Don Felder and the Eagles

I like Felder and enjoyed his book, but have a different impression of the History documentary.

I believe it showed how Henley and especially Frey knew what was best for the Eagles, and to0k the necessary actions to keep the band on track. It wasn't always pretty, but they were probably right. I'm not defending how Frey's went about interacting with various band members, but anyone who's seen them live knows he's the strong bandleader.

 

Meisner was a real laid-back guy who didn't like the pressure of how high profile the band was getting. He didn't like the spotlight, preferring to just sing harmony. When he left the band and Schmit replaced him, leaving Poco, Meisner rejoined Poco. He has never regretted leaving the band at the point he did. He was more interested in a laid-back lifestyle and raising a family. That's not what Frey and Henley were up to. Felder, in his book, was partly jealous of Meisner's (and Leadon's) conviction to lead private and musical lives more consistent with their own desires. Felder acknowledges that the money he was getting from being part of The Eagles was a real driving force, and laments that he kept at it in spite of knowing what it was doing to him emotionally and to his marriage, as well as compromising his ability to branch out and explore musically.

 

It seems they were willing to share the proceeds when they were young but it's really Glenn and Don's band and somewhere along they decided it wasn't fair to them to split it with Felder. The two of them could have reunited the Eagles with NO other members and it would be successful. Joe Walsh is a bigger draw. Should he get a bigger share then Felder? They are all right to fight for what they believer they deserve but it looks like Felder was outvoted two to one. Sure, he co-wrote Hotel California but he still makes a ton of money for it. This probably would have happened to The Beatles if they got back together.

 

It does. Meisner was not nearly as driven as Henley and Grey and they could see the signs. Henley and Frey were also trying to go much more rock and roll and away from the country sound, whereas Leadon kept trying to keep the country sound intact. It was why Henley and Frey fired producer Glyn Johns during the recording off On The Border. Johns was with Leadon on keeping the country sound. Henley and Frey wanted none of it.

Felder, on the other hand, was an accomplished guitarist, hugely capable as a rock player. He brought some serious rock chops to the band.

When Walsh joined, even though he became a hugely identifiable sound of the band, Henley and Frey kept him as a hired hand.

 

But Meisner and Leadon were in the band from the beginning while Felder only joined on their fourth record. The band would have been a four way partnership at the start, then they cut Felder in, but when Meisner and Leadon left they were replaced by salaried employees. That's why there ended up being three partners at the end. It's not because Leadon and Meisner were never partners. If they werent, there's no way Frey and Henley would have cut Felder in.

 

That doesn't change the fact that Felder wasn't there at the beginning. He joined a very successful band. Yes, they became even more successful after he joined, but they were already quite successful before he entered the picture.

Even though Walsh wan't a 'partner' in the Eagles, he has had a much more successful career outside of the Eagles than Felder. When Walsh joined the Eagles he was a big name, was Felder?

 

The Eagles were basically Frey and Henley. The rest of the band, no matter how important at times, were supporting characters along the way.

At the end of "The Eagles" v1.0 and v1.1, the only members of the band to have hit songs and albums were Frey and Henley. Joe Walsh had a few, but not even Joe had the radio and MTV coverage that both Frey and Henley had.

When Eagles v2.0 was begat, how many fans do you think would have not gone to the concerts or bought the albums if Don Felder had not been included? NOT MANY

People wanted to hear the Eagles and to most of the world, the Eagles were Frey and Henley. SHF members know how the others had their important parts in the groups history, but Joe Blow on the street probably could not name all of the other Eagles back through history, including Timothy Schmitt and Don Felder.

Just like Doug Clifford and Stu Cook from CCR, Henderson/Millings/Harrison and Wrixon [from Them], Pete Best (on a smaller scale), and other band members that played behind a super star or super stars in an original group, there are a handful of fans that will defend them to the end, but in the large scale of the music world, they are sadly footnotes.

Glenn Frey did his best to keep the Eagles alive in the minds of the public, and he did a damn good job at it. And for those who complain about the ticket prices, those tickets all sold and if your employer offered you more money for the job you were doing, would you turn it down?

I wonder if Creedence Clearwater Revisited could get $300 a seat?

 

Yeah, but that doesn't really explain things. And you're wrong. It was originally the five of them until Leadon and Meisner quit then it was just the three while Walsh and Schmit were hired guns.

