R.I.P Glenn Frey of the Eagles

[shadowkat]

My Granny used to say they come in threes..and so they do. David Bowie, Alan Rickman, and now Glenn Frey of the Eagles.

Who was Glenn Frey - he was one of the headliner's of country folk rock band The Eagles - along with Don Henley. The Eagles were supposed to receive a Kennedy Center this year, but the Eagles opted to wait until next year - when Glenn Frey could join them, since he was deathly ill. He died of pneumonia and colitis. (Colitis also killed my good friend Maribeth Martell (aka embers_log a few years ago. I still miss her. She haunts the internet. A truly beautiful soul.)

When Frey's death was announced, the Guardian posted this article You Mourned David Bowie But You Mocked Glenn Frey - Why?.

What is it about social media that brings out the mob mentality in people? What is it about social media that can make someone credibly claim to be distressed at being mocked for their (very public) grief, and then only a few days later turn around and mock others for feeling precisely the same about someone different? Your taste is your own, but that does not give you a licence to claim it is superior to someone else’s. Nor does it give you a licence to mock a sense of bereavement. Perhaps such “music fans” should remember the John Peel axiom of popular music: there is no such thing as good or bad music, only good and bad listeners.

Why, indeed? Seems sort of cruel to me. But then, I'm an odd cat, I loved both musicians and have both on my ipod, along with the Beach Boys, Nine Inch Nails, Tom McCrae, Lady Gaga, Sand Sheff, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, Linda Ronstadt, The Kings of Leon, The Beatles, The Who, Led Zepplin, Luis Manueal, various musicals, Adele, Norah Jones, Ghost in the Robot, Sting, Rolling Stones, Lush, Bjork, Garbage, One Direction, Cold Play, Nirvana, Beethoven, Mozart, Gershwin, the list goes on and on. What? You all know I have wildly eclectic taste in everything. I'm the opposite of a culture vulture, I'm a culture junkie!

A little bit more back story? One of my buds in college adored the Eagles and introduced me to them along with Jimmy Buffet, who wrote a homage to Glenn Frey - A True Friend and an Inspiration

In case you've never heard of Glenn Frey and the Eagles, although I'm not sure how - considering the songs pop up in various television serials and have made an imprint on our culture.

Watch on YouTube

Glenn Frey is memorable for his theme music to the 1980s television series "Miami Vice". Particularly this hit, which every college kid in my dorm had on tape back in the 1980s:

Watch on YouTube

And let's not forget my personal favorites:

Hotel California - which the Eagles put up in Tribute to Glenn Frey.

Watch on YouTube

And..the iconic, Desperado

Watch on YouTube

I mourn Glenn Frey, who gave me pleasure on many a late night studying jam in college. And still does. I hope this post may bring him some more fans...

Comments

[cjlasky.livejournal.com]

I never understood the intense dislike critics had for the Eagles. Where did it come from? Because they were hugely successful? Because their first five albums leaned more towards country and pop than rock?

Critics love recent "alt-country" bands like Wilco, the Old 97s and the Bottle Rockets--but the Eagles did it all first. Randy Meisner's "Try and Love Again" (from Hotel California) could be mixed into a Wilco album, and nobody would know the difference.

Loved the clips. Wish I could have caught that last tour, the history of the Eagles, when they brought back Bernie Leadon...

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I think a lot rock critics are "purists" - in that the sound has to be pure or it can't be a blend. Although, you'd think David Bowie would annoy them?

Also The Eagles is to a degree classified by some as "easy listening" -- or "sentimental" without a hard driving sound. And I think a lot of critics -- see that as "uncool". Easy Listening is often considered elevator music or musac, because it's played to death in elevators, stores, etc. It's unfair to the music. People deride the beach boys sounds because they've been coopted into one too many commercials over the years -- their father and rightsholder sold the rights to all their songs. Same thing sort of happened to the Beatles. Which is why so many commercials can utilize the sound.

I've never seen the Eagles on tour, unfortunately. But I have listened to them a lot over the years. And various artists from Bruce Springsteen (Take it Easy) to Miranda Lambert and Linda Ronstadt have played their songs.

Agreed - the dislike of country pop is odd here, considering The Eagles sound is similar to more recently popular The Civil Wars and The Kings of Leon, who fall into that category.

[cjlasky.livejournal.com]

The weird part about classifying the Eagles as "easy listening" is that there's so much bitterness and regret and despair in their songs. Listen to Frey on "Lyin' Eyes' and "New Kid in Town"--the protagonists know they're screwed, but they're helpless to change things. And Henley....man. Listen to him on "Victim of Love"--that song is just plain nasty and vindictive.

I suppose in that way, the Eagles carried on the country music tradition of getting squashed by a) your job, b) your woman or c) your life in general....

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I agree. I think it's possibly the crime of being over-played? Or worse watered down...which musac tends to do.

Shame, because if you listen to the songs...there's a lot more to them than meets the eye. I actually appreciate country music - because often it's just interested in telling you a story.