New EAGLES album
 

Hey I picked it up today...against my will...(I DESPISE going to Walmart)...but I digress. The album is average at best (my rating is a 6.5 outta 10). I enjoy "How Long"..."Somebody"..."No More Cloudy Days"...and thats about it. Their vocals, however, sound amazing thruout.

However if you ARE an Eagles fan...you'll be glad to know the 2 disc set is only $11.98.

~B~

How is the lineup now? I heard there has been some member changes

Frey, Henley, Schmidt and Walsh are the lineup...no Felder.

Can't wait to get the album!! :blob2:

I don't really have any interest in buying it but I do need to go to Wal-Mart this week.:lol:
Why is this album only available at Wal-Mart?

Cause the Eagles obviously went to bed with Walmart.

This should have been a single disc there is way too much bland filler and it will make no one forget One of These Nights or Hotel California ..but the highlights make it worth it particularly if you are like me and grew up listening to that particular brand of frozen nosed El Lay noir rock ..and the voacls are stellar. It is comparable to Fleetwood Mac putting out a brand new album but with Mirage era vocals.

I bought the Eagles cd yesterday and I agree there are some bland fillers but as a whole the double disc is great. 20 songs 11 bucks you can't go wrong.

I think there are quite a few highlights on the cds. The first disc tends to be more on the older eagles style. How Long, Busy Being Fabulous, Guilty of the Crime, Waiting in the Weeds and No More Cloudy days are all great songs on this disc. How long and Busy Being Fabulous just sound like great radio hits. Guilty of the crime is Joe at his best and really adds some funk into the beginning of the cd. Waiting in the Weeds i just found to be a great Henley song. No more Cloudy days i can't say enough great vocals and words.

The 2nd cd kicks off with the title track Long Road Otu of Eden which reminds me of a hotel california epic about the war and state of the world. Somebody is another radio friendly sounding song by Frey love to hear him rock not enough of it on the discs. Frail Grasp on a Big picture is another Henley commentary on the world. He does a lot of it so I tried to just get over the political and enough his words. He does the same on business as usual. The last song I enjoy on the 2nd disc is Center of the Universe Frey and Henley each sing and the harmonies are great.

I hope this helps anyone who was debating buyin the cd.

I am DYING to hear this. $11.98!!?!? Seriously!!??! Woot, I might be able to afford it then. ;) Though I'm sure it's higher here in Canada (if it's available at all...sure we have Wal-Mart and all, but things have a habit of not making their way across the border), it can't be THAT much more. Maybe $14.98 or so, which is still great.

Some friends and I saw Glenn Frey solo live last summer, and he actually performed "I Love To Watch A Woman Dance" back then, and I've been dying to hear it again ever since. It's so lovely live, I hope the CD does it justice. That's the only track I have heard thus far, so I'm really really curious to pick up the album. Filler or not, I adore the Eagles (though they are still second to the Mac, lol), so I'm quite sure I'll enjoy it.

They have Walmarts in Canada sorry to hear that...but I will say if you like "I Love to Watch a Woman Dance" then you should be happy with the album since it is one of the weakest tracks on there and one I would have axed if it was a single disc.There really are some fine songs and the title track is one .Even at over 10 minutes it never gets boring and the Walsh solos in it are awesome.

Got it!
 

I bought this last night @ Wal-Mart, & when I got into my car, on the radio I swear, my local, classic rock radio station was playing How Long. I just heard the end of it. It was so weird because I hadn't heard it at all. Anyway, I've been playing it on my way back & forth to work. I've almost gotten through the first CD. I really like it. They sound really good. It kind of has the vibes of Hotel California & The Long Run.

Lee :)

yeah they sound really good...i just think the songs are boring.

Pretty much how I feel about Say You Will.

