Celebration of "Long Road Out of Eden"!

[Funk 50]

When Joe said, earlier this year, that the Eagles had new tracks done, I just assumed that they had wrapped up the unfinished Long Road Out Of Eden tracks, to be included as extra tracks on a near future compilation.

As we approach the end of 2014, I'm sure the Eagles will be under pressure to release anniversary editions of their two monster sellers, Greatest Hits and Hotel California in 2015 and 2016. The fact that there are no unreleased rarities in the vaults isn't much of a obstacle.

They've spent the last few years performing every track from Greatest Hits so they could easily re-release it with a disc of recent live recordings.

The Felder issue could prevent revisiting Hotel California in 2016 but I'm sure they could cobble something together.

2017 is then the 10th anniversary of Long Road Out Of Eden, which would be an ideal opportunity to release those new tracks, Joe mentioned.

I believe the unreleased tracks were finished instrumentally but were just awaiting lyrics so the vocals could be worked on. They've had ample time, since to do that. So it's just a matter of how they'll be released.

It'd be great to have a brand new Eagles album to follow Long Road Out Of Eden but after 7 years, I'll be quite happy with a reissue or compilation, as long as there is some new material on it (but not, One Of These Nights part 1, or Born To Boogie rubbish).

[Jonny Come Lately]

I thought you'd like to know that I picked up a copy of Long Road Out Of Eden this week, and have since uploaded both discs to my iTunes.

I am generally wary of comeback albums and tend to be cynical towards releases by bands late in their careers, which in my experience are defined by weak attempts to recapture their former glory or to keep up with younger bands. Suffice to say that the now infamous 'free gift' U2 album didn't last long on my Apple devices - that album in particular sums up my views of these kind of albums, as both issues are present on it (there was also the minor, insignificant issue of its method of release, but let's not go there...).

However, I am more than happy to make an exception of Long Road Out Of Eden. The first song I heard from the album, about 11 months or so ago, was Waiting In The Weeds, after reading extensive praise for this song I became interested in checking it out. I was impressed with its superb lyrics and beautiful music and vocals. I later checked out How Long, which again impressed me, particularly as it compares well with its 1973 equivalent with the original line up.

Those two are both favourites of mine still. I must admit my favourite sequence of tracks actually stretches across the two discs, starting from Do Something near the end of disc one and ending with Last Good Time In Town on disc two. I am definitely a fan of the ambitious title track, which I consider to be a true epic. I think it's one of the most challenging songs they've ever done, not least down to its length and use of Middle Eastern music - I have no problems listening to long songs though, especially not ones with great lyrics and fantastic guitar work (Walsh's solo is awesome). I Dreamed With No War is worthy of mention too with its beautiful Knopfler-esque guitar, Glenn really did a great job with that one and its Grammy was well deserved.

I know this song is not universally popular, but one I can't stop listening to is Frail Grasp On The Big Picture. I really like its commentary on modern life and I find some of the lyrics humorous - the 'eternal questions' part being the best example. This sort of song definitely appeals to me, as If Dirt Were Dollars is one of my favourites on The End Of The Innocence. I also love the part at the end of the religious verse where the other members come in with the harmony vocals.

Overall my favourite tracks, for now at least, would be:
How Long
Waiting In The Weeds
Do Something
Long Road Out Of Eden
I Dreamed There Was No War
Somebody
Frail Grasp On The Big Picture
Last Good Time In Town

As for the single album or double album issue, I can sympathise with why Don felt it would have been best to release a single album with the less impressive songs removed, but ultimately I have to agree with Glenn - after so many years without a studio album it was only right that they. Besides, the two discs do have their own characters, with disc one mainly featuring old-school country and country rock songs and disc two containing most of the social or political commentary songs.

[Funk 50]

After seven and a half years listening to it, I can judge the tracks by how many times I listen to them rather than how much I like them.

I do listen to Frail Grasp On The Big Picture much more than I thought I would. I've got used to the guitar in the background that never shuts up until the churchy bit.

The title track is undoubtedly an epic but it's a journey I don't really feel like taking all that often.

Center Of The Universe, Business As Usual and Fast Company, along with FGOTBP are the Henley ones I listen too most, Waiting In The Weeds just behind those,

I listen to Joe's Guilty Of The Crime more than Last Good Time In Town (wish it had a snappier title and disappointed that the "Guitar Statement" was just Joe soloing over a verse and chorus) and I listen to all the Glenn Frey tracks a lot. I guess it's just great to have some new Eagles tracks sung by Glenn to listen to.

I'll occasionally stick on a Timmy track, in fact I even enjoyed the track I listen to least, Busy Being Fabulous, they last time I played it.

It really is about time we had a follow up.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

JCL and F50 - Thanks for your comments. I really enjoyed reading them. I love to read posts from fans who have a real appreciation for the band's music.

[sodascouts]

I was just thinking the other day how few bands have comeback albums as strong as LROOE. I wish the band would at least play one track from it on tour!

[Funk 50]

JCL and F50 - Thanks for your comments. I really enjoyed reading them. I love to read posts from fans who have a real appreciation for the band's music.

