lynnzop's Full Review: Long Road Out Of Eden (Deluxe Edition) [Digipak] *...
It's been a long time since The Eagles put out a new studio CD. In fact, it was 1979...days of feathered hair, 3 Mile Island, and the beginning of the Iran Hostage Crisis. While I'm a huge fan of the band, I love the old stuff. Give me Hotel California. A side dish of Tequila Sunrise. Maybe a bit of Lyin' Eyes for dessert, or perhaps some Wasted Time.
Since I love the "old" Eagles, Long Road Out of Eden (released 2007) was not high on my list of CDs to purchase - I liked How Long (a breezy rock-a-billy tune) when I'd heard it on soccer-mom radio, but I was in no big hurry to purchase the single or the CD.
Enter September 2008...for the fifth time, The Eagles announced that they would be coming to Omaha, and I knew that despite my best intentions and lame excuses ("I've seen them before", "It's a lot of money", "I have a very busy art show that day") that I'd be going the concert. ;-)
So shortly after picking up my tickets, I decided to pick up Eden as I'd heard that the tour set list would feature a number of the newer songs. I knew I wanted to be prepared, and not be bored when the new stuff came up (during a recent Elton John concert, I and the rest of the crowd found the "new songs" were a good time to go to the beer line or to the ladies' room....)
After listening to just the opening harmonies of No More Walks in the Wood, I knew this was going to be a good CD. Change that...a great CD. The voices of Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, and yes, even Joe Walsh, sound as good as they did 20, 30 years ago. The instrumentals were crisp and melodious...and the music and lyrics fit right in with all my "old" favorites.
On to the music.
Disc One is a bit more on the country rock side, the accoustic set of No More Walks starts things out with the tight harmonies that The Eagles are famous for, and the aforementioned How Long as the second cut. In How Long, Frey and Henley trade verses, with terrific harmonies on the chorus. This song will make you want to get up and dance, no matter where you are! The fourth track, What Do I Do With My Heart is about a wrenching breakup and reduces me to tears every time I hear it. Again, Frey and Henley take the lead, able to do both the lyrics and the tune complete justice.
Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit also get their opportunity to sing lead on this CD - Walsh's Guilty of the Crime follows What Do I Do With My Heart. (I'm thinking the producers probably put it there as comic relief so listeners didn't go driving off the closest bridge in angst...).
I've never been a big fan of Schmit, and frankly, the first time I heard I Don't Want To Hear Any More (track 6), I wondered who the girl was singing with the band. So yes, if you are fan of Tim's voice and style, you'll get it here. I like the second "Tim" song on Disc One - Do Something - better - the lyrics are excellent advice for today's economic climate, and in general, the victim mentality that seems to perpetuate today's society.
Frey's No More Cloudy Days is a light pop song that reminds me of Peaceful Easy Feeling. Henley's Waiting in the Weeds is along the same genre - both songs flow along, observing life and love with the lead singer taking the verses; the rest of the band joins in on choruses with harmonies that are so tight, you can barely pull a single voice from the mix. Weeds has a lovely piano solo at the end that's very Bruce Hornsby-ish.
The remainder of the songs on Disc One are exceptional as well - the only one I do not care for is Henley's Fast Company. It's a disco-y, fast dance tune that reminds me of All She Wants to do is Dance.
Disc Two rocks harder, beginning with the title track. Long Road Out of Eden is a social commentary on war and the excesses of the American people. The guitar solo is about as "hard" as The Eagles get, and it's apt to make you pick up your Air Guitar to play along. Ending with a militaristic drum cadence, this track quickly became one of my favorites.
I Dreamed There Was No War follows Eden, a short (1:38) instrumental that is a nice companion for the title track, which weighs in at a hefty 10:17.
Frey rocks and sneers about retribution in Somebody...I'm looking forward to seeing this song in concert. I love it when Glenn plays to the lyrics, and this song is well suited to his personality.
Last Good Time in Town is another Walsh tune - typical of Joe the Clown of the band, it sounds a bit like a remake of Life's Been Good.
I Love to Watch a Woman Dance is a nice waltz sung by Frey - easy and slow, you can grab your partner and sway to the melody as you hum along.
Henley's Center of the Universe is another easy ballad, with a one-time chorus that I love. This is not the center of the universe But that's alright with me. This is not the center of the universe But it's where I want to be.
Other tracks on Disc Two receive high honors - Business as Usual and It's Your World Now are excellent tracks that will have you singing along after just a few plays. Frail Grasp on the Big Picture (Track 4) is another social commentary song - a bit dance mix, but more likeable and singable than Fast Company.
If you have a choice, purchase the Deluxe Version of Long Road Out of Eden, which contains Hole in the World (commentary on post-9/11 life) and Please Come Home for Christmas (Henley's bluesy holiday love song). The Deluxe Version also comes with a nice, fabric covered book that holds the two CDs and contains all lyrics, credits and sepia-toned photos of the band and scenery from the filming of the How Long video.
Don Henley stated in an interview with CNN that "This is probably the last Eagles album that we'll ever make" and I hope he's wrong. While I can certainly understand being ready to take it easy or slow down, Long Road Out of Eden has me hungering for more from the band.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
![Long Road Out Of Eden (Deluxe Edition) [Digipak] * by The Eagles (Rock)](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/86/ea/d6/2045584262-177x150-0-0.jpg)
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.