Long Road Out of Eden
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Free Music Notes for Long Road Out of Eden
Free Music Review: The Good and the Bad
Hit: 2 Stars
I purchased this double CD a couple of days after it hit the Walmart shelves. I was a big fan of the Eagles back in the 70s, when the band was still very much a Country Rock outfit, a band born of the sounds of the Byrds. The Eagles were an infinitely more popular version of the Flying Burrito Brothers, which featured Bernie Leadon along with former Byrds Chris Hillman and Graham Parsons, as well as pedal steel wizard Sneaky Pete. I note those things so that it is clear I do not come to this review as one who recently discovered the Eagles, or even discovered them when Joe Walsh replaced Bernie Leadon, or even discovered them when One of These Nights came to dominate the charts.
There are two great things about Long Road Out of Eden: (1) its massive sales at Walmart alone proved that recording artists can bypass the now bloated, even musically hostile, music industry, make their won contracts with retailers, and do well financially; (2) it is defintely superior to The Long Run, which still sounds to me like a series of outtakes (some disspirited performances and some half finished songs, some songs that ring as pale imitations of past work, some that seem desperate to 'be hits') from One of These Nights and Hotel California.
Over the long run, #1 above easily will prove the more important. My hope is that Walmart and Target both work similar deals with various recording artists, which should help free music from the tentacles of corporate board room that at the least emasculates it in the process of homogenization.
The bad about Long Road Out of Eden is that it easily is only the 6th best of 7 Eagles studio albums of new material. To be fair, considering how awful 'rock' is today, how simultaneously perverse and teeny-bopper MTV/VH1 is, as well as how cliched and poppy 'official' Nashville Country has become, the 5th best all time Eagles record is still better than almost everything else released. But at the end of the day, this album must always be compared ultimately to the first 5 Eagles albums, as well as the 1960s Byrds albums, the 1970s Jackson Browne albums, the first two Flying Burrito Brothers albums, and 1970s Southern Rock classics. And when those comparisons are made, Long Road Out of Eden pales to insignificance.
Yes, there is a full album's worth of first rate - not brilliant - material, but it takes two discs to provide it. The shorthand way to see the problem is to know that JD Souther's 1970s song 'How Long' is the best track, is, in fact, the only one I would consider a worthy, uplifting addition to any of the first five Eagles albums. The harmonies sound great, but the songs overall fail to be more than entertainingly adequate. Three or four are very weak, and that many more are insignificantly stronger.
What all that makes me think about is what is missing from the Eagles as now constituted. I doubt there is any chance Frey and Henley will ever make any acknowledgment that the path they have blazed has guaranteed a pop-rock sound, replete with PC posturing and songs that are superficial compared to their great days. That being the case, I would like to see Bernie Leadon, Randy Meisner, and Don Felder get togther for some picking and grinning. My guess is that whatever came from such time playing together again at least would feature sounds more authentically Country Rock than what Frey and Henley have delivered after so long a wait.
Free Music Review: I am thoroughly impressed...
Hit: 5 Stars
It's interesting reading all these other reviews, which tend to be either very positive or very negative. How anyone can possibly be the slightest bit disappointed with Long Road Out Of Eden is beyond me. To me this is one of their strongest releases and damn impressive. Some complain about its length, and that some of these songs shouldn't have been included, but apart from the cover of the dull Guilty Of The Crime I certainly do not agree. Others complain that some of the ballads are too soft and sentimental, but that was always a part of the Eagles sound (The Best Of My Love, I Can't Tell You Why, etc.), so - again! - I don't agree. I wouldn't want to be without Do Something (excellent), You Are Not Alone (very pretty melody) or I Don't Want To Hear Any More. The acoustic ballad Center Of The Universe gives me goosebumbs - I think it is by far their most beautiful ballad alongside After The Thrill Is Gone (1975). The title track is another favorite: The guitar solo puts a lump in my throat and reminds you why these guys are still up there with the very best in the music business. I could go on and on about these songs (Frail Grasp On The Big Picture, Business As Usual, It's Your World Now, etc.) - they really are THAT good. If like me you were very apprehensive about Long Road Out Of Eden based on the four, very bland, new songs they recorded for Hell Freezes Over, then do NOT worry. The Eagles are BACK, and they are OUTSTANDING. Every time I am listening to Long Road Out Of Eden in one sitting, by the time I get to the end of it, I am thoroughly impressed and really rather overwhelmed and touched by the fact that they have managed to make such a superior comeback after all these years. There may not be any songs to rival old classics such as One Of These Nights, Lyin' Eyes or Hotel California, but Long Road Out Of Eden is one of their most consistent albums despite its length. And second single Busy Being Fabulous is a beautifully constructed song that deserves to be on a future Greatest Hits cd alongside all those old classics. Long Road Out Of Eden is another classic album by The Eagles. Highly recommended! Free Music Review: Worth the Wait
Hit: 5 Stars
Simply stated, like women and fine red wine, The Eagles have only improved with age!Free Music Review: OUTSTANDING!
Hit: 5 Stars
Let me first say that I grew up listening to groups like the Eagles and America ... I'm 54. I was given this CD(s) a few months ago but was so busy I didn't get a chance to listen to it until yesterday. This is as good as any Eagle's music I've ever heard ... it's absolutely great.
Ignore the reviews that give less than 4 stars.
Free Music Review: Wasted time
Hit: 1 Stars
Let's call this release what it really is: a piece of crap. If the intention of this band was to go back in time, to 1972, then they accomplished it. As for musicality, it is just dreadful. Since firing Don Felder, the Eagles have become a caricature of themselves. This is a lame and utterly disrespectful release: disrespectful to their fans.
Give it up, boys. Your time has come and gone. We'll enjoy the classics but it is now clear, in the long run, you no longer have anything of relevance to offer.