RIP: J.D. Souther, 1945-2024

          Fans of the Fab Four enjoy debating who merits being called “the fifth Beatle,” whether the candidate is George Martin for his production, Brian Epstein for his management during the early days, or Billy Preston for his performance contributions near the end of the band’s career. In the story of the Eagles, a membership argument could be made for Irving Azoff, the group’s manager since 1972, or Bill Szymczyk, who produced most of the group’s '70s recordings. Yet only one figure boasts a close musical relationship that began before the Eagles existed and concluded with a series of performances alongside the Eagles earlier this year.
          That would be singer-songwriter John David Souther, who died yesterday.
          Those deeply familiar with the Eagles saga can likely tick off the important contact points. The first group Glenn Frey formed upon relocating from Detroit to Los Angeles in the ‘60s was Longbranch Pennywhistle, a duo with Souther that released one album. The Eagles wanted to include Souther’s tune “How Long” on their first LP, but he kept it for his own debut album. Still hooked on the song, the Eagles played “How Long” live in the ‘70s and recorded it for 2007’s Long Road Out of Eden, scoring a Top Ten Adult Contemporary hit as well as a Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
          Souther officially joined the Eagles songwriting collective by contributing to “Doolin-Dalton” on the Desperado LP in 1973, then cowrote multiple tunes throughout the ‘70s: “Best of My Love,” “James Dean,” “You Never Cry Like a Lover” (1974); “New Kid in Town,” “Victim of Love” (1976); ”Heartache Tonight,” “The Sad Café,” “Teenage Jail” (1979). Souther also performed occasionally with the group, so he can be heard on Eagles Live (1980), and he reunited with the band for several shows at the Forum in Los Angeles this January, singing lead on “New Kid in Town” and other tracks.
          Yet for all the notoriety (and wealth) Souther gleaned from the Eagles, that was a side hustle. His main focus was a solo career that never gained much momentum, despite attracting accolades and boundless respect from peers. Souther’s industrious period, such as it was, comprised four solo albums spanning 1972 to 1984, plus a pair of discs by country-rock supergroup the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. Two Souther singles achieved chart success, the Roy Orbison-inflected “You’re Only Lonely” (a No. 1 Adult Contemporary track and a Top Ten pop hit in 1979) and “Her Town Too” (a poignant James Taylor duet that hit No. 5 on the AC chart in 1981). His most iconic solo composition is unquestionably “Faithless Love,” originally recorded by Souther’s onetime paramour Linda Ronstadt in 1974.
          Souther referenced Ronstadt during a show at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica in 2017, which was the second and final Souther show I attended. (The first was a terrific gig at the Largo, another LA venue, in 2008.) Onstage at McCabe’s, Souther recalled that Ronstadt described him as a “kamikaze” performer because of his intuitive style. That tracked, because while Ronstadt and the Eagles are legendary for their precision, Souther’s approach was looser. Possessing a high, sweet voice that absolutely killed when it connected to a melancholy phrase or a plaintive melody, Souther generated spiky guitar work that was more emotive than exact. His piano playing achieved higher levels of grace.
          The body of work he leaves behind has in depth what it lacks in scope. The Longbranch Pennywhistle record and Souher’s first solo LP are slight, but Souther made a quantum leap in terms of ambition and realization with his second solo disc, Black Rose (1976)—it’s loaded with sophisticated material and high-wattage guests. You’re Only Lonely is the closest Souther ever got to recording a party record, and the title cut is magnificent. Despite some unmistakably ‘80s production, Home by Dawn (1984) is a respectable album that introduced Souther’s perfect romantic lullaby “I’ll Take Care of You” (later recorded by the Chicks). The two original studio records that Souther recorded after a decades-long hiatus, If the World Was You (2008) and Tenderness (2015), tilt toward jazz, though the first record’s “I’ll Be Here at Closing Time” is quintessential Souther. Arguably the jewel of his later recordings is Natural History (2011), featuring stripped-down studio versions of his best-known tunes.
          Souther also dabbled in acting, for example playing a recurring role on the network drama Nashville (which debuted in 2012). As with so many other aspects of Souther’s career, one can’t help but wonder how his acting might have progressed if he’d been more driven.
          Perhaps the most intriguing episode of Souther’s connection to the Eagles is what might be described as his tryout for the band circa 1972. Though it’s unclear exactly when this happened—presumably just before or after the group recorded its first LP—management suggested adding Souther to the lineup. (Yes, that would have made him . . . the fifth Eagle.) The quintet worked up a set and performed at the Troubadour for a private audience comprising only management personnel, but all parties immediately recognized the four-piece didn’t need another guitar-slinging tunesmith. (Years later, the band decided what they actually lacked was a powerhouse lead guitarist who could energize their sound--enter Don Felder and, later, Joe Walsh.)

