There has been a lot of talk about The Eagles’ new album “Long Road Out Of Eden.” The reviews by the press have been pretty much favorable in a predictable way. But the way one really gets a true feel for the value of the album is by hearing what other fans have to say.
I have gathered that the overall feeling about “Long Road” is mixed. Some fans are very enthusiastic about having new product and are embracing it. Others are a little skeptical about what they are hearing. I fall into that second category.
Going into it, I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by the album. I knew that there couldn’t possibly be two full discs worth of quality material. Still, I was looking forward to exploring the results of The Eagles’ first album of new studio material in nearly 28 years.
“Long Road” starts off with promise. The first track, “No More Walks In The Wood,” is predominately made up of beautiful harmonies reminiscent of “Seven Bridges Road” from the “Eagles Live” lp. It is followed by the single “How Long.” “How Long” is a nice rocker that exemplifies a feeling of the vintage Eagles sound. After this initial burst of potential, the album loses some steam.
From this point on, the album has varied results. “Busy Being Fabulous” is a solid Don Henley/Glenn Frey collaboration as is Henley and Steuart Smith’s “Waiting In The Weeds.” But then the listener has to sit through painful puff ballads like “What Do I Do With My Heart” and “No More Cloudy Days.” “Fast Company” is a total embarrassment and makes “Disco Strangler” from “The Long Run” look like a masterpiece. The title track of the album is musically intriguing although usually I am not one for political themed songs. The Frey-penned instrumental “I Dreamed There Was No War” is stunning and may be the strongest track on the album.
One of the biggest disappointments is the fact that the album lacks the true touch of Joe Walsh from a songwriting standpoint. In a pre-release interview in Billboard some time ago, Walsh insinuated that “Long Road” would have a couple Walsh-influenced rockers to add some balance to the album and disrupt the heavy flow of ballads. Well, I’m not sure what happened to the standard Joe Walsh up-tempo track, but “Last Good Time In Town” doesn’t quite reach the mark.
It isn’t necessarily wise to compare the current work of a band with past glories. That usually is a mistake simply because it should be expected that artists will continue to evolve over time - the level of creativity changes and the direction of their writing changes. At the same time though, bands do have a signature sound to some degree. “Long Road” has some elements reminiscent of The Eagles’ former work, but for the most part, no one should expect to hear many similarities from albums like “On The Border,” “One Of These Nights” or “Hotel California.” Those albums were essentially created by a different band.
The musical contributions of Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon and particularly Don Felder cannot be ignored. A lot of that special guitar sound found on Eagles’ recordings from the 70’s have Leadon and Felder’s signature licks all over it. Joe Walsh, sideman Steuart Smith and to a lesser degree Glenn Frey, cannot entirely replicate that sound (although they come close on the single “How Long”).
I saw a review from a journalist that said this new album makes it feel like it is 1976 again. Another cliché review from a music journalist who has no clue about the subject matter. Talk about misleading the consumer. The “Hotel California” album was release in 76, and “Long Road” has little-to-nothing in common with that album other than Henley, Frey and Walsh being contributing musicians. Not to go too far off course here, but will a music journalist ever write anything honest about a new recording by a legacy artist? Are they too scared Irving Azoff will call their editor?
“Long Road Out Of Eden” is as good as it probably could have been. I had some hope that Henley and Frey would write one or two gems that could stand alongside with some of their classics. So far, I don’t hear it. The other issue is that there is too much filler. This could have been a much stronger release had it been pared down to one CD. I almost feel like this is a deluxe edition with the album and all the outtakes that should have stayed in the vault. I do enjoy a few of the tracks, but most of it is forgettable. “Long Road Out Of Eden” is an album for the devoted Eagles fan, but I would not recommend it to the curious casual consumer.
I have gathered that the overall feeling about “Long Road” is mixed. Some fans are very enthusiastic about having new product and are embracing it. Others are a little skeptical about what they are hearing. I fall into that second category.
Going into it, I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by the album. I knew that there couldn’t possibly be two full discs worth of quality material. Still, I was looking forward to exploring the results of The Eagles’ first album of new studio material in nearly 28 years.
“Long Road” starts off with promise. The first track, “No More Walks In The Wood,” is predominately made up of beautiful harmonies reminiscent of “Seven Bridges Road” from the “Eagles Live” lp. It is followed by the single “How Long.” “How Long” is a nice rocker that exemplifies a feeling of the vintage Eagles sound. After this initial burst of potential, the album loses some steam.
From this point on, the album has varied results. “Busy Being Fabulous” is a solid Don Henley/Glenn Frey collaboration as is Henley and Steuart Smith’s “Waiting In The Weeds.” But then the listener has to sit through painful puff ballads like “What Do I Do With My Heart” and “No More Cloudy Days.” “Fast Company” is a total embarrassment and makes “Disco Strangler” from “The Long Run” look like a masterpiece. The title track of the album is musically intriguing although usually I am not one for political themed songs. The Frey-penned instrumental “I Dreamed There Was No War” is stunning and may be the strongest track on the album.
One of the biggest disappointments is the fact that the album lacks the true touch of Joe Walsh from a songwriting standpoint. In a pre-release interview in Billboard some time ago, Walsh insinuated that “Long Road” would have a couple Walsh-influenced rockers to add some balance to the album and disrupt the heavy flow of ballads. Well, I’m not sure what happened to the standard Joe Walsh up-tempo track, but “Last Good Time In Town” doesn’t quite reach the mark.
It isn’t necessarily wise to compare the current work of a band with past glories. That usually is a mistake simply because it should be expected that artists will continue to evolve over time - the level of creativity changes and the direction of their writing changes. At the same time though, bands do have a signature sound to some degree. “Long Road” has some elements reminiscent of The Eagles’ former work, but for the most part, no one should expect to hear many similarities from albums like “On The Border,” “One Of These Nights” or “Hotel California.” Those albums were essentially created by a different band.
The musical contributions of Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon and particularly Don Felder cannot be ignored. A lot of that special guitar sound found on Eagles’ recordings from the 70’s have Leadon and Felder’s signature licks all over it. Joe Walsh, sideman Steuart Smith and to a lesser degree Glenn Frey, cannot entirely replicate that sound (although they come close on the single “How Long”).
I saw a review from a journalist that said this new album makes it feel like it is 1976 again. Another cliché review from a music journalist who has no clue about the subject matter. Talk about misleading the consumer. The “Hotel California” album was release in 76, and “Long Road” has little-to-nothing in common with that album other than Henley, Frey and Walsh being contributing musicians. Not to go too far off course here, but will a music journalist ever write anything honest about a new recording by a legacy artist? Are they too scared Irving Azoff will call their editor?
“Long Road Out Of Eden” is as good as it probably could have been. I had some hope that Henley and Frey would write one or two gems that could stand alongside with some of their classics. So far, I don’t hear it. The other issue is that there is too much filler. This could have been a much stronger release had it been pared down to one CD. I almost feel like this is a deluxe edition with the album and all the outtakes that should have stayed in the vault. I do enjoy a few of the tracks, but most of it is forgettable. “Long Road Out Of Eden” is an album for the devoted Eagles fan, but I would not recommend it to the curious casual consumer.
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