They Still Got It

I know, I know, the last time you listened to the Eagles was either in a grimy country bar or after you told your Dad that you weren't going to listen to Brooks & Dunn so he'd better choose an alternative.
And while "Hotel California" is in the same cryptically epic category as "Stairway to Heaven" and "All Along the Watchtower", the rest of the Eagles discography goes by the wayside.

Fusing country and rock much as Johnny Cash did (but to different generations), the Eagles established the template for guitar heavy melodies, vocal harmony ridden ballades, and the most recognizable band members since the Beatles.

It's the differences of each member that helped fans recognize a certain performer and led to their wildly successful group and solo career(s). Drunken bad boy Joe Walsh, cheesy good guy Glen Fry, singer/drummer (at the same time) Don Henley, and gender confused vocalist Timothy B. Schmit each gave the different component in an era of lead singers and ambiguous back-ups.

After 1977, fans thought that they'd heard the end of the Eagles. In 1999, however, a reunion ensued, showing that 50-some year old men can still pack a high C and sex appeal. 8 years later, greater surprise emerged: these washed up old guys made an album-a damn good album.

The album, Long Road Out of Eden is no last ditch effort for ex-rockers to make money. Instead, it is a fierce 20 song double disc set that explores blues, rock, and country. With singles galore, "How Long" is only the beginning of an Eagles resurgence into radio, TV, and movies.



-Coltrane (Cole) Cheney