college, I had a dear friend named Cathy. She was a big redheaded girl and we only met because I had a crush on her roommate! But long after the crush had worn thin, Cathy and I remained good friends.
The reason for this was music. We were both passionate about music, far beyond just liking to buy records, we both spent countless hours listening to music in great detail then examining artists, bands and albums under the microscope of deep conversation. Kindred spirits (long before I knew the meaning of the phrase) we also shared a more than vaguely similar taste in artists and bands. For example, we were both big fans of the newly emerging genre of “Country Rock”, so we had lots to talk about.
One Spring evening the three of us were sitting around at Cathy’s place when a neighbor knocked on the door with an offer for us to come downstairs and listen to some records. Now these days, “come over and listen to music”, is more often than not, an invitation to sit in a group and engage in mindless chit-chat while some random selection of mp3's plays in the background! Not so in the early 70's. Back then, there was plenty of great music to really listen to and so conversation was usually limited to the space between sides and the breaks between albums.
Once the three of us - Cathy, the crush (whose name I no longer remember) and I made our way downstairs, there was a half hour or so during which we all got cold soft drinks & snacks, found seats and introduced ourselves to one another. All together there were maybe 8 or 10 people in the living room of this guy’s one-bedroom apartment. I took a few minutes to give our host’s stereo a quick once over before settling in on a big floor cushion near the coffee table. (it was a nice rig, his amp and turntable were about the same quality level as mine although his big floor standing 3-way Pioneers told me I had better speakers!)
It was about an hour (and a couple ‘fatties’) later when our host got up to change records. As he went ‘finger strolling’ through his collection, he pulled an LP out and turning towards us said, “I wanna play something brand new for you”. My interest was piqued until he continued, “It’s the 2nd album by The Eagles, it’s called ‘Desperado’ and it just came out”. Cathy and I looked at one another as she rolled her eyes. I was also suitably unimpressed although I hadn’t even heard the record yet!
You see, The Eagles had already gotten a bad reputation among “serious” music listeners, especially Country Rock fans. The problem was a lack of what today would be called “street cred”. - The year before they had come out with their self titled 1st album and hit three-peat home runs right out of the box with “Take It Easy”, “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “Witchy Woman”, all chart-topping smash-hit singles. This had given them a reputation as a hit-single machine, and not as “serious musicians”. This perception was absolutely wrong, the reputation, wholly undeserved, but I didn’t yet know that!
The room went silent as the needle hit vinyl and the haunting opening strains of “Doolin’ Dalton”, rich with acoustic guitar and harmonica filled the room. The lead vocal was wet with a deep reverb and the overall effect really caught me by surprise. This was not at all what I had expected to hear. By the time the rest of the band hit (in the middle of the 1st verse) I was hooked!
All the elements from their hit singles were there - the production quality was stellar, the engineering was immaculate, the backing track was plush and the vocals were heavenly. But the subject matter - the story in the lyric, delivered in a way that their singles never had. It satisfied! From the bridge:
“Well the towns lay out across the dusty plain
Like graveyards filled with tombstones,
Waitin’ for the names
And a man could use his back or use his brains
But some just went stir crazy Lord,
‘cause nothin’ ever changed”
And in that moment, although I didn’t know it, I became an Eagles fan for life!
The production team included veteran producer Glyn Johns (who also engineered the recording) and formidable arranger, Jim Ed Norman. The band lineup included all four original members;
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| 1973 lineup - publicity photo & live |
Glenn Frey – guitars, keyboards, piano, harmonica, vocals
Don Henley – drums, percussion, vocals
Randy Meisner – bass guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
Bernie Leadon – guitars, mandolin, banjo, vocals
along with a compositional assist from Jackson Browne & John David Souther.
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| outtake from cover photo session feat (left to right) Jackson Browne, J D Souther & the Eagles |
The art direction is by Gary Burden with cover photography & graphics (logo & lettering style) courtesy of the one and only Henry Diltz.
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| Desperado - cover & back cover detail |
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| outtakes from cover photo session |
“Go down Bill Dalton it must be God’s will
Two Brothers lying dead in Coffeeville
Two voices call to you from where they stood
Lay down your law books now they’re no damn good”
Of particular note here is the tasteful guitar work (both acoustic and electric) from Bernie Leadon and the beautiful melodic bass lines from Randy Meisner. Lead vocals are by Don Henley with an assist from Glen Frey. Henley takes the verses and the bridge while Frey covers the chorus. For the back up vocals it’s ‘everybody in the pool’ and the vocal blend between them is flawless! Adding a little sugar to top it all off is Glenn Frey’s harmonica, lending an authentic western flavor to the backing track.
As you take a breath and absorb the meaning and the message in the opening track, the band takes off like a rocket with an up-tempo ode to youthful exuberance called “Twenty-One”.