I was really wanting to dislike the album (since I've had this hatred for the Eagles the past few years), but I've heard the first 7 tracks of the first disc and I love it so far. It's really got a feel that seems to be geared toward COUNTRY radio airplay (and at the same time, a retro feel of their first couple of albums) The opening track sounds like an old Tim Schmit era Poco tune.

I don't think the songs are all that boring, just that the production is so meticulous that all the rough edges are filed off. I can see where Don Felder got pissed off that Henley & Frey would take so long over each little sound of the instruments. I can hear that without him, that "edge" that they used to have is now gone.

Looks like tons of people bought this thing... First weeks sale indicate about 700,000 units sold. That's HUGE!!

That's Wal-Mart shoppers for you...

Eagles Black Out Britney
 

Eagles Black Out Britney
by David Jenison

Britney Spears might sit at number one when the Billboard charts come out Wednesday, but according to Wal-Mart, it's the Eagles who truly soared to the top.

A year ago, the easy-rocking supergroup inked a deal with Wal-Mart that led to the release of an exclusive deluxe DVD reissue of Farewell 1 Tour—Live from Melbourne. More important, the arrangement made Wal-Mart and Sam's Club the exclusive U.S. distributors for the band's first studio album in 27 years, Long Road Out of Eden.

The critically praised double album hit the big-box stores—as well as the Eagles' Website—last week. And per figures released Tuesday by Wal-Mart, Eden sold more than 700,000 copies in its first week. That's the second biggest opening sales week of the year, behind Kanye West's Graduation, which moved 957,000 copies in September, to the chagrin of 50 Cent.

Still, it'll be Spears' Blackout sitting atop the Billboard 200 despite selling a fraction as much—about 289,000, sources say.

Because of its exclusive arrangement with Wal-Mart, the Eagles' new album does not qualify for the Billboard 200. In fact, Billboard notes that titles "not generally available at retail" appear on the Top Comprehensive Albums chart instead, which covers catalog and proprietary releases. Fair or not, this means the Eagles will be a no-show on the Billboard 200, and Blackout will take the number one spot by default.

Nonetheless, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers set an undeniable sales record at Wal-Mart, the country's top music retailer.

"We were confident Eagles fans would embrace Long Road Out of Eden, but it has exceeded our first week projections," Gary Severson, Wal-Mart's senior vice president of entertainment, trumpeted in a statement.

"With the holiday season approaching, we are confident the double-CD package will be one of the biggest sellers in Wal-Mart history. We’ve notified the RIAA of the sales, to quickly certify Long Road Out of Eden’s multiplatinum status.”

Eagles manager Irving Azoff added: "The band produced and delivered an album of integrity that was in keeping with their legacy…and the fans responded. The phenomenal first-week sales of Long Road Out of Eden are a testament to Wal-Mart’s marketing and distribution.”

Meanwhile, across the pond, Eden was made available through general retail outlets, which allowed the album to sail past Blackout and give the Eagles their first U.K. number one. With several countries releasing their charts before the U.S., Eden has also already hit the top spot in Australia and the Netherlands.

The Eagles last topped the U.S. charts in 1994, when their live album Hell Freezes Over spent two weeks at number one.

I got this from eonline.com
Lee :)

The album is a great bargain at $13.88, and it's got a lot of great harmonies throughout. The song "Somebody" was just in time for Halloween. Two :thumbsup: here on the whole deal.

Yes, Lee, I read something similar the other day:

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE: Unconfirmed estimates have The Eagles selling more than 700k albums of their double-CD Long Road Out of Eden at stateside Wal-Marts, where it has been available on an exclusive basis since last Tuesday's day of release. That would be more than enough to turn back Britney Spears' Blackout on the Album chart, if it were eligible, which it is not since it is being carried by just a single retailer.


There was a great article in the LA Times

Geoff Boucher, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 6, 2007

The Eagles' last flight?

The new album is a hit at Wal-Mart, but the band may be nearing the end of the road.

