Tuesday, February 26, 2013

EXCLUSIVE: Eagles Fans Angered by New Documentary on the Band

The Eagles then... 
As a longtime Eagles fan and singer-songwriter who proudly recorded an album with Randy Meisner, a founding member of the legendary band, I was eagerly anticipating History of the Eagles, the authorized two-part documentary that recently debuted on Showtime. But the film, which is directed by Alison Ellwood and co-produced by Academy Award winner Alex Gibney, shines a surprisingly harsh light on Glenn Frey and Don Henley, the group's chief songwriters and self-appointed leaders. 

While accusations have circulated for years that Frey and Henley are dictators who berate their bandmates, I've repeatedly dismissed these charges as misguided critiques from clueless outsiders. I've repeatedly defended Frey and Henley as misunderstood perfectionists, not bullies.

But it's clear from this film that I've been in denial all these years. And I'm not the only Eagles fan who feels duped. While the movie is getting mostly rave reviews and there are many Eagles fans out there who love it and have said so on Eagles fan sites and social media, a number of Eagles loyalists I've interviewed tell me they feel angered and betrayed by the new doc, which includes rare concert and off-stage footage as well as new interviews with all current and former members. 

The Eagles now...
"I've heard the rumors about Glenn (Frey) and Don (Henley) being jerks, but I always thought that was just coming from people who are jealous of their wealth and fame. I guess I was wrong," says Lyle Givant, who's seen the band in concert "at least 20 times" over the last four decades. "Frey and Henley come across as two guys who have zero regret over how badly they've treated people over the years. It was hard for me to watch this documentary at times because I've loved the band for so long. I'm sure it wasn't the director's intention, but she made Frey and Henley look pretty bad. They clearly still live by the motto that the end justifies the means. If it's supposedly good for the band, screw it if people get hurt."

Leonard Novarro, another longtime fan who thinks only the Beatles are a better band then the Eagles, agrees with Givant.

"I was taken aback by this film. They (Frey and Henley) seem very egotistical and arrogant," says Novarro, who suggests that Henley and Frey acted "childishly" toward bandmate Don Felder. "They never should have fired Felder."


In one particularly troubling segment of the film, Frey and Felder almost come to blows on stage. "Felder's firing meant the end of the battling guitar duo of Felder and (Joe) Walsh, which was the greatest in rock," says Novarro. "Any musical group, rock or otherwise, is organic. It flows because of all of its parts - the songs, the instrumentation, the harmonies. To assume that because you are the person doing most of the writing that everyone else is diminished in their worth is the height of hubris. Is George Harrison worth less because his body of songwriting wasn't as extensive as Lennon-McCartney?"

As a musician, I certainly understand that no band is a true democracy. There often has to be a leader, or leaders, or things can and often do go astray. But that does not justify being a cruel tyrant. Nothing does. Meisner, who abruptly left the Eagles after the Hotel California album, was clearly affected by Frey and Henley's behavior. But Randy rarely talks about his former bandmates. In my conversations with him he's never said an unkind word about them, which I think speaks volumes about his character. 

As the film chronicles, Meisner was having trouble hitting the high notes on Take it to the Limit, one of the band's biggest hits, during his final tour with the band. Instead of being understanding and supportive, Frey and Henley evidently berated and intimidated him, and ultimately Frey, who comes across in the film as even more of a heavy than Henley, apparently just went off on Meisner, who subsequently quit at the height of the Eagles' fame.

Laurie Chatley Montgomery, an Eagles fan since the 1970s, says that while the documentary brought back many good memories for her, "I was disappointed. It seemed like Glenn (Frey) was obsessed with the power of being the leader. Joe Walsh mentioned several times Glenn did 'what was best for the Eagles,' and yet Glenn let his personal feelings get in the way when it came to Don Felder, who was great for the Eagles. After watching this documentary, I was left with a feeling of sadness because the band has such great harmonies and sings such wonderful songs together. It's sad that such hatred and jealousy can exist among them."

Of course, Felder did not go quietly after he was fired. He filed two lawsuits that were later settled out of court, and wrote a scathing tell-all book. What does Felder think of the documentary? He told Billboard recently that there were "a lot of things that weren't discussed, a lot of issues that aren't brought to the forefront. It glorified Henley and Frey's work, giving very little credit to all the other people who had worked so hard on the recordings - including Bernie (Leadon), Randy, myself, the other things people brought to the table like (producer) Bill Szymczyk."

Felder added that the documentary made it seem like "everything was fine and dandy a lot of the time, which really was not the case. There was always a lot of friction and tension going on. We had some fun times, but there were also a lot of stressful arguing and disputes and disagreements and words being thrown around - between Don and Glenn, too. They portrayed it like they'd been best buddies since '71 or something, but there's been quite a few times between them, too. So a lot of stuff was just omitted that way, I think."

Felder also told Billboard that he was surprised by "the anger that was displayed, and the bitterness, especially from Glenn. It really left me taken aback that he was still so angry about all of that, and I couldn't understand why, to tell the truth. I've been way past it for about 10 years now."

Henley said in a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock magazine that a "former member" will be returning for the Eagles' upcoming tour. Henley confirmed that it won't be Felder, which leaves either Meisner or Leadon, both of whom also left amid turmoil and hostility. It's hard to believe either one would come back to the nest without an apology from Frey or Henley. But apparently being the self-appointed leaders of the Eagles means never having to say you're sorry. 


450 comments:

  1. Is Levon Helm a lesser member of "The Band"?

    As an Eagles fan since 1972, I have yet to meet a fan of the band from the early days who's happy with the Felder situation, or believe the band is better without him.

    Frey's a shrewd business man, great musical talent, but a tough leader who lacks people management skills. Yes, he did what he thought necessary for the band to exist (along his model) but could he have handled things differently and still have a productive eclectic band without the wasted time?

    In the last ten years, with Felder's firing, the lawsuit, the tell-all, his media blitz, public appearances, constant touring promoting Eagles music, and his new album, one could argue that Felder has promoted the Eagles brand just as much as the collective band if not more.

    I hope Frey and Henley realize the value that he brought to the band and continues to add to the Eagles machine and allow him back in the tent. Especially if money's a motivation.

    The window for forgiveness plus ability to create and perform is quickly winding down.

    Here's an idea - film/document the process of reaching out between the two sides, show all the warts and tears, all the way to the first show back together. The fans and non-fans would eat that alive.

    Felder's ready - will Frey and Henley ever be man enough?



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    1. It's a nice thought, but it's not going to happen. Frey and Henley have the arrangement they want: creative control, the lion share of the profits, two members who are willing to accept a minimized role, and a hired gun to fill in the remaining parts.

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    2. Bah! It will never happen people, and who cares! Frey and Henley are far too greedy to ever forgive and move on. Screw 'em... Felder is a class act. I refuse to put any money in the "Eagles" pockets anymore, greedy bastards that they are. The ticket prices are out of this world and really disgusting! They are not worth it anymore. The worst of it all is they are laughing all the way to the bank! Not with my dime!

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    3. Go out to YouTube or The Eagles website. A lot of the videos that featured Felder guitar solos (no one can touch him IMHO), Walsh and Felder together (genius) and images of Felder have been removed. I agree with Anonymous...I won't spend another dime on the Eagles brand. The people skills of Frey and Henley are sorely lacking. Wonderful...they have more money than they could ever want, but respect? Not a lot from what I'm reading here. I still love the music, but I listen to it with more discerning ears these days.

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    4. Well, in any case when people with charisma and leadership are involved and do interact, there is both good (craetive, innovatinve, productive,..) and bad (arguing, separating, ...) times. Similar as with a divorce of once loving and caring people. Sometimes the forces that bring us forward, kill us in the end. So I am grateful for all the contributions of Henley, Felder, Frey, Schmit, Meisner, Leadon, and Smith (some more, some less) for they make me happy when I listen to their music.

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  2. I'm confused why Henley and Frey HAVE to "forgive" Don Felder and how their inability to do so make them less of a man. Don Felder made his choices and needs to live with them. If this were any other business rather an a band these discussions wouldn't be happening. Don Felder was a part of a business in which his actions and work ethic caused the entire organization to be dysfunctional. He was given opportunities to contribute in a postive way and didn't so he was let go with an AMAZING serverance package. He then filed a lawsuit in which he publically and in the media made allegations about his former business associates' business practices and sought to damage the entire band. He broke previous agreements and disclosed business and financial information and writes a tell-all book which he had also previously agreed not to write. After the settlement of the lawsuit, he trades in on the good name of the band and performs songs he didn't even co-write that are from before the time he was in the band. He CONTINUES to manipulate public opinion with statements like "I was over it 10 years ago...why aren't they?" Why on Earth should they want this person back in their organization?

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    1. Glenn Frey is a douchebag. That is all!

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    2. Use your big boy words... Glenn Frey is a man who saw what was needed to keep this amazing group of people creating and moving forward. His lyrical genius along with Don Henley was the foundation of the Eagles' success. Each person was an integral component and had their place in the success of this band. Even with Mr. Felder's tremendous talent, it is always best to know what your strengths are. Singing apparently wasn't one of them. If Glenn Frey hadn't been there, the Eagles would never have existed. With the "marriage" of Glenn and Don H, the Eagles were born. So for all of the hurt feelings, they had an amazing run. Too bad people cannot just be amazed at the fact they had the foresight to even film their lives so that we could, all these years later, see what it took to create greatness. Geez people...

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    3. You know what, when I first heard the Eagles in 1972 it consisted of four people who made that magical sound, Glenn, Don H, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner. Why are the Eagles all of a sudden "Glenn's band?" And even if that were true, (which it isn't), it doesn't give him the right to treat his fellow band members as if they didn't matter. His arrogance is indefensible.

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    4. Anne K.Houston TxJuly 2, 2013 at 7:56 PM

      Jesus fucking christ people, get over it. The sludge always falls to the bottom. The cream rises to the top, just like the eagles. Looking at who's left speaks for the courage of the band. I bought the History of the Eagles and watch it several times a month. I think Don and Glen are heros, and Joe and Timothy, after all they came back together and made amends and tried to do the same with Felder. Felder made his own bed, now he can lie in it. ROCK ON EAGLES! !!!!

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    5. I don't really understand what you are trying to say Anne K. or why you needed to take the Lord's name in vain to say it. As for your remark that the cream rises to the top, that's not difficult to do when you ungraciously get rid of anyone standing in your way. What is so courageous or heroic about that? Randy, Bernie and Don F. are extremely talented musicians, referring to them as "sludge" is really disrespectful. You don't know what you're talking about.

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    6. Rock on Eagles..My favorite band of all times..that was then this is now and they still ROCK! You cant go back only forward... Ill spend the money every time they come to my town.

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    7. Frey and Henley are pieces of crap.

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    8. Frey, Henley and Walsh could cut it as solo artists. Schmidt was a session player and singer and a pretty good one (not all talented people become superstars). Conversely Felder's solo work was lackluster. I think fans of the 70's era Eagles romanticize his contributions to the band and to rock music.

      Bottom line: I seriously doubt whether anyone would have gone to an Eagles reunion show with out Frey or without Henley, but wouldn't have missed Felder.

      In the doc, Felder came off to me as much an egotist as the Frey and Henley.

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    9. This band has always been greater than the sum of the parts. Hired guns diminish the value and have no place in the band. Felder belongs in the band. Frey is a megalomaniac who is more concerned with accommodating his agenda than the fans.

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    10. Anonymous with the long winded post up top there....you were not there. Don't be in such a rush to blame Felder. Felder started with them in 1974's On the Border and he was an equal partner. He wrote the music for Hotel California, Victim of Love and Visions. To give one-seventh to him, Walsh and Schmit while Frey and Henley got 2/7ths is insulting.
      Apparently, you are into narcissitic people with big ego's.

      Did you watch the same movie as the rest of us?

