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Post by the Scribe on Oct 7, 2022 6:46:32 GMT
Eagles: Before the Band
December 6, 2019
by Rik Forgo (Author)
With the first iconic strum of the guitar on 'Take It Easy' the Eagles set a new direction for the country-rock infused California sound.
They drew their inspiration from The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Flying Burrito Brothers and Crosby, Stills and Nash.
In the band's first nine years together they scored gold records for every album release and delivered songs that changed the musical landscape. Their thought-provoking, intimate lyrics were matched by precision instrumentation that sounded as good live as in the studio. Legions of fans built around them.
But where did they come from? BEFORE THE BAND maps their individual histories before they became the best-selling band in history.
Follow along season by season as they struggle in small bands across the country and eventually find each other in Los Angeles. Their journey is as legendary as their music. |
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Post by the Scribe on Oct 7, 2022 6:50:54 GMT
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Old Enough to Know Better
5.0 out of 5 stars A Thorough Back-History of the Eagles. Looking forward to the next in the series.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 20, 2020
Verified Purchase
Eagles are an amazing phenomenon, not just as a band, but as an emblem of their time. There are numerous books about them and about the genre I am perfectly comfortable in calling Country Rock. (Because that’s exactly what it is.) Having read numerous books on this subject, I approached this one with some trepidation, concerned that there was nothing left to tell in the story of the Eagles or the genre in which they got their start. I need not have been concerned.
The essential difference between this and any number of other works covering the same subject matter reduces to perspective. Instead of approaching the subject as a linear narrative, this book uses a series of vignettes which cover pieces of the story, but uniquely, seek to place these in the greater context.
One comes away with a sense of what each person was doing so that we understand Walsh’s journey in parallel with Leadon’s, Frey’s, etc. The chapters are short and sometimes there is overlap, but this serves to firmly anchor each vignette in the overall context. You come away not only understanding where each piece fits in the puzzle, but also why it fits there.
This adds dimension to every character and it becomes apparent that every individual member of Eagles was very focused and was looking for the perfect outlet by the time the band formed. After reading this book, I am convinced that Eagles was the perfect alchemy of artists and with any other lineup, the results would have not been as good as they were.
Coming away from this book, I feel that I know more about the members as individuals than I ever had in the past. There’s a lot more to the story of this band than ‘four musicians who knew each other because of the Troubadour worked backing Linda Ronstadt and then started a band which all but dominated the ‘70s.’ Before that brilliant open G Major chord in Take It Easy ever rung in our ears, there was a steep learning curve both individually and eventually collectively. This book tells that story.
Lisa Mielke
5.0 out of 5 stars A Comprehensive Resource for Those that Think They've Read it All
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 4, 2021
In the 25+ years that I've been managing the longest running Eagles fansite on the Internet, I've seen a lot of books come and go. Some of them have been quite good and some of them have been seriously lacking. Some of them rely on the same old stories and some of them attempt to find a new narrative thread or theme. Some rely on salacious stories of drug use and after show parties and some just plain don't get it.
Eagles: Before the Band by Rik Forgo is different in a number of ways. First of all, it relies on facts. It is extremely well sourced and documented. There are footnotes and a bibliography! The amount of research done to create a complete picture of one of the most complex bands in rock history is amazing.
Another way this book is different is in the way that it arranges the narrative. I've got the kindle version in front of me right now, but the visual layout of the print book is unique and distinctive. Both versions, though, take the reader on a journey one season of the band's history at a time, interweaving important milestones and events.
Before the Band focuses on the origin stories of the band and the band members. It provides insights into their influences and inspirations. You'll read about all of the twists, turns and life moments that brought Henley, Frey, Meisner and Leadon together, but doesn't forget that Schmitt, Walsh and Felder are waiting in the wings, ready to take their places in this story. The other players in this all-encompassing story are there as well, Jackson Browne, Bob Seger, JD Souther, Irving Azoff, and David Geffen are just a few.
As mentioned earlier, this book is a journey. It's laid out and chunked into seasons going back all the way to the fall of 1894 when Billboard published its first issue. As the timeline moves along, though, the reader will find themselves transported to those seaons in their lives, "I remember what I was doing in the fall of 1970! And look, that's when Glenn recruited Don to play drums for Linda Ronstadt."
That's not all, though. Besides the story (and it is quite a story) the reader is presented with an incredibly comprehensive collection of milestones and events in the band's history. Visually appealing graphics and symbols help the reader track album milestones (chart numbers and sales awards and such), awards and honors, chart peaks, collaborations with other artists, screen appearances, tour dates and release dates for important albums and singles.
That's why this book is such a must-have for any serious fan of the Eagles. You can read it cover to cover and follow along with the band as they moved closer and closer to legendary status or you can keep it on your desk as the ultimate reference guide, ready when you need to look something up (did they win a Grammy for The Long Run?) What's exciting is that this book is only the first in a trilogy. There's more to the story waiting to be told and I look forward to it.
I suppose to be taken seriously I should offer a criticism of this book to avoid being dismissed as some sort too-good-to-be-true situation. That's hard. I guess if I had to say something it would be this: There is so much factual information in this book that at times I was missing a softer, more human element. Granted, this band is not sentimental and shies away from the personal, but for example, pages with band member biographies fail to mention the names of their parents or if they eventually had kids. That's a little picky thing, though. The wealth of knowledge you will gain by owning this book more than makes up for that.
Band members have repeatedly said that their music formed the soundtrack of people's lives. If that is the case, this book constitutes the liner notes to that soundtrack album.
Absolutely recommend.
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