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Credit: YouTube Still<\/p>\n
Sun 7 June 2026 16:42, UK <\/p>\n
Dysfunction runs in the veins of almost every rock band. <\/p>\n
Be they big or small, a band which delights in the rebellion of rock \u2018n\u2019 roll will always suffer when it comes to consistent harmony. When the Eagles<\/a> first got together, they were meant to be a well-oiled machine. <\/p>\n Having spent most of their time cutting their teeth on the rock and roll club scene, half the reason why the band ended up making phenomenal music was because of their attention to detail on every single track. Even though the band had made excellent music throughout their career, Don Henley thought a handful of songs never got the proper treatment they deserved.<\/a><\/p>\n If things had been different, though, Henley could have easily continued working as a backing musician for Linda Ronstadt. After working in the group Shiloh, Henley had begun making inroads into the Los Angeles club scene<\/a>, where he saw Ronstadt working in clubs like The Troubadour.\u00a0<\/p>\n After getting a gig as her drummer, Henley quickly struck up a friendship with Glenn Frey, creating a symbiotic relationship whenever they played together. Although the idea was initially to get a massive group with Frey and Henley as co-captains, the duo had other plans beyond being session players. It would be a moment that would spark a run of songs and albums that would change rock music forever. <\/p>\n When discussing forming the Eagles, Frey recalled in History of the Eagles, \u201cThey were talking about putting together a supergroup to back up Linda. And Don said, \u2018I\u2019d rather just be in a band with you\u2019\u201d. <\/p>\n After getting Ronstadt\u2019s blessing and recommending country guitarist Bernie Leadon, the band quickly went into the studio once they drafted in Randy Meisner from the band Poco. It was an impressive moment that shaped the men and their careers forever. <\/p>\n Signing a deal with Asylum Records, the band eventually travelled to England to work with Glyn Johns, then known for working as an engineer for legends like The Who and Led Zeppelin. While the group were ready to put their nose to the grind in the studio, not every sonic experiment they made worked in their favour.<\/p>\n For a young American band<\/a>, making the trip across the Atlantic to work with Johns was a statement of intent. British producers carried a certain mystique in the early 1970s, having helped shape many of the records that dominated both sides of the ocean. Johns wasn\u2019t interested in studio trickery or endless overdubs either; his philosophy was rooted in capturing musicians sounding like themselves, which suited the Eagles\u2019 emphasis on harmony and interplay.<\/p>\n When Henley talked about first tracking the drums, he remembered Johns having a minimal microphone setup, saying, \u201cHe would just put three microphones on the drumkit. He was used to recording John Bonham. I asked if I could have the drum louder, and he said, \u2018If you want it louder, hit it harder\u2019. And I hit it as hard as I could, but I couldn\u2019t hit it like John Bonham\u201d. We can\u2019t hold that against him, though. Nobody could hit as hard as John Bonham. <\/p>\n Then again, the band weren\u2019t trying to make Zeppelin\u2019s version of blistering rock. They wanted to create music that would evoke the sounds of driving through the California desert, with \u2018Take It Easy\u2019 serving as the perfect gateway drug for potential fans<\/a>. While Frey and Henley took the lion\u2019s share of the vocals, Meisner would be the co-lead vocalist on various tunes on the album, including the song \u2018Earlybird\u2019.<\/p>\n Although the track featured the ideal blend of country-style banjo and slide guitar, Henley could have done without the birdsong at the end, telling Rolling Stone, \u201cThose sounds are actual birds chirping.\u201d It might have been a simple song addition, but for Henley, it felt a little silly. \u201cThey were taken from a sound effects library. I thought \u2013 and still think \u2013 it was corny, but it wasn\u2019t my song. Adding the chirping sounds was the decision of both the song\u2019s author and our producer\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/The-Eagles-1970s-06-Far-Out-Magazine-F-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>Credit: Far Out \/ Showtime \/ The Eagles<\/p>\n
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<\/a> The Far Out Classic Rock Newsletter<\/p>\n