The Eagles lineup in 1976. History of the Eagles. Golden era of The Eagles

With five number one singles and four full-lengths under their belt, the Eagles were one of the most successful American bands of the 70s. However, by the end of the century, when the band was in a state of half-life, the “eagle’s” popularity did not subside, and their two albums, “Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975” and “Hotel California” remained in hot ten best-selling releases. It all started back in the late 60s, when future participants in the project began to arrive in Los Angeles. First, Randy Meisner (b. March 8, 1946; bass, vocals) came from Nebraska, then Bernie Leadon (b. July 19, 1947; guitar, banjo, vocals) arrived from Minneapolis, followed by Detroit native Glenn Fry (b. November 6, 1948 ; guitar, vocals) and, finally, the last to appear on the West Coast was Texan Don Henley (b. July 22, 1947; drums, vocals). Everyone already had good work experience behind them: Leadon was a member of the Flying Burrito Brothers, Meisner was one of the founders of Poco, Fry worked for Bob Seger, and Henley played in Shiloh.

At the very beginning of the 70s, the whole four got together as an accompanying band for singer Linda Ronstadt, but less than a year had passed before the musicians split off and formed an independent unit called “The Eagles”. Linda's manager David Geffen took the band under his wing and organized a contract with his own newly created label, Asylum Records. In February 1972, the “eagles” flew to England for two weeks, where they recorded their debut long play with producer Glyn Johns. The album brought the team their first gold, and three songs ("Take It Easy", "Witchy Woman", "Peaceful Easy Feeling") reached the Top 20.

The second record, recorded with the same Jones, was less successful and generated only two hits, “Tequila Sunrise” and “Desperado”. The work was conceptual and dedicated to robbers from the Wild West. The main advantage of "Desperado" was the fact that during the sessions of the album the author's tandem of Henley and Fry formed (both of the most popular tracks belonged to them). When recording the next record, the musicians decided to move away from country rock and play harder, as a result of which they had to exchange Jones for Bill Zhimczyk. This guy not only gave the Eagles the right sound, but also brought in slide guitarist Don Felder (b. September 21, 1947), who added the missing flavor. "On The Border" took off and surpassed the gold mark within three months. The album reached the top ten, and the single "The Best Of My Love" became the first "eagle" chart topper. Then events began to develop more rapidly. The disc "One Of These Nights" broke the record of its predecessor within a month, three songs from it broke into the Top 5, and for one of them the Eagles received a Grammy.

However, the meteoric rise also had back side: the wild rock 'n' roll life and the exorbitantly increased egos of the musicians led to constant civil strife, as a result of which Leadon left the team. His place was taken by Joe Walsh (b. November 20, 1947), who joined the Eagles during a tour of Far East. By the way, since the band spent a long time on tour, it was decided to release a collection of hits, and in February 1976, “Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)” hit the shelves. The record was a phenomenal success: it became the first platinum rock album, and at the beginning of the next century its circulation approached 30 million.

But the most important thing was yet to come - at the end of the year the legendary “Hotel California” was released. Starting from first position, the album crossed the platinum mark within a month. The title track literally captivated the world's radio airwaves and topped the charts in many countries. Slightly less success came with “New Kid In Town” and “Life In The Fast Lane”, but this was enough for people to buy the record with terrible force. However, again there were personnel losses, and at the end of the next tour Meisner was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit (b. November 29, 1947). A worthy sequel to "Hotel California" was difficult to produce, and yet the Eagles, after spending two years, finally released a new platinum creation, "The Long Run". In 1980, the live album “Eagles Live” was released, but by that time internal passions had run high, and the team soon broke up.

The band members went off on their own, but reunited 14 years later. The reunion tour turned out to be extremely successful, and the album "Hell Freezes Over", although it contained only four new tracks, debuted on Billboard at number one and sold multi-million copies. In 1998, the Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with former Eagles Leadon and Meisner also participating in the ceremony. The beginning of the new millennium was marked by the departure of Felder, and in 2007 the remaining four released a double studio album "Long Road Out Of Eden", stating that it was possible last work groups.