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    11. Kind of embellishing Felder's songwriting a bit. Henley said what Felder gave him was a chord progression that had no title, lyrics or melody. Co-wrote would be a better. Where do you get the 1/7 2/7s data from? Felder's book?

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    12. Anne K. Not only is your potty mouth disgusting, you have anti-social tendencies to relate to those two pigs.
      If I were you, I would take down your post. You have seriously embarrassed yourself.

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    13. The 2/7, 1/7 is from Felder's book. It was also confirmed by their manager Irving Azoff. They felt they should get twice as much and THREE times as much from the Box Set.

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    14. I honestly don't understand why is everyone going on and on about how awful Don and Glenn are. To quote Anne K. there: Jesus fucking christ people, get over it. And no Francis 1182, I do not consider that taking "the" Lord's name in vain. For me, people that go around starting wars, discriminating against people for their sexual or religious preferences using the name of God to do so, are the ones that are really taking his/her name in vain. Also, I take offence in your insinuation that your Lord is everybody's lord. There are religious, philosophical and cultural alternatives, you know?. I don't exactly agree with Anne K. about the cream and the sludge. That was a tad uncalled for. Randy, Bernie and Felder are all great musicians.
      I just think that it's normal for a band to go through changes just as it is on any other group of people that work together. I also do not think it was irrational or even egotistical for Henley and Frey to ask for a raise like any of us would do if given the chance. Now, I'm aware that to do so in a band is to technically be giving less money to the rest of the band, but again Frey and Henley made some good points for their argument. For me, Felder is the one that came across as unpleasant. I thought Frey's comments about how Felder couldn't be happy and enjoy his salary because he was too busy worrying about what Frey and Henley were making, was spot on. Also, I think that if they had not taken out Felder when they did, the band wouldn't have lasted much more. It was the right decision for the good of the band.
      And Nusic, why shouldn't a musician have political views? why shouldn't that be part of their music? Music, art, poetry and writing have historically been a form of fighting oppression and supporting different political views worldwide. Musicians, artists and writers have immense staying power over people's sensibilities and minds, and this is why they are usually the first people to be exiled and censored by any kind of oppressing government or religious organization.

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    15. Wow, Cassia, not sure where you're getting the idea that I am insinuating that my Lord is everybody's Lord, but as Bernie said to Glenn before he poured a beer over his head, you need to chill out man.

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    16. How can all of the Glenn groupies talk with his cock in their mouths?

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    17. Cassia is absolutely correct. After reuniting Felder wanted equal pay and that just shouldn't happen Frey and Henley are the leaders, the brains, and deserve and are entitled to the lion's share. As in any business, there are different levels of responsibility and therefore different levels of earnings. Joe Walsh knows, and appreciates his role and his place. Why couldn't Felder?

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    18. Freddie Mercury was Queen but he everyone was paid equally. No reason to be greedy they still would've had plenty of money

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    19. Steven. You over-simplified things. Felder is one third owner of Eagles LTD. He is entitled by law. On a more obvious note, without Felder, there would be no One of These NIghts, no Hotel California, no Victim of Love. If those songs were not in existence, the Eagles would be no where near as popular as they are now. ( And yes all of you ready to pounce on your keyboards about "One of These Nights", he wrote the intro, the entire bass line and the solo) Give credit where it's due.

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    20. The thing about the internet is anyone can post anything they like, and more often than not, they offer it as fact. The only facts are what you can prove, and as a lawyer, I speak from experience. I could write volumes on this subject, but I'll limit this post to one topic. The "Eagles Limited" agreement was a legal, binding agreement, and if you'll watch the documentary, you'll see Henley shrug his shoulders and say something like, "well things change, people move on," in response to the Eagles Limited topic. Well, a judge decided that while people do move on, you can't just toss out an agreement because you no longer like one of the parties. While the terms of the agreement weren't disclosed, it's widely known that Felder received a boat-load of cash. By the way, Felder never "agreed" not to write his book. Show me one shred of evidence to that point. In fact, Frey and Henley sued to halt publishing, and again, a judge said no grounds. Wonder why they didn't want it published?

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  3. Maybe one day you will grow beyond your confusion and figure out the answer to your question?

    I prefer to see the guy who either Co-wrote the songs or created musical parts to the soundtrack of a large percentage of the planet, perform it, over a carbon copy.

    Already Gone
    Good Day in Hell
    One of these nights
    Too many hands
    Visions
    After The Thrill is Gone
    New kid in Town
    Wasted Time
    Victim of Love
    The Last Resort
    Hotel California
    The Long Run
    Disco Strangler
    King of Hollywood
    Those Shoes
    The Sad Cafe
    Please Come Home For Christmas
    Hotel California acoustic
    Get Over It

    In addition DF played on stage with the band as a member/part owner, every song that the group has ever performed live between 1973-2004.

    How dare Jimi Hendrix sing a Bob Dylan song that he didn't write?
    See how silly that sounds?


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    1. Disagree. The analogy of Felder singing Eagles songs that preceeded him and Hendrix singing a Dylan song isn't an exact one. Felder singing an Eagles song that preceeded him creates a false impression that he may have written it or owned rights to it. No such impression would ever befall Hendrix's performance.

      btw, I'm not the Anonymous above, I do agree with him though.

      And agree with other commenters too. Felder came across as more of an ego maniac than either Frey or Henley in my view. Frey and Henley could sing. Walsh could sing. Schmit could sing. Meisner and Ledden could sing. Felder cannot sing. His version of "Victim of Love" from what I could hear sounded like a Banshee in a Bear Trap. As as Don so eloquently put it, "it didn't come up to Band standards". Randy's did and so Take it to the Limit with Randy as lead as the first Eagles # 1 single.

      Frey and Henley didn't have any trouble letting other band members sing as long as they could sing. I think it is egotistical for a Band member who can't sing demand that he gets to sing a certain # of songs at the detriment of the Band. Felder tries to impose mediocrity for ego on the album, embarasses the Band in front of Alan Cranston, and breaks his word on post-employment disclosures. I agree with the Anonymous above .... why would H-F want him back? The Eagles are better off without Felder.

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    2. I totally agree with Paul on this. IMHO Felder is the one that came across as full of himself and downright unpleasant at times. And the whole thing about the tell-all book, it just reeks of bad taste and unprofessionalism.

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    3. Where do Paul and Cassia get their pot? It must be some good stuff!

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  4. The responses to this post are fantastic.

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    1. Sure are, heated and informative but not infantile name calling. I've always thought their songs were well crafted but the artists personas got in the way of myself appreciating them. Great comments section though. I can't remember a group without trolls or finding some way of injecting politics in the discussion.

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  5. Inaccuracies and inconsistencies of the documentary

    Randy Meisner:

    Glenn Frey says Randy believed he was a lead singer and wanted to sing more songs.

    But onn Eagles Live after Randy sings Take It To The Limit, we hear the comments
    Gawd Randy, and we get to hear him sing it every night, as the crowd goes wild.

    Which is it?
    A guy who wanted to sing lead and be a lead singer? One who sang take it to the limit every night as per Eagles Live or someone who's afraid to sing the song?

    Could Randy have been using not singing the song as leverage for wanting to sing other songs? Were there other issues besides Take It To The Limit?

    Perhaps the writer, who's a friend of Randy's could clarify this point?

    ----

    No nukes benefits

    Glenn Frey claimed that the Eagles liked to play political benefits for people and causes that they believe in, like No Nukes.

    Fact is, The Eagles refused to take part of the No Nukes concert. You can hear Jackson Browne and Graham Nash disparage them in the movie for not taking part. I believe they said The band turned them down with the words:
    The Eagles open up for no one.

    If the band could give their old friend Jackson Browne (who organized the concert) the finger, why was it such a big deal when Felder said "I guess" to a politician?

    ---
    Take it to the limit became the band's first number one single.
    Glenn Frey

    No Best of My Love was the first number one song for the band.

    And of course Frey knows that.

    ---
    Felder would send tapes of guitar tracks to me and Don and we would be baffled, were do you sing?
    Glen Frey

    But many of these unfinished guitar tracks made it on Eagles Selected Works, and later used on Joe's and Felder's solo albums. Including Heavy Metal.

    Just because They were rejected by Glenn and Don does not mean they were unusable

    ---
    Don and I were the only ones keeping the Eagles name alive...

    In the 80's

    Randy released three albums and had four top forty songs. Toured with his band the Silverados. He was also part of Black Tie and Meisner Rich and Swan bands.

    Felder released one solo album
    Did the soundtrack to the animated series Galaxy High
    Hosted a tv show.
    Contributed two songs to the Heavy Metal soundtrack including the title track, and recorded a song "Wild Life" for the Slugger's Wife movie.

    ---

    It failed to mention that Frey's music career stalled by the mid to late 80's. Take away his soundtrack work and his solo albums would be nearly invisible.

    His TV series was cancelled after one airing.

    ---

    The Lawsuit was left out.

    ---
    Randy and Bernie were established musicians, co-founders of the band, but their front story was ignored. Like Randy playing on the Sweet Baby James album, or with Ricky Nelson.

    ---
    Yes I did enjoy the footage, but it also included previously seen material.

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  6. It was a shame that they didn't spend more time on Randy and Bernie's pretty impressive resumes that lead up to the Eagles. They had far more experience than Glenn and Don did.

    And Felder saying; "I guess"...big fucking deal!

    I was disappointed in this documentary. And those crazy Frey groupies that think this is Oscar worthy material are completely insane.

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  7. I liked the doc on many levels. I have been a musician for over 30 yrs. I have been in many bands and what I love about this doc is it shows that bands have assholes that lead both success and breakups.

    Felder gets such short shrift as does Leadon and Meisner. And it is amazing to me how Frey forced Leadon out because he wanted a more rock oriented sound and he gets that sound from Felder and Walsh and then forces Felder out because Felder did not take his shit.

    Felder was the author of their biggest song for fuck's sake! Without his riffs and chord progressions, Hotel California would have been a strange folk song.

    But I love this. Bands are messy, ego trips and passive aggressive journeys. Add to that mix hits, drugs and money and its just a matter of time before everything blows up.

    Were Frey and Henley camera hogging? Yes. So does Robbie Robertson in The Last Waltz. I really believe that Frey and Henley don't realize how they come across. They are rehearsed, phony and full of themselves. But that's rock and that is music.

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  8. One of their goals in the doc was to diminish Felder's talent and contributions, and make him look like the toxic member.

    But they failed to mention:

    1) They re-arranged the credit sequence for Hotel California, putting Don's name last, when it was first on the album. The first name belongs to the person who contributed the most to the song.

    2) Don didn't just write the intro, the little bit that they said caught their attention, but wrote the musical parts to the whole song, including the bass line

    3) They asked him to write a new intro on the spot for the unplugged version. And as depicted on HFO, Don hit it out of the park.

    4) They belittled Don's contribution to Victim of Love, saying it was just a progression, with no melody, no lyrics. But know full well that songs and the song writing process start in many ways.

    But Frey, Henley and Irving are smart Inglorious basterds :). By getting Leadon back (allegedly) is another coup against Felder.

    They killed the Henley/Frey vs Felder/Walsh by taking Walsh away from Felder with money and the promise of remaining in the band. Joe had no choice but to pull away from Felder.

    Now Leadon, Felder's friend outside the band will also be taken away.

    I wouldn't be surprised if Meisner also makes an appearance, even if he does not perform.

    Leaving the ungrateful asshole stranded on Mars.

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    1. Amen Brother.
      After what I saw, I wish the Eagles would just go away. Frey and Henley and FINALLY someone mentioned that worm Irving Azmoff who would push his own mother out of a lifeboat if it meant saving his career.

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  9. It shouldn't, but this documentary actually changed the way I view their music. Listening to Frey and Henley (especially Frey) being interviewed, really takes some of the fun out of the music.

