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For fans of the Eagles


marvin

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Rolling Stone's review of the new album:

http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/16861770/review/16927307/long_road_out_of_eden

3 1/2 stars from David Fricke, but the last line sums up everything:

QUOTE

Long Road Out of Eden is available direct at Eaglesband.com for $11.88, a bargain even with the misfires -- and worth it for the title song alone.

ENDQUOTE

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Only 3.5 from Rolling Stone? (Then again, it's Dave Fricke, who, I don't believe, is a huge Eagles fan....I've seen him at 3 Roky Erickson shows in the past 2 years, and I'd be shocked if many Roky fans dig the Eagles all that much...). In the last RS I picked up, they gave two 5 star reviews - to the new Bruce and the Sundazed reissue of "Moby Grape", their debut album from '67....an all-time classic....(just as the new Bruce is a modern-day gem).

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Truth be known, I did sidle up to Dave F. Sunday night, and ask him to put in a plug for the 'Berries in RS. He said he would, but....earlier this year, in April in NYC, I asked him to do the same for Roky Erickson at his Bowery Ballroom gig, and his glowing comments only made the Rolling Stone on-line blog, and NOT one of their newsstand issues, which are, of course, a lot more widely read.

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I never understand why a reviewer like Fricke who has no interest in the Eagles, gets the assignment of reviewing their cd. Is it because of his high-ranking at RS and the fact that it's the Eagles, or is it because RS figures that if the Eagles can sell Fricke on the music, it must be good?

Truth be told, RS has hated the Eagles ever since the Eagles kicked their asses in a softball game 30 years ago.

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"Truth be told, RS has hated the Eagles ever since the Eagles kicked their asses in a softball game 30 years ago."

Could be, but I'm guessing that 98% of the bands/artists in the world would give their eyeteeth for the coverage the Eagles have gotten over the years in RS, or even to just get one of their recordings reviewed in the mag! (Wenner, BTW, clearly doesn't dislike them enough to have kept them out of the R&RHoF.....which he's been accused of doing to other artists in the past...)

Your earlier comment about them never being a critics' darling...would you venture to guess a reason why? (I'm guessing it's either a matter of not caring for their music that much....or perhaps it's the related mystery that's plagued many critics and fans alike over the years - good talented band, good songs, but compelling enough to warrant the monstrously out-of-proportion sales?)

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John regarding why many of the critics have never liked the Eagles, I think you've touched on this subject before. This is just my opinion, but it's also stuff I've read in various mags over the years:

1. Eagles have had phenomenal success, while others who mined similar territory (Poco, Parsons, Byrds etc.), never reached the same heights.

2. The critics perceive the Eagles as 'drugstore cowboys', not having the authenticity of some of the other 'real' Country/Pop orginators.

3. The critics see them as being overtly commercial, with the eye on the $$$ and the charts.

4. Henley and Frey are often pretty acerbic in with their statements regarding the state of the nation (politics, music, etc.). This doesn't sit well with many.

5. Many see them as a 'boring' live act that tries too hard to faithfully reproduce their recorded sound.

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John regarding why many of the critics have never liked the Eagles, I think you've touched on this subject before. This is just my opinion, but it's also stuff I've read in various mags over the years:

1. Eagles have had phenomenal success, while others who mined similar territory (Poco, Parsons, Byrds etc.), never reached the same heights.

2. The critics perceive the Eagles as 'drugstore cowboys', not having the authenticity of some of the other 'real' Country/Pop orginators.

3. The critics see them as being overtly commercial, with the eye on the $$$ and the charts.

4. Henley and Frey are often pretty acerbic in with their statements regarding the state of the nation (politics, music, etc.). This doesn't sit well with many.

5. Many see them as a 'boring' live act that tries too hard to faithfully reproduce their recorded sound.

6. They're really not all that good.
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John regarding why many of the critics have never liked the Eagles, I think you've touched on this subject before. This is just my opinion, but it's also stuff I've read in various mags over the years:

1. Eagles have had phenomenal success, while others who mined similar territory (Poco, Parsons, Byrds etc.), never reached the same heights.

2. The critics perceive the Eagles as 'drugstore cowboys', not having the authenticity of some of the other 'real' Country/Pop orginators.

3. The critics see them as being overtly commercial, with the eye on the $$$ and the charts.

4. Henley and Frey are often pretty acerbic in with their statements regarding the state of the nation (politics, music, etc.). This doesn't sit well with many.

5. Many see them as a 'boring' live act that tries too hard to faithfully reproduce their recorded sound.

7. They're kinda boring in general.
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8. They lack any real passion.

Please define "passion."