THE EAGLES – EAGLE ROCK NEST

The group is considered the most “American” of all American groups, as well as the third in popularity and number of records sold after Led Zeppelin.

Is this not enough to retire to a well-deserved retirement after more than forty years? But no, they are not going to leave the stage and put their instruments in the corner. They still (albeit rarely) successfully tour, gathering halls of fans.

California - the cradle of The Eagles

They went through all the stages on the path of their success - the unknown, playing on small stages, the appearance of the first hit single, album. Then fame came, and with it money, alcohol, drugs... They had it all. “I don’t know exactly how we will remain in people’s memory. But, probably, someday people will say that we had very good songs. We are proud of ourselves just because all of our band members are still alive, unlike many musicians of our generation,” said Don Henley.

Connoisseurs of the history of rock music are unanimous in their opinion that the members of the future group were lucky to get together at the right time and in the right place. It was the city of Los Angeles, it was the end 1960s. Music lovers are already tired of psychedelics, they are also fed up with other popular trends, and are drawn to simpler rock, which will be understandable without “degree” or “doping”.

At this time, fate brought guitarists Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon, Glenn Frey and drummer Don Henley to the capital of California. It is noteworthy that each of them had strong vocal abilities and by this time already had musical experience in other groups.

"Eaglets" learn to fly

At first, they positioned themselves only as accompanists and performed with Linda Ronstadt. But already in the first year they collaboration ambitions took over, and the future “eagles” left the nest in search of their own path. This is how it appeared in California in 1971 new rock band, one of many. History has not left us a name for the one who exactly came up with the name for the group, apparently the musicians were filled with the desire to take off and soar, watching other groups unsuccessfully try to reach their top.

That's almost exactly what happened. Linda Ronstadt's manager took the rockers under his wing. He signed a contract with them and already at the beginning of 1972 sent them to England to record an album. The debut was amazing. Three songs from the record ended up in the top twenty hits - “Take It Easy”, “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, “Witchy Woman”. I couldn’t even dream of such success.

This victory could not be called accidental. Yes, their work coincided with the demands of the audience and the spirit of the times, the producer also tried, but the musicians themselves made every effort to become popular. Their rehearsals take place away from prying eyes and ears. During this time, the band members practiced every movement, every chord and vocal intonation, perfecting their own sound. There is no improvisation at their concerts, and nothing can force the musicians to deviate from the notes. They have been following this rule for more than forty years. There can be no amateur performances on stage, everything is learned and rehearsed in advance, brought almost to automatism. As a result, the music does not lose any of its liveliness; on the contrary, this is the highest level of professionalism - none of the band members allow themselves liberties on stage, unexpected turns, disrupted concerts or false sounds. Perhaps that is why, long before the legendary “Hotel California,” they became an iconic American group.

In search of color

After the debut album, music critics considered the Eagles to be just another typical country band, of which there were already enough in the vastness of America. But the guys did not give up and decided to try themselves in a more serious direction of country opera. The author duo of Glenn Frey and Don Henley also formed during the work on the second album. The new record gave the world such hits as “Tequila Sunrise” and “Desperado”, losing in popularity to the debut record. The team urgently needed exclusivity, first of all music, in order to become the first, and not one of many.

A new manager and producer helped in this matter, as well as the 1974 album “On the Border,” which became fateful. To record this record, the Eagles invited guitarist Don Felder, who brought a double-neck instrument he made with his own hands and amazed the musicians with his mastery of performance. This is how Felder’s fresh blood and golden hands helped them find that missing unique sound and become a distinctive group.

The colorful album went gold in three months, entered the Top 10 and sent three compositions “The best of my love”, “James Dean” and “One of these night” to the top of the chart. Even skeptical a determined Europe opened its arms to, not to mention the Americans themselves. Concert halls were filled to capacity and required a “hit” sequel.

