Don Felder and the Eagles

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by coot, Feb 6, 2016.

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  1. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    It is one track. Granted, it is an epic track, but we are talking about a band with a rich, deep catalogue. Eagles Greatest Hits Vol. 1 is the biggest selling album of the 2oth century and the song Hotel California is not on it. That says something about the band's catalogue and enormously popular material released prior to Hotel California.

    Few will deny Felder's important contributions (that included Glenn Frey who was always very complimentary towards Felder's talent), but in some ways, he did play a limited role in the overall creative process. He brought an intriguing piece of music to the Hotel California sessions and Henley and Frey were able to create an epic track around it. Without Henley and Frey, the musical passages that Felder brought in would be forgotten notes on a forgotten cassette in his attic. It was a great track, and clearly without Don Felder, it never would have existed -- but The Eagles were much bigger than one song. Perhaps they would not have been as big as they became because Hotel California clearly was one of their milestones, but by 1976, they were one of the most successful bands in America and considering the wealth and strength of the other material on the Hotel California album, it is safe to conclude that the album (whatever it would have become) would have still been a big seller for what was already a very popular band.
     
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  2. muffmasterh

    muffmasterh Forum Resident

    Location:
    East London U.K
    No not all at I agree with you, if he was 1/3rd of the Eagles inc in law then that is Frey and Henleys responsibility as much as Felders, i did state that its harder to take something away from someone than not having it in the first place.

    I see all sides in the right and in the wrong here. Nobody comes out whiter than white
     
  3. muffmasterh

    muffmasterh Forum Resident

    Location:
    East London U.K
    agreed, Hotel California was their high water mark but still may not have been their best album...
     
  4. muffmasterh

    muffmasterh Forum Resident

    Location:
    East London U.K
    then clearly the potential ramifications of that deal had not been anticipated...however after Felder was fired why did he not lose his share like Bernie & Randy ? ( maybe there was a no sacking clause ? )
     
  5. Say It Right

    Say It Right Not for the Hearing Impaired

    Location:
    Niagara Falls
    Frey exaggerated the success of his solo career. Frey had some hits from "Miami Vice" and "Beverly Hills Cop" but he was not the star that Henley was after the breakup.
     
  6. MidnightRocks

    MidnightRocks Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ireland
    I do believe that the song Hotel California maintains the band in the public eye to a certain extent in 2016. It remains a sort of break out song.
     
  7. muffmasterh

    muffmasterh Forum Resident

    Location:
    East London U.K
    totally agree, and he effectively downplays Walsh's non eagles profile too, however he was right that he and Henley were the core of the group, but whether it was the decent thing to do to give them the bigger cut is open to debate, as i have said I see both sides of the coin on that....the fact that the deal seems to have only to eaten away at Felder speaks well for Walsh and Schmidt ( and others that re-joined up later if that still applied ) rather than necessarily ill of Felder, although nonetheless Felder does come across, as Geffen ironically said of Henley, " a ( serial ) malcontent "
     
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  8. muffmasterh

    muffmasterh Forum Resident

    Location:
    East London U.K
    yes of course as it is their most famous track, but it was not their breakout song, in fact it was almost the opposite, it was more like the start of their swansong, their breakdown track
     
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  9. krlpuretone

    krlpuretone Forum Resident

    Location:
    Grantham, NH
    What iconic classic rock song has Jeff Beck ever appeared on though? I like Beck, but technical virtuosity does not equal lasting impressions.

    You can't use his own successful song as an argument against Felder simply because other people can play it.

    Was he mistreated? Probably.

    Was it a personal agenda or a cash grab by Frey and Henley? Anecdotal evidence in the bios and documentary suggest it was probably both.
     
  10. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    Not to extend this sidetrack too far with an extensive list, but since only one is needed to answer the question: "Shapes of Things".
     
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  11. longaway

    longaway Senior Member

    Location:
    Charlotte, NC, USA
    "I want to sing lead on this song I wrote, Victim of Love."
    "No."

    25 years later

    "The guy didn't want to pull his weight. He didn't even sing lead on any songs!"


    Or


    "We're a company now! We sing Eagles songs, and you're a partner!"

    20 years later

    "we're singing Eagles songs again, with the same people, but we made a different company to do it without telling anyone. SIGN THE FREAKING CONTRACT OR GET OUT!!!!!"
     
  12. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    He did lose his shares (there was an attempted buy-out), and that is one of the reasons why he sued Henley and Frey. Bernie and Randy quit, and it appears they were content with selling back their shares and making a clean break from The Eagles. Felder on the other hand, was fired, begged to be reinstated, and then was sent checks for his shares once he was no longer in the band, which he refused to negotiate (cash).
     
