Eagles Live

Eagles Live is the first live album by the American rock band Eagles, a two-LP set released on November 7, 1980. Although the Eagles were already in the process of breaking up,[3][4] the band owed Elektra/Asylum Records one more album and fulfilled that contractual obligation with a release of performances from the Hotel California and The Long Run tours.

Eagles Live
Live album by
Eagles
ReleasedNovember 7, 1980 (1980-11-07)
RecordedOctober 20, 1976 – July 31, 1980
GenreRock
Length77:10
LabelAsylum
ProducerBill Szymczyk
Eagles chronology
The Long Run
(1979)		 Eagles Live
(1980)		 Eagles Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
(1982)
Singles from Eagles Live
  1. "Seven Bridges Road"
    Released: December 15, 1980
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Robert ChristgauC−[2]

Eagles Live was mixed by Glenn Frey and Don Henley on opposite coasts in Los Angeles and Miami, respectively, and as producer Bill Szymczyk put it, the record's harmony and instrument fixes were made "courtesy of Federal Express." The 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide said it is "perhaps the most heavily overdubbed [live album] in history." "Seven Bridges Road," a Steve Young cover, was released as a single and became a top-40 hit.

Background

The album provides a balanced document of the band's musical history, recorded in two phases. Five of the tracks were recorded in October 1976, during three performances at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The other 10 tracks were recorded in July 1980, from three shows at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and one at the Long Beach Arena in California. The band had different line-ups in 1976 and 1980; Timothy B. Schmit joined in 1978, replacing original bassist Randy Meisner.[4] Five lead singers are featured in the 14 vocal songs on the album [excluding the brief musical interlude of "Doolin Dalton (Reprise II)"]: Henley, Frey, Joe Walsh, Meisner and Schmit. Songs from each Eagles studio album except one (On the Border) are included, as well as two Walsh solo tracks and one cover song: the acoustic harmony-laden "Seven Bridges Road."

Plagued for years by internal strife, the band had reached a breaking point by July 31, 1980, when it performed a concert in Long Beach, California that served as a fund-raiser for then-Senator Alan Cranston's campaign. The version of "Life in the Fast Lane" for Eagles Live was recorded at this show, which was most notable for a dispute between bandmates Frey and Don Felder that culminated backstage, when they nearly came to blows. Frey then refused to even speak to the other band members, let alone join them to record overdubs for Eagles Live; therefore, the recording was done piecemeal. Frey was in Los Angeles while the rest of the band was in Miami, with Henley overseeing the post-production sessions. Tapes were sent back and forth between the two locations until the album was completed.[3][4] Szymczyk said: "I had my assistant in Los Angeles with Glenn, and I had the rest of the band fly to Miami. We were fixing three-part harmonies courtesy of Federal Express."[5] Five different lawyers were thanked in the liner notes.[4]

The Eagles rejected a $2 million offer from the label to record two new songs for the album. The only previously unreleased song in the album is a version of "Seven Bridges Road".[4] The song was a showcase for the band's close harmony singing, as the verses of the song feature a cappella vocals from all five members.

