History of the Eagles

This is a superb rockumentary. It begins at the beginning, with Frey’s association with Bob Seger in Detroit and his living arrangement with Jackson Browne in Echo Park. Price point is the essential element in their decision to share a rental, but in listening to Browne’s endless repetition of the same riffs and melodies Frey learns how to write music—essentially by working very, very hard. Frey and Henley are hired to back up Linda Ronstadt and they eventually form their own band. Leadon leaves because he wants more country and less rock (he is an excellent banjo player); Randy Meisner leaves and we get the longstanding lineup with Schmit, Felder, Walsh, Henley and Frey. Henley acknowledges that it is Frey’s band and we see him play a strong leadership role. What we do not see are examples of Henley’s perfectionism, the endless practices and rehearsals fueled by controlled substances. We see many segments of the band in performance, with clips that are just long enough to be satisfying without taking our attention from the documentary narrative. The most noteworthy aspect of the three-hour story is its honesty. Frey’s altercation with Felder at the Alan Cranston benefit performance is depicted at length and in depth. We hear the threats; we see Felder destroy one of his acoustic guitars (the ‘cheapest’, Frey informs us) and we await the post-performance violence which Felder manages to elude. We hear at length of Joe Walsh’s alcoholism and cocaine abuse. We see him high; we see the ravaged face and the halting speech and then we hear him sing and play after he’s clean. Frey comments as the story evolves. We also hear Frey’s comments on Felder’s affection for cash and Frey and Henley’s plan to change the financial model after the band is reunited. They write the songs, for the most part. They are the founding members of the band. They are the leadership; this is not a democracy. Democracies don’t work in bands. Hence they want a larger share of the take. Schmit and Walsh are OK with that; Felder is reluctant. Eventually Felder is fired. We also hear about their disagreements with David Geffen and how they began with Asylum and left and how Henley eventually signed with Geffen again, and then left. There is talk of lawsuits and out of court settlements. As other reviewers have noted, we hear virtually nothing concerning their wives, lovers and families, though there is a brief segment concerning the importance of family and a glimpse, e.g., of Joe Walsh’s daughter. For those whose principal interest is in the music, there is music aplenty, including the backstory on some of the songs (‘Life in the Fast Lane’: a statement made by a heavy duty, carrying drug dealer, flying across the L.A. freeways with an apprehensive Frey sitting at his side). For those who want the inside scoop on the band’s dynamics, chemistry and methods, there is a great deal of information. An additional disc contains material from a 1977 concert at the Capital Centre in suburban Washington, D.C. In general, the narrative is always interesting, sometimes riveting. You learn far more than you usually do in these sorts of stories (e.g., the bands with whom Schmit performed during the 14-year hiatus, some very surprising). Frey handled the editing of the music for the three hours and, as expected, it is exquisite.

I am a huge Eagles fan and have been since the 70's. I am not going to be one of those people to claim to be the biggest Eagles fan in the world. I am a huge fan, and senselessly passed up a few opportunities to see them perform live duing the reunions. I read most the books about the Eagles that are out there, including Don Felder's book. I know the Eagles claim for this all true, and believe it is true. However, I think a lot of thing have been omitted. What it comes down to is, it is their docoumentary they can put in or leave out what they want. I really like watching music documentaries. This is the best I have even seen. Plus, that is going up some other good ones. That might explain why I continue to watch this multiple times. It really reveals things that none of the books do. I thought I knew who my favorite Eagle was, but after watching this documentary, I am not too sure, now. I am not only and Eagles fan, but I am also a fan and bought every solo album of Don Henley, Glenn Frey. Timothy B. Schmit and both of Don Felder's. I have also seen Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Joe Walsh in their solo concerts and saw Bernie Leadon when he preformed with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, so I am of fan of both Eagles whether they are performing together or solo. I am really happy to see this documentary not only covered the Eagles in the 70's, but it included their solo careers, and the reunions. I am not even get into the situation surrounding the departure of Don Felder. If you watch this, you will have to form your own opinion. I also liked that they have a lot of commentary from David Geffen, J.D, Souther, and Irving Azoff, who all a hand in and were instrumental in the success of Eagles. In conclusion, I would say it is extremely informative. It is very detailed. It may change any pre-conceived opinons you have about the individual members. If you are die hard Eagles fan it is a must buy, if you are a casual Eagles fan it also a must buy, if you are not an Eagles fan but a fan of music documentaries is a must see. I really believe it the best I ever seen.

