Eagles: Long Road Out of Eden
Monday, 29 Oct 2007 14:06
The first studio album in 28 years from the Eagles
Universal Music, out October 30th, 2007.
In a nutshell...
American. Atmospheric. Guitar music. Timeless.
What's it all about?
Some 21 tracks spread across two discs should satisfy fans of the Eagles despite a six-year wait for the production and a gap of 28 years since the last studio release from the group.
Many of the features which added to the original Eagles sound are present in this latest collection - including two of the group's founding members - adding to the classic feel of the performance as a whole.
This is by no means music of a past era though, with a number of the tracks offering a sense of timelessness reminiscent of the seminal (and still frequently played) Hotel California.
If anything, this is the potential weakness of the album - when creating timeless music, it can be hard to innovate. Critics may claim the band are hanging on to the past, while fans could argue that the Eagles are simply hanging on to their communal identity.
Who's it by?
This release takes the Eagles' recording career to 36 years, with original members Don Henley and Glenn Frey still in the line-up. Joe Walsh and Timothy Schmit are a little newer, having joined in 1976 and 1977 respectively.
All four members take an equal share in providing vocals and guitar accompaniment, while keyboards and percussion add to the Eagles sound.
If a leader must be chosen, however, Don Henley is probably it, having also enjoyed a solo career with singles success including the Generation X-themed Boys of Summer.
As an example...
"Weaving down the American highway/Through the litter and the wreckage and the cultural junk/Bloated with entitlement, bloated on propaganda/Now we're driving dazed and drunk." - Long Road Out of Eden
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Following on the heels of some high-profile re-formed bands (Pink Floyd, The Who) the outlook seems bright for this collection to be well received.
More impressively, the Eagles have managed to form a substantial collection of accomplished works, rather than rehashing their existing portfolio of recordings.
What the others say
"The title track, a ten-minute centrepiece, is the key text here. A doomy, weary drag through Bush's Iraq, painting an impressionistic portrait of homesick soldiers lost in the desert and blind to the region's historical significance." - BBC
"For their first album of all-new material in 28 years, the four standing members of the Eagles have a pretty good memory of what made them special in the first place." - Variety
So is it any good?
Fans of previous Eagles work will recognise the key elements which contribute to the overall sound of the album - it is atmospheric and guitar-driven, much like Hotel California. In fact, Long Road Out of Eden itself would not sound out of place on the same album as its 30-year-old sibling. But I would refute any claim that the Eagles are simply hanging on to what has found success in the past.
Rather, in a culture of manufactured pop - where consumers are invited to pay once to elect their next chart-topper and again to buy their single - the Eagles have formed a collection true to their original sound without compromising on their own creative integrity. It's as though the last 28 years passed in a flash.
7/10
Bob Bardsley
"I think this CD is the ultimate of music that you dont get to hear ANYMORE. The Eagles are simply magnificently talented musicians and always will be. Amen." - Roxanne Salvania
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