It’s impossible to have grown up in the ’70’s without hearing The Eagles as a staple of AM radio, let alone not have been seduced by the catchy tunes and the incredible melodies. For a band that was sneeringly dismissed by Stephen Stills as CSN&Y pretenders (“they just wanted to be us”), the pedigrees of the individual members cannot be overlooked – each came with an impressive resume. From Bernie Leadon’s days with The Flying Burrito Brothers to Randy Meisner’s stint in Poco and later, Joe Walsh, who’d led the most successful incarnation of The James Gang, this band had the musical and vocal chops and delivered with consistency. This 3-plus hours of the band’s history is told with no narrations, in their own words – simply put, with no bullshit. A lot of bitterness, a great deal of humor – strangely warm and charming, this documentary is a fascinating, in-depth look at a band who is legendary and yet under-appreciated when they were unquestionably one of the biggest groups to dominate a decade. From their beginnings as Linda Ronstadt’s backing musicians (initially, drummer Don Henley and guitarist Glenn Frey) to forming as a quartet (with Leadon and Meisner); to their growth as a band and their rise, leading up to their implosion in 1980 and then to their improbable reunion in 1994, it’s simply riveting and entertaining. Put aside any prejudices and let the music do the talking – you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
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