Where Eagles dare (Straits Times)

Where Eagles dare - OCT 11, 2004

LEGENDARY rock group the Eagles decided to go for irony when deciding on a name for their current tour. Called the Farewell I Tour, they say it is a joke on artists like Simon And Garfunkel, who revisit the limelight by releasing albums or staging concerts after their so-called retirement, almost as if they are prisoners in their own Hotel California.

But if the Eagles are laughing at others, they are also making fun of themselves, as singer and guitarist Glenn Frey will tell you.

'We don't see ourselves doing this for very much longer,' says Frey, 55, on the phone from his manager's office in Los Angeles. 'But we might change our minds about that so we thought we'd better make a joke of it now.'

The American group will play in Singapore for the first time next Monday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Ninety-nine per cent of the 8,000 tickets have been sold, with a handful of higher-priced seats left, says a spokesman for organiser Lushington Entertainments.

On the phone, the Detroit-born musician speaks in a laidback drawl. He fields questions with just a pause that tells you he weighs his words before speaking.

When asked what one can expect from a flock of ageing rockers, he says: 'We've developed and matured in our sound. If anything, we're more experienced, more focused. We haven't declined any with age.'

He adds: 'I don't mean to boast, but we're good.'

Indeed, the Eagles, whose current line-up comprises drummer-vocalist Don Henley, guitarist Joe Walsh, bassist Timothy B. Schmit and Frey, were one of the monster acts of the 1970s.

They had started out in 1971 as a backing band for singer Linda Ronstadt. The original group comprised guitarist Bernie Leadon and bassist Randy Meisner, who left in 1975 and 1976 respectively. They were replaced by Walsh and Schmit.

Guitarist Don Felder joined the group in 1975, but was fired in 2001. No reason was given for his termination, though he claimed he was wrongfully sacked and filed a lawsuit against the band.

The case is now in settlement stages.

Still, the Eagles have sold more than 120 million albums worldwide, and can hold their own, legacy-wise, with acts like The Rolling Stones.

In fact, they have gone one better.

In 1999, the Record Industry Association of America recognised their Greatest Hits, 1971-1975 album as the bestselling record of the century.

That album, released in 1987, has sold 27 million albums in the United States. It has sold over 15,000 copies here.

But there has traditionally been bad blood inside the group, and their history has also been fraught with ego clashes.

They broke up in 1980 because of strained relations between members, particularly Frey and Henley, the chief architects of the Eagles sound.

Then, they told reporters that they would have to 'wait until hell freezes over' before they would ever perform together again.

The members went on to record solo albums, with Henley and Frey gaining moderate success.

Frey also guest-starred on TV series Miami Vice, Wiseguy and Nash Bridges.

But in 1994, the Eagles took flight again.

Frey and Henley had long considered a reunion, but the timing had never been right, and they still felt friction between them, they told reporters.

They released a new album of remastered tracks and new songs like Hole In The World. And, in a knowing nod to their earlier declarations, they called the record Hell Freezes Over.

It went straight to No. 1 on the US charts, selling over six million copies. The Eagles were back in business and the subsequent tour made US$79.4 million in the US.

But, as the band sang in Hotel California, they were still 'prisoners of their own device'.

'Relations were up and down on that tour,' Henley told Canadian newspaper Toronto Sun in 2000. 'There were still ghosts from the past that reared their ugly heads to make things unpleasant.'

The Eagles disbanded again and took another break before emerging in 1999 to play a New Year's Eve show with other greats like Jackson Browne and Ronstadt. The top tickets went for US$1,000.

Frey has said that his relationship with Henley has never been smooth. Yet in the past, he has referred to Henley as his 'longest successful romance'.

When asked about that now, he lets out a short barking laugh before saying: 'I have to say that he takes second place to my current marriage.'

Frey and Cindy, his wife of 14 years, have three children - daughter Taylor, 13, and sons Deacon, 11, and Otis, two. They divide their time among their homes in California, Colorado and Hawaii.