My love for the Eagles is based mostly on the fact that they know how to write songs with addictive melodies and lyrics. There is little doubt that they write their songs with the intention of getting them on the radio, but what's wrong with radio-friendly material? Of course the Catch-22 in all of this is, due to being so radio-friendly, radio has killed many of their songs by overplay.

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PopDude and JohnO you are part of that group of critics who hate the Eagles.

I never understood the fascination with bands like the Sex Pistols or the Ramones, and you could never convince me that either of those bands' musical merit is greater than the Eagles', but hey, musical tastes are very subjective, so one man's passion is another man's boredom.

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No, Marv, I don't hate The Eagles....(Last I checked, the world isn't just black and white either)...I've just never understood all of the fuss about them....and yes, I'm very familiar with their music, having bought most of their releases in vinyl when they came out! Can you say the same about, to use your two examples, the Pistols and Ramones (one of which is a personal favorite of mine, the other I enjoy but not so much...)? And BTW, the band of the two that I do love (Ramones), put out more than their fair share of very crappy music over the years - which doesn't affect my overall opinion about their importance in the scheme of things

musically.

Regarding musical merit, frankly, I'd never be caught dead comparing the Eagles, Pistols and Ramones, let alone trying to convince anybody about whose music is "better" - it's like pears, apples, and cumquats. As you well know, I could discuss a bevy of Eagles-type bands, music-wise, and debate the relative merits....but why bother? We've been down that road....

I believe this is a Raspberries board....devoted to an all-time great band that was never appreciated (and still isn't) by anyone other than a coterie of devoted fans....and, oh yeah, critics. The band was extremely influential, although they weren't as commercially successful (and still aren't) as they should have been (and should be now). Hmmmmm.....wonder how come there are these naysayer critics on this board who revere bands like the Ramones, Big Star, Flamin' Groovies, Sex Pistols, Pernice Brothers, etc. (NOT the "old tried and true"), while refusing to sing the praises of the likes of the Eagles???? One would wonder......

As you say, musical tastes are very subjective....

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You're right John: I know very little about the Pistols and Ramones and could not offer an educated opinion on either band. I only know what I've heard, and though I do own one album by each band, they were bought only because I was captured by the hype. Don't like either of the albums.

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OK, fair enough.

Hmmmm..."hype" for the Ramones? Interesting concept, aside from several critics ranting in reviews for their first 3 albums. I believe their highest charted album "End Of The Century" (produced by Phil Spector, and one of their very worst ever) reached #44 in the Billboard charts. They only had 1 gold LP - a compilation that, I believe went gold after their demise.....so very few were "captured" by the hype...

The Pistols? Yeah, Malcolm McL. hyped them to the stars and back in the UK, then booked them in only run-down craphouses in the South for their only US shows...while "Never Mind The Bollocks" eventually went platinum after about 25 years, it peaked in Billboard at #105 or so when it was released.

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Maybe "hype" isn't the right word. I just remember all my Circus and Hit Parader magazines in the late 1970's always talking about the Ramones. I think it was Lisa Robinson of HP or Patti Smith's writer-husband (can't remember his name) who were the writers.

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Hi Marlene. I just listened to the entire album, and while I think there are about 5 cuts that could have been left off, which would made the album (in my opinion) a solid 5 star album, this is still way more music than I ever expected to hear from the Eagles in 2007. The title track, "Long Road Out of Eden", is 10 minutes worth of Henley/Frey at their political cynical best. Watch next how the next single, "Busy Being Fabulous" climbs the AC and Country charts.

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Tomorrow the 28 year wait ends.

Here's an excerpt from an interview Henley did last week. He mentions that the band will not be touring until possibly next Fall. Instead, he will work on solo material and Frey will be in "Chicago" on Broadway. If you check the link below, Henley mentions that this will likely be their last album.

QUOTE:

We need to get away from each other for a while. We've been locked in a studio...we just need to take a break from each other. We need to give these songs time to sink in. It's a bold and cocky move to go out and open a show with four songs that nobody has ever heard. But I don't' want to make a habit of that. I'd rather have people get familiar with the album. It'll be a lot more fun to play them when there's a sense of recognition coming from the audience instead of puzzlement. We don't have any plans to tour. We've been talking about maybe touring next fall. I've got some solo stuff I want to do. Glenn's stepping into the George Hamilton role in some musical in New York City. That should be interesting. We refer to the group as the mothership. We can go off on our excursions and then we can come back to the mothership."

ENDQUOTE

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/music/article/0,2792,DRMN_54_5733892,00.html

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