A Good Day In Hell - The Official ILM Track-By-Track EAGLES Listening Thread

we're doing Hell Freezes Over new tracks too, right?"

we have to: I've been perversely looking forward to when we reach "Get Over It," which may be one of the worst songs in the English language

when i was listening to the desperado stuff i was reading a book of interviews with country people and for some reason the eagles sounded more curdled than ever when i read about brenda lee's family eating grease sandwiches to live and glen campbell's dad making sure his kids had enough squirrel to eat. not that i'm a purist or anything, but the music did come from a very different place and i had forgotten how many people in this country started playing music on a stage because they were hungry! like, really really hungry.

Life on the Fast Lane v Take the Money and Run

*clap clap clap clap clap clap*

I like this one too. Sweet buttrock groove, clever lyrics, funny in a "Chemical dustbins promoting excess abstinence" sort of way. Probably the first time I noticed phasing in a song. And it's finally registering with silly me that the "faster faster" line has more to do with the line before than the one after. Eagle grossness stronger through the years.

Crowebar:

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE
GLENN: This began with a Joe Walsh riff — he had that signature guitar part. I had the title. The true story is: I was riding in a car with a drug dealer — a guy we used to call “The Count,” because his count was never very good [laughs]. We were driving out to an Eagles poker game. I was in the passenger seat. He moved over to the left lane and started driving 75-80 miles per hour. I said, “Hey, man, slow down.” He goes, “Hey, man, it’s life in the fast lane.” And I thought, “Oh, my God, what a title.” I didn’t write it down. I didn’t have to.

Joe started playing a riff at rehearsal one day, and I said, “That’s ‘Life In The Fast Lane.’” So we started writing a song about the couple that had everything and did everything — and lost the meaning of everything. Lifestyles of the rich and miserable. I think the best line is “We’ve been up and down this highway, haven’t seen an God-damn thing.” That pretty much summarized the journey these people were on — rich as hell, gettin’ high, got everything they want, and yet they’re living in a spiritual ghetto. That’s good news to the common man! Rich folks who are absolutely miserable — and most of them are. I really like this record. Plus it made a statement: Joe Walsh was officially in the band.

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090810140929/muppet/images/thumb/4/46/Fp_diecast_count.jpg/273px-Fp_diecast_count.jpg

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE!

We were driving out to an Eagles poker game.

Does this imply that if Glenn Frey shows up at your table, it's all of a sudden an Eagles poker game?

"He moved over to the left lane and started driving 75-80 miles per hour."

? so like 10-15 mph over the limit? that is some hard livin' by the "Count"

Yeah, Joe Walsh's Maserati did 185.

Does this imply that if Glenn Frey shows up at your table, it's all of a sudden an Eagles poker game?

I can just see him strolling in, "Awright chumps, y'all better fold! The Frey-o-lator's in the house! Somebody's gonna lose somethin' before the night is through! Ha ha ha! OK, deal me in!"

"Somebody better check the thermostat, 'cause The Heat Is Now ON!"

Henley: "I've got four queens, and all they want to do is dance!"

That pretty much summarized the journey these people were on — rich as hell, gettin’ high, got everything they want, and yet they’re living in a spiritual ghetto. That’s good news to the common man! Rich folks who are absolutely miserable — and most of them are.

otm! Nothing I like more than hearing rich folks whine about how bad they have it! Must have been hard living in a spiritual ghetto! If only they could've commiserated with this guy:

http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/24/news/companies/aig-ceo-bonuses/index.html

Rich folks: living in a river of darkness beneath a neon light

DON: It was social commentary.

GLENN: Rich or poor, some of these chicks were hot as fuck.

DON: Well, yeah.

tbf, during the time that Hotel California came out, the fast lane had a maximum speed limit of 55 mph and the thermostat was to be set on 78º in the summer months.

I mean, forget APRs of 20 percent, 78 degrees is ridiculous.

Damn Jimmy Carter and his energy conservation commands.

Only with the Eagles could you have white people performing in whiteface.

Beautifully OTM.

yeah i love this one....

i do love the "haven't seen a goddamn thing" line

riff is super classic and it's joe so i don't even have to feel bad about liking it

still really on my they should have put "one of these nights" on this album and tried to expunge any remaining country rock from the mix and just make this the urban freeway cocaine eagles album all the way

you all do realize the joe walsh riff in "fast lane" is a metaphor, right?

I have bought beer at this metaphor.

http://www.fastlane-cstore.com/Images/fastlane.jpg

Was 'life in the fast line' a cliche before Frey lifted it?

I don't know.

I know that this once existed: http://youtu.be/0iPCrZk-pPM

during the time in my life i hated the eagles the most this was the eagles song i hated most. today i'm fine w/ it though god the lyrics and henley's vocals still disgust me. i can remember this schmuck in high school who at any outside of school function would whip out an acoustic guitar and either play a tortured version of this or the unplugged version of layla. he knew i despised the eagles (and may have suspected i despised him) and repeatedly would try to sell me on their edginess or whatever on the basis of 'faster faster'. maybe it's just popping up in the same playlists but this has always reminded me of that second wave second tier carter era southern rock, more so than any of their other hits at least.

glad to see others noting an eagles poker game, can picture frey sitting down at a table already in the middle of a game, taking the cards out of everyones hands, redealing and including himself, and saying 'alright fellas, eagles poker *looks at hand* red 3s, black 7s, and the jack of diamonds are wild'.