          Souther has said he was relieved the tryout led nowhere because he was a loner by nature, and of course the band found other ways to utilize his talents.
          I’m never surprised when I mention Souther and get blank reactions from people, even folks old enough to have been around during the period of his highest visibility. He didn’t spend much time on the charts and he was largely absent from music during the MTV years, so he never achieved major notoriety as a solo act. Concurrently, casual Eagles fans can easily miss his presence if they skip the liner notes (or if they’re so young they don’t know what the phrase “liner notes” means). For those who’ve been aware of his artistry for decades, however, the moment of his passing is noteworthy. John David Souther rarely sought the spotlight, but he made music that ranged from elusive to poetic to transcendent.

RIP: Randy Meisner, 1946-2023

          Among those who write about pop culture generally and celebrities specifically, there’s an unattractive tendency to presume special insight or—even worse—intimacy. I’m sure I’ve been guilty of this in the past, assuming that because I’ve spent an extraordinary amount of time considering the life and work of some individual, naturally I’ve unlocked secrets about that person. Perhaps some authorized biographers have made that shift because their subjects have shared previously hidden information. But given the vantage point from which I observe the story of the Eagles, it would be absurd for me to make any such claim. And that’s why I’m taking a somewhat oblique approach to memorializing founding member Randy Meisner, who died on July 26 at age 77 of complications from COPD following decades marred by various addictions and ailments. I did not know the man and therefore feel unqualified to offer any grand statement on the equation of his existence. Did his grim later years mark his passing as the final note of some rock-and-roll tragedy? Or do the glorious achievements of his peak render such appraisals moot because Meisner left behind work that will last?
          Since I’m unable to answer those big questions, all I can do is catalog my thoughts at this poignant moment. To begin, I can’t help but wonder about what might have been. What if emotional difficulties and substance abuse had not prematurely ended Meisner’s tenure in the Eagles? Did he have the sketch for another “Take It to the Limit” inside him, ready to be elevated and shaped by Frey and Henley? The mediocrity of his solo output provides no satisfactory evidence one way or the other, because Meisner didn’t subsequently align his erratic songwriting abilities with collaborators on the level of Frey and Henley. Beyond his contribution of ideas for tunes, the what-if regarding his departure from the band gets at the bigger question of what the Eagles might have sounded like in the ‘80s; had Meisner not left the nest, might the whole group have retained stronger cohesion and lived through the travails of what became the Long Run era?
          Broadening the scope, what if Meisner simply had an easier go of life overall? The stories of his ambivalence toward fame and his inability to maintain work/life balance are legion, so clearly Meisner brought personal challenges with him on the road to notoriety. But what if he’d somehow found that elusive balance, either through nourishing relationships or professional help? Would a happier and healthier Meisner have made more music? Would he have made better or more consequential music? Or would he simply have enjoyed life away from the spotlight with less tabloid drama than Meisner endured in his final decades on Earth?
          There’s a lesson here, I suppose, that one could string together from Meisner’s songs—maybe on some level his tunes were messages to himself, messages that he only occasionally heeded. No question, it’s a certain kind of fool who seeks the spotlight in the first place, and just as certainly, taking it to the limit cuts both ways—pushing to the edges of one’s potential is dangerously close to testing how much strain a body and mind can survive. “Try and Love Again”? That didn’t always go Meisner’s way, alas. “Nothing Is Said (Till the Artist is Dead)”? By the time he wrote and recorded that song in 1982, it seems the complicated issue of legacy was already weighing heavily on Meisner’s mind.
          So many what-if questions. What if he’d been able to capitalize on the minor hits generated from the same album featuring “Nothing Is Said,” thereby becoming a fixture on the ‘80s charts alongside Frey and Henley? What if his flirtation with country music had yielded a viable second act? What if his reunion with the Eagles at the band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction had been more than just a one-off? (A one-off during which, rumors persist, Meisner’s bass wasn't even plugged in to amplifiers.) What if his failing health, as widely reported, had not prevented Meisner from making guest appearances on the History of the Eagles tour alongside returning founder Bernie Leadon? The denial of a victory lap seems a particularly unkind turn of fate. One of so many, sadly, visited upon the man.

