Ranking All 22 Don Henley Eagles Songs From the '70s

He grew to become the Eagles’ unquestioned chief following Glenn Frey’s dying, however Don Henley obtained off to a decidedly sluggish begin as a songwriter. He solely had one co-credited composition on their 1972 debut.

Things have been totally different by the flip of the ’80s. He helped the Eagles to their first and second chart toppers with 1974’s “Best of My Love” and 1975’s “One of These Nights.” Then he fronted hit-song title tracks for 2 consecutive albums: “Hotel California” was a platinum-selling No. 1 smash in 1977, whereas “The Long Run” reached the Top 10 in 1979.

In between, he sang and co-wrote 18 extra Eagles songs. While rating them, we put apart cowl songs, stay variations, box-set extras, reprises or repeated instrumental components from the period. So, terrific vocal performances on Eagles updates of Jackson Browne’s “Nightingale” and Tom Waits’ “Ol’ ’55” will not seem. Neither will “Visions,” which showcased Don Felder as principal singer.

Unfortunately, the backside of the checklist is dominated by songs from the album that ended the ’70s – and, at the least for some time anyway, the band:

22. “The Disco Strangler”
From: The Long Run (1979)

Co-credited to Frey, Henley and Don Felder, “The Disco Strangler” is Henley at his most dour – however now that includes a disco bass line! This time, Henley employs a gravelly tenor to skewer individuals who would dare exit to have an excellent time, however the painfully apparent theme can solely settle into an unmusical ever-revolving riff. “The Disco Strangler” may need pushed Eagles followers to their very own murderous deeds had it not mercifully began to fade at about the 2:30 mark.

21. “Teenage Jail”
From: The Long Run (1979)

Irritating musically, unfocused lyrically and that includes a squiggly synthesizer solo(!) from Frey, this someway ended up as the B-side to his galloping chart-topper “Heartache Tonight.” That’s the definition of Eagles yin and Eagles yang. It’s nonetheless troublesome to consider that J.D. Souther — the easygoing country-rocker who helped compose signature Eagles songs like “Best of My Love,” “Victim of Love” and “New Kid in Town” — was concerned with such a plodding throwaway.

20. “The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks”
From: The Long Run (1979)

Clearly exhausted, each creatively and spiritually, Henley did what many individuals do: He obtained nostalgic. In this case, it was for the school fraternity-party circuit in Austin, the place Henley’s pre-Eagles band Shiloh used to play on weekends earlier than he discovered fame. But an excessive amount of had modified in the interim. So, “The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks” shares the type – however not the perspective, wit, gumption, looseness or humor – of the previous ’60s frat-rock band ? and the Mysterians.

19. “On the Border”
From: On the Border (1974)

On the Border arrived throughout the Eagles’ transition from roots to rock, personified by the mid-sessions exit of early producer Glyn Johns. (He oversaw solely “You Never Cry Like a Lover” and “Best of My Love,” although the latter grew to become the first of 5 Eagles chart-toppers.) The title monitor illustrated the issue they initially had in toughening up. A careless try at dunking on not too long ago resigned President Richard Nixon, “On the Border” is not as sharp because it must be lyrically – or musically. Were they really making an attempt for a Temptations vibe?

18. “You Never Cry Like a Lover”
From: On the Border (1974)

If there was ever a doubt, Don Henley reminds us that he is method too good for his woman. (He’d return to this theme on “Busy Being Fabulous” from 2007’s Long Road Out of Eden, amongst others.)

17. “Hollywood Waltz”
From: One of These Nights (1975)

Henley and the Eagles have been steaming towards a brand new rock-focused strategy, however this Bernie Leadon co-write confirmed they hadn’t but fully discarded the band’s dusty-booted authentic sound — and to nice impact. Leadon’s in every single place on this monitor, plucking away on the mandolin when he is not including a ruminative pedal-steel whine.

