A year on from Glenn Freys death and the effective demise of the legendary 70s group The Eagles and it still amazes me the hatred of the Eagles particularity some tacky, tasteless and provocative articles published immediately after eulogising the band with an disturbingly intense feeling. At first I wasn't a fan of the smooth sound of Lyin Eyes and Tequila Sunrise, but Freys sensitive vocals full of darker, complex thoughts of self examination and doubt belied the supposed cockiness or smugness and cut through the glorious array of strummed acoustic guitars. Lyrically I always thought the songs were all about insecurity and doubt laying bare the macho veneer, which is why at 21 the band got to me particularly After coming of age in the time gangster rap music clichéd bragging and threats. While their slick thickly layered production was inspired by Hi Records and Willie Mitchells' Memphis soul of the 70s with The Eagles it didn't work and opened them up to a whole host of criticism. I admit I wasn't a fan of the three guitar sound they were going, one guitarist as Jimmy Page proved, if you listen to the Glynn Johns' album's he balanced the tracks more evenly. To me the hard rock of Outlaw Man, Witchy Woman and even the guitars of Chug All Night are more raw then the later Joe Walsh records. Their early days were the best when they had personality, edge and identity. The original lineup to me were magical; a four piece bar band that sounded huge like a heavenly down home choir with the strongest backing vocals and a good mix of acoustic and electric dynamics. They mixed a the laidback beat if 70s soul with doo wop harmonies, folk rock easiness, country lead vocals, r n b intensity and pop songwriting.
Even as we enter the mid 70s towards their peak the album cuts are what should do them justice over the overplayed hit singles, their greatest hits were arguably the band's setlist for almost forty years, understandably beating their lush crafted soft rock into the ground considering it was also the highest selling album of all time for a decades. The ennui, disillusionment so heart achingly rendered by Frey's subtle complex vocals in songs like After the Thrill is Gone and Ol 55 or songs like Hollywood Waltz shows a deeper band than the titles of the most famous songs; the irony was that there was nothing ever that easy about their music that was the point they were making. While some of the hard rock didnt always work and some of the ballads were just to laidback and too streamlined they managed to show off their soulful side and discontented vibe quite often such as Wasted Time, Victim of Love, I Can't Tell You Why and Sad Cafe off their latter albums when Mr Frey took a step back from vocal duties. Sadly their focus on perfection meant their music carried a all too flawless sheen that put off many listeners too and cloaked the self critical words buried within not to mention the melancholic vocals that often accompanied them. So long, lonesome ranger you made life a little easier for some of us ;)
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