 

All 7 official members spilt the profits equally during their time in the band up until the first breakup. Walsh and Schmit were not owners though

 

The band was awful (though still successful) after Felder left. Long Road Out of Eden is a 90-minute snoozefest, and their live shows without Felder were sterile and neutered.

 

It's not about who was more famous when they joined the band. It's about who was made a legal partner and who wasn't. Felder had legal grounds to fight for his fair share, Walsh did not.

 

Did you see the last tour with Bernie Leadon? Far from sterile and neutered.

 

Felder's guitar added an edge to their sound they did not have prior to his recruitment and, honestly, have not possessed since his departure: Walsh is simply not a nasty guitarist...all due respect to Frey but to hear him in the History of the Eagles documentarym insinuate that, in soliciting agreements to enact the Hell Freezes Over tour, Felder was the ******* is disingenuous at best and self-serving at worst....and if Henley rehires him (or Leadon for that matter) it's another cover band deluxe, a la recent day Who and Allman Brothers

 

Are you talking about the years The Eagles were dormant? If so, then I totally disagree.

 

I have three friends who went (separately) last summer when that tour came to town. They all say the show was a letdown.

I've seen the Farewell Tour DVD a few times, and I see four old rich guys, with hired guns in tow, going through the motions.

 

"Alpha" is getting way overused in recent years, primarily said by jagoffs trying to excuse their childish behavior.

Another one is "living the dream", which Frey used.

Chuck alpha, living the dream, just sayin and " Really? Really!" into the ash heap of fad dialog history.

 

Meisner missed his family and didn't like the way he was treated.
Rather telling in The History of the Eagles when Glen gets on his case when he might not have wanted to do his high solo onTake it to the Limit a few times on tour. Glen has no sympathy for the fact that his voice might have broke that night and Randy should be the one making the call on whether his voice will hold up and he performs that incredibly high ending. Glen still had admosity towards him to this day with his comments and tone of voice

I saw the History of the Eagles tour in NOLA several years ago. Frey apologizes for having a terrible cold, and sounded like it. He sang anyway. The $how mu$t go on

But the telling thing was that Glen felt he was making a clear case for what a legacy he and Don were and to lessen the impact the other band members had. To endure and put up with the sideshow tolerance. We write the songs (yes dummy and you two get all those writing credits too). The other's weren't given the opportunity much. Everything is for the best of the Eagles. Ask Bill Wyman about royalties.


Why were Bernie, Randy, Don, Timothy and Joe not give the "I grew up in...." backstory? It it's the film makers pushes it along to get to the juicy stuff, great. If it is D&W dictating what gets covered - quite telling

 

I gotta agree there, they were never much in spontaneity even in their heyday but seeing them all lined up with their acoustic guitars, going through one of these nights note for note, not my idea of a hoot

 

On the Randy Meisner thing, Glenn was totally right in saying people come to hear the hits and you've got to deliver.

 

I'm not so sure there can be NO Eagles without Frey. That would be like saying there could be no Doobie Brothers without Tom Johnston. But there was and for some they were bigger than ever (not me, I hated the MM sound). Not saying they would still full arenas, but they would still do very well.

 

Walsh certainly was a well known and popular artist when he joined the Eagles, Felder was not. Is that a point that you're gonna try to dispute?

It seems pretty clear to me that Walsh fit in and got along better much better with Henley and Frey than Felder did.

I don't know all of the specifics about why Felder was made a partner and Walsh wasn't. However, I have a strong suspicion that by the late 70's Frey and Henley would have preferred to have made Walsh a partner and Felder a 'hired hand'.

 

Being a Superstar is not for everyone. Glad he went back to Poco. Frankly, over the long term Poco was better. I'll take Poco over the Eagles in every iteration and that's not to say I don't love the Eagles music. But I'll also take PPL, QMS, NGDB, and others. I guess I would have taken Bernie's side had I been there!

 

Well the Doobie Brothers were only like 5 years into their career at the time and still a relevant band in contemporary music at the time. It doubt it works quite as well 40+ years in.

 

I see your point regarding the live setting. The shows could be more lively and I concur Felder's presence would've helped that in recent years (although I did like the 2010 tour quite a bit).

They let Joe rock out for a few songs, but I wish they'd let him play something other than "Rocky Mountain Way", "Life's Been Good" or "Funk 49". Those were really getting stale.

 

Felder was with the band when they formed Eagles Ltd. I guess following that inception they decided not to accept any new members. At least by the time Walsh joined.