16. “King of Hollywood”
From: The Long Run (1979)

There’s a welcome echo of Walter Becker right here, each in the low-voiced foreboding and the monitor’s Los Angeles environs – however with out the perverse humorousness, in fact. It all devolves into one other nice guitar exercise.

15. “Doolin-Dalton”
From: Desperado (1973)

“Doolin-Dalton” was an important scene-setter. Maybe too nice. The Eagles ended up taking the iffy Old West topic too far, whereas returning to this music’s musical theme an completely unneeded variety of occasions – together with each an instrumental model and an album-closing reprise.

14. “After the Thrill Is Gone”
From: One of These Nights (1975)

Taking a rueful look again at the wreckage a misplaced relationship was already turning into previous hat for Frey and Henley, even this early on, and that is probably why “After the Thrill Is Gone” hasn’t gained wider consideration. This tucked-away gem is made full by Don Felder’s solo, which provides a contact of simmering anger.

13. “Victim of Love”
From: Hotel California (1976)

“Victim of Love” begins with a stuttering, snarling guitar, then Henley paints a dim portrait of this determined seek for late-night companionship amid a collection of nasty Felder retorts. The guitarist additionally earned a co-writing credit score on the monitor.

12. “Wasted Time”
From: Hotel California (1976)

Henley co-wrote and sang it, however “Wasted Time” actually speaks to Frey’s ardour for R&B music – on this case, ’70s-era Philly soul. They added some distinctly un-country rock-like strings, after which Frey – who as soon as described Henley as “our Teddy Pendergrass” – left his longtime bandmate to his personal vocal units. “You’re not going to find that track on a Crosby, Stills & Nash record or Beach Boys record,” Frey added. “Don’s singing abilities stretched so many of our boundaries. He could sing the phone book. It didn’t matter.”

11. “Those Shoes”
From: The Long Run (1979)
The musical relationship between Felder and Joe Walsh, as each foils and buddies, helped outline the group’s sound in the late ’70s. Together, they provide this Henley-sung monitor a steely menace. Felder co-wrote “Those Shoes” and impressively mixes it up with Walsh throughout one in all the decade’s most memorable talk-box road fights – and that is saying one thing.

10. “Saturday Night”
From: Desperado (1973)

A real band composition, “Saturday Night” grew out of a stray thought Meisner had about rising up. “I was sitting there one night, and I came up with the line ‘What ever happened to Saturday night?'” Meisner later remembered. “When I was younger, I would be out partying and with girls and having fun. And that’s what it was about: Whatever happened to it? And the answer was, ‘You’re older now.'” This second of introspection, delicately led alongside by Leadon’s mandolin, grounds an album that attempted to get slowed down in its Big Concept.

9. “Witchy Woman”
From: Eagles (1972)

Henley’s solely songwriting credit score on the Eagles’ first album arrived courtesy of a half-finished music Leadon had been engaged on since his days with the Flying Burrito Brothers. Leadon “came over one day and started playing this strange, minor-key riff that sounded sort of like a Hollywood movie version of Indian music — you know, the kind of stuff they play when the Indians ride up on the ridge while the wagon train passes below,” Henley later informed Cameron Crowe. “It had a haunting quality, and I thought it was interesting, so we put a rough version of it down on a cassette tape.” Frey accomplished issues with one other standout guitar solo.

8. “The Last Resort”
From: Hotel California (1976)

Henley would explicitly tie “The Last Resort” to his rising activism over environmental points, and there’s definitely loads of righteous anger instantly regarding our poor stewardship. But, in context, this at all times felt like one thing greater than one other of his political screeds. An album outlined by empty dissolution as an alternative ends the solely method it might: with a lonesome determine, surrounded by wreckage of his personal making.

7. “Desperado”
From: Desperado (1973)

The title music for this Old West-themed venture had been rattling round in Henley’s head since at the least 1968, however Frey was the predominant proponent of the bigger rockers-as-cowboy-outlaws idea. The goal, it appeared, was to make a grand assertion in order that the Eagles could be taken extra severely. They learn books about tumbleweed antiheroes like Bill Dalton, plugged in some interludes after which up to date “Desperado” to make all of it match. Initially, nonetheless, the music had what would have been a very tragic astrological bent. Frey remembered Henley’s authentic lyric as, “Leo, my God, why don’t you come to your senses?” Glad the Eagles did.