THE long run of the Eagles began with a sad, funny little gig at the Westlake School for Girls and nights spent in the dingy confines of the Troubadour, where their crystalline harmony -- at least on stage -- would define the world-famous "Southern California sound."

Now, in fact, it's hard to think of Los Angeles without thinking of the music of the Eagles and it's impossible to consider the band without L.A. as a frame.

The L.A. story of the Eagles is on the first page of the final chapter. The band has a new album in stores for the first time in 28 years and the members seem to know their own swan song when they hear it.

"It was painful birth," lead guitarist Joe Walsh said of the struggle to finish "Long Road Out of Eden," which ended up as a double album. "I can't think we have another one in us. I really can't."

When the new edition of the Billboard 200 chart is released Wednesday, it will show that the No. 1 album in America is "Blackout" from Britney Spears. But in reality, the bestselling album in the country over the last week was in fact "Eden" -- because it was sold exclusively through Wal-Mart stores and the veteran band's website, "Eden" is ineligible for the Billboard tally.

The first Eagles album since the Carter administration has a first-week total that looks to be about 700,000 copies, according to the band's manager, Irving Azoff. That doubles the sales of the new Spears album and makes "Eden" one of the fastest-selling CDs of the year even though it was not released by anything resembling a traditional record label.

"I'm not even sure what the recording industry is anymore," said Don Henley, who with Glenn Frey is the most familiar voice in the Eagles. To add to the sense of strangeness, the iconic band finds its new music is getting its most significant radio airplay at country stations. Embracing that, the Eagles will perform Wednesday on the Country Music Assn. Awards on ABC, which, shockingly, will mark the first time the band has ever appeared on an awards broadcast.

In other words, if you think you are bewildered by the carnival fun house that is the music industry of 2007, try being a member of the Eagles.

"I couldn't tell you what a hit record is these days," said Frey with a shrug. He and Henley are the only founding members left from the days when the Eagles got their start as a backing band for Linda Ronstadt.

They went on to claim the bestselling album in the history of American music, "Their Greatest Hits, 1971-1975," which is creeping toward 30 million copies shipped to stores, according to the Recording Industry Assn. of America. But that titan status in the boom of the 1970s has given them a collective impatience with the wilting industry around them now. "I feel like I was part of Camelot," Frey said, "and it's not coming back."

"Eden" is an epic album (many critics, in fact, are saying it's too long, although the reviews have also been largely positive) and all four members -- Henley, Frey, Walsh and bassist Timothy B. Schmit -- get a turn in the spotlight. It's almost like they are taking their bows. The 20th and final song on "Eden" is a farewell tune, "Your World Now."

"It's a sort of a passing of the torch song, it's an adios song," Henley said. "It works on that level for our children and also on the band level."

Back to the nest

A few weeks ago, the Eagles were back at the Troubadour to sit down for an interview with "60 Minutes." Frey found the experience heartwarming -- and somewhat claustrophobic.

"It was like walking up to a house you used to live in and knocking on the door -- 'Do you mind if I came in and looked around?' " Frey said. "The place seemed so big to me once and they are really so small. I don't know what made the Troubadour feel like a giant place. Maybe it's because for us it was an open road."

Frey had come west from Detroit and was living in a shabby Echo Park apartment upstairs from a young songwriter named Jackson Browne. Frey would hitchhike to West Hollywood to soak in the pulsing scene at the Troubadour even though he was so broke he sometimes nursed one beer all night.

Another young singer in the scene was Henley, fresh from Texas, which he ditched after hearing "California Dreamin' " on the radio. Henley and Frey became roommates and part of Ronstadt's band, along with Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner. The four then went their own way, called themselves the Eagles and signed to a start-up label called Elektra Records. The label was run by a young manager named David Geffen.

They didn't have to wait long for fame. Their first album, "Eagles," yielded three hit singles: "Take It Easy," "Witchy Woman," and "Peaceful Easy Feeling."