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Hotel California" (July 29, 1980, Santa Monica)
Don Henley6:55
2."Heartache Tonight" (July 27, 1980, Santa Monica)
Glenn Frey4:35
3."I Can't Tell You Why" (July 28, 1980, Santa Monica)
Timothy B. Schmit5:24
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."The Long Run" (July 27, 1980, Santa Monica)
  • Henley
  • Frey
Henley5:35
2."New Kid in Town" (October 22, 1976, The Forum)
  • Henley
  • Frey
  • Souther
Frey5:45
3."Life's Been Good" (July 29, 1980, Santa Monica)Joe WalshJoe Walsh9:38
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Seven Bridges Road" (July 28, 1980, Santa Monica)Steve YoungHenley, Frey, Walsh, Schmit, Don Felder3:54
2."Wasted Time" (October 22, 1976, The Forum)
  • Henley
  • Frey
Henley5:40
3."Take It to the Limit" (October 20, 1976, The Forum)
Randy Meisner5:20
4."Doolin-Dalton (Reprise II)" (October 21, 1976, The Forum)
instrumental0:44
5."Desperado" (October 21, 1976, The Forum)
  • Henley
  • Frey
Henley4:04
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Saturday Night" (July 28, 1980, Santa Monica)
Henley3:55
2."All Night Long" (July 27, 1980, Santa Monica)WalshWalsh5:40
3."Life in the Fast Lane" (July 31, 1980, Long Beach)
  • Henley
  • Frey
  • Walsh
Henley5:10
4."Take It Easy" (July 27, 1980, Santa Monica)
Frey5:20
LP notes
  • The album cover is the image of a band-equipment storage chest used during a concert tour. It includes two elements hinting at the Eagles' breakup (which was not officially announced until May 1982[3]): The number 86 on both sides and "MIA" written on air-freight stickers on the back.
  • The record labels were custom, showing a bird's nest filled with eggs and hand grenades.
  • Original pressings of this double-album had text engraved in the run-out grooves on each side, as had been the band's tradition since their 1975 album One of These Nights:
    1. Side 1: Is it illegal to yell "Movie!" in a firehouse?
    2. Side 2: "Hello, Federal? ... Ship it!"
    3. Side 3: Not Tonight, thanks ...
    4. Side 4: ... I've gotta rest up for my monster
  • The run-out groove of the fourth side did not fade to silence as was customary. Instead, the crowd noise continued into the final-loop groove. Thus, for those listening on manual turntables, the applause would not end until the listener removed the stylus from the disc.
  • A poster included with the LP featured an aerial photo of a June 14, 1980, concert at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut, but the Eagles aren't performing in the photo. The concert featured the Little River Band as the opening act, followed by Heart, with the Eagles closing the show. The Little River Band's set featured a white backdrop, Heart a black backdrop and the Eagles a backdrop with an image of a tree-lined roadway. In the poster, the stage has the white backdrop, meaning the photo was taken during the Little River Band's performance.

Personnel

Sourced from original album liner notes.

Eagles

  • Don Felder – guitars, harmony and backing vocals
  • Glenn Frey – rhythm guitar, keyboards, vocals
  • Don Henley – drums, percussion, vocals
  • Randy Meisner – bass guitar, vocals (1976 shows; "New Kid in Town," "Wasted Time," "Take It to the Limit," "Doolin'-Dalton (Reprise II)," and "Desperado")
  • Timothy B. Schmit – bass guitar, vocals (1980 shows; all other songs)
  • Joe Walsh – guitars, keyboards, vocals

Additional musicians

  • Jage Jackson – rhythm guitar, percussion
  • Phil Kenzie – alto saxophone on "The Long Run"
  • Vince Melamed – electric piano on "New Kid in Town"
  • The Monstertones – backing vocals on "All Night Long"
  • J. D. Souther – vocals and acoustic guitar on "New Kid in Town"
  • Joe Vitale – piano, organ, drums, percussion

Production

Charts and certifications

Sales and certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[17] Gold 50,000^
France (SNEP)[18] Gold 100,000*
Japan (Oricon Charts) — 105,000[9]
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[20] 7× Platinum 3,500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Eagles Live at AllMusic
  2. Christgau, Robert. "Eagles Live". Robert Christgau.
  3. Hilburn, Robert. "The Eagles - A Long Run is Over". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
  4. DeRiso, Nick (November 7, 2015). "35 Years Ago: The Eagles Limp Away With the Patched-Together 'Live'". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  5. Giles, Jeff (September 24, 2015). "36 Years Ago: The Eagles Grind to a Halt with 'The Long Run'". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 34, No. 8" (PHP). RPM. January 31, 1981. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  8. "dutchcharts.nl Eagles – Live" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  9. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  10. "charts.nz Eagles – Eagles Live" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  11. "norwegiancharts.com Eagles – Live" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  12. "swedishcharts.com Eagles – Live" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  13. "Eagles > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  14. "allmusic ((( Eagles Live > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  15. "Album Search: Eagles – Eagles Live" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  16. "Albums". Billboard: YE-8. December 26, 1981.
  17. "Canadian album certifications – Eagles – Live". Music Canada. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  18. "French album certifications – Eagles – Live" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved June 27, 2012. Select EAGLES and click OK. 
  19. "British album certifications – Eagles – Live". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 27, 2012. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Live in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  20. "American album certifications – Eagles – Live". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 27, 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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