Eagles…Hell Freezes Over

In 1994, Glenn Frey said the Eagles never broke up, they just took a 14 year vacation.  The truth is, they did break up in 1980, and Don Henley was quoted as saying they’d only get back together “when hell freezes over”.  In 1993, there was an Eagles tribute album with the track “Take It Easy” sung by Travis Tritt. The members of the Eagles agreed to appear in the song’s video.  Shortly after that, the band reunited.

It was in April of 1994 that the group recorded a live concert using the title Hell Freezes Over.

The album of the concert was released in November of 1994, and included four new studio recordings.  Getting the most radio airplay were “Get Over It” and “Love Will Keep Us Alive” (#1 on the Adult Contemporary chart).  The live recording that received a lot of attention was an acoustic rendition of “Hotel California”.  It featured a new Spanish-style guitar intro, and gave fans another way to enjoy one of the Eagles’ best songs.  The album was #1 and sold over 9-million copies.

The Hell Freezes Over tour made it’s way to Lincoln, Nebraska on January 28th, 1995.  By then, the Eagles had been on the road for about three-quarters of a year.  The striking difference between the recorded concert that had been on MTV and this show was that the band appeared to be a lot looser…just as professional, but having more fun.  The concert included many solo hits from Don Henley (“The Boys Of Summer”, “Heart Of The Matter”, “Dirty Laundry” & “All She Wants To Do Is Dance”), and the best version of Glenn Frey’s “You Belong To The City” I’ve ever heard.  Adding so much to the concert were Joe Walsh’s non-Eagles songs…”Funk #49″, “Life’s Been Good”, and “Rocky Mountain Way”.  The songs gave the band chances to cut loose musically, and added some lyrical humor.  It was a great concert!

The Eagles did more touring.  Don Felder acrimoniously left the band in 2001.  The next release was a live DVD jokingly called Farwell 1 Tour in 2005.  They never released this one as an album, so I copied the audio from the DVD, and put it into an iTunes playlist.

Then came what is likely the final studio album by the Eagles…Long Road Out Of Eden.  It’s a two-disc set that included 20 new songs.

The album was recorded over a period of six-years, and was released in 2007.  It hit #1, sold over 3.5 million copies (7 million discs), and won two Grammy Awards.   It wasn’t like their 1970’s albums with tremendous airplay (because radio formats have changed), but if you take time to get to know the songs, you’ll be rewarded.  I have 12 of the 20 songs on my Best of Eagles 3 playlist…“No More Walks In The Woods”, “How Long”, “Busy Being Fabulous”, “What Do I Do With My Heart”, “Waiting In The Weeds”, “No More Cloudy Days”, “Do Something”, “You Are Not Alone”, “Long Road Out Of Eden”, “I Dreamed There Was No War”, “Center Of The Universe” & “It’s Your World Now”.  

Singles from the album were successful on the Adult Contemporary chart…”No More Cloudy Days” #3, “How Long” #7, “Busy Being Fabulous” #12, and “What Do I Do With My Heart” #13.

The Eagles toured in support of the album, then did another round of touring following the release of the “History Of The Eagles” documentary in 2013.

Glenn Frey had suffered from rheumatoid arthritis since 2000, and treatment led to intestinal surgery in 2015.  He never recovered from it, and passed away in January of 2016 at the age of 67.

Glenn’s “It’s Your World Now” is the last song on the Eagles’ last studio album…

It’s your world now,
Use well the time,
Be part of something good,
Leave something good behind.
The curtain falls,
I take my bow,
That’s how it’s meant to be,
It’s your world now.

It was thought the Eagles might not tour again, but this past July, they co-headlined the Classic West & Classic East concerts.  Glenn’s son Deacon, and their friend, country singer Vince Gill, sang the lead vocal parts made famous by Glenn Frey.  They’re doing a fall “mini-tour” for now, but no one is sure what will happen to the Eagles in the long run.

Update:  The band returned to major touring.  Vince Gill and Deacon Frey are doing a great job of filling in for Deacon’s father.  If you get a chance, watch Eagles: Live From The Forum from 2018.

Update:  (July 6, 2023)  The Eagles are doing one last tour, The Long Goodbye.  It started in September, 2023, and will likely go into 2025.

For the earlier part of their career, please see the article: Eagles…1972-1980, here’s the link:  https://ontherecords.net/2017/07/eagles/

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