          Thus another message from his songbook, the unavoidable realization that life does what it will no matter what path we might imagine in our dreams. Typically of Meisner’s solo output, this final offering—to the best of my knowledge, the last original song he wrote and recorded—is slight and trite. Yet in context of his story, it’s also touching and true. 

Flyin’ Solo: The Best of Timothy B. Schmit

          Although today marks the release of Timothy B. Schmit’s seventh solo album, Day by Day, his extensive work outside the Eagles and Poco has never been distilled into a “best of” collection. Accordingly, the arrival of his new LP provides a good occasion for surveying the totality of Schmit’s career, which spans more than 50 years.

          He first hit the national music scene as a member of psychedelia-inflected combo Glad (formerly the New Breed), then spent nearly a decade in Poco, singing lead on at least one song per album throughout his run, in addition to consistently writing or cowriting material. Next came the singer and bassist’s first tenure in the Eagles, spanning 1977 t0 1980. Schmit made his solo debut at the same time as his Eagles bandmate Don Henley, since both contributed tracks to the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack in 1982. Yet Henley followed up with a full solo disc later the same year, whereas Schmit’s first platter didn’t appear until 1984. Two more LPs followed before the Eagles reunited in 1994, and since then, Schmit has released albums only occasionally—clearly, the Eagles are his day job and solo work is a side hustle. 

          Nonetheless, listening to everything Schmit has recorded and sung across his more than five decades as a professional musician unearths a broad range of songs that deserve attention. In that spirit, here’s the track listing for an imaginary compilation, with songs presented in chronological order based on the release years of their parent albums as well as the sequencing of those albums. (Additional remarks follow the track listing.)

 
Disc One (76 min.)
1. Sweet Melinda (Glad) – 2.31
2. From the Inside (Poco) – 3.10
3. Restrain (Poco) – 5.13
4. Here We Go Again (Poco) – 3.28
5. Bitter Blue (Poco) – 3.12
6. Keep on Tryin’ (Poco) – 2.54
7. Flyin’ Solo (Poco) – 3.36
8. Starin’ at the Sky (Poco) – 2.58
9. Me and You (Poco) – 2.44
10. I Can’t Tell You Why (Eagles) – 4.56
11. Playin’ It Cool – 5.36
12. Something’s Wrong – 4.09
13. Take a Good Look Around You – 3.21
14. Tell Me What You Dream – 4.47
15. Leaving It Up to You (from the movie Secret Admirer) – 3.43
16. Boys Night Out – 4.36
17. A Better Day Is Coming – 4.31
18. I Guess We’ll Go on Living – 5.32
19. Tell Me the Truth – 3.48 
20. Was It Just the Moonlight – 3.58
21. Something Sad – 5.11
 
Disc Two (80 min.)
1. In Roxy’s Eyes – 4.11
2. All I Want to Do – 2.26
3. Tonight – 3.47
4. Love Will Keep Us Alive (Eagles) – 4.02
5. The Shadow – 4.23
6. Every Song Is You – 4.09
7. Make You Feel My Love – 3.47
8. I’ll Always Let You In – 4.02
9. Give Me Back My Sight – 4.31
10. I Don’t Want to Hear Any More (Eagles) – 4.21
11. Do Something (Eagles) – 5.12
12. Parachute (feat. Graham Nash + Kenny Wayne Shepherd) – 6.20
13. White Boy from Sacramento – 4.55
14. Compassion – 4.43
15. All Those Faces – 7.19
16. This Waltz – 6.58
17. The Good Fight (feat. Sheryl Crow) – 7.55
 

