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Thread: Discussion of Eagles Documentary "History of the Eagles"

  1. #51
    Stuck on the Border TimothyBFan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eagles Documentary DVD

    Along that line also, I found it interesting when Glenn was talking about the tapes that Don F use to give them all the time with nothing but guitar riffs. He sounded almost disgusted by it but obviously they did listen to them all because that's how HC came about.
    He sings it high, he plays it low

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    Stuck on the Border VAisForEagleLovers's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eagles Documentary DVD

    Yes, and by all accounts, Joe basically wrote his parts of HC. In the documentary Felder said that Joe said, "I think we need to have something like this..." The 'this' is a major part of the song, in my opinion, and yet Joe doesn't have song-writing credit. It's all very confusing to those of us who just really like a song without needing to break it down to pieces and analyze it before knowing we like it.
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    Out on the Border AftertheThrill's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eagles Documentary DVD

    Quote Originally Posted by VAisForEagleLovers View Post
    I have to say, I was disappointed that Glenn added that the guitar Felder smashed was his cheapest guitar, and the derisive tone he used. Like it would make more sense to smash an expensive or well-loved guitar? Maybe only a guy can think like that? Whatever his reasoning, it would have been best left unsaid IMO.
    From Felder's book:

    "Typical of you to break your cheapest f***ing guitar," Glenn told me"

    I guess it was a big point in the story. I do admit that the tone in Glenn and Don's voices when discussing Felder is a little surprising. I don't think either party is innocent in the Felder Vs Frey/Henley problems but to actually hear it in their voices is amazing.

  4. #54
    Border Desperado RebeccaLovesEagles's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by VAisForEagleLovers View Post
    Since seeing Glenn at the songwriter's event at NYU, and listening to some of his interviews, particularly with Art of the Song, where he talks so much about songwriting, I've realized that people who write songs, at least good ones, have a different idea about what songwriting entails. He talked a lot about chord progressions in his interviews and I'll be honest, it was like he was speaking Greek. A friend of mine, who is a musician, told me he feels the same way when I start my 'techno babble.'

    In the movie last night, regarding VOL and wondering why Felder had thought he should sing it, Don mentioned that Felder didn't bring them the complete song. He said there were no lyrics or even a melody, just chord progressions. I assume that whatever a chord progression is, it's like a foundation for a house? The lyrics and melody are the structure and siding? If this is all true, I have to wonder why Felder has the prime songwriting credit. I guess this chord progression-thing is pretty important, and I feel like an uninformed bozo that I can't figure this out. I love music and always have, but until recently have never given any thought to how a song comes together, and so how anyone could hand something over that has no melody or lyrics and still be given song-writing credit, let alone primary, baffles me to no end. Does anybody have any insight or ideas on where I could get enough of an education on this to at least understand what the heck Don was talking about?


    Usually the primary song writer is to the person who starts the song/music whether it is music or lyrics because no matter how much other people add to it via lyrics or extra riffs, it was that 1st part that started the collaboration and got the muse going. Glen and Don love painting lyrics on musical canvas. When they'd hear the right piece of music sometimes the lyrics would just come whether it was music by DF (HC or VOL) or Joe Walsh (LITFL).

    Now as to whether DF should have expected to sing it or not it is debatable. The one thing the doc didn't touch one is that DF was made a full member and partner in the band by Glenn Frey and the other members agreed. He wasn't just brought in to be a sideman so by that right if everyone else is given a chance to sing and originally everyone had at least on lead on an album, it might not have been that outlandish for him to think that VOL would be his. The band did let him try to sing it so if they were really dead against why have even given him that chance and he had sung Visions on OOTN.

    That's the one thing about the whole Don Felder saga I never really understood. Why did DH and GL make him a full member/partner if they just wanted a guitarist? Don F had been being a side man for a while and probably would have joined them as just a member if they had asked like (JW and TS) did. It seems to me if you make someone a partner you'd understand them wanting to be a part of the decisions. I know I would but then again all of this is just my own opinion and questions.

