Notwithstanding minor regional efforts, such as the singles that Henley cut in 1964 and 1965 as a member of the Four Speeds (aka Felicity, aka Shiloh), the amateur/semipro recording activity of the band’s members was referenced earlier, so the following list primarily concerns material that Felder, Frey, Henley, Leadon, Meisner, Schmit, and Walsh recorded during and/or after their tenures in the band. Some exceptions to those parameters help illustrate how the Eagles evolved, individually and collectively.
“2’s Better Than 3” (The Maundy Quintet, 1967, Paris Tower). Self-financed and self-released single by the Florida band that included Felder and Leadon, the latter of whom wrote and produced both sides of the 45 (the other track is “I’m Not Alone”).
Beg, Borrow and Steal (Ohio Express, 1967, Cameo). After dropping out of Kent State, Walsh cofounded regional act the Measles. The band recorded two songs that were subsequently featured on an album credited to Ohio Express, the omnibus name for a rotating cast of hired-gun musicians. (Ohio Express later scored with the bubblegum earworm “Yummy Yummy Yummy.”) Walsh wrote and sang one of the two Measles recordings, “I Find I Think of You.”
Of Horses, Kids, and Forgotten Women (Hearts and Flowers, July 1968, Capitol). Leadon notched his first professional credits, as performer and songwriter, by joining the lineup for this short-lived folk group’s second album.
The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark (Dillard & Clark, October 1968, A&M). Leadon was part of the lineup, again performing and writing, for this one-off venture helmed by Doug Dillard, of the Dillards, and Gene Clark, keeping busy during one of his separations from the Byrds. The album, which is considered one of the foundational documents of country rock, introduced the Leadon-Clark composition “Train Leaves Here This Morning,” later to appear on the first Eagles LP.
Feelin’ Glad (Glad, 1968, ABC). Sole album-length release by the psychedelic-pop act formerly known as the New Breed and featuring Schmit on bass and vocals.
Pickin’ up the Pieces (Poco, January 1969, Epic). Because Meisner quit Poco before the group’s debut album was completed, his lead vocals were removed from three tracks (though his bass playing and harmonies were left intact), and he was replaced on the cover art—by a dog.
Yer’ Album (The James Gang, March 1969, Bluesway). Walsh marks his proper recording debut as guitarist and primary songwriter for the power trio from Ohio. Notably, boards for the Cream-inflected LP were manned by Bill Szymczyk, who produced all of Walsh’s studio output through 1978 and during that same period became the Eagles’ producer for albums spanning On the Border to Eagles Live.
Longbranch Pennywhistle (Longbranch Pennywhistle, 1969, Amos). Lone release by the duo comprising Frey and Souther. Though they perform together on every track, most of the songs were written individually, but the inauspiciously titled “Bring Back Funky Women” marks the beginning of Souther’s long run of cowriting with Frey.
Burrito Deluxe (The Flying Burrito Brothers, April 1970, A&M). Leadon joined the band for its second album, reuniting with high-school friend Chris Hillman and connecting with influential country-rock explorer Gram Parsons.
Flow (Flow, May 1970, CTI). First and last LP by the fusion act featuring Felder on guitar.
Poco (Poco, May 1970, Epic). Strapping on his bass guitar to replace Meisner, Schmit also contributes harmony vocals and cowrote two tracks; he would write or cowrite at least one tune on each Poco album through 1978, when he left to join the Eagles.
James Gang Rides Again (July 1970, ABC). Walsh becomes even more dominant as a songwriter on the trio’s second album, although signature track “Funk #49,” later to become a regular fixture on classic-rock radio, was written by all three members of the band. (“Funk #49,” Walsh’s first hit, rose to No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.) Nearly everything on this classic LP works, with delicate tracks such as the symphonic “Ashes the Rain and I” offering welcome counterpoints to the album’s heavier grooves.
Shiloh (Shiloh, 1970, Amos). Produced by Kenny Rogers, the sole LP by the band that brought Henley from Texas to California features three early Henley songs, all written solo. Shiloh members Jim Ed Norman and Al Perkins later contributed to Eagles releases.
Thirds (The James Gang, April 1971, ABC). Walsh’s last studio LP with the James Gang features his enduring solo composition “Walk Away,” which charted at No. 51.
The Flying Burrito Brothers (June 1971, A&M). Recorded after Parsons was fired, this self-titled effort was Leadon’s final LP with the group.
James Gang Live in Concert (September 1971, ABC). Final release of the group’s Walsh era presents live tracks recorded at Carnegie Hall. FYI, Walsh reunited with his James Gang bandmates periodically throughout the ’90s and early 2000s.