He was married for three years in 1985 but had no children from that marriage.

Turning serious, he says of Henley: 'It's like any worthwhile relationship - it has its peaks and valleys. The trick is just to find ways to make it work.

'The important thing is that we're still here, and that we're playing shows at a high level.'

SINGAPORE - AT LAST

THE EAGLES gave Singapore a miss twice after their 1994 reunion.

They were in negotiations to stage a South-east Asian leg of their Hell Freezes Over tour.

But Frey was struck by an illness that required major surgery and had to have part of his large intestine removed. Though he has been in and out of surgery since, he says that all is well now.

'My health has been great for several years. I'm ready to rock out.'

In 1995, they played in Japan and Australia, but bypassed Singapore because of Henley's plans to record a solo album.

Frey says all the band members have projects and are too busy to get together to write songs. He owns the independent label Mission Records which he founded in the late 1990s.

Is there any truth to reports that a studio album is due this year?

He says several tracks were indeed recorded but an album is nowhere in sight.

'Each of us is doing all sorts of things, so we're really slow when it comes to scheduling time to write and record.'

But he reveals that they may enter the studio to record next year. 'We'll have to see how it goes. Our priority is this tour. After that, we'll assess what we want to do next.'

Meanwhile, fans will have to be content with watching the band here on Oct 18.

Still, there is the matter of high ticket prices - the top-priced seats are $499.

What gives?

Without hesitation, he says: 'We actually didn't set those ticket prices. But what I want to say is that we never want to underprice ourselves - we're an elite act.

'We won't apologise for what the seats cost. It'll be worth it for a great show.'

The Eagles will perform at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Oct 18 at 8pm. Tickets at $350 and $499 from Sistic (6348-5555 or www.sistic.com.sg ).

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THE LONG RUN

CURIOUS as to what plans the Eagles have hatched over the years? Here's an update:

DON HENLEY, 57

One of the founding members of the band, he co-wrote songs with Glenn Frey.

In 1982, he released his first solo album, I Can't Stand Still. A single, Dirty Laundry, peaked at No. 3 on the US charts.

Building The Perfect Beast album came two years later, anchored by hits like Boys Of Summer and Not Enough Love In The World. The third album, 1989's The End Of The Innocence, contained hits like New York Minute and How Bad Do You Want It?

Henley released his fourth solo album, Inside Job, in 2000.

He dated Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks in the 1970s but married long-time girlfriend Sharon in 1995. They have three children and live in his native Texas.

JOE WALSH, 57

He joined the group in 1975 to replace original guitarist Bernie Leadon, bringing a harder edge to the Eagles' sound. He had flown high previously with bands James Gang and Barnstorm.

He kept up a solo career when he was with the Eagles, releasing But Seriously, Folks... (1978).

The soundtrack to the film Urban Cowboy generated Walsh's next solo smash, All Night Long, which hit the Top 20 in 1980.

His 1981 offering, There Goes The Neighborhood, featured his final Top 40 entry, A Life Of Illusion.

He has continued recording steadily up to today, and in the late 1980s toured with Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band.

In 1994, he composed a duet with singer Lita Ford for the RoboCop television series soundtrack. He released a greatest hits album in 2000.

Like Henley, he dated singer Stevie Nicks in the 1970s. She claimed recently that he broke her heart. He is now married but remains close friends with Nicks.

TIMOTHY B. SCHMIT, 56

Replacing bassist Randy Meisner in 1976, Schmit was not around to contribute to the bestselling album Hotel California. But the Los Angeles-based guitarist released four solo albums to moderate success.

His 1987 hit Boys Night Out, from the album of the same name, was probably the biggest of his solo career.

His last album was Feed The Fire (2001).

Last year, he appeared in a rock documentary on the life of musician Warren Zevon, who died of cancer last September.

Schmit has two children from his current marriage.