It feels as if the several years of the CSNY, Gram Parsons, perhaps even Creedance Clearwater Revival family tree has been building the foundations for the behemoth of country rock that is the Eagles. The line-up on their debut album are Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner, and Bernie Leadon who is part of the family tree above, having come from The Flying Burrito Brothers.
I was somewhat dreading starting this – the
opening track Take It Easy is so overplayed on the radio – but soon got sucked
in. You get a lot more from listening via headphones, especially the double–speed banjo backing. I
mentioned that Deep Purple’s Highway Star is the ultimate Seventies hard rock
song in terms of its ingredients; Take It Easy is perhaps the ultimate
Seventies country rock song for the same reason. Banjo, guitars, close
harmony, lyrics about being on the road to avoid women troubles. It’s all
there. The other big single from this album, Peaceful Easy Feeling, is a slow
ballad but also adheres to all of the necessary elements.
At times, this feels like a road-test for
later Eagles sounds. Some tracks are rockier than they become, especially Tryin’
(rock apostrophe!), Chug All Night (which could refer to chugging beer, chugging along, some vague sexual euphemism, or whatever CCR meant by “chooglin’”) and
the excellent Witchy Woman. Some are more country (Train Leaves Here This
Morning), and Most Of Us Are Sad is a waltz-time country track that feels like
a rehearsal for Take It To The Limits later on.
To me there’s something desperately uncool
about the Eagles, but I can’t help but like them. I think a lot of it comes
down to the production values – here thanks to Glyn Johns – that make every
part clear and solid and the harmonies lush. The lyrics are clear and to the
fore as well, which compared to some of the muddier mixes of recent albums
makes us the listener that much closer to the music. We’re all stood on that
corner in Winslow Arizona as the girl in the flat-bed Ford drives past.
It’s probably this very polished production
that gives that sense of uncool, though. The Rolling Stones on Exile On Main
Street sound like they’re lounging around in a sea of drugs and groupies, not
giving a toss what you think. Manassas sound like they’re taking things
seriously, but doing it for the joy of making music together. The Eagles sound
like they iron their denim. And actually that’s not really fair as from what I
understand they weren’t immune to the rock and roll lifestyle. However, if you
wanted to create a country rock band that made stadium-filling songs with a
wide appeal, this is how you’d go.
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