Barnstorm (Walsh, September 1972, ABC-Dunhill). Single: “Mother Says.” Walsh’s first solo disc, even though Barnstorm is also the only name on the cover as well as the moniker of the power trio that Walsh led for two early-’70s albums. Barnstorm introduces a protean version of the familiar Walsh track “Turn to Stone,” which he later rerecorded.
The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get (Walsh, June 1973, ABC-Dunhill). Singles: “Rocky Mountain Way,” “Meadows.” Walsh’s second album fronting Barnstorm produced his first Top 40 hit, “Rocky Mountain Way,” later a staple of both classic-rock radio and Eagles shows. Although credited solely to Walsh, this LP is a group effort because Walsh’s bandmates provide lead vocals on three tracks. Yet it is with The Smoker You Drink that Walsh truly finds his groove, balancing hot slide licks with gentle acoustic textures and moody synthesizer washes, the wide-ranging musicality suiting his growing maturity as a songwriter.
So What (Walsh, December 1974, ABC-Dunhill). Single: “Turn to Stone.” Contributing his transition from explosive jams to delicate mood pieces, Walsh delivers arguably his most emotional song cycle, even though the dopey “All Night Laundry Mat Blues” hints at the prominence novelty numbers would later achieve within Walsh’s repertoire. On the opposite end of the spectrum, “Song for Emma” poignantly recalls the two-year-old daughter Walsh lost in a car accident. Frey, Henley, and Meisner contribute vocals to “Turn to Stone” and “Help Me Through the Night.” (As noted earlier, “Turn to Stone” is a new version of the song from Barnstorm.) Additionally, Henley sings harmony on “Falling Down,” which he cowrote, as well as “Time Out,” on which he’s joined by Souther.
Head Over Heels (Poco, July 1975, ABC). On the seventh of nine albums he cut with Poco before joining the Eagles, Schmit scored his first hit song. “Keep on Tryin’,” which he wrote and sang, reached No. 50.
You Can’t Argue With a Sick Mind (Walsh, March 1976, ABC). Single: “Walk Away.” This energetic live album, extrapolated from a broadcast of Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, features Felder, Frey, and Henley on “Help Me Through the Night.”
Natural Progressions (The Bernie Leadon-Michael Georgiades Band, 1977, Asylum). Nominally the only release from a guitar duo but functionally the first Leadon solo disc. On tap are mellow country-rock tunes produced by Glyn Johns.
“But Seriously, Folks . . .” (Walsh, June 1978, Asylum). Singles: “Life’s Been Good,” “Over and Over.” Recorded between Hotel California and The Long Run, Walsh’s first release on Asylum Records features all five Eagles circa 1978, with Felder contributing guitars to a pair of tracks and the others singing backup on “Tomorrow.” The LP introduces Walsh’s comic anthem about being a rock star, “Life’s Been Good,” not only his biggest solo hit (No. 12 on the Hot 100) but also a reliable crowd-pleaser at Eagles concerts from the Long Run tour onward. In fact, “Life’s Been Good” appears on Eagles Live with slightly tweaked lyrics—instead of the original line “they write me letters, tell me I’m great,” Walsh sings “they write Tim letters, tell Glenn Don’s great.” Alongside the jokes are some of Walsh’s most beautiful songs, from the emotive vocal track “Indian Summer” to the dreamy instrumental “Theme from Boat Weirdos” (so named because parts of the album were recorded on a yacht). While some fans single out “But Seriously, Folks . . .” as the guitarist’s masterpiece, it could also be argued that Smoker, So What, and Seriously comprise a loose trilogy capturing Walsh’s artistic peak.
Randy Meisner (June 1978, Asylum). The first of two self-titled discs from the group’s founding bassist. Features a stripped-down version of “Take It to the Limit,” plus the recorded debut of the Frey-Souther composition “Bad Man.”
The Best of Joe Walsh (November 1978, ABC). Cash-grab compilation by the guitarist’s old label, issued after his splashy first release for Asylum.
Urban Cowboy (Various Artists, June 1980, Full Moon/Asylum). Compiled by Eagles manager Irving Azoff, this hit double-album soundtrack for a John Travolta movie features Walsh’s solo single “All Night Long,” which charted at No. 19 and subsequently appeared in Eagles concerts (hence its presence on Eagles Live). Also included on the album are the vintage Eagles track “Lyin’ Eyes” and the Eagles-adjacent ballad “Hearts Against the Wind,” a Ronstadt-Souther duet that Souther wrote. More on the Boz Scaggs track “Look What You’ve Done to Me” later.
