Not me... I loved The History of the Eagles doc....
| August 29, 2022 09:02AM |
So much 'behind the scenes' stuff that I cannot remember it all, and now want to buy the dvd. Frey certainly wasn't perfect, but he and Henley made it pretty clear from the get that, for better or for worse, the band was 'not' a democracy. They started it. They were the foundation. And it was their vision of music that they wanted to create. Personality conflicts, and creative differences were inevitable.... as with all musical groups. There was a lot more to it than Frey just going around firing guys...
It was too bad Berry Leadon left (creative differences), but he wanted the band to go more country than rock, and was replaced nicely by Joe Walsh, and later regretted his decision to leave. He was also 'allowed' to play live with the band years later, but as a special guest, not as an Eagle.
Don Felder was a great lead guitarist, but I would call this a personality conflict with Frey. And IMO, he was as big a jerk as Frey ever was. You and I differ on the politician vs music thing as I think that was just the last straw. I think Money was Felder's main issue. Plus he wanted to be the lead singer on songs like Hotel California, and just wouldn't accept the fact that he simply wasn't that great of a singer. Even Walsh said that him singing lead, would not have been up to "Eagle Standards". Felder later also spoke of his regrets for no longer being part of the group. His lead guitar parts were taken over by a fine guitarist named Steuart Smith. And IMO, Smith is fantastic.
Randy Meisner is a little harder for me to figure out. I feel he simply wanted out. I get the feeling he may have been a bit intimidated by Frey, and the heavy limelight responsibilities. He was definitely a heavy partier, but I don't know if his drinking had anything to do with it. I don't believe it was 'only' a matter of having trouble with the high notes in a song. There is always a 'work around'. I just think there was more to it than that. And as every Eagle fan knows, Timothy B. Schmit was brought in and has done a great job on Bass as well as vocals.
But there is a lot more interesting and funny stuff in this documentary.
Frey on Walsh.... " As Frey noted in the film, Walsh is "an interesting bunch of guys."
It was too bad Berry Leadon left (creative differences), but he wanted the band to go more country than rock, and was replaced nicely by Joe Walsh, and later regretted his decision to leave. He was also 'allowed' to play live with the band years later, but as a special guest, not as an Eagle.
Don Felder was a great lead guitarist, but I would call this a personality conflict with Frey. And IMO, he was as big a jerk as Frey ever was. You and I differ on the politician vs music thing as I think that was just the last straw. I think Money was Felder's main issue. Plus he wanted to be the lead singer on songs like Hotel California, and just wouldn't accept the fact that he simply wasn't that great of a singer. Even Walsh said that him singing lead, would not have been up to "Eagle Standards". Felder later also spoke of his regrets for no longer being part of the group. His lead guitar parts were taken over by a fine guitarist named Steuart Smith. And IMO, Smith is fantastic.
Randy Meisner is a little harder for me to figure out. I feel he simply wanted out. I get the feeling he may have been a bit intimidated by Frey, and the heavy limelight responsibilities. He was definitely a heavy partier, but I don't know if his drinking had anything to do with it. I don't believe it was 'only' a matter of having trouble with the high notes in a song. There is always a 'work around'. I just think there was more to it than that. And as every Eagle fan knows, Timothy B. Schmit was brought in and has done a great job on Bass as well as vocals.
But there is a lot more interesting and funny stuff in this documentary.
Frey on Walsh.... " As Frey noted in the film, Walsh is "an interesting bunch of guys."
