Defending the indefensible: Don Henley

Yeah, that album is pretty good -- I got a used copy a couple of years ago. "You Can't Make Love" is a nice one; it reminds me of Zevon's work from this period.

Ha -- and I said so in one of the last revivals.

And this is finally on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6HOqur1IHA

pick up a used copy of BtPB and i have to say "A month of Sundays" - holy crap what a song

Which wasn't even on the (actual, original, vinyl) album, fwiw. (Was just the B-side of the "Boys Of Summer" 45. Guessing it wound up showing up on a CD reissue, though?)

re: " A month of Sundays"- friend o' mine told me it was on the original cassette and cd, but not vinyl. (I don't see a reissue listed anywhere for anybody BtPB, which seems odd) This song seems like it would've made a **killer** Springsteen tune. "you can't make love" is indeed great, too, but the former has the power to paralyze me - (akin to the "desperado" episode of Seinfeld)

A Month of Sundays...wasn't even on the (actual, original, vinyl) album, fwiw. (Was just the B-side of the "Boys Of Summer" 45. Guessing it wound up showing up on a CD reissue, though?)

It was on the cassette.

"All She Wants To Do Is Dance" is a weird song. The music is all Weekend at Bernies sounding especially with the title and chorus, but then he goes all Iran-Contra in the verses. At least with say Bruce Cockburn, you are going to get an Iran-Contra sounding song to go with an Iran-Contra lyric you know.

"Boys of Summer/A Month of Sundays" charted on the P&J poll as a double-sided single, fyi.

Don Henley of the Eagles accuses Frank Ocean of ‘stealing’ his song.
4 DAYS AGO JUNE 02, 2014 2:14PM

ROCK legend Don Henley has slapped down hipster singer Frank Ocean for 'stealing’ the Eagles' Hotel California and has told him to get his own ideas.

Ocean sampled of the entire 1977 classic - minus the lyrics - for his song American Wedding. However Ocean sings his own brand new lyrics over the million-selling rock anthem.
Henley refused to allow Ocean to release the track, which has since leaked online.

I heard it," Henley said of American Wedding. "I was not impressed. He needs to come up with his own ideas and stop stealing stuff from already established works."

Ocean wrote on his Tumblr that Henley was "apparently intimidated by my rendition of Hotel California" and "threatened to sue if I perform it again."

Henley admitted his lawyers were involved.

"Mr. Ocean doesn't seem to understand US copyright law. Anyone who knows anything should know you cannot take a master track of a recording and write another song over the top of it. You just can't do that. You can call it a tribute or whatever you want to call it, but it's against the law. That's a problem with some of the younger generation, they don't understand the concept of intellectual property and copyright."

"(Mr. Ocean) was quite arrogant about it," Henley said. "We tried to approach him calmly to talk reason to him via his managers and his attorneys and he wouldn't listen. So finally we threatened to bring legal action against him. He was clearly in the wrong. I wouldn't dream of doing something like that. What kind of ego is that? I don't understand it.”

Henley also nixed a remake of his solo hit "The End of the Innocence" by US band Okkervil River, who had planned to release it online for free.

Okkervil River singer Will Sheff told The Music they "sincerely" loved the song and said Henley was an "old-fashioned guy who doesn't understand...it's not like I was making money, I figure that's all he f---ing cares about.

"It's not like I was making money off it, but he still made me take it down."

Henley said he was more concerned by the fact they altered his original lyrics.

"They don't understand the law either," Henley said. "You can't re-write the lyrics to somebody else's songs and record it and put it on the internet. I'm sorry, but it wasn't an improvement. We were not impressed. So we simply had our legal team tell them to take it down and they got all huffy about it.

"It's a different mindset. I don't know how they'd react if I took one of their songs and re-wrote the lyrics and recorded it, I don't know if they'd like that. Maybe they wouldn't care but I care. We work really really hard on our material. We spend months writing it and years recording it. You don't go into a museum and paint a moustache on somebody else's painting. Nobody would think of doing that.”

Henley said he did not see either remake as a tribute "If I were going to do something like that (as a tribute ) I'd get permission first. If you respect somebody you ask their permission to diddle around with their work. You don't just go and do it."

Henley has no problem with Eagles songs being covered by other artists, the most recent high profile cover was Michael Buble’s remake of Heartache Tonight.

"You can record anyone's song you like," Henley said. "It's called a compulsory license. That's not what Mr. Ocean nor Okkervil River did. They took the song and they changed it. they put their own stuff on it. Michael Buble did a totally legal cover, that's standard procedure.”