There Goes the Neighborhood (Walsh, March 1981, Asylum). Single: “A Life of Illusion.” Working with R&B producer George “Chocolate” Perry, Walsh edges dangerously close to disco on some tracks, and overall this album lacks cohesion despite vivid moments. In other words, the guitar hero’s descent into mid-career mediocrity begins here. Peppy single “A Life of Illusion,” which stalled at No. 34, was Walsh’s last tune to crack the Top 40, although it did much better on what eventually became Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart, reaching No. 1 during the first year of that niche chart’s existence. The LP features Felder on guitars and vocals, plus Schmit on vocals. Felder also cowrote one of the tunes.
One More Song (Meisner, October 1980, Epic). Singles: “Deep Inside My Heart,” “Hearts on Fire.” Slick sophomore effort from Meisner, greatly improving on the production and songcraft of his first album. “Deep Inside My Heart,” a quasi-duet with Kim Carnes, reached No. 22, and “Hearts on Fire” reached No. 19, thus becoming Meisner’s only Top 20 hit as a solo artist. Not insignificantly, the title song—written by Jack Tempchin—features Frey and Henley on harmonies.
Hits! (Boz Scaggs, November 1980, Columbia). Although the smooth ballad “Look What You’ve Done to Me” was a hit when featured on the Urban Cowboy LP with a quartet of female singers backing Scaggs, the alternate version released on Hits! prominently features guest vocals by Frey, Henley, and Schmit.
Heavy Metal (Various Artists, July 1981, Full Moon/Asylum/Elektra). The title track of this double-LP soundtrack album executive-produced by Azoff, Felder’s “Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride),” is the guitarist’s first solo recording, with Henley and Schmit singing harmonies behind Felder’s lead vocal. The song, which reached No. 43 on the Hot 100 and No. 5 on the Mainstream Rock chart, is Felder’s only charting song as a solo artist. A second Felder track, the atmospheric “All of You,” is also featured.
No Fun Aloud (Frey, May 1982, Asylum). Singles: “All Those Lies,” “Don’t Give Up,” “I Found Somebody,” “The One You Love,” “Partytown.” Frey’s gold-selling solo debut produced two significant hits. “The One You Love” reached No. 15 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart, while “Partytown” climbed to No. 5 on the Mainstream Rock chart. Although no other Eagles perform on the LP, Henley’s old buddy Jim Ed Norman arranged the strings, and occasional Eagles collaborator Seger cowrote “That Girl.” Most of the album was written by Frey and “Peaceful Easy Feeling” author Tempchin. Their collaboration on Frey solo material (and occasional Eagles songs) lasted for three decades. For good or ill, No Fun Aloud made a strong declaration of independence from the Eagles, pigeonholing Frey as a lightweight good-times artist.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Various Artists, July 1982, Elektra). Another double-LP soundtrack assembled by Azoff, who helped produce the accompanying film, this one features the debut solo recordings of Henley (“Love Rules,” the first of many tunes he cowrote with Danny Kortchmar) and Schmit (the doo-wop cover “So Much in Love,” later repurposed for his first solo LP). Felder has a song on the LP too. The album’s biggest single, “Somebody’s Baby,” was a No. 7 hit for Eagles fellow traveler Jackson Browne.
I Can’t Stand Still (Henley, August 1982, Asylum). Singles: “Dirty Laundry,” “I Can’t Stand Still,” “Johnny Can’t Read,” “You Better Hang Up.” Henley’s gold-selling debut solo LP introduced the No. 3 single “Dirty Laundry,” a scathing look at the vapidity of TV news that features a vicious solo by Walsh. Schmit and Souther play and sing on multiple tracks, and Seger and Souther cowrote, with Henley, the stomping “Nobody’s Business.” Formally debuting Henley’s writing partnership with Kortchmar, the album made just as strong a declaration of independence as Frey’s debut LP, but in the opposite direction—Henley accentuated the cerebral qualities that made him the Eagles’ most sophisticated lyricist. His singing is remarkable, whether on aggressive rock tracks (“Johnny Can’t Read”) or melancholy ballads (“Long Way Home”), and he wears his Texan heritage proudly. Henley set a remarkably high standard with this disc, then grew a devoted fan base separate from his Eagles following by surpassing that standard with each of his next two albums, which rank among the best pop LPs of the 1980s.
Randy Meisner (August 1982, Epic). Single: “Never Been in Love.” An overproduced slab of AOR featuring a power-ballad duet with Ann Wilson of Heart, “Strangers.” That track was cowritten by Elton John. The LP is dated but pleasant, with great vocals from Meisner throughout, and a couple of tracks, including “Jealousy” and “Tonight,” have enough muscle to pierce the corporate-rock veneer. “Never Been in Love” was Meisner’s last solo song to chart, reaching No. 28 on the Hot 100.
