Eagles (1974) Already Gone - LOST 70s GEMS

With each album the Eagles chose a different genre, the 72 self titled debut was breezy California country rock, Desperado was a more ballad and folk based, One of These Nights was their ultimate soft rock collection, Hotel California was built around more piano and keyboard songs and The Long Run was a soulful arena rock album; third album, On The Border was their stab at hard rock. This the opening track and lead single signalled their intentions of beefing up their California sound with less acoustic guitars and more chugging rock n roll lines and while it's a buried mix the track still powers along with Glenn Frey's clear vocals. It starts with a killer guitar line by new member Don Felder who also engages Frey in an exuberant duel in the middle of the song playing with ecstatic flair alternating between a prolonged string bend and a more country blues trickle of notes.

 Carrying more bite than before as Frey shrugs off a girlfriend who is already about to dump him, the key to the song is in the soothing bridge as Frey turns around from the heavy bravado of the verses/choruses with a heartfelt sentiment that he wasn't completely without blame achingly prescribing to his ex that 'Heaven knows' it wasn't her who let him down.
 What starts out as a brash adolescent breakup song ends in a more mature statement that 'Often times it happens, that we live our lives in chains and we never even knew we held the key' before one round of the rousing countrified chorus of' 'I'm Already Gone, and I'm feelin strong! I will sing my Victory song!'. The song was mixed very well by producer Bill Symzcyks, he correctly emphasises the country pop vocal harmonies in the bridge and chorus while letting the heavy rock drive the verses. It's an astounding mix of pop and rock and rootsy country vibes to create a heavy country rock sound the band was after though the success f their Greatest Hits collection suggests the semi acoustic country rock of their first two records and One of These Nights was the more popular combination. Though this proves to be their most underrated single only reaching no 32 unlike their many chart topping hits