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  10. When I saw these guys rush into their limo like they were the Beatles "driver lock them up" expecting droves of fans and seeing none. I got my first clue that Frey and Henley were ego's with delusions.

    This movie was worse, I debated removing their greatest hits album from my ipod, because it ruined it for me. Even to this day Frey and Henley are total jerks.

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    1. Couldn't agree with you more. After watching this documentary twice just to be sure, I deleted all my Eagles songs. Frey and Henley are total and complete asshats. You don't do what they did to your bandmates. Assholes to the first degree.

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    2. As a musician/songwriter I completely agree.

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  11. Thank you for the great songs, music and memories, but like Seger says, "I wish I didn't see how the sausage was made" or something like that. :)

    Take away the melodic guitar parts in any Eagles song and it's Not the same - case in point Long Road Out Of Eden CD.

    Don was responsible for most of that guitar sound - Frey and Henley keeps carrying that anger and it will always eat them up inside!

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    1. "Wish I didn't know now what i didn't know then."

      - Bob Seger, "Against the Wind"

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  12. I enjoyed the movie immensely. I'm 40 so these guys were playing music when I was born. Seeing all of the crap they've been through humanized them more for me and I love them and their music more. It's too bad about all that went do with Felder but I don't feel to bad for any of them. They created amazing music and are all legends.

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    1. They are my favorite band. I say whats done is done. they put on a great show. Regardless of whats happened they are still together. I find it great that one of thier former members is coming back for the tour. So again whats.in the past keep it there.

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  13. Look, don't delude yourselves that every mega-hit band isn't rife with huge egos. But, would you pay the ticket prices the Eagles concerts command if Henley and Frey weren't in the band? Of course not - they (well, Henley, mostly) ARE the Eagles sound. Felder is an awesome guitar player, but he's not a lead singer and, maybe due to careful editing, he seems to hang back and play instead of sing on a lot of the harmonies. I'm gladly paying the $ for floor seats for this summer's tour - these guys aren't getting any younger and their songs are ingrained in most everyone who listened to pop/rock radio in the 70s.

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    1. Yes, of course, egos in every band. And the Eagles have been one of my favorite bands my entire life. But being a musical genius is no excuse to be a jerk. That seems to be the theme of many of these posts. It's ok that they;'re assholes because they are such great singer-songwriters. Well, don;t delude yourselves: it isn't!

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    2. I would not pay even if tickets were $5.00 to see them live. Like their music, epecially Felder's playing, but to me they are not much or never were a great live band to see. They are a band you listen to on your i-pod or radio. May have sold a lot of records, but there are many more bands I would pay to see live instead of these guys.

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    3. Well..u r wrong..They put on one of the best concerts I"ve ever seen..and I am older..Ive seen Aerosmith;Heart; Fleetwood MACK; Peter Frampton; Bob Seger; Eric Clapton; Elton John ; Ac/Dc;LED. Zepplin,Bon jovi; KISS; Molley Hactchet; 38 special; REO; Van Halen; Steve Miller ; Brian Adams; Def Leppard, John Cougar..Lover Boy..I have seen a few..And they are one of the best***

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    4. However I will say this, seen them recently in Louisville Ky(7-6-2013) .Glenn Frey did come out as a tyrant on the film. I Think their best move was to hire Joe Walsh..The concert was wonderful, but Joe Walsh kicked it up a notch and made it incredible. HE comes out on stage and kicks butt. He is one of the top 100 guitar players in the world; and when he came out and played pretty maids all in a row & fund 49..kicked it up a gear..& really even Frey said Walsh vocals were not that good in the film but he could kick butt on a guitar. BUT I disagree; Walsh has a great voice..It is different from theirs but just as good..(apples & oranges)..

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    5. I agree about most of what you said. Frey said near the end of this movie that they ALL sounded better without drugs or alcohol, including Joe Walsh. I LOVE the Eagles! I grew up in the 80s with their music. Watching this movie made me smile throughout it because it brought back so many good memories. The band was and is great because, like it or not, Henley and Frey are their voices and that's what most of us relate to.

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    6. I've seen them too Pamela. That still doesn't give you carte blanche to be a jerk.
      Tell me, are you also one of those "helicopter moms' who hover over their children always blaming the teacher too?

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  14. Eagles is great an american band! Tey are one of my fav band!

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  15. I guarantee no one in the audience ever noticed that Felder couldn't hit the high notes on "take it to the limit". If you are lucky enough to create a package of people and songs that captures a mass audience then best to keep that package together. Henley might be a great musician but stupid to poison lives and the band over perceived shortcomings.

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    1. Thanks. It was Meisner who sang 'Take it to the Limit,' not Felder. But thanks for the comment just the same.

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    2. Meinerette's everywhere just cringed!

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  16. Great article. Without Felder and Walsh, Eagles would have been just another country-pop group. Sad that the real and eventual guitar talent in this group never had the real power. Probably the real reason that Felder was squeezed out was that he was ascendant. He and Walsh would have owned the growing fan base.

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  17. Everyone in this band, past and present is far from perfect or an angel.
    They always say being in a band is a lot like being in a marriage and that’s fairly accurate.
    When fame monster comes a calling it turns the screw that much tighter.

    I’ve always said that without Felder, they never would have achieved the dizzying heights they did.
    Yes, they were talented prior to his arrival, but Felder was the overdrive they needed to push them up to the top.
    Throw Felder in the mix for "Long Road out of Eden" and the band would have definitely been better off for it. Although I enjoyed certain moments of the 2 disc LROOE, I ended up compiling the best bits onto a single disc.
    The album is far from a turkey, but it just seems to lack that certain firepower.
    I will say a few of the tunes sung by Glenn have no business being on the record. PERIOD.
    Save them for your uneven solos albums. (the last truly decent one was his first one out of the gate)

    You may find more technically gifted guitarists out there to replace Felder, but you'll never recapture the chemistry between Walsh & Felder.
    Take a good listen to live show during the Hotel California or Long run tours for the sonic proof.
    These guys are getting any younger and the window of opportunity gets smaller by the day.
    Even if you never stand on stage together again, make amends with one another and move past the b.s.
    You have all led astonishing and blessed lives. Get over it!

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  18. For me, No Felder, No Eagles. I will never go to their concert or even buy their new stuff if Felder is not there. They can get the best guitarist to replace him but it would never be complete Eagles.
    Henley and Frey must apologize to the fans and bring back the great Felder for anyone to take them back again.
    Thats my take. Good night. Love Ugochukwu

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  19. I have loved the Eagles since I was a kid. After watching the "History of" I was left thinking these guys (Glenn and Don) are damn jerks with Frey being the the GRAND MARSHALL. He is a self consumed curmudgeon. He made me sick. Henley seemed more sincere somewhat. I thought that I may throw up when Frey said that he told Walsh and the others that they would have to except less pay if they reunited for a tour as they had not had the same solo success as Frey and Henley. Joe Walsh has more talent in his finger tips than Frey in his entire body. Randy set them on fire with "Take it to the Limit" and Don Felder was the FIRE!! Timothy was humble and down to earth (you rock, Timothy, and may happiness always be yours) , Joe is happy go lucky and exciting to watch (they need you more than you need them, Joe) Happy to see Joe performing with Seger (I'd laugh if he dumped them). Sorry to blast off, but Frey irked me to the point of not being a fan anymore. He is a jerk and his mouth needs washed out, not that it would help his bad singing any. You are not 16 anymore and dropping the F bomb the way you did was just plain sleazy. You have children, man up. And how dare FREY or HENLEY to think that THEY ARE THE EAGLES without the others. Sorry guys, but your fans determine that. Okay...I'm done. Still irked.

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  20. My two cents: the eagles consist of 7 members, not 2 or 4. They all had a huge part in the overall success of the band. Bring all 7 back and WOW!!!!
    On the other hand, get rid of Frey and Henley (they could find a voice as good as Henley and Frey can not hold a tune in a bucket now a days) and WOW!!!!! WOW!!!!!

    Randy's voice is pure and magical as is Timothy's and should have been used more. Bernie, Don (Felder), and Joe were the true backbone of the best the Eagles ever recorded. Bring these 5 together and you would have "THE BEST OF THE EAGLES" and I would buy it before ever hearing it. I am and will always be a HUGE Felder/Walsh FAN.

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    1. Sing it Brother!!! Amen!

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    2. Hah -- Wouldn't that be a hoot. If the Eagles whom Frey and Henley thought were not very significant -- which is to day, everyone but Frey and Henley -- reunited and omitted Frey and Henley.

      Now THAT is something I would pay to see !

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    3. What I did notice was that when Frey and Henley put out their solo albums in the early 80's, it was Henley's album that sounded more like The Eagles than Frey's. Which led me to believe that it was Henley who possibly may have contributed more to the essence of what was The Eagles "sound." I have been a fan since the band's inception, and very well aware of their roots and origins. I, also feel the loss of Felder, Meisner, and Leadon, and the contributions they made to the cohesive "wholeness" of what I remember as their distinctive style. I truly believe that the band is the sum of all of its musicians, over the years. Recently I found a boxed edition [CD] of each of the original albums, and the sleeves of the CD's were miniature forms of the original album covers. I have been playing them for the last month a half driving to work in my truck. My favorites seem to be their first and second albums, as well as, On The Border, and Hotel California. Desperado had some good cuts, but I seem to gravitate towards the aforementioned. The Long Run marked the end of their creative period, in my humbled opinion, and sorry to say. I was so glad to have found this boxed set because for the longest time, you could only find their greatest hits CD, and that compilation omitted "Visions," which is one of my favorite all time cuts. I even registered a complaint in the comments section, reviewing it when it was first released on Amazon.com, stating that this wasn't The Eagles Greatest Hits, because they omitted some of the best cuts ever recorded by the group.

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  21. I agree, while Henley did and still does have a great voice, there are other singers out there who can sound just like him note for note. Frey had a unique voice but has lost control of it in his later years. You will NEVER duplicate the dynamic sound of FELDER/WALSH and to me, THAT was the EAGLES sound!

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    1. Felder and Walsh together were so hot that it may have scared the others. They would have never made it to where they are without them, They may be egotistical idiots. I don't know. But the documentary points in that direction.

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    2. That very well could have been the case It was not until Felder and Walsh came that they were vaulted into "super stardom territory.

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  22. Leadon leaves and they become Murph and the Magictones for a couple of albums. Cocktail lounge music. Then Joe arrives and they remember what they're there for. Everyone has a crappy boss, rock is no different.

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  23. Don Henley raped and beat the s**t out of an underage girl at a drug and alcohol fueled party in 1980. The police saved her life.

    That's all you need to know about the degree of what a scumbag-assh**e he is.

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  24. The warm smell of Colitis is wafting from my boxers about now.

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  25. Why not more on Timothy? Definitely the most beautiful of all the voices...

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  26. I was really looking forward to seeing this DVD, as an inveterate Eagles fan, but now I think I'll just listen to the music! badly behaved and nauseatingly egotistical artists are nothing new - Bach died of syphilis, Mozart was obsessed with dirty jokes and puerile sexual inuendo. Wagner was a main source for the Nazi 'master race' delusion. The number of 19th, 20th and 21st century musicians and composers who self-destructed with drugs and alcohol is by now incalculable. So what? And if you just want to stick to the world of rock and pop music, John Lennon and Paul McArtney, Roger Waters and Bob Dylan were/are, by all accounts, not the most pleasant people to be around.

    In the end all that remains is the music itself and the passion and conviction with which it was created at the time.
    Like any long lived band, the Eagles have explored a lot of musical territory along the way and their complete body of work is all the richer for that. But not every great musician and vocalist is necessarily going to be a great songwriter and it is surely inarguable that Henley, in particular, comes out as the top song-writing dog in this group when all is said and done.