Wow! Just got through two nights of watching a Blu-Ray 3 disc "History of the Eagles ... The Story of an American Band". Indeed it was! Perhaps many of you have seen it, as it was on Show Time for awhile, but this was my first. It truly is the story of an American band. I was amazed at the parallels between their journey and my own while playing in a small-time Long Island band, Cottonwood sage, throughout the 70s. So much rang familiar ... we had everything but Linda Ronstadt!! [ and many several million dollars!] ;-) First disc covers them through their break-up in 1980 and was my favorite part ... building on their influences from Motown to western-swing to Poco/Flying Burrito Brothers/JD Souther/Linda Ronstadt. Many segments stroked chords within me and were quite emotionally satisfying. Second disc looks at their solo careers, the Reunion in 1994 and right on to the present. Two things stood out to me; the bittersweet departure of Don Felder - a guitarist that I just now fully appreciated - & the nearly tragic end of Joe Walsh. The reunion literally saved his life. All the great songs are here, Take it Easy, Tequila Sunrise, Hotel California, Desperado, Take it to the Limit, Rocky Mountain Way, and some new material that's pretty good, too. For me, it was pretty much my first time with the new stuff as I have been musically insulated during the 80s, 90s, and onward ... Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon, Glen Frey, Don Felder, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh and Don Henley - all featured. All the soaring harmonies! My only issue was that I wish there had been some more of Timothy's great songs. Oh, third disc was a concert, or part of, from March, 1977. Vintage. Music to my ears. :-) Great stuff! The highs & the lows; the friendships & the pettiness that few bands can avoid. Highly recommended to fans of the 70s era music!

a must have

I purchased this DVD for my father for Christmas. He loves the Eagles and is always playing their songs with his band. In his own words, these are "the songs that he was listening to when I was your age"-- so I took note and surprised him! We sat down together and watched the whole thing on Christmas morning and we absolutely loved it. The first DVD follows the about 3/4ths of the bands' history. It takes you from the founding members' childhood all the way to the pivotal 1980 breakup and highlights the solo careers of Glenn Frey, Don Henley and Joe Walsh. The second DVD follows the 1994 reunion special (Hell Freezes Over ) and shows us the band today, with their families, how they've grown, changed but still remain timeless. The bonus DVD is an incredible, professionally shot concert from 1977 in Washington, DC. The amount of footage from their earliest years, their songwriting sessions and simple "day in the life" activities is positively astounding. The production is top notch. There's almost 4 hours of goodies here! I am extremely glad I chose this as a gift for my father. It was great to see how much he enjoyed it and it was doubly wonderful to learn about and appreciate the cultural icons from his era.

Even if you are not an Eagles fan, you will thoroughly enjoy watching the history of this band. Spectacular footage, some of which is 40 years old. If you are a baby-boomer and grew up in the 60's and 70's, the Eagles will take you on journey back through time. And if you happen to be an Eagles fan, sit down, buckle up, for you are in for an incredible ride!The people who put this together put a lot of time, thought and love into it. I always loved the Eagles' music, but now I have much more respect and admiration for Don Henley and Glen Frey! I have watched the DVD set twice now, and will watch it over and over again. I have recommended that my son, who is a musician, watch and learn from the hard lessons the Eagles learned over time. The story, the film, the personal comments, are all impeccably put together. Absolutely a masterpiece!

A lot has been written over the years about the Eagles, their fights, partying, break-up in 1980. Now we get to hear it from the members themselves. It is nice to hear observations from producers and friends along the way, particularly Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Brown, JD Souther and Bob Seeger as well as Glyn Johns and Bill Szymczyk. I always loved the Eagles music and especially the work they did with Joe Walsh. The documentary heavily focuses on the recollections and opinions of Don Henley and Glen Frey. It would have been nice to hear more from the rest of the band, especially Randy Meisner , Bernie Leadon, Don Felder and Joe Walsh. After hearing Glen Frey's unapologetic description of Don Felder and his remarks about others in the band, I was left feeling like he doesn't realize the contribution Felder, Meisner, Walsh and Leadon made to the Eagles sound, along with the great songs they brought to the table. Seems Glen figures he would have been just as successful without them. Enough about Glen Frey! The Concert disc from the Capitol Centre is great! Looks like the guy's were really having a good time in 1977. That's the way I want to remember the Eagles.

