 2008-11-23 - Let it go Don
This book is an entertaining enough read. I actually would have rated it higher than three stars because it is enjoyable. But ultimately, it's written by a very small, bitter man.
Don Felder is a very talented guitarist. No question. The first time that I saw the Eagles in person was in Vegas on 12/27/1999. I never realized just how many of their key guitar parts were played by him. But for those people who think that without him, their sound isn't as good, get a grip.
There's a lot of great guitar players in the world, and the ones who become famous become so because they write and sing great material. That's what separates well-known great guitarists like Eric Clapton or Jeff Beck or George Harrison from equally great guitarists like Felder or a thousand other session men. Another of those is Felder's replacement, Stueart Smith, who is a virtuoso. (And has actually written more material for the Eagles than Felder ever did.)
Does Felder honestly believe that he's equally responsible for the success of the Eagles as Don Henley and Glenn Frey? Then, he's quite the one to talk about egos.
The point of the entire book is the evil Don Henley and Glenn Frey and their outsized egos. No question they have them. But who in their position doesn't? Wasn't Bernie Leadon displaying a rather huge ego when he didn't like the fact that they band was moving in a [more successful] direction that he didn't like? Felder could have walked away whenever he wanted. That's what Randy Meisner did. Meisner didn't want to deal with touring and the pressures of having to turn out more albums on schedule. He wanted to be with his family and work on his own. Felder could have done the same. Yet he stayed with the band and even came back when they reunited.
Felder blames every bad thing in his life on Henley and Frey. Did they force drugs into his system for him? Did they personally take groupies and mount them on Felder's pen..? For god's sake, be a man and take responsibility for your own failings.
So why did Henley and Fry settle out of court? Look at most of the reactions here to this book. Most believe what Felder wrote, without even hearing the other side. Dragging out a high-profile court case and bringing more of what was a sordid past into light is hardly when Henley and Frey need. They both have families and both have done things that they aren't proud of. As for financial matters, no matter the truth, a judge would likely have given Felder some sort of financial settlement. It is unlikely that any judge would have ruled 100% for one side of the other, so the easiest thing to do was to settle, with an agreement that got a lot of other ugly gossip material that was originally in this book removed.
Felder tries to drag down Timothy B. Schmit and Joe Walsh with him. Great guy. He seems to paint them as pathetic sidemen under the thumbs of "The Gods." Maybe Schmit and Walsh are just more realistic about their situation. Schmit nor Walsh was with the band at the start, and contrary to what he seems to portray, neither was Felder, who didn't get there until the tail end of the recording sessions on the third of their six pre-breakup albums.
The Eagles as performers in a band are a different entity than Eagles Ltd, the company that controls the band. Felder did own a chunk of that but it is now just Don and Glenn. Just because Walsh and Schmit are not co-owners of the management company "Eagles Ltd." does not mean that they are not truly part of "The Eagles." Some has to run and manage the show, and that's Henley and Frey, and Irving Azoff.
This is not that unusual a situation. A lot of musicians in rock bands really are just salaried men. From 1972 to 1980, the same time frame as the Eagles, Wings was one of the most popular bands in the world. Outside of Paul and Linda McCartney, it featured a lot of different salaried musicians during it's run. The exception was ex-Moody Bluesman Denny Laine, who was there from start to finish. But he was also on salary. He had a lot of similar complaints about Paul McCartney's control of the band and about money, despite McCartney's public challenge to name someone else in his [Laine's] position that was as well paid. Laine was McCartney's collaborator and co-writer of some Wings material. But did he really think that people were coming out to see him?
Did Felder, despite his great talent, think that people were coming out to see him?
Walsh and Schmit are happy with their situation. Obviously, they're making a ton of money. But professionally, they don't have many options anywhere close to being Eagles. And, yes, they are Eagles.
Schmit never had a particularly successful solo career. Walsh was very successful before he joined the Eagles and for a while after they disbanded in 1980. But, by 1994, Walsh's recordings weren't selling. He's very popular as part of the Eagles, and his guitar solos and lead vocals are a great part of the show. But he just wasn't that big a draw when his name was on top of the bill as a solo act. Both Schmit and Walsh add a lot to the Eagles, but in reality, the Eagles are mainly Henley and Frey. Most of the songs are theirs. Schmitt only contributed one lead vocal pre-breakup and has had three since the reunion. Walsh had two lead vocals pre-breakup and has two on the new album.
Even as popular as Walsh is with the fans performing mostly James Gang material, Henley and Frey could probably perform by themselves as the Eagles with just a nameless backup band and still be nearly as popular.
Felder was basically the Ringo Starr of the Eagles. He should have just stayed quiet and played his role. Like Starr, he is a talented musician with fairly limited ability beyond his instrument. Actually, if you listen to Felder's only lead vocal, 1974's "Visions," there is something of a vocal similarity to Starr. A pleasant sounding enough voice with range that is obviously quite limited.
 2008-11-11 - Great Read
I thought this was a great book. The Eagles is one of my favorites. I could not put the book down. It reveals a lot of insight into the band. My husband read this and then two more people at his work read this book also and thought is was good.
 2008-11-10 - Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles
Fairly decent read. Not too many new secrets were revealed. Everyone who knows the story of the Eagles and their personality clashes should already know the majority of the things that Don refers to in his book.
It is worthwhile to have on your shelf, especially if one day you have to explain something to a nouveau Eagle's fan. You can hand them the book and say, "Here, read this...."
 2008-11-04 - Sour grapes
I was disappointed in this book, except for some of the "inside" information about the band members. Don Felder sounds like a victim, not taking responsibility for the financial choices he made during his career with the Eagles, nor for the personal ones he made with his family. He seemed surprised to learn that his wife and children made lives of their own while he was away touring - I wonder what he actually expected them to do with their time. Also, he rejoins the band and expects different behavior from Frey and Henley? Why? Frey and Henley don't seem like a picnic, but Felder comes off as a whiner.
2008-11-03 - Review of Heaven and Hell By: Don Felder
If you are a fan of The Eagles, even just a little bit of a fan, this book is a MUST READ !
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