New album turned out to be the crowning achievement of their success. The album “One of these nights” went platinum and deservedly won the title best collection 1970s. The popular series took the song “Jorney of sorcerer” as the theme song, the hit “Lyin’ eyes” won a Grammy award, and guitarist Randy Meisner was considered a hitmaker after the song “Take it to the limit.” Only Bernie Leadon seemed to be out of work, and after the world tour he left the group.

Golden era of The Eagles

The members of the group wanted to see in their ranks not just a talented performer, but a creative creator of things that would be a new word in music. Such a productive member of the group was musician Joe Walsh, who had several solo albums and work in popular bands. It is not known for what reasons he decided to join, but such a connection gave unsurpassed results. On whole year the group went on tour, abandoning studio recordings. The commercial success of the concerts delighted not only the musicians, but also the managers.

Over the course of a year of concerts, the sound of which, according to critics, became more reminiscent of hard rock, the group accumulated a lot of material. Having gathered all the best together, the “eagles” recorded the legendary album “Their Greatest Hits,” which became the disc of the year. Just imagine, this record went platinum three times and to this day holds the lead among the best-selling albums, even ahead of Thriller.

And then there was 1976 and the album that became business card for all times and for all continents. After the release of “Hotel California,” the group was no longer associated with anything else, although almost all the songs from this album became hits. Five compositions were written by drummer Don Henley and became the unofficial leader of the group. This is a rare case when the drummer is also a great vocalist, and besides, he writes songs, adding originality to the group.

This year the United States of America celebrated its 200th anniversary, and the musicians compared their homeland to a large comfortable hotel where anyone can stay, but not everyone can feel at home here. The song “Hotel California” was heard on all music broadcasts, became a symbol of the 1970s and was on all the charts within a year. But no matter how sad it is, it was she who became the swan song of the great rock era. This is how the group had the opportunity to stand at the origins of the rock movement and close the door to it.

Pay for popularity

The decline of the golden age in rock music also affected the work of the “eagles”. Randy Meisner flew out of their nest, creating an opening for Timothy Schmidt. A wave of experimentation began, using new instruments and searching for a fresh sound. Years of stress, constant concerts, exhausting rehearsals made themselves felt, and the second one certainly showed up - not the most best side fame and popularity.

The group, like many others, was not spared by problems with the law and addiction from drugs and alcohol. At the same time, the “eagles” did not deny themselves anything and lived, as they say, in grand style. Sometimes musicians used a private jet for such trifles, as if it were a taxi car.

Fights, illnesses, clashes with law enforcement officers - all this was commonplace for the participants. Glenn Frey was nicknamed "The Joint" for his love of marijuana. Don Henley was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and cocaine. He was fined, given a two-year suspended sentence and ordered to visit a narcologist. IN certain moment The band's musicians simply began to hate each other.

After a new platinum album and a tour of the United States, the musicians made, perhaps, the only right decision for themselves and announced in 1982 that they would cease to exist. This prompted each of them to take up their own solo projects, but none of them could achieve stunning success.

New Age

Having taken a break from each other for several years, while never losing touch, in 1994 the “eagles” flew together again with its golden composition. During this time, they managed to get rid of destructive habits, rethink a lot and set priorities correctly. It must be admitted that the recorded album “Hell freezes over” was not a breakthrough, although it was commercially successful. The next disc called “Long road out of eden” had to wait for 15 years. At the same time, the musicians continued to work on their solo albums and perform individually.

Their last tour ended in 2011 and was recognized by Forbes magazine as second in terms of financial receipts. And here musicians have something to think about. If audiences still go to their concerts, it means they still expect something grandiose and worthwhile from their idols.

DATA

In the city of Winslow, Arizona, a statue was erected in honor of the group. City authorities decided to pay tribute to the musicians for perpetuating the name town in one of his hits – “Take it easy”. A bronze statue of a man with a guitar adorns one of the central streets of the city.

