to the RCA and Columbia House record clubs, obtained a few more of their albums, including, Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975).
Unimportant aside: It’s ironic that The Long Run marked the end of the short run of the Eagles career, and the extremely short duration of Joe Walsh’s affiliation with the band.
Anyhow, before sharing my current ranking of the songs, I want to provide my impressions and ordering of songs on the album based on my reflections from when I was a kid. Given that I haven’t paid the album much attention in at least thirty years, when I was a pre-teen, these memories are from decades ago, remembering hearing them on the radio. From worst to best, before relistening to the record, my ranking was as follows: “Best of My Love” (I remember this one being shitty); “Lyin’ Eyes” (my memory tells me this is a shitty song); “Take It to the Limit” (this one is kind of a rocker); “Already Gone”; “Peaceful Easy Feeling”; “Tequilla Sunrise”; “One of These Nights” (about as rockin’ as the Eagles ever got); “Witchy Woman” (for some reason, the cheesy, fake, white urban interpretation of Native American music sounded right to me; “Desperado” (here again, it was the lyrics as well as the feel of the song; this song along with “Take It Easy” were the ones I always wanted to listen to when I popped my old cassette into the stereo; and “Take It Easy” (I always liked the lyrics to this one).
SoDak: When I think about the 1970s, growing up in South Dakota, the Eagles were inevitably in the mix of music I heard. Their songs were constantly on the radio. I know my family eventually bought a vinyl copy via Columbia House Record Club. It received a lot of play, even though we mostly had country records. I still have a soft spot for the Eagles, mostly based on a handful of songs, but I have grown to dislike them. I think this feeling mostly arose from seeing interviews with Don Henley and Glenn Frey, in which they seem like rich, arrogant assholes. Plus, Don Henley often makes the ridiculous claim that they created the country-rock, Americana genre. I suppose in his head they did.
Anyhow, it had been a long time since I had heard this record. My wife and I listened to it a few times recently, including while we were driving across the eastern desert in California. In listening to it again, I was surprised by which songs resonated with me more now than in the past, thus influencing my ranking. I was also dumbfounded to realize, yet again, that “Hotel California” is not on this record. For some reason, I always assume it belongs on this collection. No doubt, this is because the Greatest Hits Volume 2 pales in comparison. Thus, I want to put a decent song on the better record of the two greatest hits.
Our ranking—or attempt at ranking—is as follows, from least to most favorite songs:
Tenth Song (Least Favorite)
Null: In attempting to organize these songs from weakest to strongest, I failed miserably. If I had to throw a song out, it would have to be “Tequila Sunrise” or “Lyin’ Eyes,” only because they are the two songs that I have begun to tire of over the years. I don’t dislike them, but they’ve lost some of their power.
Jimmy: For today’s ranking, it is based on two listening sessions. My least favorite song is “Lyin’ Eyes.” It is a shittier song than “Best of My Love.” There is nothing happening in this song. The refrain of “you can’t hide your lyin’ eyes” when coupled with the piano and really simplistic guitar makes me want to do something else, anything else other than listen to this terrible song. I am wasting precious time by listening to this garbage. I don’t hear any drum fills. I know Henley can play them, but I guess he was too busy thinking of ways to fuck with his bandmates to put forth any effort. Bleh, bad song.
SoDak: For me, there were at least two songs that I especially did not like, and they are largely interchangeable for the nineth and tenth position. I really dislike “One of These Nights.” The opening hook is annoying. The worst part is that I start to anticipate Don Henley’s vocals in this song, and I just do not want to hear him sing. As the years go on, I have come to dislike his voice, and this is reflected in my overall ranking of songs. I was not anticipating this. This song drags on without much that is interesting.
Ninth Song
Jimmy: “Best of My Love.” This is another shitty song. As predicted, I still rank it low. This is boring and cheesy as fuck. I really can’t decide which one I hate more this or “Lyin’ Eyes.” I think it’s a tie.
SoDak: I really dislike “Witchy Woman.” The big opening leads nowhere. The song immediately slows down, as the Eagles try to be soulful and bluesy. Henley’s vocals are grating and make my skin crawl. The chorus is catchy, but not particularly powerful. The song is plotting and tiring. My wife instantly hated hearing this song again.
Eighth Song
Jimmy: “Desperado.” This is a surprise. This is not a great song; it is quite dull. There are strings. Why strings? I guess they had to find a way to try to make it interesting; it didn’t work. I still like the lyrics though. The vocals are a good fit, and the song would have been much better had the producer allowed for there to be space in the music instead of filling it with strings.
SoDak: When I was a kid, I liked “Desperado.” As noted above, I really do not care for Henley’s vocals anymore. This song is a good example of what I find taxing. Henley “attempts” to sound emotive, but there is no real feeling or depth to it. His vocals lack heart. The strings create a sheen that is as thin as Henley’s voice. As the song builds up, which I assume is supposed to create some emotional tension, the music becomes even less interesting.
Seventh Song
Jimmy: “Take It to the Limit.” I really like the vocals on this song, as they are what makes it interesting. The lyrics are also interesting, but the music itself is a little lackluster. Goddammit, I hate strings when they are used to fill space. Fuck George Martin and Phil Spector for their bullshit “innovations.” There is absolutely no reason to use strings on a song like this.
SoDak: On “Take It to the Limit,” it is refreshing to have a different voice, thanks to Randy Meisner. The chorus is okay. The song is simple and non-objectionable. At this point, I prefer hearing Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson sing this song, just to have a different presentation.
Sixth Song
Jimmy: “Take It Easy.” There isn’t much happening in this song, but I like it.