          The work Schmit did with his first band should be represented here, hence the inclusion of garage-rock bopper “Sweet Melinda,” from Glad’s sole LP, Feelin’ Glad (1969). Similarly, selections from his Poco output should be featured because it was with Poco that Schmit sharpened the skills he later brought to his higher-profile work as an Eagle. To that point, bluesy “From the Inside” (the title track of Poco’s 1971 studio album) is one of many tracks that evoke early Eagles, right down to the crunchy guitars and ooh-ooh harmonies. Slightly menacing “Restrain,” from A Good Feelin’ to Know (1972), works a similar groove, blending Crosby, Stills & Nash-style harmony vocals with a “Witchy Woman”-esque rhythm pattern and dramatic high notes that recall Randy Meisner. For some readers, it may be surprising to learn that many of Schmit’s Poco songs are legit rockers—not every song bearing his fingerprints is a gentle ballad.

          “Here We Go Again,” from Crazy Eyes (1973), occupies a pleasant soft-rock pocket with quiet verses and bouncy choruses, although it feels underdeveloped—as do many of Schmit’s early compositions, including “Bitter Blue,” from Cantamos (1974). The song starts quietly before shifting to a Bernie Leadon-esque country-rock attack. Although the lyrics don’t have the same punch as the music, it’s refreshing to hear Schmit explore tougher aspects of his vocal range. The 1975 Poco release Head Over Heels introduced the band’s biggest hit up to that point and also Schmit’s first signature song. “Keep on Tryin’” is a sweet midtempo number with dense vocal harmonies atop steady acoustic strumming. The tune hit No. 50 on the pop chart, and for a brief time after Schmit switched bands, the song was part of the Eagles’s live sets. Schmit has revisited “Keep on Tryin’” several times for Poco reunions.

          Head Over Heels also introduced the song that gives this imaginary collection its title. “Flyin’ Solo” is one of Schmit’s best heavier songs, even though it opens with an unthreatening country-rock groove. Once again sounding very much like early Eagles, “Flyin’ Solo” has focus and punch, especially during the muscular final passage. Offering an easygoing counterpoint is the succinct “Starin’ at the Sky,” from Rose of Cimarron (1976), which has shades of the band America’s shimmery sound. Rounding out this brisk sampling of pre-Eagles material is “Me and You,” from the last Poco studio album featuring Schmit, Indian Summer (1977). “Me and You” is interesting for a couple of reasons—in addition to being more overtly country than most of Schmit’s Poco tunes (dig that steel!), the song has a mature lyric about the push-pull dynamics of relationships, subject matter the bassist would revisit in his first contribution to his next band.

          Since “I Can’t Tell You Why” has already been discussed at length in this blog, nothing will be added here except an observation that placing the song in chronological context offers hints about what shape the number was in when Schmit presented the nascent tune to Henley and Glenn Frey, both of whom embellished the songwriting.

          Now begins a journey through the bassist’s solo output, with occasional returns to the realm of the Eagles. Schmit’s first LP, Playin’ It Cool (1984) begins a pattern of haphazard albums that wobble between moments of affecting sincerity and dubious attempts at emulating pop-music fads. Four of the stronger tracks include the jittery title cut (cowritten by frequent Eagles accomplice J.D. Souther), the credible rocker “Something’s Wrong” (which features Henley and Joe Walsh), the sweet “Take a Good Look Around You,” and the seductive soft-rock groove “Tell Me What You Dream.” The latter song is the first of many Schmit solo tracks that could and should have been hits. (Playin’ It Cool also features the doo-wop cover “So Much in Love,” repurposed from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but that tune was not selected for this imaginary collection in order to focus primarily on pieces that Schmit wrote or co-wrote.)

          “Leaving It Up to You,” from the movie Secret Admirer, is among Schmit’s loveliest early songs, balancing vulnerability and warmth with an energetic final passage.

          Because the bassist explored harder MTV-era sounds on his second solo LP, Timothy B. (1987), that album features some of his most dated material. The uncharacteristically macho single “Boys Night Out” has respectable hooks, “A Better Day Is Coming” blends complicated vocal patterns with thick synth textures, and “I Guess We’ll Go on Living” offers an upbeat mechanized soundscape with Schmit’s high voice floating above puffy keyboard clouds.

