[Today: The Eagles give me heartburn...]
When I eventually reach Hell, I have no doubt that The Eagles and Jimmy Buffett will be playing on a continuous loop that’s piped loud and clear to the farthest reaches of the netherworld by Satan’s state-of-the-art audio system. These über-groovy, smooth-n-easy dreck merchants make me want to do unspeakable things to my eardrums, but it wasn’t always so. When I was a kid, my folks had some Eagles LPs kicking around their record collection(s), and while I didn’t go there often, they certainly didn’t drive me to distraction. But somewhere in the course of growing up, I’ve developed an almost irrational, Tom Vs. Jerry loathing for this music. Of course, I prefer to think of it as “taste”.
Hotel California – one of the ten best-selling albums of all-time, no less – receives the focus of my ire here, but as far as I’m concerned, every one of their albums suck the proverbial donkey. I admire what Joe Walsh stands for artistically – his solo albums and work with The James Gang is uniformly excellent – but his involvement with this group is a stain on his legacy that I just can’t square away. Say it ain’t so Joe! If joining up with these jokers was a ploy to pad his bank account, then I’ll stand and applaud, but otherwise I just have to scratch my head and wonder why.
But what’s not to like about the Eagles? you might ask (others certainly have). Let me flip that around and ask – what’s to like about this band? They took the groundbreaking, back-to-the-country sound of The Band and Gram Parsons, and watered it down until it was fit for FM radio. Nothing about their music is remotely exciting, and most of it is entirely predictable. I’d call them the Lawrence Welk of Country Rock, but I actually hold a fond place in my heart for Mr. Welk (one of my grandma’s favorites) and wouldn’t want to degrade his memory in such a manner. The songs themselves might be catchy enough, but they add up to nothing. Listening to an Eagles album is the equivalent of eating a big bag of Funyuns for dinner – the first few bites might go down fine, but you’ll end up feeling sick to your stomach and regretting a poor decision. And like the Monosodium Glutamate in potato chips, the smoove studio sounds of an album like Hotel California only disguises its bland, nutrient-free core.
After nearly three years of writing in this space, this review marks a first for this blog – I’m breaking one of my cardinal rules and writing about an album I don’t own. I can’t and won’t include this LP in my collection. It couldn’t be any other way – if I did own Hotel California I’d just end up breaking it over my knee while cackling like a maniac. On second thought…
Tags: Funyuns, Gram Parsons, Hotel California, Jimmy Buffett, Joe Walsh, Lawrence Welk, Satan, The Band, The Eagles
16 September 2009 at 11:41 am |
Allow me to be the first to offer my contrarian opinion! I understand where you’re coming from in that the Eagles can reach a point where it just becomes bland and uninspired. I own an Eagles greatest hits CD and I haven’t listed to it in probably 15 years. Every time I start to get it out I ask myself, “Is there really a song on this album that I really want to listen to right now??”
The answer is usually no and I put the CD back.
BUT……..
I think their guitar work on many songs is exemplary. Nothing flashy, but very melody driven. So many guitarists of the last 20 years want to show how fast they can play and seem to scream with their guitars, “Look at how fast I can play my minor pentatonic scales!!” Whoop-dee-doo for you!
I think the 12 string intro to Hotel California and the two guitar solo at the end are exmples of some of the best guitar work in popular rock. Perhaps that’s not enough to cause you to like them, but at least it’s something!! (Sure beats the simplistic power-chord driven high-school rock band crap from Nirvana!)
16 September 2009 at 4:31 pm |
Thanks Chris – this is a worthy rebuttal…
16 September 2009 at 4:27 pm |
Save your money…I’m sure I’ve got it in the back room somewhere…next time you are up we’ll bbq!!
Gotta Go, heading to 7-11 for some Funyuns.
17 September 2009 at 3:11 pm |
I understand your point and yes, it’s all about TASTE.
I like music that prods my interest with subtlety and smartness, which the Eagles music often portrays. So for a listener to hear their work once or three times won’t “get” the eventual realization of the interesting subtle complexity. There are many levels to their music but all understated.
There’s the guitarwork; oh so unequalled, but in a low-key sort of way, though very complex and innovative. Joe Walsh is truly a master. He brings total joy to even just watch, on stage. When peers of his listen to him by choice, as has been said, you know he’s truly great. But his guitar, as commented earlier, doesn’t scream all the way through. Going to the limit all the time gets old, as far as listening. He puts just enough in to contribute actual beauty/power/statement to a song.
Then there’s the drumming. Don Henley himself said he doesn’t think he’s much of a drummer. But what makes him great is his own way: taps just enough, pounds just enough exclamation, has just enough defining bass undertone, just enough to contribute subtle but powerful accent to a song, like say, Hotel California. I’ve seen James Gang live when they did their mini-tour the summer of 2006. Though I love some of their catalog, I realized for sure, it’s Joe that makes their work great. I watched Jimmy pound away at the drumkit, hitting everything every song every minute, and it wore me out. It took away from the songs and distracted me so I would momentarily forget what I came to enjoy. Thank goodness for Joe’s mastery to pull me back to the totality, to make the shows worth sitting through.
Then there are the Eagles’ harmonies; subtle but fills each song with just enough. The harmonies are spot-on, making it pleasant to the ear, but you don’t notice it until you’ve listened to their music several times or enjoyed it for years, in order to pick it out.
Then there are the lead vocals. Not too many groups can say they have four, count’em, four bona fide leads to vary the show. Each has their own style of singing, and put all together it’s great listening.
It’s a matter of taste. You don’t care for subtlety, I love it. When I listen to the song Hotel California, for instance, I hear myriad levels of excellent work. The surreal lyrics paint any number of pictures in a listener’s imagination, the magnificent dueling guitars, the subtle but very distinct drumming, vocals that capture my interest and pique my passion; I listen to it several times in a row, catching different aspects each time: sometimes the vocals and lyrics, sometimes the background and solo/duel guitarwork. Now that makes for an intriguing entertainment piece, my taste. I like complex yet subtle and that’s what the Eagles bring to me.
I’m not comparing them with the Beatles, other than to say, the Beatles are another band that have subtle and understated, simple music. Not everyone loves the Beatles or Eagles. That’s okay, but for many people like me who have enjoyed their music for 37 years, (no other band has kept my interest like the Eagles music and I grew up in the ’60s and ’70s, the music heyday of that century or this) their music continues to satisfy my taste.
17 September 2009 at 3:26 pm |
Thanks Karyn. Even though we don’t agree on The Eagles, I totally appreciate the passion that’s behind your comment. You’ve done an excellent job of explaining why they matter to you, and next time I hear them I’ll keep those points in mind…
19 September 2009 at 11:48 am |
DK you have it right. The Eagles are for people who like music, want it on in the background, but don’t love or need it. It is the MSG, the nutrasweet, the Pringles Light of rock and roll. As a lifelong music lover, I do agree that taste does matter, but there is such a thing as finely trained, honed, and crafted taste, and “I like vanilla, you like chocolate” taste. My father, and his rows of vinyl which lined our basement living room, was instrumental in bringing me to music, sharing it with me, and pointing out what made the difference between art and entertainment. He hates the Eagles ( as well as the Steve Miller Band) and we constantly mocked their syrupy cliched lyrics – “she’s still the same old whore she used to be!” Flame on DK!
6 November 2009 at 2:40 pm |
Happy Bday, Mr. Glenn Frey. 61.