El Gringo
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2015
- Messages
- 5,666
Also lest we forget that Joe Walsh was the one that gave Jimmy Page his Vintage Gibson Sunburst Les Paul , which is Jimmy Page's # 1 Les Paul . I wish I had friends like Joe Walsh !
And Townsend's Gretsch 6120/Fender Bandmaster for Who's Next.Also lest we forget that Joe Walsh was the one that gave Jimmy Page his Vintage Gibson Sunburst Les Paul , which is Jimmy Page's # 1 Les Paul . I wish I had friends like Joe Walsh !
To me it was essentially like Glenn is the man and Henley is the woman in a powerful duo that's brilliant yet self-destructive and often toxic to those around. Frey being the more confrontational and bull-headed one, and Henley being more about passive-aggressiveness and condescension. Like you'd want to slap Henley, but you'd want to outright punch Frey.
Yep, that's what a leader often has to do. Tough while you're going through it, but looking back you'll appreciate that it got the most out of you. But you have to take breaks too, or it will just get too much. Plus the Eagles were essentially all band leaders and certainly all accomplished musicians in their own right, so a Walsh put it when everyone's an 'alpha' they're going to butt heads. Bands are tough things to stick with.The "thing" with Frey is that the Eagles really "got", and completely devoted themselves to, the idea of a maximally professional presentation. The only way to do this is the same way every other outfit has (like Duke, Basie, Glenn Miller--who really WAS a king-size asshole): maximum discipline, and zero tolerance of mistakes. The early 70's didn't exactly embrace that ethos, so people got pissy that Frey wasn't loosy-goosy about things--tough shit.
The result is that the Eagles in the mid-Seventies were a sight to behold! They were all around thirty years old--in their prime, and unstoppable. Back then, the Eagles, Springsteen, and the Who were just on a level that, honestly, has never been surpassed. I thank my lucky stars I had a chance to be inspired, really musically transported, by those unforgettable shows.