"The Eagles... Part III"

Back in the early 70's, I began to hear of a fellow by the name of Joe Walsh... and a group called The James Gang...

Joe Walsh

He played loud and over the top... and had the worst best guitar face I've ever seen...

One of my-all time favorite Joe Walsh songs is this one...

'Funk #49'

The Eagles were preparing to go into the studio to work on a new release... Bernie Leadon was wanting out... he was becoming disillusioned with the direction of the band... he preferred the "more country" feel of the band... Leadon's replacement was named... and it was Joe Walsh... there were some fears from inside the band that Walsh may have been "too wild" for them...

... but I think it was the best move the band ever made.  Walsh became a tighter, even better performer, and The Eagles kicked their sound up a few steps!!

The first Eagles' album to feature Joe Walsh was 'Hotel California'... and to me, the song that best exemplifies Walsh's guitar licks is this song...

'Life In The Fast Lane'

This song just drips and oozes Walsh...

Unbelievable!!!

The signature song for The Eagles has to be 'Hotel California'... the musical score was written by Don Felder... the lyrics by Felder, Frey, and Henley...

'Hotel California'

My favorite part of the video begins at the 4:00 minute mark when Felder starts his solo... and then segues to Walsh at the 4:30 mark... WOWOW!!!!!

'Felder and Walsh'

For me, this was the ultimate guitar line-up for this band.  Everything was ramped up to another level...

Another great song from 'Hotel California'... written in part by J.D. Souther...

"New Kid In Town"

AUGH!!!!

What a performance!!!!!

In fact, they had now become such perfectionists that it would take over four years to record their next album... 

~shoes~

"The Eagles... Part II"

In 1974, the band would go into the studio to record their next release...  looking for a bit more of an edge to their sound, they utilized the services of a studio musician by the name of Don Felder...

Don Felder

... and it was during the making of this album that Felder was asked to become a member of the band.

To me, this marked a definite change in the sound of their music and would begin to steer them towards the high point of their existence...

... one of the songs from this time would be 'Already Gone'...  a great break up song...



The guitar work on this album has more of an  edge than what had existed on the previous two efforts... and a great deal of this is due to  Felder's influence...

For me, this next song shows Felder at his best... at least for at this stage of the Eagles' career...

"A  Good Day In Hell"

His slide guitar work on this song is phenomenal...

I think...

Another great song from this effort is...

"James Dean"

Now, they hadn't totally forsaken the formula that got them notoriety...

also included on this album was...

"Best Of My Love"

This song is greatly reminiscent of what they had 

done on their previous two albums...

Henley, Felder, Frey, Leadon, Meisner

There were changes to be made to this line up that would redefine who 

The Eagles were, and what their future would be...

~shoes~

"The Eagles... Part I"

Leadon, Meisner, Henley, Frey

 I like music... a lot... there are many many many bands and musicians that make up the sound track of my Life...   one of these groups is The Eagles...  they formed this band in 1971... after performing with Linda Ronstadt at a number of dates.

Don Henley and Glenn Frey had asked Bernie Leadon (of The Flying Burrito Brothers) and Randy Meisner (of Poco) to form a band... which later became The Eagles...

I think The Eagles can be defined by three different eras... or time frames.  This composite of The Eagles wrote and recorded songs, that by today's standards, would fit into the realm or genre of country music.

One such song would be 

"Take It Easy"

My favorite part of this song is Randy Meisner's background vocals... he always sang the high range...  a remarkable voice, I think... and really added to the tonal quality of their songs....

Another great song from this time frame is

"Witchy Woman"

These songs all have a 'country feel' to them, I think...

Both of these songs came off of their first album, "Eagles"...  their second album from this time frame was "Desperado"... and is one of my favorite recordings of theirs... this album wasn't the commercial success compared to the previous, but I think that it is marvelous.

This song was from "Desperado"...

"Tequila Sunrise"

They also included a couple of what I would call "story" songs on this album... this is one of them... and they always seem to play this song at any of their concerts...

"Desperado"

By the time their next album would come along, there would be an addition to the band that would start to change the direction of their music...

~shoes~

"I Don't Need No... Redux..."

Steenkin' New Year's Resolutions...

Happy New Year to all of you...

I can't believe that 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 2013 is gone.

Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'...

Into the future...

What is it about the past that we each remember so?

Are the memories of good and wonderful things?

... or do we remain haunted by what went amiss?

