Thursday, Apr. 04, 2013 | 07:53
peaceful, easy feelings
one interesting aspect of having eagles albums is that i know, almost by heart, every third song. the other songs (so far) don't hook as tenaciously as the hits, but most of them are still pretty good. it's also interesting to note that joe walsh didn't join until 'hotel california', which means he's not on 'ther greatest hits', which came out before that album.
i am hearing these albums outside of their historical context, and all at once to boot. when 'eagles' came out, country rock was still new and between them and jackson brown a laid-back "california sound" was developing (or at least gaining national attention). is this knowledge relevant to my enjoyment today? i don't think so, though some schools of critical thought insist otherwise. i'll admit, though, that i think about the times when i hear a funk or disco song sneak in. the funk of "on the border" stands out from the established country rock of the band, though hints of it exist elsewhere on the album. by the time the disco of "one of these nights" lands it's not as big a jolt. starting the album with it also helps, though when it was first released i'm sure it scared off some of their fans.
such is the value of hindsight and diversity: i'm not easily scared off when a band experiments or changes its sound. though it should still be compelling. if the new sound bores me, why should i stick with it?