Airborne (Felder, 1983, Asylum). Single: “Bad Girls.” Felder’s dispiriting solo debut landed with a thud, commercially and critically, despite copious amounts of power chords and synths, plus contributions from Schmit, Kenny Loggins, and Dave Mason. Even a Cheech Marin cameo in the video for “Bad Girls” didn’t help. The failure of this project likely explains why Felder didn’t make another solo album for nearly 30 years.
You Bought It—You Name It (Walsh, May 1983, Warner Bros.). Singles: “I Can Play That Rock & Roll,” “Space Age Whiz Kids.” Felder plays guitar and sings backup on “Told You So” (which he cowrote with Walsh), while Henley and Schmit sing backup on “Here We Are Now.” “Space Age Whiz Kids,” a snarky number about video games, was a semi-hit, reaching No. 52 on the Hot 100 and No. 21 on the Mainstream Rock chart, but You Bought It is a hot mess of an album. Content ranges from the powerful gloom of “Shadows” to the goofball lechery of “I.L.B.T.s,” an artless celebration of the female form. By this point in Walsh’s career, songs unworthy of his talent were starting to accumulate at an alarming pace.
The Allnighter (Frey, June 1984, MCA). Singles: “The Allnighter,” “Sexy Girl,” “Smuggler’s Blues.” Frey’s second gold-selling disc in a row (“Sexy Girl” and “Smuggler’s Blues” both reached the Top 20) is an incrementally more substantial effort than its predecessor, if only because of the subject matter in “Smuggler’s Blues,” one of two Frey songs forever associated with Miami Vice. Per the norm, most of this album was written with Tempchin. Debuting here, the countrified ballad “Lover’s Moon” was later performed by the Eagles during the MTV concerts that became Hell Freezes Over, though the song never made the broadcast, the home video, or the LP.
Playin’ It Cool (Schmit, September 1984, Wounded Bird). Singles: “Playin’ It Cool,” “So Much in Love.” First solo disc from the Eagles’ second bassist. Souther helped write the title song, and he’s a guest player alongside Henley, Walsh, and other luminaries. The problem with Schmit’s debut—actually, his first three LPs—is the absence of a distinctive personality. While the singing is strong and the musicality is respectable, one can’t help but sense label bigwigs trying to make Schmit sound like Frey (as on “Tell Me What You Dream”) and/or Henley (as on “Gimme the Money”). Chasing AOR play was not a great flight plan for this particular Eagle. Henley and Walsh contribute to “Something’s Wrong.” Walsh also plays on “Gimme the Money.”
Building the Perfect Beast (Henley, November 1984, Geffen). Singles: “All She Wants to Do Is Dance,” “The Boys of Summer,” “Drivin’ With Your Eyes Closed,” “Not Enough Love in the World,” “Sunset Grill.” Henley’s first solo masterpiece notched multiple hit singles, a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance (for “The Boys of Summer”), and more than 3 million album sales. Writing with Mike Campbell, Stan Lynch, and Benmont Tench from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, plus usual suspects Kortchmar and Souther, Henley delivers eleven killer songs. “All She Wants to Do Is Dance” (one of two solo Kortchmar compositions on the disc) is an irresistible mix of synth-funk and snide political commentary, “The Boys of Summer” is mesmerizing and mysterious, “Sunset Grill” is an extraordinary feat of storytelling and style, and the list goes on. Everything about this album works, which is all the more remarkable given how wholeheartedly Henley committed to programming and synthesizers. “All She Wants to Do Is Dance” and “The Boys of Summer” reached the Top 10 on the pop chart, and both songs reached No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
Beverly Hills Cop (Various Artists, December 1984, MCA). Although he didn’t write the song, Frey sings and plays guitar on “The Heat Is On,” which became a massive No. 2 pop hit.
The Confessor (Walsh, May 1985, Warner Bros.). Single: “The Confessor.” Features Schmit on backup vocals. Although Walsh’s days in the Top 40 were over, the title track of this LP reached No. 8 on the Mainstream Rock chart. As for the album, it defines inconsistency because Side A is borderline embarrassing and Side B is comparatively supercharged, featuring the scalding title track and the splendid “Rosewood Bitters.”
Miami Vice (Various Artists, October 1985, MCA). Frey’s “You Belong to the City,” which he wrote with Tempchin, became another soundtrack smash, reaching No. 2. The album itself rose to the No. 1 position, a rarity for a TV soundtrack. “Smuggler’s Blues,” previously released on Frey’s The Allnighter, also appears on this album.
When the Night Falls (Black Tie, 1985, Bench). His solo career having stalled, Meisner formed a country-rock band with Jimmy Griffin, from the soft-rock group Bread, and Billy Swan, who scored a crossover country hit with 1974’s “I Can Help.” Their sole full-length release encountered marketplace indifference. Meisner neither wrote nor cowrote any of the album’s tracks.