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  13. MidnightRocks

    MidnightRocks Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ireland
    Bad choice of words on my part, I mean that Hotel California is like their break out song in 2016. It's the song that gets them a little mainstream cultural exposure today. At least on this side of the ocean.
     
  14. muffmasterh

    muffmasterh Forum Resident

    Location:
    East London U.K
    no question, we live on the same side of the pond, it is the song that remains most associated with them today.
     
  15. muffmasterh

    muffmasterh Forum Resident

    Location:
    East London U.K
    yes probably, but did Felder also contribute to the situation ? also probably, it would seem that they all deserved each other.

    Jeff Beck is a poor comparison though, did Felder have any success with a " Don Felder Group " .......er no.
     
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  16. muffmasterh

    muffmasterh Forum Resident

    Location:
    East London U.K
    as an aside, when confronted with the Geffen comment again Henley couldn't let it lie, when someone screws you over and b*tch sl*ps your missus ( when she was 8 months pregnant ) in that case then " yes I am a malcontent " :eek:
     
  17. MidnightRocks

    MidnightRocks Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ireland
    I recently watched a couple of interviews with Felder including the one on Howard Stern and he seems like a nice reasonable, relaxed guy.

    Frey and Henley in the documentary come over as angry, unhappy bullies IMO.

    Kinda can't help liking Felder for maybe being the one guy who put one over on Frey and Henley!
     
  18. egebamyasi

    egebamyasi Forum Resident

    Location:
    Worcester, MA
    Maybe he's the lucky one. He was there when it mattered, co-wrote the biggest song and then cashed out and no longer had to deal with the supreme leaders. He probably misses the live gigs but there could always be an After The Thrill Is Gone tour with Meisner and Leadon.
     
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  19. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    I don't think Felder got one over on Henley and Frey. There is often a misconception that because he filed an initial lawsuit and because the parties ultimately settled that he won his lawsuit and was victorious. There were counterclaims filed by Henley and Frey. The litigation dragged out for a couple of years. We don't know which parties were more inclined to settle and who compromised the most. The reality is he never got his day in court, he did not win his lawsuit. Felder was certainly entitled to compensation and it is only right that he received something for his shares in Eagles Ltd. But it is pure speculation to conclude that he received a windfall. That said, I do agree that Henley and Frey likely paid him more than they wanted to, and more than they felt he was entitled to. In the end, while he seems content with his financial package (whatever that ultimately was), it appears Felder realizes his place in the band was worth more than money. They all lost something.
     
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  20. MikeVielhaber

    MikeVielhaber Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    I was talking to a friend recently who is quite a bit younger than me. I'm only 30, myself, so the Eagles are before my time but I'm also a huge classic rock fan. Well this friend likes more contemporary music and not rock so much. I asked if she knew the Eagles because it was the same day that Frey died. She said yes, she thinks so. I played Take It Easy, figuring surely she'd know it. She didn't. So I said how about Hotel California and she said yes, I know that song. Didn't even have to hear it.
     
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  21. dadonred

    dadonred Life’s done you wrong so I wrote you all this song

    Location:
    Austin, TX
    Agree. However, IMO neither Henley's nor Frey's solo work holds up; both sound dated and I rarely listen to them.

    For that matter, every time I reach for Hotel California the album, I play Victim of Love, not Hotel California the song. It's like having watched a movie too many times - you know every line, how it ends, and it's a little long. (As you can see, my listening skills have become very digital rather than the whole CD straight through.)
     
  22. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    My impression from a late 90's show was that Felder and TBS were the musicians in the lineup, the ones solely responsible for making it sound like a band. Henley and Frey contributed very little instrumentally. Walsh was basically there to sing his own numbers and do schtick.
     
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  23. Bellagio Insider

    Bellagio Insider Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Untrue, Glenn was the other lead guitarist before he brought Felder into the group for two songs on their third album and Henley is a very underrated drummer. Both were crucial to the sound of the Eagles.

    Felder should have taken the deal when he had the chance (Walsh and Schmit did). He blew it and regretted it very much but it was too little too late. His book was just sour grapes, imo.
     
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  24. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    Yes, and Henley was the drummer, but by the reunion tours they'd largely stopped caring.
     
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  25. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    Not to my understanding. Frey was not much of a guitarist, hence hiring Felder and then Walsh later on. Henley is an average drummer at best.
     
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