"We came up," Henley said, "at a 45 degree angle." Their second album was the 1973 Old West concept album "Desperado." "We didn't have any hits on the second album," Henley said. "We made sure of that. We were afraid of commercialism. It was a bad thing." The years would disabuse the band of that notion.

The next three albums -- "On the Border," "One of These Nights" and "Hotel California" -- moved away from country twang and toward a dusty, Western sort of rock with more guitar sinew. A lot of that was due to the addition of guitarist Don Felder in 1974, and then Walsh in 1976. These changes were not made gently. Leadon, frustrated with the rock direction, announced his resignation by pouring a beer over Frey's head. Bass player Meisner, sick of the chaos, left in 1977. The Eagles recruited Schmit, who was stunned by the backstage strife.

"I thought at first it was just the normal tensions, you know, but these were really intense," Schmit said. "And then came that night in Long Beach."

The "Long Night in Wrong Beach," July 31, 1980, found the Eagles muttering dark threats to each other between the choruses. After the show, there was a brawl backstage. Schmit watched it all in shock. "I remember after weeks it sank in: This really was the end of it all."

Frey scoffed when asked if it was meaningful that what came together in Southern California also splintered here.

"Bands have arguments in Memphis, sometimes they have arguments in New York," he said testily. "Look, we disagreed all over the world."

Together again and again

The band members went their separate ways after their California divorce, but they came back together for the kids. The fan appetite and the big money it represented led to a 1994 reunion with a delicious name: the Hell Freezes Over Tour. The group was Henley, Frey, Walsh, Felder and Schmit and they broke records. A concert album (along with a few new studio tracks) sold 8.5 million copies and in 1998 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The band circled the world twice on tour but there wasn't a lot of warmth backstage. The five members played together for the last time at Staples Center on New Year's Eve 1999.

A few weeks later, the band fired Felder and lawsuits followed. Felder claimed Henley and Frey wanted to hoard the band's money. The two founding members countered that band chemistry would improve without Felder. (There was a settlement but legal subplots remain; also, Hyperion Books in September cited "legal reasons" for the cancellation of Felder's tell-all memoir about the band's debauchery and bickering.)

The Felder affair reinforced the nagging image of the band's as a sour, mercenary collective. One way to measure the ubiquity of the Eagles is to gauge the bile they inspire. Punk rock was, to many observers, a direct response to the Eagles, and hating the Eagles even made it to theaters as a recurring gag in "The Big Lebowski." The new deal with Wal-Mart brought hectoring. Henley said the impetus for the deal was the environmental initiatives by the world's largest private employer but Frey said it was simple math: "If this is our last album, I wanted to sell as many copies as possible."

The band members stopped listening to the detractors years ago, but even they said they were ready to retire the franchise at the start of this decade.

"The old songs are part of the cultural lexicon and they have been good to us, but at some point singing them over and over just isn't any fun," Henley said.

In summer of 2001, the band was in Europe on tour when a funny thing happened. With Felder out of the picture, the band found that it was acting like, well, a band again.

"We didn't just play, we started hanging out again," Frey said. "It was a pleasure to go to sound check. There was a lot of fun and lot of laughs on the charter flights from country to country."

Steuart Smith, Felder's replacement, became "a catalyst, a source of rejuvenation for us," as Henley put it. The band decided to go into the studio and chose a fateful date: Sept. 11, 2001. World events seeped through the studio walls. One of the first pieces of music they worked on was an extended jam that coiled with ominous power.

"I remember thinking we're never going to write the lyrics to this thing, it's just too long and too scary," Frey said. But Henley, who had written the epic Eagles song "The Last Resort," responded with another "magnum opus," as Frey called it.

That forlorn rumination on the Middle East and geopolitics became the title track of the new album, even though much of the CD is relationship songs and honeyed harmonies. In fact, the album covers just about every Eagles musical territory and creative surges kept adding to it.