Timothy B. (Schmit, September 1987, MCA). Singles: “Boys Night Out,” “Don’t Give Up.” Peaking at No. 25, “Boys Night Out” is Schmit’s most successful solo single. It is also, like the rest of this album, wholly unmemorable. While Schmit mostly eschewed big-name guest stars the second time around, he let pop journeyman Bruce Gaitsch (who cowrote most of the songs and coproduced the album) take the reins, so the whole enterprise radiates impersonal professionalism. That said, the warm “I Guess We’ll Go on Living” hints at better things to come on subsequent releases.
Got Any Gum? (Walsh, October 1987, Warner Bros./Full Moon). Singles: “In My Car,” “The Radio Song.” Features Souther on backup vocals. Smothered in wretchedly mechanized ’80s production, Walsh struggles in vain to make uninspired material palatable throughout his first disposable album. This one marked the end of the guitarist’s decade-long tenure recording for various Warner Bros. imprints.
Soul Searchin’ (Frey, August 1988, MCA). Singles: “Livin’ Right,” “Soul Searchin’,” “True Love.” Following successes with up-tempo singles in movies and TV shows, Frey tacked in a gentler direction for this LP, which produced two Top 10 Adult Contemporary ballads (the title cut and the R&B-inflected “True Love”). As always, most of the songs were cowritten with Tempchin. Schmit sings backup.
The End of the Innocence (Henley, June 1989, Geffen). Singles: “The End of the Innocence,” “The Heart of the Matter,” “How Bad Do You Want It,” “If Dirt Were Dollars,” “The Last Worthless Evening,” “New York Minute.” Another stunner, Henley’s third solo LP doubled the success of its predecessor, notching multiple hit singles, another Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance (for the title cut), and 6 million units sold. Henley has said he was open to resuming Eagles activity circa the early ’90s because he’d proven what he wanted to prove, and indeed he had. While perhaps not as consistently remarkable as Building the Perfect Beast, this LP contains some of Henley’s best-ever songs, notably “The Heart of the Matter.” Henley cast a wide net for collaborators, writing the title track with Bruce Hornsby and penning other songs with John Corey, Jai Winding, and returning accomplices Campbell, Kortchmar, Lynch, and Souther. Guest artists make big impressions here, with Hornsby’s piano driving “The End of the Innocence” and Axl Rose’s vocals giving extra grit to “I Will Not Go Quietly.” Others in the mix include Edie Brickell, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge, and Patty Smyth. To a certain degree, Henley’s solo career following The End of the Innocence constitutes an extended victory lap, since his radio play and album sales never again reached this level. However, that remark should not be interpreted as a slag against his subsequent work, much of which is just as good as the material from his ’80s heyday.
Legacy (Poco, September 1989, RCA). Although only one Eagle appears on this LP, which reunites the original Poco lineup from 1969, the album is noteworthy for producing Meisner’s last Top 40 hit. He sings lead on the bombastic power ballad “Nothin’ to Hide,” which reached No. 39 on the pop chart.
Tell Me the Truth (Schmit, July 1990, MCA). Single: “Was It Just the Moonlight.” Henley sings backup for the title cut on Schmit’s third solo LP. Alas, returning collaborator Bruce Gaitsch runs amok by incongruously marrying Schmit’s sweet voice with such overwrought arrangements that some tracks sound like rejects from a Mr. Mister album. Softer moments connect and the whole thing is so slick that it’s listenable, but by this point, Schmit was way overdue for finding a sound of his own.
“Learning the Game” (Black Tie, 1990). This gentle Meisner-sung ballad, originally released on the band’s When the Night Falls LP five years earlier, was reissued as a single and reached No. 59 on the country chart.
Ordinary Average Guy (Walsh, April 1991, Epic). Singles: “All of a Sudden,” “Ordinary Average Guy.” This LP is noteworthy as Walsh’s first disc without participation from fellow Eagles since 1974. (None of them appear on the next Walsh platter, either.) Listening to Walsh chase then-current musical trends is unpleasant, from the weak MOR balladry of “All of a Sudden” to the lazy, rap-inflected gibberish of “Alphabetical Order.” Even if one allows for the fact that Walsh was lost in the depths of addiction while making Ordinary Average Guy, the LP is misbegotten. Nonetheless, the title song peaked at No. 3 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
“Chain Gang” (Black Tie, 1991). Another belated release from When the Night Falls.
Songs for a Dying Planet (Walsh, May 1992, Epic). Single: “Vote for Me.” Reteams Walsh with producer Bill Szymczyk. “Vote for Me,” which reached No. 10 on the Mainstream Rock chart, was Walsh’s last significant single as a solo artist—not a bad run, arriving 22 years after his first charting song.