    As for the first comment posted here, referencing Long Road Out of Eden, the author was going along quite nicely until then. Waiting in the Weeds is as good an Eagles song (Henley song) as you will ever hear and over all, every band member gets equal weight one way or another. It's the slow burn sunset of a storied career and I can only hope it will not be the last Eagles album.

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  27. I always knew Glen Frey was a prick.........you can just tell by his attitude and the way he played the opening lead of "Get Over It", from the "Hell Freezes Over" album. He plays like he is the best thing since slice bread, when in fact he plays like a rookie!

    Don Felder is such an accomplished guitarist, there is absolutely no comparison between himself and Frey.

    And in the oral introductions of the new songs from the "Hell Freezes Over DVD", he truly sounds like had it not been for Henley and himself, the Eagles would be nothing. Such shallow people.......but that is the way most greedy people are......learning all this has made me very sad.

    The Eagles have always been a great band in my eyes, but no more. Just like Chicago........greed and stupidity takes over, and the fan base declines.

    I saw the Eagles at The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2012, and wondered why Don Felder was not on stage. I had no idea this had taken place.

    Oh well, another band bites the dust.........

    Live on, Don Felder.........I am behind you 100%!

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    1. thanks. respectfully, i don;t agree with your comparisons between the eagles and chicago.

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    2. Man - That would have been a bad day in hell for me too, going to an Eagles concert not knowing about Felder's departure and seeing some other dude up there being Fingers.

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  28. Imagine a band with Randy, don felder, berni, jackson browne andJd souther ?

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  29. As a huge Eagles fan, I have always been angry at Henley and Frey. Not so much because they clearly were total jerks (as other commenters here have mentioned, that's not exactly unusual in the business), but because they destroyed a fantastic band in order to indulge their own grandiosity. Frey is disingenuous if he's saying he had to be mean in order to preserve the band. Quite the contrary. He and Henley behaved so badly in order to create the illusion that they were the sole creative force in the band. If you want to do what's best for the band, you keep your own ego in check, and find some way to allow the best of each member's talent to find space.

    Although they were probably the best songwriters in the band, it wasn't like they towered over the others the way Lennon/McCartney overshadowed Harrison/Starr. They were the primary authors of about half of the songs on the original Greatest Hits album, and of none of the hits from Hotel California. Hardly dominating.

    But the Eagles weren't just about songwriting. They had a sound, a truly magical sound, and it was that sound as much as anything that made them who they were. And the more members got pushed out, the more that sound went with them, until there was just stale sterility. I think most Eagles fans consider the OTB/OOTN era to be the definitive Eagles sound, the golden era. It had the melodic instrumentation, the country-ish feel, the great harmonies, and the punch that Felder brought to the mix. HC had some good songs, but without Leadon the sound just wasn't the same. Walsh, while a fine musician, didn't really do anything that Felder wasn't already doing. And when Meisner left, the sound was totally gone. And it's never come back. And ironically, after Henley and Frey got rid of all of the "troublemakers," they realized that they couldn't stand each other either, and disbanded. Perhaps it was they who were the problem all along.

    If it's true that Leadon will be rejoining the group, that's great news. Retrieve Meisner while you're at it. Perhaps some more magic can still be made. It's probably too much to ask for Felder too.

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    1. Very, very well said, David. Thanks for this.

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    2. The resonating part of a great song is the music, i.e. every beath you take, sweet child o'mine, hotel california. Hotel california was Don F's song. He did the music for it, the lyrics can be changed and the song would still sound great. Glenn is an ass through and through, watching the doc makes me think of what the character beverly hofsteader has to say regarding Glenn and Hendley's relationship, "the two of you have created an ersatz homosexual marriage to satisfy your need for intimacy"
      Glen and Don needs to remember about Don's song "Heart of the Matter", its about forgiveness, even if you don't love me anymore. Or "get over it", bands are like family, you have your disagreements but at the end of the day, you are still family. Glenn is the ass that does not accept family unless they follow him no matter what, if you don't you're out of the family. Kicking a member out due to your inability to accept each others differences is shameful. I will not attend another glenn and don concert.

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  30. I wish Timothy and his gorgeous awesomeness were more controversial so we could talk more about HIM!!!!!! How many other Eagles (or Rolling Stones) have been actively performing, getting paid (age 14), and singing on the radio (age 17) since they were teenagers?

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    1. I am SO with you.....I started reliving my musical adolescence recently and going back to some of the great older stuff. I then worked my way back up through the years to the newer stuff and after reading Don Felder's book, I got interested in him as a solo artist, and then I started checking out Timothy Schmit's work before, during, and after his Eagles stuff. I have to agree with you....TOTALLY gorgeous, both in looks and voice!! And Don Felder is one of the most beautiful men I have ever seen-I bought his new solo album Road to Forever (2012) and it is great, but even if it sucked I could just stare at the cover photo! Two super hot guys!!

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  31. The Documentary portrays Frey and Henley as the stars of the show and that they could do no wrong.

    Some things to consider:

    The documentary makes no mention of Frey and Henley having issues with each other which escalated into to the 80's. The doc portrays Frey and Henley as best buds thought Henley briefly touches on the fact that "even Glenn and I were troubles."

    Bernie and Randy seem to have done fine and moved on with their lives and don't speak ill of Frey or Henley. Joe Walsh was kind to put over Bernie and Randy by saying "They deserved to be at the Hall of Fame for their recognition".

    Don Felder recorded the song "She's Got A Part of Me" for the secret Admirer Soundtrack. It was his only Top 100 hit. Frey seems to demean Felder's session work after the Eagles.

    Felder was promised to sing lead on Victim of Love and Henley and Frey are quick to defend themselves by saying "We gave Mr. Felder every opportunity and he still couldn't deliver".

    Frey and Henley undermined Felder's work on "Hotel California".

    Timothy Schmitt and Joe Walsh are well aware of the egos of Frey & Henley but don't want to burn bridges or lose their spot int he band hence why they never stand up to Frey or Henley like Felder did.

    The Eagles were the first band to charge a minimum of $100 for their concerts beginning with the Hell Freezes Over Tour. Now bands of all kinds charge a great deal of money for their shows thanks to the Eagles.

    Glenn Frey has made it known that none of the Eagles music will ever be used in commercials or in films without his permission.

    Frey's "The Heat Is On" (Beverly Hills Cop) and "You Belong To The City" (Miami Vice) both reached #2 on the charts. They were the highest singles to chart among any Eagle member. Don Henley's biggest hit "Boys of Summer" went to #3.

    Frey is very short tempered and blew a gasket when Felder said "I Guess" at the political fundraiser.

    Joe Walsh's drug and alcohol addictions are well documented in the doc. Joe has been clean since 1991 and is the only Eagle to not drink alcoholic beverages.

    Don Henley is the only Eagle to have his music video get awarded by MTV. Frey's music videos were the jokes of several Beavis and Butthead episodes.

    Bernie Leadon also played for Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams after he left The Eagles. Leadon also played briefly with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band before they split up.

    Randy Travis' cover of "Take It Easy" is the highest charting of an Eagles cover. It also crossed over into the Billboard Top 40 making it his only single to chart on the pop charts.

    The Desperado album may have flopped on the pop charts but it charted high on the Country/Western charts. Roy Clark had wanted the band to perform on "Hee Haw" but Glenn Frey quickly shot that idea down.

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    1. It was Travis Tritt, not Randy Travis, that did 'Take It Easy."

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  32. Nobody will ever know what went on except them. There was a ton of money, ego's and insecurities all around. Being a guitar player for over thirty years, I side with Felder for several reasons:

    1.) frey and Henely had a lot of songwriting help. jack Tempchin, J.D. Souther, and Jackson Browne all helped out on a lot of their hits.

    2.) Henely and Frey tried to keep Felder's book from being published.If you know you are right, why worry about Felder's book?

    3.) Leadon had a problem with Frey. Meisner had a problem with Frey. Felder had a problem with Frey. Glenn Johns had a problem with Frey. Jackson Brown said Frey was mercurial. I sense a pattern.

    4.) Don Henely has had the reputation of being a malcontent. David Geffen said so in the documentary, but it has been pretty well established.

    5.) Timmothy Schmidt was happy with the contract because it said. "Tim, shut your mouth or your fired and you can have lots of money." Tim's response: "You got it dude. Same goes for that alcoholic, drug induced Walsh who Felder took to rehab to save his ass and he responds by insulting Leadon and does not talk to Felder. I like Walsh's songs, but that shit is pretty low. I also do not see how his room trashing is "cool." That's karma because it takes him 5 minutes to complete a sentence now.

    6.) Felder sued in a court of law and won. Legally, Felder was right and Frey and Henley were wrong.

    7.) Irving Azoff, Frey, and Henely put that documentary together, yet they still could not hide the fact that they are jerks. What does that tell you?

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  33. The Eagles, featuring Bernie Leadon and Don Felder as self-appointed leaders. Now that would have been something. Yeah right...gimme a break!

    It is what it is...quit whining.

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    1. You evidently saw a different documentary.

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  34. I love the Eagles. But for me, they were never the same after Randy Meisner left. His voice was unreplacable and their sound is lacking without it. While Tim Schmit seems to be a genuinley nice man and can hit the same notes, he lakes the laserlike purity and edge of Meisner's voice. And I was rather angry seeing how little space he was given in that documentary and how flippantly his aparent fear and insecurity about hitting a high note live was treated by the allmighty jerk Frey who goes on about being sick about singing the same old songs... that we never Meisner's problem... but, like in war, the winner tells the story.... and when they own the story and still come out smelling bad - that tells you something. Henley I do not have so much of a problem with - he seems a dire perfectionist, but noone wanted to punch him out. EVERYONE had a problem with Frey, and hearing him speak, I admit I wanna punch his smug self too. He cost that band too much, and I for one will always miss Meisner, Felder and Leadon. In my eyes - that was the best line-up. Though I do like what Walsh brought to the band on Hotel California. After that - the Eagles never did it for me again.

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  35. I definitely agree that Randy and Bernie were not given enough credit in the documentary. Besides that, the more I thought about it the more angry I got with the way Glenn retold the story of why Randy left the band. Glenn could have said, "Randy was unhappy and decided to leave", and left it at that, but instead he mentions the "Take It to the Limit" issue and says that he told Randy, "If you don't want to sing it, then why don't you quit? If you're so unhappy, just quit." Glenn may have been 100% right about the situation, but I feel that it was very disrespectful to Randy. Randy wasn't just some lackey, he, and Bernie for that matter, were founding members of the Eagles along with Glenn and Don H. and I don't think Glenn's comments were called for in the retelling. When the incident originally happened and Glenn and Randy were about to come to blows, the police came forward to intervene and Don H. told them to stay out of it because it was personal and private and I think it should have stayed that way.

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  36. Many long time fans were aware of the caste system that has more or less always operated within the Eagles. So ironic given that the public facing image of the group has always been a laid-back California band with a collegial feel. They used to wear football jersey's on stage as an alleged testament to their "regular guy" status. It always seemed on the agenda for Henley and Frey to go solo and even that was competitive with the consensus being that Henley "won", whatever that means. At this point the Eagles are F&H with hired guns albeit hired guns who have been around for a while. Joe Walsh seems to be happy just to have a gig. Timothy also. I'm sure they are paid relatively well but its the F&H who get the lions share. The thing is that the average fan doesn't care about any of this - they just want to go to the show and hear the hits. For those of us who in fact do know about how the dynamics of a band can shape the sound we regret that its turned into two guys touring with support musicians. Let's put this another way - If the Eagles had announced that they were touring and playing songs ONLY from "Long Road Out of Eden" the I wonder how many fans would show up ?

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    1. I hope it goes right up Frey's nose. He needs something to clear the shit out of his head.