The album “Hotel California” was ranked 37th on the list of the greatest albums by Rolling Stone magazine. The song of the same name was at the top of the Billboard chart and was awarded a Grammy Award, but the musicians did not go to the awards only because Don Henley was convinced of the opacity of the award itself.

Updated: April 9, 2019 by: Elena

The mood now is Beautiful

(born November 6, 1948 in Detroit; guitar, keyboards, vocals). One of the founders of the group "Eagles". Frontman of the ensemble.
http://m-adler2009.narod.ru/GF.htm Frey’s meeting with Henley took place in 1970. Glenn was 22, Don was 23. The Texas native was seriously broke, so the Detroit native’s offer was to play in Linda’s band Ronstadt came in handy. Then in 1971 they founded the Eagles, Frey is still one of the leaders of the group. “Take it Easy,” co-written with Jackson Brownie and opening the first album, along with “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” became classics over time and were repeatedly included in numerous compilations. It is worth mentioning Glenn Frey's performing style. Oddly enough for a rocker, but, in my opinion, he has a restrained singing style, behind which one can see his inner dignity. This style is more common among country singers. Glenn's voice is pleasantly low, but, unfortunately, there is no distinct timbre that distinguishes him from other vocalists. Based on these characteristics, Frey is best at calm lyrical ballads. The peculiarity of “Eagles” is, or rather its advantage, that the group always comes to the aid of the soloist - everyone either picks up the chorus or creates a musical background. And this is how expression is created. Group vocals, present in almost every song to one degree or another, are a trademark of the Eagles, which create the unique face of the ensemble. There are a lot of examples, for example “Lyin Eyes”. One of the hits on the Hotel California album is “New Kid in Town.” I read an opinion that the song “Heartache Tonight”, from the subsequent album, was written in the tradition of old-fashioned rock and roll. In this case, they didn’t see the forest for the trees, because the style of the era of the birth of rock music here is extremely modernized, and the new, as we know, is the well-forgotten old. We hear an extremely tough rhythm section with additional drums, riffs, a powerful juicy solo with a unique timbre, intense vocals, and, as always, harmony between text and music in the end - a precise and genuine expression of feelings. After the collapse of the Eagles, Glenn Frey took up solo career and even tried his hand at American cinema. Since childhood, he was crazy about James Dean, to whom he dedicated the song of the same name on the album “On the Border.” The theme of cinema continues in the composition “King of Holywood” (1979). After the dissolution of the group, along with the release of solo albums, he wrote music for films, starred in some films as an actor, but did not achieve much success. I would venture to guess why. It is extremely difficult for even a rock star to break into another field without sufficient theoretical training and experience. In the cinema - do what they suggest. If you refuse, there may be no offers at all. Solo career Glenn Frey is considered the second most important member of the group after Don Henley. The most successful, in my opinion, debut solo album“Allnighter”, released in 1984, the compositions “Sexy Girl”, “Lover’s Moon”, “Smuggler’s blues” are especially good. Glenn immediately showed that he has independent creative potential. The next two albums, released at intervals of four years, “Soul Searchin” (1988) and “Strange Weather” (1992), were also quite good. In addition to his passion for music and cinema, Frey carried an interest in the fair sex, in their souls. He created such , you know, rock and roll images of women as carriers of morality. Almost in the spirit of the classics of Russian literature, which is not bad in the era of the ever-increasing ferocity of non-traditionalists. All the years after the dissolution of the group, Glenn Frey did not forget that he was one of the leaders of the “eagles”. At the first gathering of “noble predators” in 1994, already known to us. creative tandem Henley – Frey performed the most killer thing “Get over it”. And the composition “How Long” is considered one of the best on the latest double album “Long Road Out Of Eden” (2007). The guitar and voice of Glenn Frey merged together in a rock and roll melody and somewhere in the distance echoes of country can be heard.