          Stronger material drives the bassist’s third effort, Tell Me the Truth (1990), tracks from which conclude Disc One of this imaginary compilation and also kick off Disc Two. The title cut works a synth-funk groove heavily evocative of Henley’s material from the same era, and “Was It Just the Moonlight” is among Schmit’s most aggressive-sounding songs. Conversely, “Something Sad” occupies Schmit’s sweet spot of the anguished lover wondering how it all went wrong. The poignant tune ranks among his fully realized compositions.

          Disc Two begins with two quiet numbers from Tell Me the Truth, “In Roxy’s Eyes” and “All I Want to Do,” both of which evoke Brian Wilson’s guileless songwriting. “Tonight,” also from Tell Me the Truth, is another Schmit song that could have been a hit—it’s a bouncy pop number with solid hooks, a dense arrangement (notably punchy organ parts), and delicately multilayered background vocals. Tell Me the Truth marked the end of the bassist’s wilderness years, because the Eagles reunion LP Hell Freezes Over (1994) introduced the No. 1 adult-contemporary hit “Love Will Keep Us Alive,” another tune already discussed at length in this blog. Among the many gifts the Eagles reunion gave Schmit was the wherewithal to set up a home studio. Clearly, being able to workshop material at his own pace (and without the pressure of chasing radio play) allowed the bassist to relax into an organic style more suited to his gifts than some of the mechanized pop formats he previously attempted.

          Feed the Fire (2001) is the source for the next several tracks on this imaginary collection: contemplative “The Shadow,” infectious “Every Song Is You,” comforting “Make You Feel My Love,” insistent “I’ll Always Let You In,” soulful “Give Me Back My Sight.” With these tunes, Schmit achieves and maintains a new peak of artistry; finally, his soundscapes are as inviting and personable as his vocals. Of particular note are “The Shadow,” one of the best compositions to bear a Schmit solo writing credit; “Make You Feel My Love,” which occupies an honorable place amid myriad cover versions of the late-career Bob Dylan classic; and “Give Me Back My Sight,” which offers a compelling blend of multitrack vocals and exotic loops, thus representing one of Schmit’s most rewarding departures from his rootsy comfort zone.

          Next up are the two numbers with Schmit lead vocals from Long Road Out of Eden (2007), the Eagles’s most recent—and likely final—studio LP. “I Don’t Want to Hear Any More” and “Do Something,” both quite good, are discussed at length elsewhere in this blog.

          “Parachute,” “White Boy from Sacramento,” and “Compassion” are from Schmit’s 2009 album Expando. Fans of exemplary vocal harmonies should take special note of “Parachute,” which sounds like a great lost CSN song—unsurprising given that Graham Nash is featured prominently. The quasi-autobiographical “White Boy from Sacramento,” perhaps the snarkiest song Schmit has ever written, features a gentle dig at the immortality of “Love Will Keep Us Alive,” and “Compassion” is an outstanding showcase for Schmit’s musical gifts because it blends singer-songwriter emotional nakedness with Brian Wilson-esque operatic harmonizing.

          The final solo album excerpted for this imaginary collection is Leap of Faith (2016), on which Schmit continues a late-career drift toward lengthier songs. “All Those Faces” (over seven minutes) and “This Waltz” (over six minutes) blend arresting slow-burn beats with beguiling instrumental and vocal textures. Even more ambitious is the final song on this imaginary collection, the 2019 non-album single “The Good Fight,” which runs nearly eight minutes. Set to a slinky funk/soul groove, the spirited duet with Sheryl Crow celebrates those who employ activism and morality while pushing back against the cynicism of our strange times.

          In recent interviews, Schmit has acknowledged that he didn’t truly find himself as a songwriter until quite late in his career, so even though this imaginary collection offers highlights from a half-century of music, perhaps Schmit’s finest hour is yet to come.

          For quick overviews of solo releases by members of the Eagles (including snapshots of Schmit’s albums), click here.