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  37. I agree that people "people did things to Eagles songs" I remember so many moments that in the 70's that an Eagles song was a soundtrack to.. I eagerly awaited the release of the DVD, mainly to put a live aspect to the many songs that had become anthems to my early life.. Unlike many that have responded, I have not seen the band live and wasn't aware of the politics surrounding the Eagles...But I feel my memories have been a little tarnished by the arrogance of Messrs Frey & Henley... I was in total awe of Felder and Walsh dueling guitars on Hotel California.. And loved the dexterity of Felders Guitar playing and the feeling Walsh put into every note he sang and played...
    I believe the heart went out of the band when the likes of Leadon,Meisner and Felder were muscled out by the bully boy tactics of Glen Frey and his arse kissing sidekick Don Henley... I'm sure Karma will have it's final say... But as always, The Eagles made great songs and that's what matters to me most...

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  38. I was intrigued by this documentary. To me Glen Frey and Don Henley don't seem to appreciate how great a guitar player Don Felder is. However, some comments say Henley and Frey are trying to take Felders friends away. If Walsh, Meisner and Leadon are his friends they will remain so. What is so sad is why Frey and Henley thought they should earn more than the others. They will get performance money for their penned songs being written, so isn't that enough? A band is a band. If Henley and Frey want to make more money they should go out with a backing band and dismiss all of the other Eagles. Guess what? No one would want to see them as Eagles without the Eagles. I felt cheated when I last saw them without Felder and some other obscure guitarist playing Felders parts. The documentary should not have interviewed him and he (Stuart) should have taken a back seat like the other musicians that tour with them. This was clearly to wind up Felder. Petty and childish. Dismiss him by all means if you don't want him in your band. After all it is their band and they were there first, lets not forget that, but don't be such childish idiots about it. They have both got hatred in their eyes and I didn't like their corporate bullshit which is how I now see them:corporate. The last gig I saw gave the audience nothing. It was cold and un animated except for Joe Walshes excellent fun bit in the middle.

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  39. I'm a Brit and have just seen the documentary over here. I'm a huge fan who bought their third album in '74 then went straight back and bought the first two, then everything else afterwards. It was obvious to me even in '74 that the addition of Don Felder upped the rock-guitar quotient and made them a much harder band. It also seemed to me that On the Border was a much better album than One of These Nights, which seemed to have quite a bit of filler in it (like the instrumental). I've seen many times that a band's highest popularity often comes after they've done their best work (e.g. Steely Dan and Aja).

    I've heard for years that Frey and Henley were tough S.O.B.s and I have to say that Glenn Frey came across as a self-important, money-grubbing jerk in the documentary, while Henley was just self-important. I'll forgive him more, though, because his solo work, especially Building the Perfect Beast and End of the Innocence, was so good.

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  40. always thought that although they are good musicians their music was boring and unadventurous . They seem to be putting themselves up there with the beatles and the stones , in reality they d come in well below zeplin , Floyd ,the who the aforementioned steely dan and many more . Maybe on a par with the monkeys . Enjoyed the doc though always thought glen looked a bit of an aaaaaaarsole .

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  41. I must agree, Frey comes across as a true arse. Henley is most likely just as bad, but hid behind Frey. What a total jerk for expecting the band to play free political gigs and expect all the members to support his views.
    What they did to Felder was classless. They already made all the royalty money from writing, did they really have to screw the others for the tour money too?

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  42. I wouldn't go to an Eagles concert at gun point these days. But I heard that the biggest crowd response comes when Joe Walsh does James Gang stuff. Is that true?

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    1. The concert I attended about 10 or 12 years ago, the crowd exploded when Walsh went into the Games Gang songs and kept yelling for more.

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  43. Walsh's solo work and Schmit singing "I Can't Tell You Why" are the high points. Frey screws up "Take It To The Limit" every time. Walsh sounds similar to Randy Mesiner so Walsh should sing lead on "Take It To The Limit"

    Don Henley sadly rushes through the songs as you can tell his mindset is just "pay me and get it over with".

    Hotel California doesn't sound the same without Don Felder. We have The "Gods" and that Tool Irving Azoff the jerkoff to thank for that.

    Frey is the ultimate jerk to fans at least Henley is friendly to fans.

    Schmitt and Walsh are the coolest Eagles to talk to, Walsh still smokes Winstons left and right as do Frey and Henley.

    The Eagles play most of the solo hits of Walsh, Frey , and Henley and less Eagles songs live. Aside from the signature songs and stuff from the "Long Road Out of Edon" album, the shows aren't that great.

    Popular rumor is that Bernie Leadon may rejoin and possibly Randy Meisner. If they rejoin Frey demands that they not to speak to Don Felder and it's up in the air if Leadon will rejoin since he and Felder were friends before the Eagles started plus Meisner has done well moving on with his life and has made peace with Henley and Frey.

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  44. I cannot believe that Frey has the temerity to demand that others not speak to Don Felder, but I shouldn't be surprised. His egotism shone through like a laser on the documentary, and Henley's isn't far behind. Felder is such a unique talent, and such a class act, especially compared to the crassness of Frey and Henley. Felder's dignified sincerity in the documentary, in his book, and in the many interviews I have read/seen him do in the last couple of years just makes Frey and Henley look like petulant children. Actually, that is unfair, I shouldn't insult petulant children like that! Unfortunately, the music and my enjoyment of the Eagles has been tarnished irreparably by my learning what I have about Frey and Henley, and I am saddened by that fact. It certainly has created a desire in me to NEVER give another dime of my money to the Eagles in de facto support of "The Gods." But I have a couple of cool new finds in Don Felder and Timothy Schmit since I have begun enjoying their solo work.

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  45. Frey = major asshat. I have always loved the Eagles, and love these "rockumentaries", but this was stuff that was probably best left unsaid. Frey's insane violence ("can't wait to beat up Felder after a concert". Lord! What is he, 9 years old?) and greed ("won't do the reformation unless he and Don get paid more") - just weird stuff, hinting at some kind of strange insecurity that evidently no wealth, fame, or success was able to overcome. He also seems to weirdly relish his past combativeness (laying waste to Leadon, Meisner, Glyn John, David Geffen and just about everybody else). Anyway, I just buy the records and enjoy the music. I'm also sorry they are so effed up, but none of my business.

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  46. It's confirmed that Bernie will be on tour with the Eagles as Don Henley has said. Sadly Randy won't be on the tour as he's in poor health. I'm guessing Frey and Leadon are fine now as Frey will have to relearn a lot of the early stuff on the first record and the Desperado album as the Eagles haven't played "Outlaw Man" or "Doolin' Dalton" since Leadon was with the group. This has to be painful for Don Felder as his high school buddy is back with the Eagles but has to obey Frey's commands and not speak to Felder. You can also thank Frey for driving the wedge between the relationship of Felder/Walsh. Walsh isn't aloud to speak to Felder per Frey's request and also from the ill fated law suit that lead Felder to leave the band. Tim Schmidt is just going along for the ride and wouldn't dare stand up Frey or else Frey will have him fired.

    Don Felder also points out that there still tends to be friction between Frey and Henley but both play up to the camera that they've been best buds since 1971. That's one thing the "History of the Eagles" didn't go into great detail was that Frey and Henley were also at odds.

    Also, anyway care to agree that Irving Azoff is a major tool and allowed Frey and to a less extent Henley bully him around? At least Glyn Johns stood up to Frey. Frey is still acts like an immature high school kid and talks trash about Johns and Felder.

    Grow up Glenn and by the way, outside of "The Heat is On" and "You Belong To The City" you're solo career wasn't that great.

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    1. Yeah, and you can add "his acting career was even worse"

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  47. One revelation that came to me out of this documentary was how little of this very good catalog of music was originated by Frey or Henley. Frey added some lyrics to Jackson Brown's "Take it Easy". "Already Gone"
    was primarily written by Jack Tempchin. "Hotel California" originated from Felder. "Life in the Fast Lane" originated from Joe Walsh. I thought this documentary helped lift the curtain off the perceived Great Oz songwriting partnership of Henley and Frey. I just had assumed that Frey originated and came up with the melodies and harmonies of songs like "New Kid in Town" and "Heartache Tonight". I am kind of dumbfounded really...
    Upon further investigation if you research solo work done by these guys and you find that some of the biggest hits from them were written by other writers also. "The Heat is On" which is Frey's biggest solo hit was written by someone else. "The End of the Innocence" which is one of Henley's biggest hits was a song Bruce Hornsby primarily wrote on the piano and Henley added lyrics. "All She Wants To Do Is Dance" was written by Danny Kortchmar.. The veil has been lifted. They are definitely not Lennon/McCartney!
    Both these guys have a long history of using other people's songs and ideas and then adding onto them and then claiming credit.

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  48. Glenn Frey's nose is about to abort from his face. He'd better leave that vile alone.

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  49. Glenn Frey is a scorpio. That explains everything.

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  50. What Frey did to Don Felder is a crime. Frey pretends to have matured and softened in his old age, but his actions show how immature he really is. I'd hate to be one of his kids. Can you imagine having him as a father?

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  51. I've watched the doc a dozen times on cable, the first, relevant 1/2 anyway, and I'm baffled at the shallow and simplistic way people are reacting to the details of the band's history. Idealism dies hard, evidently, especially when it comes to family and heroes. The band members were human beings, defined by their flaws and shortcomings at least as much as their creativity. Given the nature of the entertainment industry, the drive for success and profit, the profound desire of artists to establish a legacy, the competition between bands and bandmates, is it any wonder that the worst in human nature is frequently on full display? Like one of the interviewees says, it's a miracle that the magic happens at all. Frey & Henley, self-serving egomaniacs maybe, were also deeply committed to this thing they and Meisner and Leadon had started, and the band was faced with constant choices, the significance of which weighing more heavily with each taste of success. Which lyrics work? What songs to include? Who can be trusted in business? etc etc. The Eagles found their way down a path fraught with peril to become one of the most successful bands of all time. That their ragged humanity would reflect our own is to be expected. What's amazing to me is that we would judge them so harshly for it.

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    1. YES, YES, YES. Well and respectfully observed, david.

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  52. nonsense. being creative and even being a genius do not give you license to be a bullying, arrogant asshole. what many of my fellow eagles' fans are sadly saying is that the end justifies the means. that it's ok to be abusive and hostile and mean as long as you write and sing great songs. well, it isn't

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    1. Amazing to me, Reno, how rude, totally unprofessional and hate-mongering your comments are on this site. Lost all respect for you.

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  53. You've got to love these guys. Who cares what personal problems went on between them or how withdrawn they may be with the public. That's their business and personal choice. It's just people being nosey. Most bands have problems and can't work through it. The Eagles did. They are all winners in my book because they survived, and their music survived. I'm sure those guys in the band appreciate the wealth and fame it brought to them...Thanks to folks like you and me that pay big bucks to see them. In Pimp'n terms...Don't hate the Player...Hate the game.
    BTW: The show at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC was excellent

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  54. Over time, the top sound of the band is determined by Leadon, Meissner, Felder and Henley.
    It's amazing that someone with so little vocal and instrumental contribution as Frey thinks he is the pivot around which everything revolves.
    Frey is therefore the most expendable person in this band. Through all times.











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  55. For once and for all:
    Hotel California:
    Music-Felder; Lyrics-Henley;(Nono nothing-Frey)

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  56. Since Bernie is back on tour the shows have been given great reviews and Bernie sounds just as good as his back in 1973.

    Also, Glenn Frey needs to lay off the alcohol and second helping of food. His big red nose and waistline are showing their age.

    We all would like to wish Randy Meisner a speedy recovery as Don Henley was kind of enough to send out a nice message to Randy. Hopefully we can see the original Eagles play together one more time and Randy can sing "Take It To The Limit" since Frey ruins it every time with his monotone voice.

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  57. Why not replace Glenn Frey by Don Felder. That would sound great!

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  58. Yeah, maybe Glenn could go on solotour doing his major hit "The heat is on".

