(Credits: Far Out / Derek Russell)
Thu 25 September 2025 20:30, UK
There’s no way to accurately describe the perfection of hearing the Eagles singing live.
As much as they liked the idea of crafting the perfect studio creation when making albums like Hotel California, there’s a thrill that comes with hearing all of them lock in on their harmonies that can’t be replicated by any other rock and roll band. And while Don Henley does like to have a message behind most of his tunes, he knew that there were a few tracks that could accurately capture everything that made the group great.
Because when looking back at all of the California rockers’ discography, it’s not like Henley couldn’t find a few musical kinks along the way as well. He knew that they had a lot of work to do after the band’s self-titled debut, and even if they got crucified for albums like Desperado, the frontman knew that even their celebrated albums had tunes that weren’t spotless.
Even when they were cutting their teeth, it wasn’t like producer Glyn Johns was exactly knocked out by every single thing that they were playing. He knew that they were a decent rock and roll band that didn’t have what it took to make it as a real rock and roll outfit, but the minute that they locked in on those smooth countrified harmonies, that was the sound that he knew needed to be captured onstage.
But throughout their discography, there isn’t one specific song that says it all for their vocal harmonies. Those arrangements came about as naturally to them as Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s vocals were, and even if they did get a Grammy nod for the arrangement of ‘New Kid in Town’, it’s not like they were in the business to win trophies.
They were following in a long line of musical giants that came before them, and that meant doing the kind of tunes that would make their inspirations proud.
So it’s strange to think that one of their greatest moments as a band came with a song they didn’t even write. Whereas a tune like ‘Take It Easy’ has the makings of the Eagles magic, and ‘Desperado’ has the perfect bed of musical voices, ‘Seven Bridges Road’ from Eagles Live took the makings of what made their voices work and stripped away everything else they needed and let them capture all the magic acappella.
And while Henley has created a wealth of great music with the band over the years, ‘Seven Bridges Road’ will always be the litmus test for him when starting any Eagles show, saying, “We picked that as our starter because it does showcase everything and everybody: ‘We’re still doing OK.’” At the same time, any Eagles fan can’t help but listen to the tune and reminisce on the moment when they played the tune in their prime.
It might sound a little bit different with Glenn Frey’s son, Deacon, and Vince Gill joining the group vocals, but when everything locks in, you remember why a documentary like History of the Eagles chases to open up the entire story of their evolution by listening to them warming up with the song in their dressing room minutes before they went out onstage.
Because as much as people have their own personal connections to certain pieces of the band’s catalogue, everyone is waiting for the second that all those voices overlap with each other. It might not be the most complicated song in the world to sing, but there’s a certain purity in all of their voices that gets looked over far too often these days.
Related Topics