Every Eagles Song Podcast Interview

Thanks to the folks at Jacked Up Review Show podcast for inviting me to chat about all things Eagles. Although the interview mostly gets into facts and figures about band history, the conversation also includes thoughts about why the group and their music have lasted. As a bonus, the chat vividly demonstrates why I should never be put in proximity to math. At one point I note the Eagles have been together much longer as a heritage touring band than they originally were together an active recording entity, but I say the current span is approaching 20 years when of course I should have said 30 years because the reunion began in 1994. (Arithmetic, forever my mortal enemy.) Anyway, click the link to hear the podcast, which runs a little over one hour: Jacked Up Eagles Podcast.

The Long Run That Wasn’t

   

 

          It is not controversial to describe the last studio album the Eagles made before their 1980 breakup as a major disappointment. First, the band set an impossibly high standard with their preceding LP, Hotel California, so only a superlative masterpiece could have satisfied critical expectations. Second, The Long Run was at some point in its creation envisioned as a double album, and, obviously, that plan was never realized. Third, The Long Run served as the band’s epitaph until their 1994 reunion. Given these particulars, the temptation to speculate about what might have been is powerful. I’m hardly the first fan to head down this particular “What if?” rabbit hole, and I certainly won’t be the last. It is within that broad context that I offer an imaginary track listing to suggest how a double-LP version of The Long Run might have sounded.
          Naturally, this imaginary track listing bears zero resemblance to whatever the Eagles actually had in mind. Further, while it’s entirely possible that basic concepts for another LP’s worth of material existed, this situation doesn’t parallel, for instance, the Beach Boys’ aborted Smile album. For one thing, most of the pieces that would have comprised Smile actually got recorded, and for another, Smile emanated from Brian Wilson at the apex of his creativity. By their own admission, the Eagles were fried from endless touring and low on inspiration when they made The Long Run. In other words, The Long Run was never going to improve on Hotel California—so the point of this undertaking is simply to improve on The Long Run. 
          To establish a template, I retained all 10 tracks that appear on the released version of the album. “Teenage Jail” is among the few Eagles songs I actively dislike, but for reasons known only to the band members and their inner circle, it found a place on the 10-track rendition of The Long Run. Therefore, it’s only logical to assume the song might also have notched a slot on a lengthier version that offered more room for experimentation. This is also why I didn’t jettison novelty number “The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks.” I’ve always found the song mildly amusing, and the only reason I resent the inclusion of “Greeks” on the released version of The Long Run is that it occupies space better allocated for a more substantial song. As with “Teenage Jail,” “Greeks” seems less irksome in the larger context of a double album, although I can happily imagine a world in which both tunes were relegated to B-side status.
          Four of the tracks I’ve added are no-brainers, inasmuch as they are known to have been developed for The Long Run.
          First is “Too Much Drama,” the only Henley-Frey composition written for The Long Run but not included—or at least the only such tune with which I’m familiar. Given the style of the lyrics and melody, I’m comfortable assuming “Too Much Drama” would have been sung by Henley and that it would have sounded much like it does in the version brought to the marketplace by Mickey Thomas in 1981. After all, the Thomas recording was produced by the same guy as The Long Run: Bill Szymczyk.
          Situating three songs associated with Felder into The Long Run requires a bit more imagination. Felder’s first solo single, “Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride),” existed during the Long Run era but lacked lyrics at the time. (Felder hoped Henley would finish the number.) Let’s assume that the well-documented drama surrounding the recording of “Victim of Love” for Hotel California eliminated the possibility of Felder providing the vocal for an Eagles version of the groove that became “Heavy Metal,” so for purposes of this silly endeavor, I’ve presumed that Henley would be the singer for whatever that groove became on The Long Run.
          Because Walsh and Felder cowrote “Rivers (Of the Hidden Funk)” and “Told You So,” it seems safe to say that Long Run versions of these numbers would sound similar to how they eventually appeared on Walsh LPs. It’s possible Henley and/or Frey would have provided different lyrics, but since Walsh only sings one tune on the released version of The Long Run, he benefits from an increased presence as a lead vocalist.
          Speaking of Walsh, his 1980 non-LP solo tune “All Night Long” is one of several pulls I’ve made from band members’ solo output immediately following The Long Run—as differentiated from the preceding songs, which were conceived for The Long Run. Seeing as how the Eagles integrated “All Night Long” into their live act (it appears on 1980’s Eagles Live), this one doesn’t seem like much of a leap—excepting the obvious fact that song probably didn’t get composed until after The Long Run was completed.
