I was never the biggest Eagles fan in the world, but I can appreciate the vast number of great tunes they produced.
Saw JD Souther in NYC last week. What struck me most was this guy, though he wrote "New Kid In Town" & a few other early Eagles hits, could not have been more of an anti-Eagles in delivery and complete lack of polish. Frankly, I really dug it even though it got very sloppy at points, this guy was real and he struggled to find his way like any of us do... it was great to see him attempt to re-create some guitar licks he probably wrote 35 years ago.... hell, who wouldn't struggle??!!!
But, back to the Eagles.... my honest impression, now more than ever, was that they (and by they I really mean Henley & Frey) were great musicians who were smart enough to produce a very marketable, yet glossy, product. But they used everyone along the way to get them were they got. Even Henley's best post-Eagles solo tune was written by Tom Petty.
What cracks me up to this day is how they ever put up with the antics of Joe Walsh. He was completely out of his mind back then, and the Eagles were precision-driven. Man, to be a fly on the wall... although, through all of Walsh, Felder, etc. stealing a good part of the limelight, Henley & Frey always maintained and even gained more financial/royalty control.