Glenn Frey(Glenn Frey, 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016) - guitar, keyboards, vocals
Bernie Leadon(Bernie Leadon, born July 19, 1947) - guitar, banjo, mandolin, vocals
Randy Meisner(Randy Meisner, born 03/08/1946) - bass guitar, guitar, vocals
Don Henley(Don Henley, born 07/22/1947) - drums, vocals
The group owes its birth to Los Angeles. The Eagles became his paradox: none of the group that best sang California was a Californian. Leadon came from Minnesota, Meisner from Nebraska, and Frey and drummer Don Henley came from Michigan and Texas, dropping out of college to earn meager wages in amateur bands.
The future "eagles" managed to gain experience in various teams professing folk traditions. The most famous were the Flying Burrito brothers and Poco, where guitarist Bernie Leadon and bassist Randy Meisner played, respectively. Frey turned out to be the most active and successful: he was the first to write songs and released an album at the tiny Emos studio in a duet with Jay Sather. He was lucky enough to meet David Crosby (“Crossby, Stills, Nash and Young”), and through him, his manager David Geffen. At the local Troubadour club, Frey came across Henley, whose another group"Shilon" just collapsed. At the same time, Lydon and Meisner met. They were already well-known session musicians, and Geffen recruited both of them to record with country singer Linda Ronstadt.
They worked for a year as a support group and, feeling that they had grown to independence, gave fair warning about leaving. By mid-1971, a quartet called the Eagles appeared in California. Although everyone could sing, the tireless Frey acted as the frontman. His songs brought initial success - in particular, "Take it easy". The song was included in debut album"The Eagles" (1972), which Geffen released on the newly created Asylum studio. The disc was recorded in England with producer Glynn Jones, who worked with " Rolling stones" and "Led zeppelin". Despite strong support, the record was a commercial failure. Listeners agreed that the group looked better in concert. Critics unanimously called the quartet "another typical country band."
The second album, "Desperado" (1973), told the story of gangster Doolin Delton and his gang operating in the Wild West. Apparently because everyone wrote the songs, there was no cohesive record. But Henley, who owned the title track, drew attention to himself as a composer. Hits can also be called “Tequila sunrize” and “Doolin Dalton” - they have forever entered their percussive arsenal. The main thing is that the author's tandem of Frey and Henley has formed. The new album, "On the border" (1974), became a turning point in their biography. The musicians changed manager and producer - Irving Azoff and Billy Zhimchik came. Keys were included in the toolkit. Guitarist Don Felder (born September 21, 1947) also took part in the recording, and remained in the group after recording. The new sound merged with the old, crystallizing the much-needed individuality. The record brought her first gold and three No. 1 hits on the Billboard charts – “James Dean,” “Best of my love,” and “One of these nights.”
The public came to the concerts in droves. Elementary logic required a new hit disc, which was brilliantly accomplished the following year. The album "One of these nights" (1975) went platinum and topped the American charts for five weeks (in England the record rose to 8th place). Without Hotel California, it would still be the crowning glory of the Eagles. The song "Lyin' eyes" received a Grammy, and "Jorney of sorcerer" became the theme song for the popular television series "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Three songs entered the Top 5, including Meisner's first hit, "Take it to the limit." Success, the team undertook a world tour. But tired of concert marathons and tense relationships within the team, Bernie Leadon left his colleagues in 1975.
In Lydon's place, Azoff brought another of his wards - Joe Walsh (born November 20, 1947). His appearance in the lineup coincided with the triumphant success of the group's collection "Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975", which again topped the American charts (2nd place in the UK), collected triple platinum and was recognized in 1976 National Association record labels of America the best album of the year. With the arrival of Walshaw, the Eagles felt a shift towards hard rock. This was especially evident again at concerts, because The group took almost a year away from studio work. "Hotel California" (1976) was recorded over six months in several studios. Almost all the songs became hits - “New kid in town”, “Life in the fast lane”, “Victim of love”, “The last resort”. But the joint creation of Frey - Felder - Henley eclipsed everything. Henley wrote five songs - and the reins of leadership