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Thread: Joe Vitale

  1. #1
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    Default Joe Vitale

    Hi everyone. Joe Vitale is listed in the credits for Eagles Live for piano organ and drums. I was just wondering if anyone knows what songs he played drums on?

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Joe Vitale

    Joe toured with The Eagles in 1980 so that discounts New Kid In Town, Wasted Time, Take It To The Limit and Doolin-Dalton (Reprise II) / Desperado which were all from 1976 recordings.

    Joe's book, Backstage Pass, has a photo of an Eagles set list with his duties added;

    Hotel California - Percussion
    Already Gone - Drums
    In The City - Piano
    King Of Hollywood - Synth
    Lying Eyes - Drums

    I Can't Tell You Why - Strings
    Desperado - Strings
    Those Shoes - Drums
    Heartache Tonight - Drums
    One Of These Nights - Drums

    Turn To Stone - Drums / Flute
    The Long Run - Percussion
    Life's Been Good - Drums
    Life In The Fast Lane - Drums
    Rocky Mountain Way - Drums

    The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks - Percussion
    Take It Easy - Drums
    The Best Of My Love - Drums


    I'd guess that he's not playing at all on, the acoustic tracks, Saturday Night and Seven Bridges Road, and he's playing drums on All Night Long as he does on Joe's record.

    I reckon The Eagles with Joe Vitale, sound better than the, HFO and beyond Eagles, who had considerably more back-up musicians on stage with them.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Joe Vitale

    Thanks Funk 50, very interesting list. I would have thought he'd have been the one doing organ on The Long Run since I can't believe Glenn, Joe or Don F. would have sacrificed their guitar parts to do it, but perhaps that's where Vince Melamed came in... If only they'd release visual recordings of that era! The only live song I've seen from that era is the handful of seconds they give of Lyin' Eyes on the HOTE doc to demonstrate Timothy's addition.

    (And yes, as much as I like Scott Craigo, I would have loved Joe Vitale to have been asked back as Don H.'s counterpart back in 1994!)

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Joe Vitale

    Vince Melamed played on the Hotel California tour and presumably the songs on Eagles Live that were recorded during that tour. Fascinating to learn that he works as a voice-over artist.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Joe Vitale

    If Vitale was playing drums on songs like Already Gone, Lyin' Eyes, Heartache Tonight, One Of These Nights etc what was Henley doing? They must have had a second, smaller drum kit.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Joe Vitale

    Quote Originally Posted by Freypower View Post
    If Vitale was playing drums on songs like Already Gone, Lyin' Eyes, Heartache Tonight, One Of These Nights etc what was Henley doing? They must have had a second, smaller drum kit.
    They did, visible here behind Joe and Don F. Vitale is left-handed (I think?!) so I can't imagine them playing the same set! Similarly, I can't imagine he was required to do very much on Lyin' Eyes! I'm not sure what to make of the two drummer set up. I have no problem with alternating them so Don H. can do whatever (or one doing percussion as per most of the reunion era) but it doesn't really strike me as an Eagles-y thing to do to have two standard drummers.

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Joe Vitale

    Quote Originally Posted by UndertheWire View Post
    Vince Melamed played on the Hotel California tour and presumably the songs on Eagles Live that were recorded during that tour. Fascinating to learn that he works as a voice-over artist.
    Ah right, cheers. I'm sure you can see someone playing the keyboard Glenn uses on the NKIT footage from the Capitol Center DVD, so might that be him?

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Joe Vitale

    Thanks for the replies. When I listen to Life In The Fast Lane on Eagles Live, especially at the beginning, I can clearly hear 2 snare drums just slightly out of time with each other. Also at the end of the song, it sounds like someone is playing the floor tom beat just like the studio version , over the main beat. I always wondered if this was Henley and Vitale playing at the same time or if that last part was dubbed in.

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