    You know you have some delicious bugs here about on the Mississippi... Extra Protein thank you very much!!!!-Don Henley- At the St. Louis, MO concert June 2010.

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    Stuck on the Border Topkat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eagles Documentary DVD

    I was also surprised at how Felder became an Eagle. He said he did a session with them for about 3 hours & the next day Glenn called him & invited him to join the band. Apparently, they must have been quite impressed with his guitar playing to ask him to join the band that soon. He had known Bernie, but it seems like he had just met the rest of the band. It all happened very fast & it seems that he & Glenn never got along on a personal level.

    As for the songwriting, the chord progression is what Felder did best, & that was his strength. Each of them had different strengths in music & putting them together is what made the songs so great.
    You can take a music theory class like Don did, but apparently he flunked it in college, so go figure??? I do think there is a formula to writing a great song, but many times it just "happens". I do think that the songwriting does originate from the music, but what do I know?

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    Stuck on the Border VAisForEagleLovers's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eagles Documentary DVD

    Quote Originally Posted by Topkat View Post
    As for the songwriting, the chord progression is what Felder did best, & that was his strength.
    Maybe because I don't play guitar I find I'm lost on what this strength is all about. Glenn talks in other interviews about the songs he admires because of great chord progressions and just scratch my head. Hearing him talk about such things clued me in that perhaps the first verse of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah was about chord progressions.

    I've heard there was a secret chord
    That David played, and it pleased the Lord
    But you don't really care for music, do you?
    It goes like this
    The fourth, the fifth
    The minor fall, the major lift
    The baffled king composing Hallelujah


    I always thought the man was just demented, but perhaps this makes sense to some people after all. I vaguely recall discussing 'chords' in my high school music class, but to someone who just sat at a piano and played music with a melody it never made any sense to me. Obviously, it still doesn't.
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    Moderator Ive always been a dreamer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eagles Documentary DVD

    Wow - I don't know where to start. My expections were exceeded by the film. I got what I was expecting and more. Now, that's not to say that it was perfect. As some of you mentioned - it is definitely dominated by Glenn and Don H., some of the footage doesn't match the time period being discussed, there wasn't a lot in there that I didn't already know, etc., but I was not really surprised by any of this. I still loved it and relished the new tidbits that I didn't know or had never seen.

    As far as Felder, he was brought into the band as an equal member, the same as Randy and Bernie. As a matter of fact, it was Glenn that insisted on it. Back in the day, they were young and naive and believed they could all be equals. However, within a few short years, it became obvious that equality in the band was not practical or possible. They tried to rectify that when they regrouped in '94 by restructuring Felder's contract, but he, obviously, wasn't happy with that either. It seems to me that Felder was the one band member that just could never accept that Frey and Henley were the main players in the group, for better or worse.

    As far as the songwriting process - I've heard both Frey and Henley (and other songwriters too) say many times that the songs come all kinds of ways - sometimes the words come first, sometimes it's the music, sometimes it's the melody. There doesn't seem to be a formula for writing a great song.

    "People don't run out of dreams: People just run out of time ..."
    Glenn Frey 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016

  8. #58
    Border Desperado RebeccaLovesEagles's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eagles Documentary DVD

    Quote Originally Posted by AftertheThrill View Post
    From Felder's book:

    "Typical of you to break your cheapest f***ing guitar," Glenn told me"

    I guess it was a big point in the story. I do admit that the tone in Glenn and Don's voices when discussing Felder is a little surprising. I don't think either party is innocent in the Felder Vs Frey/Henley problems but to actually hear it in their voices is amazing.
    The voice tones actually helped add to the honest feeling of the documentary. It was nice not to hear the usual restraint. Lol It was interesting to hear DH who is usually so articulate and proper talking as a younger man. The swearing and the comments made me giggle.