"We were done with the album a few times," Walsh said, "but it wasn't done with us." Maybe so, but the famously dour Henley frets that the album should have been leaner. "I think there are only a couple of superfluous things on there." He declined to elaborate. "That would break the band up. Again."

The most likely thing to break up the Eagles is time, distance (Henley lives in Dallas, the others in different parts of California) and the tug of family. The band just opened the Nokia Theatre with a run of shows but on opening night Henley was backstage talking about his family.

"I talked to my kids a little while ago; I had to remind them I had a concert tonight," Henley said with a chuckle.

Last summer he was the first Eagle to turn 60, and he celebrated by surfing in Malibu with his 9-year-old son and pal Jimmy Buffett. Smiling, Henley seemed just as interested in being a beach boy as in carrying on as an Eagle.

"This is the final statement. We got back together and went around the world twice on tour but then there was nothing left to do without new music. Now we have this album that fits in with our body of work. There won't be another Eagles album after this. That's what I think today."


-----
I remember Henley saying Fleetwood Mac had 'thrown in the towel' somewhere during the Say You Will tour. It's hard to know who's dirty laundry he was talking about now.

I finally got it and I really like it! I need a few more listens to decide on any faves

Billboard officially recognizes The Eagles new album Long Road Out Of Eden as #1. Bye bye Britney:

Eagles #1!

Only after Wal-mart decided to publish, or report what the sales were... Traditionally, Wal-mart doesn't report on any of their sales - they aren't a Soundscan member from what I understand...

But Billboard made the right move... albeit shockingly fast (I wonder if they would have made the same decision if the album only sold enough to land at say #5). Moving that many copies in one week should be recognized on the Billboard 200... I don't think it should matter where cd's are sold, or who belongs to what reporting group.. if the sales are there, and can be confirmed they should be considered for the charts.

agreed. what a stupid policy. it's about time they changed it. and just in time, imo.

the difference b/w the #1 and #2 spots is staggering. I don't like The Eagles, but good for them. they did what FMac couldn't do in 2003.

Because the Eagles and their management don't trip over themselves marketingwise or make painfully obvious marketing mistakes like Fleetwood Mac does.

If Fleetwood Mac would've gone ahead with the double disc idea for Say You Will, do you think they would've sold it for only $11.98? No way. It would've been close to $30 and even FEWER people would've bought it.

Hell, the only reason I bought the new Eagles album was because it WAS two discs for $11.98 (that, and I'm kind of a completist when it comes to bands like, used to like, or even hate now, but they come out with a new album).

I'm just blown away by this new Eagles album...I NEVER thought it would be this good in a million years.

Yeah, I'm not a fan really either... To countryish for me... But I'd like more clarification on the Wal-mart sales thing... So if Wal-mart is just now starting to report what they actually sell in their stores to Soundscan or Billboard to be included with the weekly sales tally along with the other retailers in the US, and rightly so, being the largest cd retailer in the US, they should... It leaves the question of, back in 2003 when SYW was released, assuming that anything sold through Wal-mart WASN'T reported and therefore not included in the weekly sales for chart placement, would FMac have had larger numbers?... And then of course with Lindsey and Stevie's releases this year and last...

So basically I'm confused. On Billboard it says a number of titles will debut on the top 200 as a result of Wal-mart now providing their sales... So you have to assume that none of the sales were even counted in the past...

They possibly could have had they put it out on their own label, not Warner Bros. like the Eagles have done - and stuck a seperate distribution deal side stepping traditional routes... That's the only way the Eagles were able to do it. Wal-mart guaranteed 3 million unit with no returns. This way the Eagles get to keep more of the so called pie.

agreed.
exactly. as for your question, I think what happens is when an album is only sold through one distributor, those units aren't calculated into the Billboard numbers. with Stevie and FMac and most artists' albums, that's not the case as they are sold at FYE, Target, Borders, Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, etc.