          Now this exercise becomes even more speculative. Amazingly, Frey contributes only one solo lead vocal to the released version of The Long Run, even though he was ostensibly the band’s leader. To expand his lead vocal presence, I pulled two cuts from his 1982 debut solo LP, No Fun Aloud. Like “All Night Long,” these songs probably didn’t exist when The Long Run was recorded, but to my ears they both suit the band’s style circa ’78-’79, thanks to potent guitars and thick vocal harmonies. “All Those Lies” was written by Frey solo, while “I Found Somebody” was written by Frey in collaboration with Jack Tempchin, who wrote “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and cowrote “Already Gone.” Since Tempchin is a member of the extended Eagles family, his participation seems legitimate.
          The third addition I’ve suggested for Frey, “The Last In Love,” is a cowrite by Frey and his first songwriting partner, frequent Eagles collaborator J.D. Souther. The song was released on Souther’s 1980 LP You’re Only Lonely, so its vintage is roughly the same as that of The Long Run.
          Wrapping up the subject of Frey, I wanted to find a track that would serve as a companion to “The Sad Café” by complementing that song’s wistfulness. Internet wanderings led me to Tempchin’s self-titled 1978 debut LP. Frey worked on that album, so he would have been familiar with all of the numbers therein. Hence my inclusion of the melancholy “Walkaway.” (As a side note, several numbers on Tempchin’s 1978 album could conceivably have worked as Eagles songs, including the bittersweet gem “Golden Life,” which was written by Tempchin and Souther.)
          While it makes sense that Schmit has only one lead vocal on the released version of The Long Run since he was the new guy in the band, it also makes sense that he might have enjoyed a larger presence on a longer version of the album. Although Schmit’s debut solo LP didn’t get released until 1984, I’ve borrowed two songs from that album to serve as placeholders. I use that term because both songs likely originated with Schmit’s main collaborator on the 1984 album, Josh Leo. Having said that, “Tell Me What You Dream” has a lovely feel that evokes the Eagles, and “Something’s Wrong” actually features three Eagles—Schmit plays bass, Walsh plays guitar, and Henley provides both drums and backing vocals. The idea is not that these particular songs would have made The Long Run, but that similar songs with Schmit lead vocals might have.
          And now a word about sequencing. Flow is as subjective as any other aspect of music, but while I was playing around with how these songs might resonate off each other, I discovered a sort of loose narrative.
          Assuming that Henley (or Henley-Frey) lyrics for the song we know as “Heavy Metal” would have reflected the band’s usual thematic concerns, my imaginary Side A of the first LP plays out the concept of the title track. Call this stretch “Relationships Are Messy.” Given my decision to retain the problematic “Greeks” and “Teenage Jail,” my imaginary Side B of the first LP is the bumpiest passage of the whole set, but I’m okay with that inasmuch as this exercise involves conceiving a more expansive rendition of a bumpy LP. Given that context, consider Side B of the first LP a showcase for the lighter side of the Eagles: “Let’s Try to Have Some Fun.”
          To my ears, this imaginary double-album version of The Long Run coalesces on the second LP. Side A exclusively features songs from the released version of The Long Run, but in a slightly different order and without the interruption of substandard material. The dramatic through line of this side can be summarized in a single word: “Danger.” Side B comprises two songs from the released version, two songs that were originally intended for inclusion on The Long Run, and the aforementioned addition of “Walkaway” for Frey. At the risk of overstating my concept of a loose narrative, this final side could be synopsized with the word “Goodbye.” I suppose my inclination is to gift the Eagles with a deliberate farewell statement instead of the haphazard one they actually delivered by splitting up during the tour supporting The Long Run.
          For the penultimate song slot that I’ve populated with “Walkaway,” one could just as easily substitute a TBD Henley-Frey composition with a Frey vocal—or even an instrumental, though I’ve yet to encounter any indications the band was contemplating the inclusion of non-vocal tracks on The Long Run. As for the opposite extreme of a cappella numbers, I didn’t appropriate “Seven Bridges Road” from Eagles Live, even though the band performed it during the Long Run era, because that song is way too rustic to sit comfortably alongside the heavy electric guitars that dominate most Long Run tracks. Oh, and one more bit of housekeeping. While it’s possible that Felder’s “All of You,” released at the same time as “Heavy Metal,” was also originally conceived for The Long Run, I haven’t confirmed that factoid, and I feel this alternate version of The Long Run already gives Felder a respectable presence as a composer.
          Other fans playing this game will inevitably make different decisions given all the variables involved. To that point, after I was already deep into preparation for this post, I came across another imagined double-album version of The Long Run on the blog Albums Back from the Dead. Although everything here represents my ideas and research, it was enjoyable to see how someone else approached this entertaining task.
          YouTube links have been provided after the track listing so readers can hear how this material (or material of a similar nature) might have sounded had the Eagles delivered two platters of The Long Run to stores in September 1979 rather than just one. Obviously, the recordings in these YouTube videos belong to the owners of the songs’ respective copyrights, so the links are shared solely for informational purposes.
          Finally, the lead-vocal tally on this alternative version of The Long Run is seven songs for Henley, five for Frey, four for Walsh, three for Schmit, and two performed—as on the released version—by Frey and Henley in tandem.
 