Frank Ocean has been contacted for comment via his Australian record company, Universal.

The Eagles tour Australia in February/March next year.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/don-henley-of-the-eagles-accuses-frank-ocean-of-stealing-his-song/story-e6frfn09-1226941446957

Oh (Well?) yeah, we've been having fun with that over at A Good Day In Hell - The Official ILM Track-By-Track EAGLES Listening Thread

Thanks

don henley is NOT impressed

Well, no

Henley's mind might be blown when he becomes familiar with the concept of interpolations

is the song literally just frank ocean singing a new melody over the hotel california backing track?

yes. it's embarassingly bad.

btw don henley looking a lot like mike love these days

http://www.contactmusic.com/pics/ln/20130425/250413_sundance_screening_eagles_3/don-henley-eagles-sundance-london-history-of-the_3628313.jpg

Can we be shown weirdoes + Don Henley?

http://gheorghe77.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/henleysting.jpg

No one will defend Frank Ocean's song, but everyone of us will defend the right of Frank Ocean to treat Don Henley like shit at the bottom of a shoe.

p much

don henley acts like the world treats him like shit whether or not it does, so we may as well treat him like shit

it's not like he can get any more ornery

What amuses me is it's HENLEY complaining and not Felder, who wrote the indelible hook and and who can chill in his garden w/out working for the rest of his life. It's possible Felder complained privately but we know there's no uh love lost b/w the Felder and Henley-Frey camps.

don henley acts like the world treats him like shit whether or not it does, so we may as well treat him like shit

― display name changed. (amateurist)

He will not stop. He thinks the world will fuck him over if he doesn't fuck over the smallest fish.

thing is that guys half don's age already bitch ahistorically about kids today, so...

though don's been doing that for half his life as well

He will not stop. He thinks the world will fuck him over if he doesn't fuck over the smallest fish.

It's true: after this photo was taken, Henley stole that poor bear's fish, fucked it*, and then proceeded to shit in the Walden Woods--once the province of the bear, but now the land of Henley.

*the fish, not the bear (GLENN: That came later.)

it was kinda exciting when Don himself showed up under the name "keefy" in 2006 (see above)

“We appreciate and respect what Mr. Henley has meant to music and we now see that our use of his name and an Eagles’ song title in our advertisement was inappropriate,” it reads in part. “For that we are deeply regretful and we apologize, not just to Mr. Henley, but to anyone else who took offense. We have learned a valuable lesson and thank Mr. Henley for helping us appreciate the importance that he and other artists place in their publicity rights.”

http://www.avclub.com/article/henley-manufacturers-apologize-don-henley-218208

“There aren’t any trucks or beer on this album. This is an album for grown-ups, for people that have done some living.”

The Boys of Summer is SO GOOD, and unexpectedly moving.

i cannot stand the rest of his stuff.

he gave us "Well, yeah." so, classic

During the holidays my phone started randomly playing I Can’t Stand Still every time I got into my car, despite the fact that I have no Henley on my Spotify playlists or on iTunes.

Abandon your car immediately

turns out the don henley we were looking for was inside us all along

eww

Been thinking about how most of my fave Henley jamz are duets. "No Mistakes," "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough." In certain moods I even welcome "Leather and Lace."

i can't quite put a dud on henley bc of boys of summer (incredible song, yeah he didn't write it but he sells it) and one of these nights (each eagle has one joint that rules - that's don's.) (see also in the city/joe, take it to the limit/randy, i can't tell you why/tim, journey of the sorcerer/whatshisname, umm can't remember my glenn one, sorry felder nothing for you)

didn't glenn write 'new kid in town'? that's the only Eagles song i love

uh yes Henley co-wrote "Boys of Summer" -- those are his lyrics.

Oh shit really? I thought it was completely written when they brought it to him

sorry felder nothing for you

Felder made up for it later w/"Heavy Metal (Takin' A Ride)"

C'mon, Let's All Groove...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02nAH_oAjeg

IDK I guess my imaginary version of felders ‘reggae’ home demo of hotel California is kind of my felder pick

New kid in town good pick for Roach.

Offer up your best defense!

I was much too, er, innocent back when I'd regularly listen to this song: the grossness that Henley's bio lends it didn't occur to me until I read your piece.

lol/wtf at the negative comments there from the don henley defence force

In the dozens of posts since last year the only two that have provoked so many comments have been Eagle-related.