    I just loved this documentary tonight can not come soon enough

    LOL BTW- I finally hit my 100th post. I am finally a Desperado, I can never leave this grouping. I love being a Desperado.

    You know you have some delicious bugs here about on the Mississippi... Extra Protein thank you very much!!!!-Don Henley- At the St. Louis, MO concert June 2010.

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    Stuck on the Border Topkat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eagles Documentary DVD

    Quote from I've Always Been a Dreamer
    As far as Felder, he was brought into the band as an equal member, the same as Randy and Bernie. As a matter of fact, it was Glenn that insisted on it. Back in the day, they were young and naive and believed they could all be equals. However, within a few short years, it became obvious that equality in the band was not practical or possible. They tried to rectify that when they regrouped in '94 by restructuring Felder's contract, but he, obviously, wasn't happy with that either. It seems to me that Felder was the one band member that just could never accept that Frey and Henley were the main players in the group, for better or worse.
    I'm not so sure about that. I mean these are the reasons that both Bernie & Randy quit the band. The equal partner thing never really worked in reality. Don H & Glenn pretty much took over control of the band leaving the others with little input. I don't think Felder was the only one who couldn't accept that Don & Glenn were the main players. Bernie felt his input was not considered when the band began changing direction, & Randy, well he was feeling the pressure of singing lead on TITTL & he & Glenn were at odds much of the time. I do think that Glenn kind of pushed him out. That is the feeling I got from reading some of the books on them.

    I mean if a partnership is "equal" & then it turns out to be not so equal, what can you expect? I mean from what I read, Henley & Frey also battled each other for control of the band. (This part of the story has been conveniently left out of the story, but there were times they were not speaking to each other)
    I do believe that some of this is what I call "selective memory". This is pretty much all Don & Glenn's story.

  10. #60
    Border Desperado RebeccaLovesEagles's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eagles Documentary DVD

    Quote from I've Always Been a Dreamer
    Quote:
    As far as Felder, he was brought into the band as an equal member, the same as Randy and Bernie. As a matter of fact, it was Glenn that insisted on it. Back in the day, they were young and naive and believed they could all be equals. However, within a few short years, it became obvious that equality in the band was not practical or possible. They tried to rectify that when they regrouped in '94 by restructuring Felder's contract, but he, obviously, wasn't happy with that either. It seems to me that Felder was the one band member that just could never accept that Frey and Henley were the main players in the group, for better or worse.

    Quote Originally Posted by Topkat View Post
    Quote from I've Always Been a Dreamer


    I'm not so sure about that. I mean these are the reasons that both Bernie & Randy quit the band. The equal partner thing never really worked in reality. Don H & Glenn pretty much took over control of the band leaving the others with little input. I don't think Felder was the only one who couldn't accept that Don & Glenn were the main players. Bernie felt his input was not considered when the band began changing direction, & Randy, well he was feeling the pressure of singing lead on TITTL & he & Glenn were at odds much of the time. I do think that Glenn kind of pushed him out. That is the feeling I got from reading some of the books on them.

    I mean if a partnership is "equal" & then it turns out to be not so equal, what can you expect? I mean from what I read, Henley & Frey also battled each other for control of the band. (This part of the story has been conveniently left out of the story, but there were times they were not speaking to each other)
    I do believe that some of this is what I call "selective memory". This is pretty much all Don & Glenn's story.
    I kind of got the same feeling. They started to regret the whole equal idea and then pressure would build until a member fell out. I guess the only problem was that although Felder complained he never quit.


    Is anyone else looking forward to seeing Joe's transformation tonight? He was so articulate last night and has come such a long way. I'm pretty sure i'm going to need Kleenex tonight.
    Last edited by RebeccaLovesEagles; 02-16-2013 at 03:49 PM.

    You know you have some delicious bugs here about on the Mississippi... Extra Protein thank you very much!!!!-Don Henley- At the St. Louis, MO concert June 2010.

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