Leadon’s acoustic guitar (panned hard left) shines again here but is eclipsed by his banjo work (panned hard right). The counter point he plays (on dobro) against his own acoustic guitar picking is wonderful and his dobro solo is beautifully understated, adding to instead of detracting from the overall sonic texture. Leadon also turns in a fine lead vocal making this song a nice hat trick. Henley’s drum part is also notable for it’s simplicity and focus. He plays the entire part in an endless stream of perfect 16th notes played with brushes on the snare drum with nary a cymbal to be heard!
Lyrically, the tune tells the story of a cocky young man who is overjoyed at the prospect of finally reaching legal age. His options are many, his problems are few and for the moment, life looks good! From verse #4:
“They say a man should have a stock and trade
But me, I'll find another way
I believe in getting what you can
And there ain't no stoppin' this young man”
Structurally, the song is a collection of 5 verses with no chorus and no bridge. The solo falls between verse #3 & #4 and there is a repeat of the last two lines of verse #5 following that verse. The song ends with a repeated instrumental coda but does not fade. Instead, it segues at full volume into the opening of the third song, “Out Of Control”.
Lyrically, “Out Of Control” tells a tale of wretched excess as the character from “Twenty-One” gets his buddies together and goes out to celebrate his birthday. From verse #2:
“There's a card game in the corner and the barmaid smiled at me
Well, I tipped her a sliver dollar and she brought me a drink for free
All the town-folk call her the cheap one and the gamblers call her Flo
Come on, set 'em up again, I got me a friend and I think I'm gettin' out of control”
Instrumentally, the song begins as Frey’s frantic electric guitar comes crashing in on the ending of “Twenty-One” and it never lets up. It’s also Frey’s lead vocal that tells this story and his bluesy, whiskey-voice has just the right edge for the task. Additionally, Frey is credited with the guitar solo which plays out as a 16 bar pair of electric six strings performed in tight harmony.
Structurally, the song forgoes chorus, relying instead on a two line refrain that ends with the line “And I think I’m getting out of control” to cap each verse. There are three verses and a short (two line/eight bar) bridge with a burning solo (by Frey) to cement the joint between the 2nd verse and the bridge. Filling in any aural holes, there is an amazing slide guitar part (probably Leadon’s) and the rhythm section composed of Henley & Meisner is relentless.
The song doesn’t end... it just sort of disintegrates and then collapses in a drunken heap! This opens the door for what is arguably one of their biggest hits, “Tequila Sunrise”.
Penned by Henley/Frey, “Tequila Sunrise” carries our story forward lyrically by showing us the days that followed the wild birthday celebration featured in “Out Of Control”. Primarily, the lyric deals with the dissatisfaction and disappointment the character feels in leading a ‘normal’ life. From the chorus:
“Every night when the sun goes down
Just another lonely boy in town
And she's out runnin' 'round”
Fast becoming disillusioned, the song’s final lines show us a hero who is now leaning toward the dark side in search of ‘something more’. From the bridge:
“Take another shot of courage
Wonder why the right words never come
You just get numb
It's another tequila sunrise, this old world
still looks the same
Another frame”
Instrumentally, the tune is rich in flavor and vividly detailed with guitars everywhere! There are fat 6 string rhythm pads (from Frey), winding ‘torch & twang’ electric responses, delicate lead figures and an amazing acoustic guitar solo (from Leadon) that imparts the song with it’s deeply rich Mexican flavor. There is also supposed to be a mandolin in there but I’ll be damned if I can pick it out! All this in support of a flawless lead vocal (from Frey) and silky, smooth backgrounds from everyone.
Structurally, the tune is pretty straight forward with a pair of verses separated by a chorus. The 2nd verse is followed by the acoustic guitar solo which takes us into the bridge and the outro.
The side ends with “Desperado”, a stunning ballad featuring a spectular string arrangement by Jim Ed Norman. Lyrically, the song serves up a warning for the character to be careful what he wishes for and contends that love is more important then money or fame. It also warns that the grass is not any greener.
From the 1st chorus:
“Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She'll beat you if she's able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can't get”
The song’s warning is reinforced in the 2nd verse:
“Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just some people talkin'
Your prison is walking through this world all alone”
...and that message is driven home in the 3rd and final verse:
“Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you, before it's too late”
Instrumentally, the song is plush with an outstanding piano (from Frey) and the aforementioned string arrangement from Jim Ed Norman. Henley takes the lead vocal here with everyone kicking in ‘oooo’s and ‘ahhhh’s. There were also wonderful parts written and recorded for both bass and drums, but it is the piano and strings that really shine through.
Structurally, the song is again pretty straight forward with three verses separated by two chorus’ (kind of a musical full house!). The only wrinkle is that lyrically, each chorus is unique with no repeated lyrics anywhere.
The tail end of the final verse slides into a majestic retard and the swelling of strings.
...and like that... the side is over!
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