passed to him. Throughout the year, the song "Hotel California" topped every chart imaginable (in England - number 8), and there wasn't a moment on earth when it wasn't heard somewhere on the airwaves. Alas, the summit is not only a peak, but also the beginning of a descent. It looks like the Eagles are confident that they can handle anything. We had to wait two years for the next disc, during which time, in 1977, Randy Meisner left the group, returning to Poco. Timothy B. Schmit (born 10/30/1947) came instead. Following the lead of fashion, the musicians began to experiment with all their might. High-timbre guitars, synthesizers and saxophones appeared. The song "Sad cafe" can be considered the quintessence of this. But something important was missing. Well, yes, on the crest of “Hotel California” the album was doomed to go platinum, although it was not bad in itself. At concerts, however, the audience frantically demanded their beloved.
The band's next studio album, The Long Ron (1979), took even longer to record than its predecessor, and even before its release, the Eagles released the 1978 Christmas single "Please Come Home For Christmas" - it was the author's version of the Charles Brown blues classic ( the single was not included on "The Long Run"). The first official single from the new album, "Heartache Tonight", like most of the previous ones, became a millionaire, topped the national charts (in England it only reached 40th place) and received a Grammy, "The Long Ron" also took first place in the album charts (in England - 4th place), and the title track and "I Can"t Tell You Why" entered the American Top 10.
The group gave a grand tour of the States and by the end of 1980 released a double live album, "Eagles Live", which received the traditional platinum, but the musicians decided to disband the group. In early 1981, the last single "Eagles" from the live album "Seven Bridges Road" also entered the US charts. Pragmatic managers officially announced the collapse only in May 1982.
The musicians took up solo projects. Henley's activities turned out to be the most fruitful. Its peak can be considered the song "Heart of the matter", dedicated to the Eagles (that was what their album was supposed to be called, but was never recorded). Suddenly emerging from obscurity, Meisner, who had long since left Poco, joined the World classic rockers - a team of half-forgotten "stars", along with Denny Lane and Spencer Davis. Only Walsh remained faithful to the hard funk - take, for example, his album "Little did he know".
In 1994, the quintet gathered as part of 1978 to record a commercial video clip, and then gave several concerts, eventually recording the album "Hell freezes over" (1994). The released live DVD "Hell Freezes Over" (which finished at number three on the Billboard 200) is now the top selling DVD in the world. In 1998, the Eagles were inducted into the symbolic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the very end of the 90s - with the transition to the new millennium - the Eagles undertook a world tour (with stops in Russia, 2001), as a result of which the group again took a leading position in its league (two collections of the group "Greatest Hits" and " Eagles Selected Works 1972-1999", firmly established itself in the Top 100 best-selling albums of "all time", with the first collection being the most circulated record of the 20th century).
In 2001, guitarist Don Felder left the band. In 2003, the group released the single "Hole In The World", dedicated to the memory of the victims of the September 11 attacks. The group goes on concerts to Australia (Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena), the group's performances on November 14, 15 and 17, 2004 formed the basis for a video released in 2005 under the title "Farewell 1 Tour - Live from Melbourne", the concert includes all the greatest hits of the Eagles.
In November 2007, the Eagles released their new studio album, Long Road Out Of Eden, their first full-length album since 1979. Fans did not regret the long wait; the two-disc album included 20 completely new tracks, which the group had been working on for almost six years. “Long Road Out Of Eden” debuted at number one in the US, became one of the best-selling albums of the year and reached triple platinum status, and also brought the group 2 Grammy Awards for the tracks “How Long” and “I Dreamed There Was No War” "
Today the group performs concerts with the following lineup: Don Henley, Glen Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmidt, inviting session musicians. Over four decades of concert and studio activity around the world, the Eagles have managed to maintain public interest in their work thanks to a high level of professionalism, which has earned them special respect from fans.

Based on materials from "Rock Encyclopedias"