The Eagles ... I never got them

We had a sports department staff meeting Wednesday, and it was mandatory, which means that almost everybody had to go. Attendance was much larger than usual, however, and the attendees were dressed more sporty, I guess is the term, than usual. Oh, I know. The Eagles were playing in Charlotte that night.

The Eagles are one of those bands that almost everybody of a certain age likes. Scott Fowler likes them, and wrote a nice review of their concert in today's CLT section. Mike Persinger likes them, David Poole likes them, Stan Olson likes them and Ron Green Jr. likes them.

I never got them. They always struck me as bland. I think you have to own three or more pair of khaki pants to appreciate them, and I don't.

I met Joe Walsh, the guitarist, when I was in high school. His band, the James Gang, was playing in a big tent with other unknown bands at the Minnesota State Fair. At least four people crowded around them. Walsh and I started talking and he said, "Watch." And a guy would walk past and Walsh would replicate the guy's walk with his guitar. The guy would stop and look and Walsh would stop playing. Then the guy would start walking and Walsh would start playing. Whatever sound the crowd made, he would play.

It was great stuff and I bought everything the James Gang put out. Then Walsh joined the Eagles and the Eagles had no room for a virtuoso. So he buried his gifts. He took one for the team.

See, when I bought my first records, they were R&B. I had to go downtown to find them. So while my friends were buying the Beatles -- and I like the Beatles -- I was buying Joe Tex and James Brown. When I bought my first DVD player, I bought two boxed sets: Led Zeppelin and Otis Redding.

Michael Bolton covered "Dock of the Bay," the brilliant song Redding wrote with Steve Cropper. I was hurt, offended and betrayed by Bolton's preening rendition. Years later I was dating a woman, and she was driving the car in front of mine, and the music was cranked up and her long blonde hair was flying as she shook her head to the beat.

When we reached our destination, I asked her what she was listening to.

Michael Bolton, she said.

Despite her long blonde hair, the relationship ended that night.

I never asked her if she liked the Eagles. But I  suspect that she did.

Comments

[DAN]

I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT LIKED JOE TEX!

[Steve]

If the pictures on the Observer website are any indication, the fun of making music has long since left the Eagles. They do what they do well, but they should. They've been doing the same stuff for almost 40 years and long since quit doing anything new. And why shoud they? They pack out coliseums across the country at ridiculously high prices, year after year. I agree with you about Joe Walsh. What could he have done had he hooked up with a more creative group!

[Kelly]

On behalf of khaki-wearers worldwide, I resent your remarks.

Also, great call on the Otis Redding.

[Burt]

I agree with your comments about Joe Walsh and the James Gang. I saw them play in Raleigh (1971 I think) and they were great - I still have all of the James Gang albums - but I didn't thing a lot of the Eagles (other than Joe's amazing guitar work).

[Russel]

Stick to sports Tom where you at least halfway know what you're talking about.

[Jason]

Amen. In the immortal words of The Dude a la The Big Lebowski, "I hate the f***ing Eagles."

[Spooky]

Amen, Tom. Eagles=boring middle class America.

[DBM LA]

I own a lot more than 3 pairs of khakis, but I never "got" the Eagles either. I cut my teeth on R&B, then added rock and roll to the mix, but the Eagles? Nah....never was my cup of tea. It always struck me as a little too "country", but then, so did Little Feat, and I loved me some Little Feat (before Lowell George died).

[Jim]

Wow...this is great....a music review from someone who hasn't heard the CD they put out a year and a half ago.

I know things are tight at the Observer but could they not spring $12 so you could hear what they've done in this century?

Shouldn't you at least have HEARD their most recent work before deciding they just aren't as cool as you?

Stick to sports Tom.

[WvsMC]

I agree. very overrated band.

[WhiterShadeOfPale]

Bolton is a joke and of course Redding was one hell of a soul singer along with Sam Cooke, Sam and Dave, W Pickett, James Brown etc. for some reason most of these biggies die in small airplane accidents like he did at age 28 in Wisconsin in a lake or B Holly, P Cline, Van Zant.
Cooke was shot in LA by his girlfried. Marvin Gay was shot by his preacher father for his Sexual Healing song..

Led Zep was optimo although J Page and the rest got their start in the alltime premier Yardbirds who fathered JBeck and EClapton. Creme was smart disbanding in 1968 and Jack Bruce was the best rock singer bassist in history with Baker on drums. Clapton was the least.

The Brit Zombies was the total class of the 60s with Time Of The Season and Shes Not There featuring Rod Argent on keys and of course the Kinks All Day And All Night and You Really Got Me still standards.

As far as The Beatles, what the hell were they all about? Their early stuff was good guitar and harmony but they went to India and hooked up with weirdo Ravi Shanktar and invented the hippie movement with Dylan.
What the hell was Minnesota yiddish boy Bob Zimmerman Dylan all about? Nobody ever fig that one out or Zappa either.
The Beatles best asset were they split in 1970.

And what were the Stones all about? Yea they made some good early stuff but should have died after 10 yrs. Paint It Black was their alltime best..And what about Lennon and that ugly ass bitch Yoko idiot?

The Eags like J Hendrix and Skynyrd along with Bob Segar were 100% AMERICANA and cross overs of a southern California culture blending harmony rock country folk blues into their own unique sound that sold 100 mill and wide appeal. The Eags were to country rock what the BGs were to disco.

Ex JG Walsh and his Funk 49, Walk Away rocked it up for the Eags similar to Micheal McDonald making the Doobies them less rock and more soul.

Hotel California with Texas boy Hensley drummer singer and guits Walsh & Felder is unmmatched in every catagory.

We get the Eagles. They were 100% just like Zep was to heavy metal or Henrix to psychedelic or Elvis to rockabilly or Cobain to alternative or James Brown to soul or Tupac to rap.

The biggest prob with these vastly overplayed washed up dinos is milking it for all its worth and then some and they need to just go away forever.

[309-18-1,2]

more like "whitershadeofboring"