... things that just didn't turn out the way we wanted?

Is there some form of 'Pre-destination' 

that we follow through Life???

Or, are our Lives and our ultimate ends/destinations 

more determined by Karma??

Are the events that we experience directly related

to how we have lived our lives and treated others?

Is there really a difference between the two?

I wonder why I selected 'Calvin and Hobbes'cartoons for a post that asks rather serious questions?

What makes a good cartoon be a 'good cartoon?'

I always have enjoyed the messages from comic strips like 'Calvin and Hobbes,' or 'The Far Side'...  Some of the creators of such strips have such a wonderful insight into the  psyches of our souls, it seems. They seem to capture those fleeting moments and thoughts that we have all experienced...

A counselor that I was seeing after the death of my Dad and during my divorce suggested that I hide a great deal of hurt and pain behind humor... I do suppose that there is a great deal of truth to such a statement.

I fear that my direction has been determined

by the method indicated in the cartoon above...

... that I have just let things happen and I've drifted along with the flow.

Like clouds in the sky...

Like a limb in the river...

Like a fart in a whirl wind...

In 2013, I would like to be more direct in what I desire for the rest of my Life.

I will be more pro-active.

I will take some of my own  advice that I talked about at commencement...

__________

2013 brought one great change in my life... 

that was the death of my sister, Jane...

I have been amazed at how Death seems to redefine families.

It certainly has changed mine...

So, my siblings are now dying... 

I guess it's our turn now...

All the more reason to look for more out of 

each year we are alive, and to make sure

that we leave no stones unturned...

No missed opportunities...

So...

What are your goals, desires, aims for

the upcoming

2014?

I love these guys...

Happy New Year!!!

~shoes~

"Silent Night...:

Repost from Last Christmas...

We, Three Kings Of Orient Are...

I think my favorite Christmas Story is that of the Christmas Star and the Three Wise Men...  at least that's what we called them back then... today we know them as the Magi...

According to the Gospel of Matthew, The Three Wise Men found the Baby Jesus by following A Star...  whch later became known as the Star of Bethlehem...

History makes allowances for many names for the Magi, but Western Christianity recognizes them as being Balthazar, from Arabia, Melchior, from Persia, and Gaspar, from India.

Each of the Magi brought a gift for the Baby Jesus... Gold, frankincense, and myrrh...
Myrrh was the most ominous of the gifts... Myrrh was an embalming lotion and was symbolic of Death.

Luke 2:10-14

¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
¹² And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

By no stretch of the imagination do I profess to be a very religious person, but this Bible passage, for some reason, gives me great hope...

Merry Christmas to All...

And to All a Good Night!!!

~shoes~

"Dear Santa..."

I've Been Remiss...

I always wrote  

you letters when I was a kid...

... asking for toys and such...

but I don't think I ever took time to thank you

for the great presents you always left under our trees...

My Childhood Perception of Santa...

You need to know something...

I STILL have the Mr. Magoo car you 

brought me so many years ago...

Mr. Magoo and his car...

I have no idea how many Christmases ago...

I honestly don't recall asking you for this, 

but you KNEW I loved Mr. Magoo...

Maybe you WERE always watching!!!

... and you also knew that I LOVED

Yogi Bear!!!!!

Yogi Bear from many Christmases Ago...

You remembered that my brother, Tom, 

loved Huckleberry Hound Dog... 

and you brought one for him...

He still has it as well... 

Huckleberry Hound Dog

From WAY back,

I remember that you brought

a train for me... that looked 

JUST like this one below!

Toy Train

This isn't the one you brought to me, 

but I do still have pieces of it.

Robelyn @  Red.Neck Chic found this train for me...

Each Christmas, these take a special
place underneath my Christmas Tree...

I guess I am hoping that they still have some
of that Magical Christmas left in them...

A couple of years ago, my brother

asked me to make something for him

for his front yard...

He wanted a Snoopy on top of his dog house

for a Christmas decoration...

... so I made one for him... 

I used a sheet of 4x8 plywood... drew the image...

then cut it out and painted it.

This thing is about 7' tall...

I long for the Christmases that you made 

SO special, Mom and Dad, Santa...

You always knew what we liked...

You always did everything to make Christmas

so special for all of us...

I will remember those days 

for the rest of my Life...

I miss you Mom and Dad...

especially at this time of Year...

~Jim~

Merry Christmas...

~shoes~