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  59. I think Henley and Frey are going to get what's coming to them, and just maybe their getting it now.. as I think Henley now sounds pretty bad singing, and they don't look any better, Timothy B. sings like a ghost - no power, and of course the harmonies are weak compared to the strength they had in the early to mid 70's, they sound like crap to me now musically and vocally and I'm very surprised people are paying all this money to see them like this! They were never the same without RANDY! And like someone pointed out - they had a lot of help writing their songs over the years - I mean - - J.D. Souther, Jack T, Jackson Browne, Bob Seger, Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon, Don Felder, Joe Walsh all wrote/or helped write good songs for this band.. p.s on "The Long Run" LP - Glenn couldn't come up with sh*t! so they had to beg a song off of Bob Seger - oh yea Glenn - he's a freaking genius, also no one seems to point out the fact that they lifted the music for the title track "The Long Run" - I think if you listen to Bob Seger's - "Trying to Live My Life Without You" you'll find they borrowed the music for the title track on their 1979 LP, so Bob had to donate 2 songs for their last 70's album(for poor Glenn), if it weren't for "Those Shoes" the LP would be very uninteresting, and their comeback albums - please.. also Randy completed the tour for "Hotel California" and quit in Sept. 1977, he didn't quit as soon as the album was finished - so there was no reason not to release "Try and Love Again" as a single, I personally think Henley and Frey were jealous of Randy singing on their only #1 hit as a single and didn't want to take a chance on another one happening! Yea "The Heat is on" was the best thing Frey could come up with on his own - and it's very fruity - not a genius folks - just very fortunate - neither his voice or guitar are particularly outstanding in my opinion, Don was a great singer and songwriter - not anymore

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    1. I normally don't post anything anywhere but I was sort of researching the Eagles/Helder situation and had to comment on your comment - I am a huge Eagles fan since the 70s and saw them just a few weeks ago at a great venue in Massachusetts - they sound FANTASTIC and it was a great show - I was amazed. Sold out immediately and people went nuts - they are still a phenom band. Voices just as good. I would tell anyone who likes them to go and see them. Big bucks though, that's my only gripe.

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  60. A lot of hate out there. This movie blew me away. As a chronic Zep fan, I didn't pay as much attention to the Eagles over the years, even though I loved their songs. Opposite from what everybody is saying, I finally saw the talent of Felder, Randy, Bernie, and Walsh shine. I didn't even know who Randy or Bernie were. Now I know. And I only knew Felder via the Heavy Metal soundtrack.

    Now to me those guys are part of my rock-god file. Yeah, I got that it was filtered by Glenn and possibly Don...I know how these things are edited. The ONLY negative thing I see is Glenn not understanding how much Felder contributed to the core sound. It's the same dynamic as Page and Plant excluding Jonesy on their tour and later works. If Frey/Henley were the "bricks" , Felder/Meisner/etc. were the cement in the details.

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  61. Why does Frey speak so disparagingly about Felder’s voice. Felder sings easily, his voice is melodious and far superior to the pinched sound of Frey himself. Moreover Felders voice fits exactly with the Eagles sound. Just another stupid action of mr. Frey. We know better.

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    1. You can find a few examples of Felder's voice on the internet and in one Eagles song that I know of "Visions" ??? Anyway, he has a nice voice but not a voice that you would put as a lead vocalist IMO. Frey does seem like an egomaniac but these guys did something right as they can sell out stadiums in a few minutes and have a body of work that few bands can rival. Also, one of the bands that teens from the 70s and teens from today love :) Won't say that about Jay-Z, GaGa, etc in 40 years.

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  62. What the Documentary will not bring to light is really how important Meisner was to the band - I mean - I just listened to the Bass playing on the Live 1980 2 LP Set with Timothy B. playing "Life In The Fast Lane" , and compare it to the original Bass done by Randy Meisner in 1976, and his 1976 Bass blows the doors off of Tim's 1980 playing, I mean Timothy's sound is a little more up to date by then, but Meisner romps on it - making an extremely tough Bass line(playing with your fingers) sound easy.. only the best can do that, so as many times as they coaxed Bernie back in the band in the mid-70's, you would think they would have tried harder to keep Randy, and his vocals were far and away better ("Too Many Hands"), Tim couldn't match his harmonies/power with Pro tools - I don't care if he sang backup on a "Steely Dan" song, Meisner was a powerful and amazing Lead & skilled harmony Vocalist, and Don Henley's singing on "Hotel California" - on the live 2LP set from 1980 is really not that great and neither is most of the Bass, and how many extra guys have to help them sing live? The answer is - quite a few. The point I'm making is - that after Meisner left, they needed lots of Vocal help folks - listen to "On The Border" and you'll hear that killer early funky Bass that Tim would never even have imagined in 1974 ~ Incredibly UNDERRATED BASS player - Randy Meisner was never replaced - judging by this musicians ears, and without Felder forget about it (unreasonable Glen change a word/take a third Frey )

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  63. It would be amazing if Henley and Frey's personal spat became public and Henley finally told Frey off. That would give Tim Schmidt and Joe Walsh to stand up to Frey and they could vote Frey out of his own band.

    Frey takes every cheap shot he can at Don Felder which is immature and childish. Even Henley doesn't speak ill of Felder, he just brushes it off to change the subject.

    I do agree, Frey needs to get on the 90 day diet, lay off the second helpings, beer, and cigarettes. Yes the band members still smoke quite a bit (especially Walsh and Frey).

    Hopefully Randy Meisner can recover fully and re-join the band as Henley has said. Meisner has seemed ok moving with his life after The Eagles having a moderately successful solo career.


    If you can't afford the $$$$ to see The Eagles with Bernie Leadon, you can always pay $15-$20 TO see Don Felder at the local casino. Felder still plays great but he's no lead singer.

    It's great to see Bernie back with the Eagles but Glenn Frey told him not to speak to Don Felder. Walsh and Schmidt aren't allowed to either.

    Also Mr. Frey, you're 66, not 16. Grow up and lay off the cigarettes.

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  64. In the case of many a musician, money leads to drugs that destroy a man and lead to heart failure. Heart failure did not come in the form of death which would have been mourned; it came in the form of failure to have a heart towards fellow band mates which is inexcusable. Bernie he may have felt the band shifted from a country edge and chose to creatively move on but Randy and Don F were different. Timothy and Joe chose to accept less compensation after coming later to the party but Glen and Don H screwed Don F. Randy was bullied and made a choice to walk quietly but Don F stood his ground and Glen is crying like a baby about the fact it cost him money. Face it, Glen and Don let things go to their heads and have destroyed the band. I am and have always been a Joe Walsh fan, but am disappointed that the two guys who helped him get his act together and helped to save his life went under the bus without a word from him. Eagles music since 2001 has been mediocre at best. Had they put out this quality in the beginning there would be no mention of the band anywhere. The one thing that nobody seems to be saying here is that it was a shame that Hell Froze over. It would have better had they been remembered as they were the first try around and not for being as screwed up as they got. Glen, Don H, it is time to hang things up, go home, count your cash and stroke your egos. Glen you can talk about how you were the band and Don H you can find a 16 year old girl to party your sorrows away with. RIP

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  65. I for one enjoyed the documentary. Bands are never perfect and the doc shows the strengths and faults of Henley and Frey in particular. The guys that write the songs always control the band. Most of the Eagles best stuff was written primarily by Frey and Henley. Meisner wrote Take it to the Limit, Felder wrote Hotel California, Walsh wrote Life in the Fast Lane. When the band broke up in 1980, Henley and Frey had greater success than any other members. It would be silly to suggest anything less. I feel for Felder in the sense that the producers didn't seem to give him the same questions that they had for Frey, nor did they have him respond to Frey's answers/accusations. Both sides most likely didn't want to talk about the lawsuits after Felder's dismissal. Maybe Frey is still bitter because they had to pay Felder a seven figure settlement. It's disappointing to see Frey get worked up about it but he's still bleeds the Eagles. Fact is in many bands, all things (including pay) are not equal. Without Frey and Henley would the band have been even as remotely successful? It's very doubtful. Frey in particular, while coming off as power hungry and controlling, pushed the band to greatness. He had a vision of what the Eagles should be and he fought for it to the death. I respect that. If you don't, don't go to an Eagles concert.

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  66. The one thing I will NEVER understand about the remarks about any hired gun can fill Felder's part is this: Felder created the part that the hired gun now plays. The creation of the solo or guitar for the records was done by FELDER. Any old replacement can play something written by another. Felder is a huge loss in my opinion and I agree with all the commentary that you need the whole band for it to be the band. Henley and Frey are egomaniacal in the way they view their own contributions and come across as petty and jealous of the immense talent of the people surrounding them.

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  67. Don Felder is like 6'1 or so, I'm surprised he didn't kick the sh*t out of little big mouth Glen, I think a good shot to the nose could have changed his tone - literally/ and figuratively - p.s. Nice article and congrats for surviving cancer to the author! ~ ~ Being from Texas - this is to - Anne K. from Houston Texas - the world is full of people who have gotten railroaded - ever happened to You? Maybe your the sludge as well then.. Good call Francis 1182

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  68. I'm thinking North Texas State University may want to take back the honorary doctorate they gave Don Henley (UNT's most famous drop out) because of his infamous 1980 arrest for being with an underage girl. It should be noted that Irving Azoff risked everything to keep Henley out of jail and the girl dropped the charges. So Azoff truly is a "tool" for Henley and for Frey. Azoff still holds bitterness towards Don Felder but not in the same sense that Glenn Frey does.

    I've seen YouTube footage of Bernie back with the Eagles and they do sound good and even Joe Walsh does. Frey needs to let Walsh or Tim Schmidt sing "Take It To The Limit" or even let Henley sing it since Frey doesn't compare to Randy Meisner.

    I recommend you listen/watch the interview Felder gave on the Howard Stern show as Felder talks about how during the "Hell Freezes Over" tour they were still at odds and had private dressing rooms/hotels and that Frey/Henley got a limo while Felder/Walsh/Schmidt had to ride in a cab. Felder talks about how Henley got pissed at the camera man for spanning the camera on Felder/Walsh during Henley's "All She Wants To Do Is Dance".

    Someone posted on here that Frey's acting career was horrible and yes it was. Frey even got into a spat with Don Johnson on the set of Miami Vice during the episode "Smuggler's Blues". Johnson has a bad reputation for being a control freak as does Frey. Johnson was quick to veto a returning guest appearance from Frey but they still used Frey's "You Belong To The City" for the Miami Vice soundtrack. After that, Frey's solo career and acting career went nowhere. It still bothered Frey that during his solo career he had to perform in nightclubs while Henley was playing in big arenas during his solo career.

    It is sad that Frey demands the band members not to speak to Don Felder.

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  69. What does Frey mean by saying that he and Don Henley held high the fame of The Eagles? Does he mean by his own crippled solo career?

    For the general public there is of course only one reason the Eagles stayed on top of the ladder through the years: the song Hotel California. Created by Don Felder. Without it the Eagles would now have the same gone by status as the Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Crosby Stills Nash and Young .............

    In his gratitude Mr. Frey removes Don Felder from the band.

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  70. Fleetwood Mac is going out on a very high note; band members have moved past old hurts and recriminations and it shows when you see them. Sadly, the Eagles got buried in their own stuff, and by stuff I mean Glenn Frey's obvious insecurities, which resulted in a lackluster final album and a show that, while good, leaves people wishing for the Felder days again. Sad.