6. “Life in the Fast Lane”
From: Hotel California (1976)

Walsh was playing around with this riff in a free rehearsal second when the others took discover. Henley requested, “What the hell is that? We’ve got to figure out to make a song out of that.” Then, a while later, Frey was barreling down the Santa Monica freeway with a drug supplier he referred to as “the Count.” “I was riding shotgun in a Corvette on the way to a poker game. The next thing I knew we’re going about 90 miles an hour,” Frey later remembered. “I say, ‘Hey, man, what are you doing?’ And he looked at me and he grinned, and he goes, ‘Life in the fast lane!'” Released as the remaining single from Hotel California, the ensuing single shot to No. 11.

5. “The Sad Cafe”
From: The Long Run (1979)

Despite reloading with Timothy B. Schmit for The Long Run, a malaise had clearly crept in. This LP was dotted with halfhearted efforts earlier than the Eagles lastly righted issues with the album-closing “The Sad Cafe.” In some ways, this cinematic monitor units a template for Don Henley’s subsequent solo profession, as he affords a darkly ruminative examination of affection misplaced. But it would not have been such a becoming finale with out Felder’s elegiac, completely virtuosic activate guitar.

4. “The Long Run”
From: The Long Run (1979)

The Eagles had scaled the mountain prime, reaching an era-defining plateau with Hotel California. There was, actually, nowhere to go however down. Still, as the title monitor from the band’s remaining classic-era album makes clear, they meant to go down swinging. “Disco had exploded, and punk was on the rise,” Henley informed Rolling Stone. “We were beginning to see press articles about how we were passe. Those kind of jabs were part of the inspiration for the song The Long Run: Who is gonna make it? We’ll find out in the long run.'” Of course, the group promptly imploded. But their legacy solely grew, finally main the Eagles again for an inconceivable ’90s-era reunion.

3. “Best of My Love”
From: On the Border (1974)

This is remembered right now as the Eagles’ breakthrough single, however there was a little bit of controversy concerned with reaching that purpose. Seems the band’s label shortened the music for airplay — with out clearing something beforehand. “Best of My Love” grew to become the first chart-topper for the Eagles however not earlier than going from 4:34 on 1974’s On the Border to three:25 on the AM radio edit. That so infuriated everybody that the band got here up with an ingenious plan, hacking a bit out of a forty five single coated in gold paint then presenting it to the bosses at the Asylum Records places of work. Message acquired.

2. “One of These Nights”
From: One of These Nights (1975)

The purpose was to interrupt the ballad template, stirring in modern R&B sounds and a sneaky lyric that pulls no punches. Everything was coming collectively for Frey and Henley, who have been rapidly rising as the group’s greatest songwriters. Still, newcomer Don Felder performed an enormous position in serving to the Eagles shed their country-rock pretensions. He organized the unforgettable bass and guitar signature for “One of These Nights,” and his searing solo then neatly underscores this No. 1 music’s bitter sense of missed alternatives.

1. “Hotel California”
From: Hotel California (1976)

Turns out this music’s off-the-cuff brilliance wasn’t so off-the-cuff, in any case. The concluding twin-guitar solo on “Hotel California” has moved into classic-rock lore, representing the most well-known in a collection of fiery collaborations between Felder and not too long ago put in new member Joe Walsh. But it wasn’t improvised in any respect. Instead, the accomplished Eagles music mirrors — virtually observe for observe, at Henley’s insistence — the authentic instrumental demo that Felder created in his Los Angeles house. A name to Felder’s housekeeper led to a frantic search via all of his cassettes. She then put the discovered tape right into a boombox and performed it via the telephone so Walsh and Felder might study the authentic twin solos.