The Long Run That Wasn’t (1979)
 
LP 1: SIDE A (approx. 20.5 minutes)
1. “The Long Run” (3:42, lead vocal by Henley)
2. “Something’s Wrong” (4:08, lead vocal by Schmit, from Playin’ It Cool)
3. “Told You So” (3:55, lead vocal by Walsh, from You Bought It—You Name It)
4. “All Those Lies” (4:44, lead vocal by Frey, from No Fun Aloud)
5. “Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride)” (4:54, lead vocal on this version by Felder, lead vocal on the imagined Long Run version by Henley, this version from the Heavy Metal soundtrack)
 
LP 1: SIDE B (approx. 21 minutes)
1. “The Last in Love” (3:50, lead vocal on this version by Souther, lead vocal on the imagined Long Run version by Frey, this version from You’re Only Lonely)
2. “All Night Long” (3:40, lead vocal by Walsh, from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack)
3. “I Found Somebody” (4:06, lead vocal by Frey, from No Fun Aloud)
4. “Tell Me What You Dream” (4:48, lead vocal by Schmit, from Playin’ It Cool)
5. “Teenage Jail” (3:43, lead vocal by Frey and Henley)
6. “The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks” (2:12, lead vocal by Henley)
 
LP 2: SIDE A (approx. 21 minutes)
1. “Heartache Tonight” (4:26, lead vocal by Frey)
2. “Those Shoes” (4:55, lead vocal by Henley)
3. “In the City” (3:45, lead vocal by Walsh)
4. “The Disco Strangler” (2:45, lead vocal by Henley)
5. “King of Hollywood” (6:26, lead vocal by Frey and Henley)
 
LP 2: SIDE B (approx. 22.5 minutes)
1. “I Can’t Tell You Why” (4:56, lead vocal by Schmit)
2. “Rivers (Of the Hidden Funk)” (5:07, lead vocal by Walsh, from There Goes the Neighborhood)
3. “Too Much Drama” (3:28, lead vocal on this version by Mickey Thomas, lead vocal on the imagined Long Run version by Henley, this version from Alive Alone)
4. “Walkaway” (4:05, lead vocal on this version by Jack Tempchin, lead vocal on the imagined Long Runversion by Frey, this version from Jack Tempchin)
5. “The Sad Café” (5:23, lead vocal by Henley)
 
Total Running Time: Approx. 85 minutes
(Running time of the released version is 42:50)
 
YouTube Clips In Order:

And if you’ve made it this far, you deserve some bonus tracks—here are the other tunes mentioned in the post but not included in the imaginary track listing.

An Eagles Solo Discography

          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.

Day By Day (Schmit, December 2022, Benowen). Forefronting guest stars less than usual (though Lindsey Buckingham's guitar is recognizable on the opener), Schmit plays with styles and textures on Day by Day, mimicking Brian Wilson here and Stax there. Standouts include "Heartbeat" (which has a smooth R&B groove) and "Where We Belong" (which features an eerie guitar figure that would fit on a single by the Cure). Impressively, given that Day by Day is the first LP by a septuagenarian Eagle, Schmit is still exploring the breadth of his artistry.