SoDak: “Best of My Love” is another non-offensive song, despite Henley’s persistently weak vocals. I enjoy the simple strumming and the haunting steel guitar. There are some decent changes within the song. I like the sound of the bass.
Fifth Song
Null: Following the two songs that I have tired of, the rest of the songs could be anywhere in the lineup.
Jimmy: “Tequilla Sunrise.” I am not at all surprised that I still like this song, and it lands about where I thought it would. This is one of those songs that gave the Eagles their reputation for playing California-style country music.
SoDak: “Already Gone” is pleasant enough. While it is faster paced, has more electric guitar, it sounds like a slow song that is just sped up. It is catchy.
Fourth Song
Jimmy: “Already Gone.” Huh, this is a much better song than I remember. Here again the bass is driving the music, and there is plenty of space for the guitars and vocal harmonizing. My only real complaint is that the vocals are wrong; they don’t fit the rockin’ feel of the song. This would have been perfect for Joe Walsh, but Joe didn’t join the asshole brigade for a few more years.
SoDak: On the Greatest Hits, I find it refreshing whenever Glenn Fry sings. On “Tequila Sunrise,” I like the acoustic guitar and pedal steel. The song has a good melody; it creates a nice mediative, relaxing vibe. I was surprised that my wife disliked this one.
Third Song
Jimmy: “Peaceful Easy Feeling.” This is a cool song with great Glen Frey vocals. I might need to read the lyrics for this one. It seems to be about a combination of woman hating and inner peace. Is it inner peace because of woman hating? Or is he going to get rid of the hated woman and that is why he feels great? Whatever. The lyrics aren’t great, but I like the song a lot.
SoDak: I enjoy “Take It Easy.” It is a good opening track to the record. I really like the jangling chords and the ringing notes. The chorus is comforting. I do not think much about the lame line regarding all the women that want him. The Jackson Browne contributions to the songwriting are very evident. The harmonies are enjoyable on this song. The lead guitar and the solo are very good.
Second Song
Jimmy: “Witchy Woman.” Yup, I still like the cheesy Native American themed music. There is also a really driving bass line that is way out front. I am a sucker for songs driven by strong bass lines. I think the guitar in the middle of the song is really tasteful and interesting. This song also demonstrates how great the Eagles were at harmonizing. Even the drumming isn’t too bad considering what a shitty drummer Henley was.
SoDak: I really enjoy “Lyin’ Eyes.” The jangly guitars are wonderful. I like the bass part, which has a little skip in the progression. Bernie Leadon’s pedal steel sounds wonderful. The chorus is catchy. I like how the song seems to slow down during it. This song and the next one could be interchangeable as far as my favorite song on the record.
First Song (Favorite)
Jimmy: “One of These Nights.” I love the guitar lick that starts this song. The song has a lot going for it, interesting guitar work, driving bass, vocal harmonizing, and a hint of disco. I shouldn’t admit this, but I like disco influenced music. I will irritate everyone by stating that the best song Kiss ever produced was the disco flavored “I Was Made for Loving You.” At this moment in time, I think this is the best song on the record. Tomorrow I might say something different.
SoDak: My preference for Frey’s voice is quite evident, as he sings lead on my five favorite songs on this record. On recent listens, “Peaceful Easy Feeling” continues to stand out as my favorite song on the record. I enjoy all the musical parts of the song. The lead guitar licks and solos capture my attention. The mix of the voice, guitars, and steel are delightful. The song has a nice steady, smooth “feeling.” The song makes me breath easier. It also has the country rock sound that I enjoy. I try not to listen to the pseudo Zen lyrics that Jack Tempchin wrote.
Null: I was able to settle on the best song, or the one that retains the most power and mystery over the years. That song is “Take It to the Limit.” It always stops me in my tracks. The line, “all alone at the end of the evening,” just ushers in a loneliness that feels as comforting and earned as it is sad and condemned.
Final Reflections
Jimmy: There you have it, my middle-age brain and teenage/young man brain both agree and disagree. I think I may have had more tolerance for strings and shitty drumming when I was young. Speaking of shitty drumming, Don Henley was the biggest ego and weakest link in the Eagles. His vocals sometimes work really well, and sometimes they are bland, and the song screams out for Bernie Leadon or Glen to take over. My assumption is that the ego always won out over what was best for the song or the band. I hesitate to call the Eagles a great band during the time period when the songs on this album were released, that happened later, and only for one album and only after Joe Walsh joined the band. There were only two things holding them back from achieving greatness. First, as you probably guessed, shitty drumming, and two, a lack of experimentation and a creative vision. The songs on the first few Eagles albums were more or less what other bands such as Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, America, or The Band were churning out. There were some gems in the early years, and they are all on the first volume of Greatest Hits. The deep tracks are not awful, but they don’t compare to what is on this album.
SoDak: Through the years, the soft spot I have held for the Eagles has diminished. On many days, my response to hearing any of their songs would be similar to the Dude, in the Big Lebowski, when he asks the cab driver to change the music, so he does not have to hear “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” “I had a rough night, and I hate the fuckin’ Eagles, man.” Regardless, I enjoyed returning to this record and realizing how my preferences have changed. I am also happy to put the record away for another long stretch.
Null: This album is so etched into my consciousness that it almost becomes a singular narrative in a particular order. There is only one way to reassemble a skeleton that makes any sense. Over the years, I have made several road trips into the Arizona desert. Whenever the tires hit the road between Albuquerque and Flagstaff, I always throw this cassette in the player. From Side A to the end of Side B, we’re only traveling west. That’s the narrative.
No comments:
Post a Comment