In Australia parts 1 & 2 were screened on the MTV channel a week ago but I only caught part of it. As the DVD was also released a week ago I bought it yesterday. Disappointed that it came without the third "concert" disc I have ordered another through Amazon. The Eagles have always been my favourite band and their music along with Bob Seger, Fleetwood Mac, America and a number of others through that era did paint the pictures and memories that Glen Frey describes in the documentary. But probably none more so than the Eagles with the harmonies that are such an integral part of their songs they linger longest. Their songbook is filled with so many masterpieces that many don't get mentioned. Notably the "Last Resort" that in my opinion could be the theme song for all environment campaigns. Written when young men and before the issue became.... let's say trendy. As Don Henley once said they wrote above their age and the lyrics in most of their songs show it even in the lesser played "Best of my love" "Thrill is gone" and those others off the Long Run Album "The sad cafe" and "King of Hollywood" The harmonies in two of the more mellow Joe Walsh leads "Pretty Maids All In A Row" , "Help Me Through The Night" along with "Tequila Sunrise", "Desperado", "Lyin Eyes" and so many others is the ingredient that lifts their great song writing even higher. If we ask ourselves how many bands can boast as many lead singers and songwriters as the Eagles have and with each able to play more than just one instrument including acoustic how many come close? The most successful incarnation of that other great super group Fleetwood Mac had three and Stevie didn't play. The older visual appearance of the original members Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon comes as quite a shock. Age has not been kind to the once good looking Randy and to see a bulked up shaven headed Bernie you would not recognise either without forewarning. Not to be critical of Timothy B Schmit but to me Randy was the biggest loss of all the former Eagles. It's a pity his "Hearts on Fire" wasn't in their songbook it would have been a great fit. Poached from Poco before Timothy I'm sure if they had a spot for Paul Cotton they would have grabbed him too. "Take it to the Limit" was their first number one hit single and relating to Randy we get some other visual with "Certain Kind of Fool" and some sound snippets in the background of "Try to Love Again". Don Felder? It appears he now has a lot of regrets. Many people I think feel that Glen Frey particularly was dictatorial but as Joe Walsh confirms it was always about what was good for the Eagles. Glen Frey was/is undeniably the main driving force in the band and conceded himself to singing less in favour of Don Henley. Felder for all his talent as a guitar player was not a great singer and his biggest contribution came in Hotel California. As for the "Victim of Love" song he felt was his? To me that was one of their weakest with no flow. Their reunion work and the later solo inclusions by Henley, Frey and Walsh were still first class although now the creative collaboration has almost disappeared. "How Long" being dragged out of an old closet is an example the newer material doesn't have the same magic. Listening to the new stuff as you drive down the open highway won't evoke memories like their old songs of the past. At this stage of their careers for the sake of all that appreciated their older stuff perhaps they could do covers of other Eagles like material such as "Ventura Highway".

Si te interesa saber cosas poco comunes de este grupo, entonces no lo dudes. La calidad de vídeo es muy buena y por si tenías la duda, trae subtítulos en español. Sí bien hay muchas cosas cargadas hacia alguno de los narradores, finalmente es la versión de cada uno. Sí, es una historia fuerte, con verdades que a veces lastiman pero que finalmente nos da una perspectiva que tal vez nunca pensamos, sobre todo si crees que Hotel California es todo lo que hicieron. También hay mucho ego y seguramente habrá un momento en el que exclamarás alguna maldición en contra de más de uno. De verdad que sí te gusta el grupo y te interesa conocer otra parte de su carrera, no lo dudes, sobre todo porque cada vez se vuelve más difícil encontrarlo

Um dos melhores documentários da história, mostrando tudo que aconteceu e muito bem narrado pelos integrantes da banda que falam abertamente das partes boas do difícil relacionamento entre eles.

Excellent documentary! Very informative and engaging. The only downside is if you have to stop the dvd to take a break, when you hit play again, it goes back to the beginning. Then you have to go through the chapters to find where you left off. It seems like a marketing ploy to get you to watch the whole disc in one sitting. If you can do it without stopping I recommend it because once you start, you really don't want to stop. It's that good. I really love the film footage on the first part giving you an inside look into their world. It's like stepping back in time to the 1970's. The bonus disc is a real treat, a concert from 1977 showing the band in their prime, all that long hair included. A good time reliving those glory days of the 70's!

È un dvd da collezione. Non si può non avere . Visto il prezzo molto basso perché usato , ho compreso per regalare a un amico . Il disco non era graffiato. Ottimo acquisto

The 2-hour first part of this superb documentary (from childhood to The Eagles' first split in 1980), is an absolute blast. Produced by top documentarian Alec Gibney - with his longtime editor Alison Ellwood directing - it's a well-funded and structured telling of their saga which vividly contextualises the social and musical world that created The Eagles. A little critical distance is the inevitable price you pay for this kind of access, and Glenn Frey's self-important perspective dominates too much, but everyone ever in and around the Eagles is interviewed, and the subliminal tensions are often all too obvious - even now. The second part, which takes the story from that first split to the present day in just over an hour, is inevitably less riveting or important, but still full of fascinating insights and great music. Seeing just how rough Joe Walsh got before he cleaned up is pretty sobering, and there's a really unappetising moment near the end where Glenn Frey gloats over finally kicking Don Felder out of the band over money - followed by Felder getting discreetly choked-up over missing the band. You'd like to think that the inclusion of this scene in the final cut represents fearless honesty on the part of the director, but it also suggests a deep lack of self-awareness on Frey's part. You've got to love the bit too where Don Henley says of Irving Azoff "He may be Satan, but he's our Satan", and Azoff takes that as a compliment. Sound and picture are a real credit to the Blu-ray format, and what really makes it, particularly if you have high-end home cinema, are the epic 5.1 mixes of all the music by former Steely Dan engineer Elliot Scheiner, the master of organic surround mixing. Every bit of music in the film, from old and new studio tracks to live concerts, ancient demos and even early Linda Ronstadt appearances at The Troubadour, leap out of the speakers in rich, thrilling new constellations. If only all documentaries could be like this.