Thanks, Your Welcome Iabad.

I was totally inspired by Johnny Come Lately's post. I'm moaning that the Eagles haven't released a follow up album after 7 years while JCL is just newly discovering Long Road Out Of Eden.

At least half of what I post comes to me after I've started typing my contribution, so it's always real voyage of discovery for me.

I was just thinking the other day how few bands have comeback albums as strong as LROOE. I wish the band would at least play one track from it on tour!

If Irving judges how successful a venture is by how much money it makes, Long Road Out Of Eden could be deemed a failure in comparison to all their other albums. Even the ones that initially sold very poorly.

Despite being released at the end of October, Long Road Out Of Eden was the 6th highest selling album in the UK in 2007.

1 Back to Black (Amy Winehouse)
2 Spirit (Leona Lewis)
3 Life in Cartoon Motion (Mika)
4 Beautiful World (Take That)
5 Back Home (Westlife)
6 Long Road Out of Eden (Eagles)
7 Yours Truly, Angry Mob (Kaiser Chiefs)
8 Favourite Worst Nightmare (Arctic Monkeys)
9 Shock Value (Timbaland)
10 Good Girl Gone Bad (Rihanna)

[Jonny Come Lately]

Thanks Funk 50, I'm glad you found my previous post inspiring!

I can totally relate to your comment about a lot of what you post coming to you after starting typing, my posts are often like that as well.

Long Road Out Of Eden may have only been the 6th highest selling album in the UK that year but let's have another look at this list:

1 Back to Black (Amy Winehouse)
2 Spirit (Leona Lewis)
3 Life in Cartoon Motion (Mika)
4 Beautiful World (Take That)
5 Back Home (Westlife)
6 Long Road Out of Eden (Eagles)
7 Yours Truly, Angry Mob (Kaiser Chiefs)
8 Favourite Worst Nightmare (Arctic Monkeys)
9 Shock Value (Timbaland)
10 Good Girl Gone Bad (Rihanna)

One of the five albums above the Eagles on this list is by Westlife, a boyband whose appeal was to a rather different demographic - I'd be surprised if many of the people who bought LROOE also acquired this album (I will surprise no one by saying that I certainly don't own any of their music myself). The only other group above them is Take That, who although I would tempted to describe them as a boyband were making more adult pop music by this stage. The top three are all solo artists and were the subject of considerable hype at this time so it's not surprising that they were high up this list. The decline of Amy Winehouse was sad, ultimately leading to her joining the '27 club' alongside the likes of Hendrix and Joplin just four years later, but the other two are names I hear less of nowadays.

By contrast, the Eagles album sold more copies than the albums by two then fairly new UK rock bands, Kaiser Chiefs and the Arctic Monkeys, which isn't bad going. If you discount solo acts then they are third in the list, effectively second (we can discount Westlife I think, but can't ignore Take That).

[Funk 50]

ll.

Long Road Out Of Eden may have only been the 6th highest selling album in the UK that year but let's have another look at this list:

1 Back to Black (Amy Winehouse)
2 Spirit (Leona Lewis)
3 Life in Cartoon Motion (Mika)
4 Beautiful World (Take That)
5 Back Home (Westlife)
6 Long Road Out of Eden (Eagles)

I though making the top six was a fabulous achievement and testament to the Eagles enduring popularity, 28 years after releasing The Long Run.

Mika's had his 15 minutes of fame. Westlife were a successfully marketed boy band. The other 3 albums are all included in the UK's top 40 selling albums all of all time.

http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-...all-time-2288/

1 Back to Black (Amy Winehouse) :: 13
2 Spirit (Leona Lewis) :: 21
4 Beautiful World (Take That) :: 32

And I bet those artists (except AW, of course, RIP) still perform songs from said albums to rapturous response from their audiences.

[chaim]

The Grammy for "I dreamed there was no war" was mentioned. It never ceases to amaze me how Glenn has stepped back as a guitarist and a singer in the Eagles (and Henley is praised as "the" vocalist and Felder/Walsh as the players) yet it seems to be the songs he's heavily involved/associated with that win all the awards!
Glenn - the lesser guitarist - winning a Grammy for his guitar work in the Eagles, how ironic is that? I guess they didn't bother to check who's playing the guitar. Probably thought it was Felder...

Having said that, I'm not a huge fan of IDTWNW, although I'm a huge Glenn fan.

[Freypower]

The Grammy for "I dreamed there was no war" was mentioned. It never ceases to amaze he how Glenn has stepped back as a guitarist and a singer in the Eagles (and Henley is praised as "the" vocalist and Felder/Walsh as the players) yet it seems to be the songs he's heavily involved/associated with that win all the awards!
Glenn - the lesser guitarist - winning a Grammy for his guitar work in the Eagles, how ironic is that? I guess they didn't bother to check who's playing the guitar. Probably thought it was Felder...

Having said that, I'm not a huge fan of IDTWNW, although I'm a huge Glenn fan.

He regained his role as a singer with the LROOE album, fortunately, even if none of the songs are played live any more. All their Grammy awards are for his songs except for Hotel California.