GLORYDAZE Music - Articles: Eagles, The

ARTIST: Eagles, The
ALBUM: The Long Run
LABEL: Asylum
SERIAL: 5E-508
YEAR: 1979
CD REISSUE: 1999, Asylum, 508-2, plus many other varying reissues

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

LINEUP: Glenn Frey - vocals, guitar, keyboards * Don Henley - vocals, drums * Don Felder - guitar * Joe Walsh - guitar, vocals * Timothy B. Schmit - bass, vocals

TRACK LISTING: 01 The Long Run * 02 I Can't Tell You Why * 03 In The City * 04 The Disco Strangler * 05 King Of Hollywood * 06 Heartache Tonight * 07 Those Shoes * 08 Teenage Jail * 09 The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks * 10 The Sad Cafe

WEBLINKS: www.eaglesband.com

Background
When this appeared in 1979 it had been three years since 'Hotel California', which saw the departure of Randy Meisner who was replaced by fellow Poco alumni Timothy B. Schmit. The Eagles had been consistent at releasing new music up until this point and this reportedly took two years to complete, unheard of for the band up to then. If 'Hotel California' had proved one thing it was the continued shift away from the bands country rock roots of the early 70's and with 'The Long Run' the band pretty much had become a straight rock band with AOR leanings. This wasn't to all fans tastes therefore, but it still became a huge hit, confirming The Eagles as one of the 70's biggest acts. Of course it would end shortly after..

The Songs
Somewhere in the world at this very moment a radio station somewhere is playing the title track, an enduring rock anthem with the bands ubiquitous vocal and guitar harmonies. Schmit's first contribution is the West Coast classic 'I Can't Tell You Why,' which shows the road the band was heading down if they hadn't split. A brilliant ballad all the same which proved what a great addition Schmit was to the strained outfit. Joe Walsh gets in on the act with 'In The City' a track which had appeared on 'The Warriors' soundtrack that same year. One of Walsh's better hard rock anthems and yet another hit for the band. Felder's 'The Disco Strangler' is a brief hard rock excursion with sinister overtones by these guys standards. More in the AOR vein is 'King Of Hollywood,' despite the scathing lyrical content and running at nearly seven minutes there's plenty of atmospheric guitar work and melody to enjoy. 'Heartache Tonight' is another famous song from this album, with it's rousing hook simple and melodic. Hard to get sick of this one. 'Those Shoes' is another quality hard rock workout, with the great line 'desperation in the singles bars and all those jerkoffs in their fancy cars.' Not so hot is 'Teenage Jail' which plods aimlessly in all areas, but 'The Greeks Don't Wan't No Freaks' is a short rocker which conjures up memories of older material from the first few albums. Another glimpse of the bands West Coast potential springs up on 'The Sad Cafe' which is a reasonable end to the album, with a sax solo included.

In Summary
The band fell apart on the resulting tour in much publicized acrimony and wouldn't reform until 1994, when the whole 80's had been wasted on solo ventures, some of which were excellent on the various members parts. It really makes me wonder what an album in 1983 would have sounded like from The Eagles when you consider the approach they were taking on 'The Long Run' which I think is a superb album. Of course the band recorded a new album in 2007, as popular as ever, but a long way from where they were some 30 years earlier.

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