The Eagles

By Chris Smith

WHEN: 1971 – ongoing

CULPRITS: Glen Frey (vocals, guitars, keyboards, harmonica), Don Henley (vocals, drums, percussion, guitar), Joe Walsh (guitars, vocals, keyboards), Timothy B. Schmit (bass guitar, guitar, vocals) / Former members: Bernie Leadon (vocals, guitars, banjo, mandolin), Randy Meisner (vocals, bass, guitar)

ALBUMS: Eagles (1972); Desperado (1973); On the Border (1974); One of These Nights (1975); Hotel California (1976); The Long Run (1979); Long Road Out of Eden (2007)

HOW: The Eagles are a classic American band that have left a lasting impression on the music industry. I grew up listening to a lot of music from the 1970s-80s, and the Eagles were probably the band that I was raised on the most. Both my mom and my dad loved them, and I therefore found myself thoroughly enjoying their music from a young age. I honestly cannot think of a time that I did not have a steady diet of them in my music library. Even when I began to think more for myself in terms of music, I would always include the Eagles in my list of favorites. I even love their music enough that on two separate trips to California I have stopped in Winslow, Arizona, to pay homage to the song ‘Take It Easy.”

WHY: The Eagles are a group that can whet your appetite on a few different levels: their early music can be classified as country rock while their later albums are decidedly more rock-based, and then their latest album is again more country based. Don Henley has one of the more consistent voices I have heard from a singer; his voice sounds almost perfect in every song, both on albums and live. He and Glen Frey are awesome songwriters and when they team up, they are bound to produce some solid music. Instrumentally, the band is also very good. While their music is really not complicated, they are great at making it sound amazing. Even though their voices blend together so well and sound great, they still let their music speak for itself in their songs, too.

SONGS: Putting a playlist together was not very difficult, to be completely honest. After putting the songs together, I looked at their “Best Of” albums and I hit most of the songs on both of them. I did not include songs from any of their live albums (including “Hotel California” from Hell Freezes Over, which is amazing), but if you enjoy any of their original stuff you should most definitely check out their live performances.  I cannot really think of much that I did not include because I was able to include a great span of their career on this list. As far as the order goes, I tried to put them in a good flow and not really in any specific order. I think this order will introduce you to them in a solid way. Enjoy.

LINK: Click on the list below to check out The Eagles on Lala.com!

_____________________________

Chris Smith spends his time serving up steaming cups of coffee at an It’s A Grind coffee house in Austin, Texas. When not at the coffee shop, he enjoys tossing frisbees around, spending too much time in book stores, and finding new TV shows to watch on Hulu. He is also somewhat obsessed with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Batman.

~ by Brad East on October 15, 2009.