1973 - The Eagles - Desperado - side two

it came to music, my friend Cathy was responsible for developing a couple of interesting (and very accurate) theories. The first was that an artist or band’s second album was more important then their first. Her reasoning was that the musician/band had a lifetime to prepare for their first album but only a limited amount of time in which to prepare the second and that demonstration of grace under pressure told the tale. The other theory she came up with was that the second side of an album was more telling (and therefore more important) than the first... That out of necessity, the first side began with the hit single (so that even an AM radio programmer could find it!) and everything that followed on that side in terms of pace, flow, tempo & feel was determined by the choice of that first song. But the second side... that was up to the artist/band... and it would be their creativity that determined what went where and how it was all arranged. Because of this, she always liked to listen to new albums “side two first”! But that’s another story! At any rate, I’m not sure if both of her theories apply here but if you judge the first of them by Desperado, she was spot on!

original magazine ad

Promotion was strong for this album (Asylum had already seen three big singles from the 1st album establish the band's track record and must have felt there was no reason this LP couldn't also be a monster) and for their part, the band was happy to tour heavily in support of it.

promo ad for Don Kirshner's Rock Concert

Side two begins to really gather momentum right out of the gate, opening with “Certain Kind Of Fool”.

Lyrically, the story picks up with the aftermath of the character’s decision to ignore the warning at the end of side one. He has chosen a life of crime as a shortcut to wealth and fame. In the second verse we see the character discovering the allure of firearms and working out the learning curve with his newest “tool of the trade”. From verse #2:

“He saw it in a window the mark of a new kind of man
He kinda liked the feeling, so shiny and smooth in his hand
He took it to the country and practiced for days without rest
And then one day he felt it, he knew he could stand with the best
They got respect, he wants the same
And it's a certain kind of fool who likes to hear the sound of his own name”

The final (short) verse gives us insight into the pitfalls of infamy and illustrates how the character’s transition to the dark side is complete. From verse #3:

“A poster on a storefront, the picture of a wanted man
He had a reputation spreading like fire throughout the land
It wasn't for the money, at least it didn't start that way
It wasn't for the runnin', but now he's runnin' every day”

Instrumentally, the tune features an interesting and sonically unique solo by Glen Frey. The texture of his guitar here is thin and highly distorted and works perfectly in context with the song. Frey’s guitar is also used to punctuate the verses, and fits in perfectly played against the clean acoustic rhythm guitar and mandolin lines offered up by Bernie Leadon. Bassist Randy Meisner’s lead vocal, both plaintive and accusing, also shines here. He seems, at times to almost plead with the song’s character not to stay on the path chosen. Also noteworthy is the interplay between Meisner’s bass and Henley’s drums. The two of them worked so well together that it’s hard to imagine why Meisner would choose to leave the band soon after making this album.

“Fool” ends cold but almost before the reverb has time to decay, we are off and running again with an up tempo, instrumental version of  “Doolin’ Dalton”- the tune that opened side one.

Performed entirely on a single acoustic six string and a five string banjo (both played by Leadon) and panned hard right and left, this :47 second opus acts as a link between “Fool”and “Outlaw Man”.

David Blue Vs. The Eagles?

Written by David Blue, (also under contract to Asylum Records at the time), “Outlaw Man” was adapted for Desperado through minor changes in lyric and a major re-arrangement. By comparison, Blue’s version is mundane and lifeless. It plods it’s way through the chord changes and lyrics and without any real spark. Blue’s vocal lacks conviction, (although he does manage to whine even while singing through his nose!). Additionally, the backing track is pedestrian and the solo work is dreadful!

The Eagles version, on the other hand, is vibrant and alive with a backing track that thunders along like a horse at full gallop (due to a completely different ‘feel’ than Blue’s version) and an electric guitar part that virtually drips with impending doom. Glen Frey’s lead vocal is menacing and his Rhodes piano pad adds the ideal target for Leadon’s ‘angry’ (and heavily distorted) counter point guitar. Leadon’s solo is also outstanding, composed of a clean, crisp lead line that soars above the backing track before coming back down to point the vocals toward the rousing double time race through the bridge and into the outro and fade. Henley’s drum work here is stellar and Meisner’s bass lines (especially in the double time bridge) are arguably his best work on the album.

Lyrically, despite only minor changes/additions the two versions are also worlds apart.

From Blue’s verse #2:
“Left my Marita, was down in Santa Fe
Headed for San Francisco in a '56 Chevrolet”

From The Eagle’s verse #2:
“First left my woman, it was down in Santa Fe
Headed for Oklahoma, I was ridin' night and day”

But Blue’s worst crime was to treat the song’s final lines as another verse (delivered in the same near mono-tone as the rest of his vocal!), while The Eagles turn it into a bridge, played out in double time to bring the tune to a roaring finish. They even added an additional pair of lines to flesh out their bridge instead of including a final chorus (as Blue does)

From The Eagles Bridge:
“Some men call me Abel, some men call me Cain,
Some men call me sinner, Lord, some men call me saint
Some say there's a Jesus, others say there ain't
When you got no life to lose then there's nothin' left to gain”

From Blue’s final verse/chorus:
“Some people call me Abel, some people call me Cain
Some people call me sinner, Lord, some people call me saint

Woman, don't try to love me don't try to understand
A life upon the road is the life of an outlaw man”

As “Outlaw Man” fades away we change the pace with “Saturday Night”, a wistful ballad that looks back longingly at the character’s innocent past, now lost and gone except in memory.