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  71. I have seen this documentary about 4 times and I'm not seeing where Frey and Henley are coming off as egotistical or as the bad guys. I LOVE the Eagles and nothing will ever change that. I have tickets to see them in Oct, 38 yrs and 2 weeks after I saw them the first time. I am disappointed Don Felder won't be with them. I agree that Glen Frey singing Take It To The Limit doesn't come close to Randy's singing, I would think the Timothy Schmidt could sing it better but I'm not in the band. I know people either love Joe Walsh or hate him. I happen to love him, not just because I'm from Kent OH where the James Gang used to play, but because he's so unique and adds a spark to the band.
    We will never know 100% of what went on and each of them have their side/opinion. It is what it is and, in my opinion, it's still incredible. I've grown up with the Eagles and I'm growing older with them too. Their music has been with me most of my life. It's made me feel good, made me think, taken me away, and made me fall in love. I'm not going to judge them, not any of them. I want to thank them for allowing us to see a part of their journey even though it wasn't always pretty.

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  72. Felder's envy is clear and apparent in this documentary. In a business outside of the music industry he is known as a toxic employee. A music group is not a democracy: someone has to lead, the rest must follow or get out. Pretty simple. I enjoyed this and it reaffirmed to me that Frey and Henley are astute businessmen protecting their brand. Call them jerks or whatever, they carried the flame for the Eagles through the 80's. What did Felder do? Joe Walsh was already a brand name and he continued his solo career. Timothy B. Schmitt worked a lot of projects and clearly enjoyed his time off. Both of them were ready to resume the action when Hell Froze Over. Felder came back with the same poison. Should have been fired long ago.

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    1. Can I have some of the pot that has fried your brain?

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    2. Yah no kidding five people can agree collectively there does not have to be a leader. Don and Glenn's solo careers had jack shit to do with The Eagles because they werent The Eagles in the 1980s. Felder isnt the problem Don and Glen (the money hungry control freak baby's are).

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  73. Glenn Frey sucks, have you seen the crap he put out after the Eagles? The Heat is On etc...

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  74. After reading what seems like hundreds of posts here, I must chime in. I am a Meisner, Leadon, Frey, Henley, Eagles fan! The original line-up WAS the Eagles for me! I am a musician of 30+ years and I always find it funny when fans/media measure an album’s strength on radio play or record sales alone. To me, DESPERADO was the bands best work. The writing, performing, production and overall theme is a work of art that was/is often trashed by critics and fans of top 40 drivel. Because an album does not necessarily sell well or deliver several top 10 hits is not criteria for simply stated, how good an album is. There is no denying that Hotel California is a good album. That said, for me personally, it has its moments, but includes much too much filler for my musical palate.

    On another subject, many people have wielded monumental kudos at Don Felder saying that he is one of the best guitarists in the world, etc. Well … he is technically better than Walsh and Frey, but there are hundreds of guitarists that you have heard of, and thousands of guitarists that you have not heard of that are better players than Felder. I am not saying that he is not a good guitarist or that he was not a good fit with the Eagles – he was! He simply is not the guitar god that many here have portrayed.

    As far as Frey and Henley being revealed as asswipes. This was not news to me as I was aware of their asswipiness in the mid to late 70’s. As for their solo careers, it is quite apparent that Henley/Frey were very much in need of collaborators as their respective individual song writing has shown a dreadful lack of quality … rs

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  75. I agree, the original lineup was THE Eagles and the newer "members" were more or less sidemen. The documentary should have concentrated on this 4-men band (dynamics), now it told the story only from the drummer-rhythm guitar player point of view, which was really ridiculous.

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  76. Are any of you members of an international, multiple-decade, accomplished rock band with the number one selling album of the 20th century? No? Then I think arguing about why DF was fired or who's more arrogant is moot -- the only people who know the what and whys - are the Eagles. They all have healthy egos because they were thrown into fame and the rock lifestyle while they were all in their early 20's, and they've known nothing else in their adult lives. I'm not defending the obvious arrogance of any of the members, I'm just saying ego and rock star go hand in hand; it's not a new behavioral pattern -- nor is it particularly shocking. To be ignorant of this fact is where I feel some viewers' comments have missed the mark here.

    Further, I find blaming the director, Allison Ellwood, extremely weak. Sure, she had some hand in editing, but I really don't think she could MAKE Frey and Henley look arrogant, they're obviously capable of doing that on their own (how long have the rumors existed?). I think she did a fantastic job with the material, and produced a 3 HOUR comprehensive and engrossing look at one of the most popular bands in American history. Certainly not her fault they happened to be pricks along the way.






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  77. Amazing how my feelings for the band turned on a dime, after hearing Frey on Felder. Interesting that my favorite song is by Timothy B. Schmidt.

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  78. It's amazing to me, the disconnect among so many of you . I have been a fan of the Eagles music most of my life. The Eagles are indeed a great band. And Henley and Frey are undeniably talented singer-songwriters. But is that an excuse to be an arrogant bully? By the logic of many of you, it's ok to be an asshole if you are a great artist. So you can be a total jerk if you have real talent? Really? That's a pathetic way of looking at life, and fame. I will always love the band's music. but Henley, and especially Frey, are complete pricks. They always have been and, judging by the documentary, they always will be.

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  79. Admittedly much of what i know about the band came from Felder's book, so I thought maybe he was exaggerating what a jerk Glenn especially is. But Frey removed any doubt for me with some of his answers in the documentary. No doubt Henley and Frey deserved the most air time since they've been in the band the whole time, but Leadon & Meisner (and Felder, Walsh and Schmit) deserved a lot more credit and back story then they got.
    Agree that Meisner and Felder are really missed. I just saw them last night and it was great to see Bernie back. I really didn't start to follow them until after he'd left in the 70's. And to echo some others: "Take it to the limit" with Glenn singing lead isn't very good. Timothy would be better I think.

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  80. It amazes me how so many think that the lead vocalists and lyricists are the only band members who can't be replaced. I just saw Journey at a sold out show in San Fransisco and Arnel Pineda crushed it.

    Would the Who be the Who without Entwistle or Moon? Townsend and Daltrey can still sell out shows playing the old material, yet they wouldn't be the who without Entwisle and Moon.

    The Eagles asked Don Felder to joint the band as an equal partner. Frey wanted to move the band to a more rock sound and Felder brought it. Without Felder, the Eagles would have never soared from the country genre. Without Felder's tape of Hotel California (aka Mexican Bolero), the song would have never existed. You can either love the music or the lyrics, yet you can't have one without the other.

    Frey then came up with new terms when they got back together based on who put our more individual hits. Smugglers Blues....The Heat is On... Yuck. Commercial crap probable written by others. Then Henleys...New York Minute...OOooOoooOoooo. Disgusting. Then all their charity projects as they treat band members and roadies like garbage.

    Glad that I was able to see them for free at the Genentech 30th anniversary. I am sure that they got paid a bundle. Glenn and Henley like their greenbacks.

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  81. Have read all the comments and it's a wash and their is no denying they are a great band regardless of the turmoil that occurred and i think most of us are just grateful for all the great music that they have endowed upon us. My bitch is $ 200.00 plus for a decent ticket? That is no way to treat a fan base. I appreciate all the hard work but they are ultimately way to greedy for me to be a really true fan anymore. Any artist that charges that kind of money is to greedy for their own good and mojo will catch up with them on that. Meanwhile they are laughing all the way to the bank as fans pave their pockets. I am all for the American way and being able to make it to the top and be rich however their ticket pricing is obscene and disgusting. It has made me much less of an Eagles Fan!

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  82. Is there a rockumentary from The Eagles also in a German version?

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  83. As a long time Eagles fan, I bought the documentary when it became available in Britain. I've watched it a few times and I agree with the majority of the commentators on here that Henley and Frey are portrayed (by their own words) as both greedy and controlling (especially Frey). It is also true that few of the greatest Eagles songs were purely the work of the Frey/ Henley combination. There are many collaborations throughout the body of the work of the Eagles, and it is good to read in Felder's book his appreciation of the positive musical qualities of each of the other band members including Meisner and Leadon. Felder doesn't stint on that praise even if he has issues with the characters of other members of the band, but takes issue on the overly cautious recording techniques apparently adopted and taken to, what comes across to me as, ridiculous limits....spending hours re recording the syllables of the word 'City' in a drive for 'perfection' strikes me as unrealistic since most of us would never notice a difference. Felder says that great studio performances were canned because of some perceived flaw and it leaves me wondering what great music has been lost by the 'perfectionism' of Frey and Henley. I saw Henley in Chicago as a solo act a few years ago, sharing the bill with Stevie Nicks. He has undoubted vocal quality but he is flat as a performer. The Felder / Walsh live guitar duels made the band watchable as well as listenable, and from the videos I've seen of the Eagles current work, it is only Walsh that provides any spectacle. I hate to see the contribution of Schmidt / Felder /Leadon / Walsh being marginalised in the documentary...that is the segment that offended me the most, and it was Frey who articulated it. The Eagles now, as they stand, are their own Tribute act. They can still produce a listenable and enjoyable performance, but the magic really seems to have gone and the post Felder work although good in places, doesn't quite cut it for me. I haven't heard the reunited Leadon/ Henley/ Frey/ Walsh/ Schmidt line up. I think Leadon is an outstanding instrumentalist and so it can only probably be good.

    I sincerely hope that no member of the Eagles is ostracising Felder on the say - so of Frey or anyone else associated with the band. That would be both spineless and childish.

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  84. I just don't believe that Felder wants to climb back into that mess... He's got a great income when you add his share of the Eagles profits, he gets to perform HIS way and has knocked at least 80% of unnecessary stress out of his life. He's got a wonderful new wife and a happy life.
    Looking from the outside, I wouldn't change a thing.

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  85. What strikes me most is how unbelievably good their music was given the near-toxic levels of stress there appeared to be. Imagine if Don and Glenn weren't so controlling. While I grew up with their music and still love it, the documentary shines a very unflattering light on Henley and especially Frey. If I had been Bernie, Randy or Felder, I'm sure I would have punched one of them.

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  86. My feeling for the band turned in 1994 when they would not let Randy back in the band. Frey told him no you quit, get away. Randy said they act like I was never there. Now they act like Felder wasn't there either. History?

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  87. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  88. Not one of these guys ever smiles...they look mean. Even, Timothy B., looks sad and old...worn. Can you imagine the life that gets sucked out of them? Just thinking about working for D an d G would give me an ulcer. These men have done some very bad and hateful things in their lives, their faces are very telling. Oh, well, after this tour, hopefully, they will retire to choke on all that wealth.

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    1. Are you reading some vibes from the band members??? thats is the thing i like to do with people. Joe Walsh has a different look in his eyes as well very intense and almost evil. Is that what you are seeing

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  89. Every single band on this Earth has a leader. There is absolutely no point in denying that. Even the Eagles, of which I'm a relatively recent fan, were never equals, IMHO. Just take a look at the songwriting credits on their first album. Glenn Frey is the only one who gets two consecutive solo credits in the tracklist. Now isn't that "leader" stuff? Then, as things evolved, the Eagles came to have two leaders. That's what Don Henley and Glenn Frey are. They ARE the leaders of the band, and they are by no means "self-appointed" leaders. Frey has always been a leader, Henley became one. So it's only natural that they should behave as leaders, with all the good things and the bad things that are implied in being leaders. I approached this documentary expecting to see EXACTLY what I did actually see. So I enjoyed it immensely. Don Felder back in the band? That may be OK, but they're just as good without him. Steuart Smith may not be an Eagle but he's an incredibly good musician.

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    1. unfair!
      Steuart Smith is a guitar player
      Felder was a composer that made difference in Eagles sound

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  90. I certainly understand musicians facing the age-old problem of Art v Commerce and losing out to the latter. It builds a hardened skin and desire to look after one's artistic output; to protect it from the connivances of promoters, record companies, managers etc. However, after just having watched the doco, I have no admiration for Glenn Frey, who probably didn't realise how awfully he came across. I also watched the Melbourne concert directly afterwards, which was great. Steuart Smith was excellent with all the Leadon/Frey riffs and I believe Joe Walsh was a show-stealer. I love Joe Walsh! I bought my first Eagles album in the 70s from a bargain bin in Wellngton, NZ for a buck, mainly because it had a banjo player on it. Bernie Leadon. I've been a fan ever since.