Into the Twangy-First Century (Run C&W, January 1993, MCA). First of two albums by tongue-in-cheek bluegrass/roots act Run C&W, the only band of which Leadon has been an official member since the Eagles, notwithstanding his two-album tenure as a session player with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Typical of Run C&W’s output is the single “Itchy Twitchy Spot,” a spoof of Billy Ray Cyrus’s “Achy Breaky Heart.”
Strange Weather (Frey, June 1992, MCA). Singles: “I’ve Got Mine,” “Love in the 21st Century,” “Part of Me, Part of You,” “River of Dreams.” Frey’s last proper solo album, penned mostly with Tempchin, has more edge and political content than his previous efforts, though critics maligned the disc as a pale imitation of Henley’s socially conscious output. That said, the album contains one of Frey’s very best solo songs, “Part of Me, Part of You,” originally recorded for and released on the soundtrack of the 1991 movie Thelma & Louise. A six-minute epic about destiny, friendship, and liberation, it’s a widescreen wonderment with big guitars and even bigger harmonies, so it’s a shame Frey never brought the song into the Eagles’ live repertoire.
“I’m Sure of You” (Meisner, Swan & Rich single, 1992). After Jimmy Griffin left Black Tie, Meisner and Swan recruited new member Charlie Rich Jr. and renamed their group. The resulting studio sessions produced this non-album single, which reached the Top 20 on the country chart. Inexplicably, additional Meisner, Swan & Rich tracks recorded at the same time were shelved for years despite the single’s success.
Glenn Frey Live (July 1993, MCA). Recorded in Ireland with a competent touring band, this lackluster disc comprises about one-half Eagles classics and one-half solo material, so the mix is as awkward as Frey’s vocals are disappointing. Truncating “Lyin’ Eyes” and “Take It Easy” into a six-minute medley was not a good idea. (A slightly longer version of the concert was released on VHS as Glenn Frey: Strange Weather Live.)
Row vs. Wade (Run C&W, July 1994, Warner MCA). More lighthearted twang from Leadon and his bandmates, this time leaning heavily on rural interpretations of classic soul/R&B tracks (e.g., “Chain of Fools,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” etc.).
A Future to This Life: Robocop—The Series Soundtrack (Various Artists, January 1995, Pyramid). Yes, really. Walsh contributes three new songs, including an early version of “Guilty of the Crime,” the Frankie Miller-Jerry Lynn Williams rave-up he performed 12 years later on Long Road Out of Eden, plus a duet with hair-metal goddess Lita Ford. Weird.
Solo Collection (Frey, March 1995, MCA). Generic title notwithstanding, this solid compilation (15 songs in 65 minutes) offers the best-yet snapshot of Frey’s solo output, spanning “The One You Love” to “Part of Me, Part of You.” Although the hit “Partytown” is absent, that tune would have felt like an outlier given the album’s focus on AC ballads and hard-driving rock songs. The album’s new songs are respectable.
Look What I Did! The Joe Walsh Anthology (May 1995, MCA). Generous two-CD compilation summarizing 25+ years of solo output. No new material.
Actual Miles: Henley’s Greatest Hits (November 1995, Geffen). Completing the trio of hits packages that enterprising labels released to capitalize on the renewed popularity of the Eagles circa Hell Freezes Over, this strong collection includes two new songs and one repurposed track. Dark and ambitious, “The Garden of Allah” (with shimmering guest vocals by Sheryl Crow) is an offbeat experiment, mixing spoken-word passages with some of Henley’s heaviest grooves. The acidic “You Don’t Know Me at All” plays like a cruel kiss-off to David Geffen after years during which he and Henley were mired in litigation. Originally appearing on a tribute disc, Henley’s gloomy cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows” rounds out the fresh material.
Joe Walsh’s Greatest Hits—Little Did He Know . . . (Walsh, November 1997, MCA). Nothing new, but, to date, the best single-disc collection of Walsh’s solo work.
The Best of Joe Walsh: 20th Century Masters—The Millennium Collection (March 2000, Geffen). Pointless repacking of songs from his ABC Records era.
Inside Job (Henley, May 2000, Warner Bros.). Singles: “Everything Is Different Now,” “For My Wedding,” “Workin’ It,” “Taking You Home.” Henley’s first new album in 11 years finds him balancing newfound mellowness—he’d become a parent during his solo-recording hiatus—with his ingrained contrarian nature. The No. 1 Adult Contemporary hit “Taking You Home” is a pretty ballad about becoming a father that features extraordinary singing and pedestrian lyrics. Several other tracks are similarly lightweight compared to Henley’s previous solo work, but the gospel-tinged “Everything Is Different Now,” the haunting environmentalist lament “Goodbye to a River,” and the joyous “My Thanksgiving” stand comfortably beside Henley’s best achievements. Felder, Frey, and future Eagles sideman Steuart Smith all make contributions.