In consultation with Nielsen SoundScan, Billboard will now allow exclusive album titles that are only available through one retailer to appear on The Billboard 200 and other Billboard charts, effective with this week's charts. Prior to this, proprietary titles were not eligible to appear on most Billboard charts.

Ahhh... I get it. Any title that Wal-mart sold exclusively... THOSE haven't been counted in the past. I misread that. Thanks.

Eagles on the CMAs
 

Did you all see the Eagles on the CMAs? They were just on & sang How Long. I knew they would do that song. It has that country twang to it. I'm not into country music, but I like that song. I watched the CMAs because I knew they were going to be on there. Ha! Now I can go to bed. BTW, they did a great job. :nod:

Lee :)

Agreed, they were great, but a little stiff looking! :laugh: Their first single on the album, so it made sense. And a little Lindsey loosely "related" news, Little Big Town is up for at least one award.

L&M, if you're out there any time, you gotta be really happy. ;)

I really like the Title track. Amazingly, to me it doesnt seem like a 10 minute song at all.:thumbsup:

Please tell me I'm not the only person here who ****ing hates The Eagles.

Bueller? Bueller?

"Too Busy Being Fabulous"
 

I just heard this song on the radio this morning and I could'nt help but wonder WHO It COULD Be about! Not naming any names of course! :)

HAHA..."C'mon man, I had a long night...and I hate the ****in Eagles, man!"

I used to dislike them greatly, and I dislike them a little more with each album they seem to release. Such a great sounding band to release boring stuff. That being said, I am a "fan"...I think I have all of their albums except Desperado.

Hey Lee..

I was glad you posted in on this! I agree with everything you said here! LOL.. I, too watched the CMA's last night, because of the Eagles being on there, and no, I didn't get their new cd yet. I'm not really into Country, either, but I LOVED them doing their song last night! They totally rocked the house, and had every single person in that audience on their FEET at the end! They TOTALLY rocked that joint!! Now, I'm going to probably look into getting that cd.. :wavey::thumbsup:

I just want to say the album version of this song sounds much better than that live performance, so if you enjoyed that, you'll be very pleased.

We're around....just been VERY busy. :)

L&M
www.eaglesfans.com

Oh WOW! How cool is that going to be!! I LOVE their harmonies, as I think they really still sound great! Well, it's off to Wal-mart after work for me then for sure!!:thumbsup: Thanks Tango!!;)

Great to see you Henley Fan. It's an awesome album. They kept the prices down by sparing on the packaging, which is smart, since most people but the music on their iPods anyway. They did a great job getting so much music out to all us fans at such a low price. I think one of the strengths of the album is that there's something for everyone. It's not just harping on big business, the environment (although there's certainly room for that on this planet) but there's other "universals" on it as well. With so many songs, a listener can take from it what one wants. You can skip the one or two that might annoy you, and there's still plenty of music left.

Steviefan49, it's hard for me to call a favorite yet, but you might also love the harmonies on "Waiting In The Weeds." The lyrics are beautiful and moving, maybe especially for anyone going through a painful D.I.V.O.R.C.E or any sort of loss like that of someone you care for, and the addition of the mandolin and piano, combined with Don's voice is just amazing. The final playing of "the chorus" definitely gives a sense of hope. "No More Cloudy Days," sung by Glenn Frey can just break your heart. They all did a great job on this one. I hope you find things you like too.

nope :wavey:

Hey Tango!

Well, I'm not sure it will be a favorite, but after hearing that song last night, as I wasn't real (gung-ho) on buying the CD, I'll definitely look into it now! Thanks for the heads up on the songs!! I love their old stuff, and have a couple of their albums, but I would love to add this one to the collection!
Thanks SO much again!:thumbsup:

So I wonder when the tour is going to start?

Henley fan might have more up to date information on this, but the band wanted to give people time to get the album and some time to listen to it for a while. I read they are planning touring behind it for at least 2 years.