Instrumentally, the song plays out in 3/4 waltz time with a sleepy, almost lazy feel. The rhythm track is carried by a pair of six string acoustics and Meisner’s tastefully understated bass line (there is no drum part), with a beautiful mandolin line filling in all the details. Vocally, the song features a wonderful lead vocal from Henley and a thick, broad range of plush backgrounds performed by everyone. All of the vocals are dripping wet with a deep, fat “big room” reverb and the harmony vocals intertwine perfectly with the lead, creating a richly textured vocal layer.

The bridge is stunning with large open spaces in the vocal leaving room for the backing track to show through and there is even a slight retard leading into the solo before the final chorus. The solo itself is a tight, clean eight bars played on mandolin by ‘utility man’ Bernie Leadon. The final chorus ends with another retard leaving us sadder but wiser for the tale.

Lyrically “Saturday Night” is rich in imagery and strong in metaphor. The lyric tells a tale of regret as the character looks at all he has lost in pursuit of fortune and fame. From verse #2:

“The years brought the railroad, it ran by my door
Now there's boards on the windows and dust on the floor
And she passes the time at another man's side
And I pass the time with my pride" 

The bridge is elegant, helping to weave a complex and vivid image through the four simple lines. From the bridge:

“What a tangled web we weave
Go 'round with circumstance
Someone show me how to tell
The dancer from the dance”

The Chorus is interesting, containing different lyrics within the body of each chorus.

From chorus #1:
“Whatever happened to Saturday night?
Finding a sweetheart and holding her tight?
She said,’Tell me, oh, tell me, was I all right?’
Whatever happened to Saturday night?”

From chorus #2:
“What ever happened to Saturday night?
Choosin' a friend and loosin' a fight
She said,’Tell me, oh, tell me, are you alright?’
Whatever happened to Saturday night?” 

As “Saturday Night” ends and the last notes fade away, the first chords of “Bitter Creek” ring out like a bell, signaling the opening of the final act.

The instrumentation here is sparse but the overall sound remains rich in texture. There is nothing ‘missing’ from the mix and nothing else needs to be there. The rhythm section is composed of a pair of acoustic six strings panned hard left and right with a third acoustic, (panned center), comping detail figures and solo work. There is no drum set present, only percussion (mostly shakers and congas), The bass sounds like a Mexican Guitarrón to me, (Meisner is known to have played one on “New Kid In Town), but my kid brother (a fine bass player in his own right ) assures me that it is instead an Earnie Ball acoustic bass. The vocal work here is flawless with a lead vocal by Bernie Leadon and back up chorus featuring everyone. The vocal chorus is used throughout both to fatten Leadon’s lines and also to answer them.

Lyrically the song deals with the character’s plan to pull one last bank job for a score big enough to retire on. (Probably a reference to the Historic attempt by the Dalton gang to simultaneously rob two banks in Coffeyville Ks.) From the bridge:

“We're gonna hit the road for one last time
We can walk right in and steal 'em blind
All that money, no more runnin'
I can't wait to see the old man's face when I win the race”

Structure is fairly straight forward with two verses followed by a bridge. There is no solo, although one of the guitars does play extended figures at two points in the tune. There is also no real chorus to speak of although there is a single line at the end of each verse to act as a hook.

From verse #1:
"Oh, son, don't wade to deep in Bitter Creek,"
       
From verse #2:
“You know there ain't no cause to weep at Bitter Creek”

Each of these lines is also “answered” by the vocal chorus.

The song ends with a 2nd extended guitar figure in a long slow fade and brings us to the album’s closer, a two parter simply called “Desperado (reprise)”. Made up of a pair of post scripts, (Doolin Dalton - reprise and Desperado - reprise) this final chapter is rich in production and plush in instrumentation. Beginning simply with Henley’s acapella vocal, the first half of the song (Doolin Dalton - reprise) quickly unfolds to include acoustic & electric guitars, banjo, bass, drums and plenty of vocals. Henley’s drums are particularly strong here as are Meisner’s bass line and Frey’s acoustic rhythm guitar and the vocals are once again flawless. But it is Leadon’s Banjo and mandolin parts that really provide the sparkle. The final chorus also includes another string chart from Jim Ed Norman to finish things off with a massive flourish and a long fade.

Lyrically, the two halves of the tune serve to wrap up the story and give us an ending with the first half giving us the outcome of the final bank job and the ensuing gun battle. From the chorus:

“Go down, Bill Doolin, don't you wonder why
Sooner or later we all have to die
Sooner or later, that's a stone-cold fact,
Four men ride out and only three ride back”

And the second half (Desperado - reprise) supplying the moral of the story. From the verse:

“The queen of diamonds let you down,
She was just an empty fable
The queen of hearts you say you never met
Your twisted fate has found you out
And it finally turned the tables
Stole your dreams and paid you with regret”
                                       
Desperado - reprise finishes with one last challenge/answer vocal section:

“Desperado
(Is there gonna be anything left, is there gonna be anything?)
You sealed your fate up a long time ago
(Ain't it hard when you're all alone in the center ring?)
Now there's no time left to borrow
(Is there gonna be anything left?)
Only stardust
(Maybe tomorrow)
Maybe tomorrow”                   

Overall, the album is short, coming in at 35 minutes and change but it is so tightly packed with color & texture that I think the time would have seemed to fly by even if the LP had been an hour long!

Side note: shortly before flying to England to make Desperado, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner & Bernie Leadon (along with partners-in-crime J. D. Souther and Jackson Browne) spent a day at the Paramount Movie Ranch in order to shoot the cover photos for the soon to be recorded LP.  They brought veteran rock photographer Henry Diltz along to document the event and from the looks of things, everyone involved “got a little out of control”!

Gunfight at the Paramount Movie Ranch! (outtakes from the cover photo session)