I have always loved the Eagles, but over the last few years, when I became aware of each man's individual voice and became completely transfixed by Don's voice in general, I have been trying to put my finger on exactly what it is about his voice that is so mesmerizing. Also, as a writer, I love words and appreciate a really good turn of phrase, especially when reviewers don't go for the old "Eagles Soar Again" line and write something original.
So, here are a couple of quotes that I really like:
From the Liverpool Daily Post, 6-28-06:
"With their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 still America's biggest selling album, it would be easy to write off the Eagles as little more than a corporate juggernaut. They're a good deal more than that: gifted purveyors of a genre few groups have been slick enough to match. Co-founder Don Henley may be a few pounds heavier and a lot older, but he still possesses the most haunting voice in rock music."
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From The Straits Times, Singapore, 10-20-04:
"It was still unmistakeably Henley. No other rock voices boasts that distinctive power-racked rasp which is the vocal equivalent of tarnished silver--a precious metal tainted to yeild to its own beauty. Just to hear that legendary instrument sing about that infamous dark desert highway was a journey of light itself."
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From the Twickenham Times, 6-20-06
"Those harmoniously meticulous meditations set the tone for a one-hour opening set that gathered together most of the songs associated with the classic Eagles sound. Leading from behind his drumkit, Don Henley and the band locked into a groove on the sultry, soulful 'One of These Nights.' A few songs later, when he donned a guitar for his flower-power requiem 'Boys of Summer,' scenes of boomer mayhem greeted its opening chords."
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(As a full-fledged baby-boomer myself, that last one made me laugh. )