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  92. When I've first found out about Don Felder getting fired from the band I used to think he was the bad guy, years later when I've purchased the Don Felder tell all book I began to realize that Don H and (especially) Glenn F were the bad guys, I've totally lost respect for Glenn F and Don H for being so greedy and a bunch of money hungry motherf*ckers from hell, I am so disgusted with Glenn F telling Joe, Tim and Bernie not to speak to Felder or they're gonna get it, seriously what does Glenn have against Felder?

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  93. I seen the show in Memphis Monday night.The show was AWESOME ! sure they are getting older, but aren't we all

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  94. I LOVE THE EAGLES warts and all

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  95. Do you think maybe Glen doesn't want the other band members to hang out with Don Felder because he doesn't want him to know there business?

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  96. Thanks for correcting me

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  97. Bernie and Don F. have been friends since high school. Bernie recruited Don for the Eagles. Given all things since then (Bernie standing up to Frey and quitting, Felder-Frey backstage altercation, Felder being fired) Leadon and Felder have remained friends. I'm sure Bernie gets a nice pay day for touring but Frey demanded Bernie not talk to his old buddy. Frey also said the same thing to Walsh and Schmidt and now Walsh-Felder aren't on speaking terms. At least Don Henley tends to be more open minded than Frey. Henley even wished a speedy recovery to Randy Meisner at several shows and he even convinced Frey to bring Leadon back.

    Someone needs to tell Glenn Frey he's not 15 anymore and yes he needs to lay off the liquor and cigarettes as his voice is even more monotone than before. Plus Glenn is smart enough to wear black shirts every day as he's definitely packed on the weight.

    Also from the documentary Walsh appears to take Frey's side and turned his back on Felder.

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  98. Even before they shoved out the last partner of Eagles, LTD, I've long considered this situation as a couple of egomaniacal solo acts in a state of truce, in disguise as a band, unable to coexist with anyone they cannot subordinate. What they did to Felder only compounded that impression.

    I've watched numerous interviews with all of these fellows and, even without this documentary, Glenn Frey has come across as barely able to conceal a truly repulsive prima donna attitude, and Don Felder as a person who was, primarily out of principle, insistent on getting him (and to a slightly lesser degree, Henley) to rise above that and behave like someone who was a member of an actual band. The height of irony in this documentary is Frey referring to Felder as "...the only Ass***e in the band...". Unless they were holding up a mirror while he said that, he's way off the mark.

    There are certain people........... I like The Stones, The Beach Boys, The Eagles, for example, and would go to their concerts. Having said that, I wouldn't go to see Mick Jagger, Mike Love, or Glenn Frey (Don Henley, maybe). They're tolerable within their franchise trademark, and intolerable outside of it.

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  99. Every group, be it musicians, sports teams, and just friends have their ups and downs. Life isn't perfect and no one is. I have always loved the Eagles and have watched this program several times. Joe seems like a great nutty friend to have. Thank you guys for all the hard work you have done. The Eagles are the greatest Rock n Roll group of all time in this Texans heart. For those who didn't like the story need to just "get over it!"

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  100. To Walter Keubler: Felder contributed the bands "BIGGEST" hits. He deserves monetary reward proportionate to that, which he did not get because Frey and Henley are classic buddy-f**kers.

    Henley and Frey are greedy bastards, plain and simple. Frey is an a-hole, plain and simple.

    The ticket prices for this "History" tour, which is just another tour labeled differently so they can try to justify their greed, are a slap in the face to all Eagles fans who have supported them over the years. They stick it to their fan base and laugh all the way to the bank. I've loved the Eagles and grew up with them. But the ticket prices are the last straw for me. I just saw CCR, also a beloved band from the history of rock, for $65.00 and John Fogerty started at 8:00 and rocked until 11:30pm. What an equally great show that was and in comparison to an Eagles show delivered greater value to myself and my wife from a fan perspective.

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    1. Andy from Olympia, WANovember 10, 2013 at 2:35 AM

      Well said. I agree wholeheartedly.

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  101. Well stated. But I'm not sure how you could have seen CCR. They don't tour any more. John Fogerty still tours, solo, and Credence Clearwater Revisited still tours, without John Fogerty.

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  102. Listen to Frey's voice on the video's of this tour. His voice is SHOT. For someone who is a dictator a*hole he should practice what he preaches. I never did like him...always thought he was a pompous jerk...but now I'm convinced that the whole of the troubles the band has had were because of him. What a prick.

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  103. Jamie...understand how you could say that. Except that IMHO, John Fogerty is CCR; they are one in the same.

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    1. No worries. I thought (hoped) that was what you meant! :)

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  104. To Clarify: CCR touring without John Fogerty is not CCR, for to me there is no CCR without John.

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  105. Jamie...a fair point well made sir :). From now on I'll be sure to say John Fogerty instead of CCR.

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  106. Henley rubbed me the wrong way when he was on rockline and made a joke about Rush still being around. Rush is my favorite band. If you want to see a great documentary watch Beyond the Lighted Stage. You'll see a band who have respect for each other.

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    1. yep!!! rush rule, and i find myself hating the eagles now!

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  107. Andy from Olympia, WANovember 10, 2013 at 2:32 AM

    Wow....I am watching the show now and have it on "pause". I don't know if I have it in me to start it again. I had to do a Google search and see if I am the only one finding Glenn Frey to be an egotistical, greedy bastard. Glad I'm not alone. When he said his and Mr. Henley's music in the 80's is what kept the Eagles music alive in the minds of the fans just blew me away. His shitty 80's music, for me anyway, was nothing more than a detriment to the great Eagles music legacy. This completely blows, man! I love the music of the Eagles, however, seeing the personalities of a few of the band members is killing it for me. I'm done being a fan. Thanks, Glenn. How many millions do you need?

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  108. Every band is formed by one (or two, as in the Eagles case)...and it is not at all surprising that the founding members would have more clout, and earn more money. Jon Bonjovi is an example of this. He "hired" his band members, who earn far less than he does. Either you accept this (as Joe Walsh did), or you move on. My bet is that Felder regrets he didn't go along with it all, because in the end, it was his loss.

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    1. Look how many years Pete Best was ticked about being "dismissed" from The Beatles. Although most of that banner was waved by Pete's mother Mona.

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  109. Yes, Frey and Henley are egomaniacs. They also write some of the best songs in pop music history. So you who bemoan their gestapo-like control of the band..."Get over it". Great bands are not democracies, but teams with competent, powerful leaders and soldiers smart enough to lock step.

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  110. My whole life, all I did was defend the Eagles! After watching this doc, I'm done! Glenn Frey completley sucked ass in the 80's! No Fun Aloud. are you kidding me! That jerk is such a jerk! I hate him! Don Felder actuallly released my favorite post eagles songs during the 80's! "Heavy Metal (Takin' A Ride)", "All of You" and "Never Surrender" rule! "The Heat Is On" sucks! Hey Frey, lose some weight you fat piece of shit!

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  111. I'm done with the Eagles after seeing the documentary. I still like their music but it changed the way I feel about the music based on DH and GF. I can justify paying top dollar for a Joe Walsh show, but no way would I pay a penny to see the Henley or Frey. Furthermore, They talk about how successful Don H. and Glen's solo career's were, but the only TRUE successful solo career in my opinion is Joes. In short, Henley and Frey are two of the biggest douchebags I've ever seen.

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    1. totally! i love thier music, but glenn frey is such a piece of shit! i hate him sooo much!

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  112. Of course Don Henley and Glenn Frey would bad mouth Rush. Frey and Henley couldn't stay in a band with other people longer than a 5 year period.

    Also, Don Felder's solo album "Air Bourne" is actually quite good. It wasn't mentioned on the documentary and neither were the solo efforts of Randy Meisner or even Tim Schmidt. Felder was the only Eagles member no to crack the top 40 with a solo hit. His biggest hit was "She's Got A Part of Me" from the Secret Admirer soundtrack. It was his only single to crack the top 100.

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  113. if you've ever been a songwriter in a band and had to accept someone else's weaker songs - all you gotta do is play them live and you'll quickly find out which are the good songs and which are not - then you get pretty impatient 8 years later when the same person keeps insisting that they write or sing or play - Henley never insisted on playing lead guitar in Hotel California - Felder kept insisting he could sing and write - well? After the Eagles what happened? Frey and Henley had hits - Felder - who's been on tour ever since and trying to get a deal cannot write songs in the same league as Frey and Henley. If Felder hadn't joined the Eagles and some other excellent California rock guitar player, the Eagles would have still sounded the same...

    A team or a band only works when everyone knows their role and plays it to the best of their ability - and doesn't try to be something they are not...

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    1. Thats silly!
      Felder did not make an issue for not singing "Victim Of Love" which is the only song he wanted to do.
      if Felder did not put join the Eagles you would have not ever hear a classic like " One Of These Nights" which he arranged the intro the great solo and even the bass
      there will not be "Hotel California" song or LP

      Felder is much important than you think! he was the edge that made them rise after their 3rd midi-core album
      his only fault was he spoke about money being dealt with greed and unfair shares, while Joe and Timothy were cowards to speak out

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    2. rockin morroccan, you cannot be serious! craziest thing i have ever heard! first, glenn frey sucked in the 80's! second, he wrote some deccent songs, but he's not gods answer to songwriting. he needed help. the eagles without felder and walsh would just be this average band! comparable to the likes of ameica or three dog night! not one of the biggest bands ever!

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  114. Did anyone else nearly choke when Don Henley talked about the distribution deal they had made with Wal*Mart; saying the company was becoming, "greener" with no acknowledgement that this company is notorious for barely paying its employees a living wage and poor treatment in general? Wonder what Mr. Walden Pond has to say about that.

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  115. OMG who the F#rick really cares..its the Eagles.... when that shyte comes on I turn it OFFFFFFFFF

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  116. its pathetic when a Band becomes the very thing they used to sing AGAINST when they first started out...

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  117. for a long time I love them.
    Eagles were one of top 4 groups with Beatles, P Floyd and Queen

    The first thing I did after coming to US is to attend one of their concert.
    my fav member was Glenn although I love all of them
    I have always giving him excuses for Felder thinking that one day Glenn will invite him again

    but seeing this documentry .... wow
    Frey and Henley deserve every bad word written about them now
    I think the main problem is Henley. because of his rising talent from Hotel California 1976 over Frey side , made Glenn uncertain and lose confident gradually
    this made him angry with others and trying to close holes by trying to be in control
    adding greed factor for both "Gods" (Henley and Frey) made them behave like A H
    with much Frey in the role of a leader, Henley was pushing him from behind, I guess he was more like a toy

    what they have done to Meisner before and then without any mercy or human feeling to Felder is way to far!

    how much are you gonna live Frey?????
    why dont you just pick up the phone and call Felder and tell him to join you and forget everything before it is too late???!!
    if you are still greedy tell him that his share will still be 1/7 and you and Henley 2/7
    but let us be humans and talk again

    shame on you Henley and Glenn!!

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  118. I liked it. I've been a casual fan of The Eagles for decades and had never really tried to find out anything about the behind the scenes stuff. I just listened to their music and enjoyed it. I figured there was probably some bad stuff. I mean there usually is when a successful band breaks up.

    I thought the documentary was enlightening and very well made. Sure. I was shocked at the real personalities of Henley and Frey but I guess it humanizes them. They're just people. You know? They've created some of the greatest music of the last half century or so. I guess they're entitled to have some serious flaws.I did feel bad for Felder. Her really doesn't seem like a bad guy. Frey just doesn't like him, apparently. It happens. Sometimes people just can't stand one another. I've known people who just hated me for no apparent reason.

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