That’s good news to the common man!

Eagles poker: full house only counts if Frey or Henley have it. Everyone else is SOL

The Joker cards have Joe Walsh's picture on them.

Randy is not allowed to sit at the table

Only with the Eagles could you have white people performing in whiteface.

Beautifully OTM.

― bizarro gazzara, Wednesday, October 2, 2013 12:46 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

love this

this has always reminded me of that second wave second tier carter era southern rock

this has got me imagining a Skynyrd version of this track -- less arch and louche, but much more ominous

(Skynyrd first wave first tier obviously)

Yeah I don't like this, though it's catchy as hell with great propulsion. I even woke up with it in my head. I think it's the smugness. Even in a song about the hell of being rich and having everything you want, they don't commit - I get the feeling the message is: look at those rich and famous schmucks; we're having a blast.

More generally I have a problem with pure pentatonic stuff, it always lacks colour for me. They fill it in in the coda, but the song has gone by by then.

"Wasted Time"

http://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/images/eaglesHCOdd.jpg

http://youtu.be/uy32Rbovk1U

this song sounds current. kinda. like i could hear it on the radio by someone now. i don't know who, but someone.

the kind of songs singers like. a showcase. doesn't do much for me personally.

Attn: s1ocki

http://i.snag.gy/Arrsj.jpg

GLENN: It’s a Philly-soul torch song. I loved all the records coming out of Philadelphia at that time. I sent for some sheet music so I could learn some of those songs, and I started creating my own musical ideas with that Philly influence. Don was our Teddy Pendergrass. He could stand out there all alone and just wail. We did a big Philly-type production with strings — definitely not country rock. You’re not going to find that track on a Crosby, Stills & Nash record or Beach Boys record. Don’s singing abilities stretched so many of our boundaries. He could sing the phone book. It didn’t matter. We had Golden Throat [laughs appreciatively]. Jim Ed Norman, Don’s old college buddy and former bandmate — and now President of Warner/Reprise Records/Nashville — wrote all of our string charts. He was right there with us in terms of wanting to do something like Thom Bell. It was definitely us loving Thom Bell.

Oh, shit, I was composing my magnum opus on "Life in the Fast Line" and xposted all the posts about today's selection. God forbid any of my genius go to waste so:

I love the opening riff on this, and I love that when I read "Life in the Fast Lane" I hear it loud and clear in my head. I think people are right on about the lyrics being smarmy, but I have always liked the line "He was too tired to make it/she was too tired to fight about it" less for the content (which, come on) but more for the delivery and they rhythm. Same with "They didn't care they were just dying to get off and it was (chorus)." I also like what happens to the guitars at 2:30.

But overall, there's something inherently cheesy about the song, mostly the really goofy bounciness to the whole song, and a lyrical cheesiness epitomized by the delivery on the line "Doctor says he's coming but you gotta pay him cash." Basically, if this song comes on the radio I will leave it on and enjoy the parts I like very much, but I would never seek it out on purpose.

"Wasted Time" is surprisingly lovely, but goddammit if the condescension of the lyrics fucks it all up. And really, they're not that condescending, but if I didn't already know they were condescending misogynistic dickshits I wouldn't mind/notice the condescension in this song as much.

Just in that verse alone:

Well baby, there you stand / With your little head, down in your hand

She's gotta be a baby. She's gotta have a little head.

And girl-hatin' aside, any editor would've ripped that up. She's holding a little head in her hand? He says "down", implying that she's not just palming her forehead like she's had a V-8 either.

Your baby's gone, and you're all alone / and it looks like the end.

So the baby's upset because her baby's gone. Babies get upset and cry easily, I'll give Donald that.

You're afraid it's all been wasted time

I know individual threads usually don't have descriptions out beside them, but in this case....

i think i always thought this was solo henley

You can tell Meisner wasn't long for the band. Check out his thousand-yard stare in that photo.

Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.
Don was our Teddy Pendergrass.

There's just this bridge the Eagles couldn't cross. Teddy Pendergrass says to turn off the lights and light a candle, and before you know it, we're all in between the silk sheets with him. Had Henley tried to turn off the lights, we would've collectively gotten out our mace sprayers.

Spray him right in his little head.

(uh, not a euphemism.)

Trying hiding your lyin' eyes from THIS! PSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHT

Enjoy life in the MACE LANE!

Well baby, there you stand / With your little head, down in your hand
Your baby's gone, and you're all alone / and it looks like the end.
You're afraid it's all been wasted time

What if - and I apologize for the nightmares this will surely inspire - the first "baby" is a dude, and the second baby - "Your baby" - is a girl? Maybe he's saying that the dude is mournfully masturbating while thinking of his lost love...

"tears" on your shoulder....

No that's wrong, later on in the verse he said "but you just can't hold your man" and it's very clear he's only addressing one person in the verse

Now quick run along someone just called Mikey racist