The Best of Glenn Frey: 20th Century Masters—The Millennium Collection (September 2000, MCA).Budget-priced disc that’s vastly inferior to 1995’s Solo Collection, with fewer tracks and a live version of “The One You Love.” Pass.
Meisner, Swan & Rich (2000, Varese). Belated release of tracks recorded in 1992. Meisner sings lead on “My How Things Have Changed” (one of his rare solo compositions) and “(It’s Like I) Never Had a Broken Heart” (penned by Rich).
Feed the Fire (Schmit, May 2001, self-released as Lucan Records). Single: “I’ll Always Let You In.” Schmit’s first self-distributed album features contributions from Walsh plus an evocative cover of Bob Dylan’s much-recorded ballad “Make You Feel My Love.” Easily the best of the albums Schmit made while chasing solo chart success, Feed the Fire nestles multitracked vocals inside pillow-soft arrangements, as on the R&B cover “You Are Everything” and the should-have-been-a-hit bopper “Every Song Is You.”
Dallas (Meisner, February 2002, Rev-Ola). From-the-vaults live album featuring material recorded during Meisner’s 1982 solo tour, including versions of “Take It to the Limit” and “Try and Love Again.”
Mirror (Leadon, March 2004, Really Small Entertainment). Leadon’s first proper solo LP offers a set of countrified originals, some rock textures, and Leadon’s signature expertise with stringed instruments.
Love Me or Leave Me Alone (Meisner, June 2004, Rev-Ola). More from the vaults—a rarities album including versions of “Take It Easy” and, yet again, “Take It to the Limit.” Among the enjoyable tracks here is Meisner’s version of “Salt in My Tears,” previously a 1983 Top 40 hit by the song’s author, Martin Briley.
The Best of Joe Walsh & the James Gang: 1969-1974 (July 2006, Spectrum Audio UK). Import collection of ABC Records material.
The Best of Linda Ronstadt: The Capitol Years (July 2006, Capitol). Although the Frey original “Get Up Kate” was reportedly cut as a studio track for the Eagles’ debut LP, the tune never appeared on a legitimate release until this compilation, which features a live version recorded circa 1971 at the Troubadour. Frey sings lead and Ronstadt provides harmonies.
Black Tie Two (August 2006, Masteringpro). Oddly compiled three-track EP features the ’80s Christmas single “Away in a Manger” (by Black Tie) plus “I’m Sure of You” and “Listen to the Radio” (by Meisner, Swan & Rich).
The Very Best of Don Henley (June 2009, Geffen). For casual fans, this one’s probably a better choice than Actual Miles, excluding most of that LP’s new songs and featuring pulls from Inside Job. The deluxe edition includes several music videos plus as an EP of tunes that originally appeared in movies (“Love Rules” from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, “Who Owns This Place?” from The Color of Money, ”Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” from Leap of Faith, and “Through Your Hands” from Michael).
Expando (Schmit, October 2009, Lost Highway). Schmit’s long-overdue return to rootsy singer-songwriter material features the humorously autobiographical “White Boy From Sacramento” (which sarcastically references “Love Will Keep Us Alive” in the lyrics), plus contributions from high-profile guest players: the Blind Boys of Alabama, Graham Nash, Van Dyke Parks, Dwight Yoakam, etc. Slipping back to his Poco-era style, Schmit offers many charming Americana textures on this set of intimate songs. Much of the material suggests a life spent puttering around the house between Eagles tours, but, hey, we all should be so lucky.
Icon (Walsh, January 2011, Geffen). Another collection of early material.
Honorary Mention: Natural History (J.D. Souther, May 2011, Entertainment One). Featuring stripped-down recordings of the best-known songs from Souther’s long career, this fine disc includes soulful versions of the Eagles’ “Best of My Love,” “New Kid in Town,” and “The Sad Café,” plus Souther’s “Faithless Love,” “Prisoner in Disguise,” “You’re Only Lonely,” and more.
After Hours (Frey, May 2012, Universal Music Enterprises). Single: “Route 66.” No album better reinforces the notion that Frey’s solo career eventually became a hobby than his final effort, a covers collection featuring mellow standards and ’60s songs. Musically, the album sounds fine, and it’s moderately interesting to hear Frey tackle the Beach Boys’ “Caroline, No,” but he was not an interpretive singer of such unusual gifts that the world needed to hear his take on “For Sentimental Reasons.” The album’s sole original number is the title cut, written by Frey and Tempchin. It’s their final collaboration to be released during Frey’s lifetime.
