History of the Eagles

And this was an authorized bio. Wow.

Though I've loved The Eagles music, there was something I never liked about the band. So I decided to learn and find out more about the guys now that I have time. I always wanted to watch their documentary, and started to like them at the beginning of the movie. But boy did that change about halfway through. Now I think I had good intuition. Henley and Frey were total unlikable a-ho___s. My gosh.

It wasn't until Glenn Frey died that I discovered that he and the rest of the band members-past and present-did this documentary in two parts a few years ago. So I ordered both discs from Netflix. The first part covered the Eagles' heyday in the '70s with many of their hits accounted for like their first one-"Take It Easy" which is always my favorite of theirs-or "Take It to the Limit" which Frey mistakenly ID's as the group's first No. 1 single. (It was actually "Best of My Love" which, strangely, was one of the few hits not showcased in the film. "TITTL" actually went to No. 4.) In both parts, the emphasis is on Frey and Don Henley since they wrote most of the songs, were in the band for both runs, and had successful solo careers in between. Other current members Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit also frequently comment alongside former members Bernie Leadon who recently returned to the fold, Randy Meisner, and Don Felder. While I'll always admire Frey as a songwriter and artist, I can't help but think that he's the main reason some members left. I'd like to think they've all made peace with him before he passed. Certainly, I was very glad when Don H., Bernie, Joe, and Tim appeared on the Grammys several weeks ago in tribute to Glenn and performed "Take It Easy" with Jackson Browne-who co-wrote the song some 44 years ago-singing lead even though Browne forgot some of the lyrics. Anyway, I highly enjoyed History of the Eagles so that's a high recommendation.

The reviewers before me have pretty much summed this film up. I would put my money on 80% of the viewing demographic will have grown up with the Eagles and many of them, like myself, would know them first and foremost for their music. All of us have heard snippets of stories and probably read differing opinions as to how they imploded and reassembled and then generally just came and went again at random. Many of us would have been to a concert, possibly more than one and seen them in the flesh, marveling again at their magical ability to blend voices and instruments into some of the best music produced in modern times. This documentary knits it all together. There will be millions of words written online over the coming months and perhaps years critiquing this film for better or for worse.

I have adopted the stance that this is a group of musicians that are just as human as all the rest of us, extraordinarily gifted in their chosen fields and were at the intersection of preparation and opportunity just at the right time.

The addition of a copious amount of personal home movie footage, some never aired before adds the essential layer to the production and wraps the package up like a tightly constructed wine. I'm sure there are many who will be watching this who will see themselves in the background of some of the footage, even at the third encores and will will be gasping in their living rooms grateful for the fact that the passage of time is the best camouflage for human recognition. Could you just imagine..." OMG Mom, I don't believe you did that ! How am I going to explain this to my friends !! "

I remember the Eagles as a kid when they had a few hits in the British charts but it was not the music I grew up with. By the time I was a teenager they had already broken up.

They were a band I got to know retrospectively through their hit songs and then later their new songs after they reformed in the 1990s.

So I arrived to this two part documentary rather fresh knowing little about the band apart from band members Don Henley and Glenn Frey had pop hits as solo artists in the 1980s.

Part one focuses on the formative years of the musician from being kids onwards, the early days of the band until they hit the big time and their creative tensions leading to their breakup. Its a fascinating and informative story for me. I had no idea that such a Californian sounding rock/country/blues band recorded their early work in London and how much they were in awe of the music of The Who, Beatles, The Rolling Stones.

The band has gone through lineup changes with disputes among band members. Joe Walsh with his past demons comes across as the most honest in the documentary, Frey and Henley as the victors and the defacto leaders of the Eagles get to write their version of the history.

Aside from a few moments that made we want to cringe (such as Glenn Frey's comments about Don Felder being fired during their reunion of the 1990s), this is a very enjoyable and thorough documentary about the Eagles. Not surprisingly, it focuses mostly on Frey and Don Henley-- the pair that wrote most of the songs, sang most of the songs and created the group. It follows the pair from their early pre-band days and ends around 2000. Through the course of the film, there are tons of interviews, lots of odd tidbits and a very comprehensive history of the group. For practically everyone except someone hating The Eagles (who would that be?!), a very well made and as complete a picture of the group as you can find.