Analog Man (Walsh, June 2012, Fantasy). Singles: “Analog Man,” “Lucky That Way.” Slick comeback album representing Walsh’s first major musical statement since becoming sober in 1994. Noteworthy for including the studio version of “One Day at a Time,” which Walsh first played during the Eagles’ Farewell 1 tour. Superstar producer Jeff Lynne’s signature is everywhere, especially since he plays multiple instruments and sings backup throughout the album. (Other high-profile guests include Walsh’s famous brother-in-law, Ringo Starr, who drums on two songs, and Little Richard, who sings lead on a bonus track.) While much of the album is harmless but forgettable, “One Day at a Time” is endearing and “Lucky That Way” (a semi-sequel to “Life’s Been Good”) is a worthy companion to Walsh’s best vintage material.
Road to Forever (Felder, October 2012, Rocket Science). A vast improvement over Airborne, Felder’s second solo disc features an impressive guest roster: Crosby, Stills, and Nash sing on one track; Tommy Shaw (from Styx) sings on two; and members of Toto appear on the disc. Despite bland songs and the continued impediment of a slight voice, Felder acquits himself well here, delivering earnest material in the classic-rock mode, complete with sleek production and, of course, blistering fretwork.
All Night Long: Live in Dallas—1981 Radio Broadcast (Walsh, Smokin’, January 2014). Unofficial release of a show from the tour supporting There Goes the Neighborhood. Originally broadcast on the King Biscuit Flower Hour.
The Soundtrack of Summer (Foreigner, Styx, and Don Felder, May 2014, Trigger Productions LLC). Recorded to promote a package tour, the disc features eight rerecorded Foreigner songs (without Lou Gramm), eight rerecorded Styx tunes (without Dennis DeYoung), and a pointless cover of “Hotel California” on which Felder shares lead-vocal duties with Foreigner’s Kelly Hansen and Styx’s Tommy Shaw—who re-creates the dueling-guitars “Hotel California” outro with Felder.
Cass County (Henley, September 2015, Capitol). Single: “Take a Picture of This.” Entering his lion-in-winter phase, Henley returns to his Texas roots with an album of covers and new material, favoring country sounds while occasionally calling back to his textured-synths ’80s style. The disc reached No. 1 on the Country Albums chart. Henley is in fine voice throughout, often blending vocals with superstar guests (Mick Jagger, Dolly Parton, Lucinda Williams, etc.), and the song “No, Thank You” features Henley harmonizing with Vince Gill two years before Gill became a touring member of the Eagles. Knockout originals include “The Cost of Living,” “Praying for Rain,” and “Words Can Break Your Heart,” all of which prove Henley capable of adding essential cuts to his songbook during his sixth decade as a professional musician. A worthy deluxe edition adds “Here Come Those Tears Again” (a Jackson Browne cover) and “It Don’t Matter to the Sun” (a duet with Stevie Nicks).
Leap of Faith (Schmit, September 2016, self-released as Benowen Records). More gentle music—with flavors of folk, funk, and soul—from the easygoing bassist, guitarist, and vocalist. Some of the songs run to self-indulgent lengths, but Schmit boldly attempts toughening up his style on songs including “You’re So Wild.”
Above the Clouds: The Collection (Frey, May 2018, Geffen). Perpexingly assembled posthumous box set. Disc One is yet another incomplete greatest-hits collection, Disc Two assembles various non-hits that were presumably among Frey’s favorites, and Disc Three offers the first legitimate CD release of Longbranch Pennywhistle. Also included is a DVD featuring a slightly reconfigured version of the Strange Weather Live video.
Above the Clouds: The Very Best of Glenn Frey (Frey, May 2018, Geffen). Stand-alone release of the box set’s first disc.
Longbranch Pennywhistle (Longbranch Pennywhistle, August 2018, Geffen). Another stand-alone release pulled from the Above the Clouds box set.
American Rock ’n’ Roll (Felder, April 2019, BMG Rights Management). Once again, Felder leans heavily on big-name guests (Mick Fleetwood, Sammy Hagar, Alex Lifeson, Slash, Bob Weir, etc.), though none of their contributions are indelible. The title track, a lazy callout to various iconic musicians, is pandering sludge for the classic-rock crowd, and much of the handsomely produced record exists on the same level. That said, the ballads that close out the disc, especially “The Way Things Have to Be,” are lovely.
“The Good Fight” (Schmit with Sheryl Crow, November 2019, Benowen). Non-album single celebrating activism, featuring Crow as a duet partner and running nearly eight minutes.
“Cross That Line” (Schmit, September 2020, Benowen). Another non-album single encouraging civic involvement, this time referencing #MeToo and Donald Trump.
