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On the Border

 
Album Review: On the Border
 

  • Artist: Eagles
  • Rating: StarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: March 22, 1974
  • Total Time: 40:25
  • Genre: Rock

Review

The Eagles began recording their third album in England with producer Glyn Johns, as they had their first two albums, but abandoned the sessions after completing two acceptable tracks. Johns, it is said, tended to emphasize the group's country elements and its harmonies, while the band, in particular Glenn Frey and Don Henley, wanted to take more of a hard rock direction. They reconvened with a new producer, Bill Szymczyk, who had produced artists like B.B. King and, more significantly, Joe Walsh. But the resulting album is not an outright rock effort by any means. Certainly, Frey and Henley got what they wanted with "Already Gone," the lead-off track, which introduces new bandmember Don Felder as one part of the twin guitar solo that recalls the Allman Brothers Band; "James Dean," a rock & roll song on the order of "Your Mama Don't Dance," and "Good Day in Hell," which is strongly reminiscent of Joe Walsh songs like "Rocky Mountain Way." But the album also features the usual mixture of styles typical of an Eagles album. For example, "Midnight Flyer," sung by Randy Meisner, is modern bluegrass; "My Man" is Bernie Leadon's country-rock tribute to the recently deceased Gram Parsons; and "Ol' 55" is one of the group's well-done covers of a tune by a singer/songwriter labelmate, in this case Tom Waits. The title track, meanwhile, points the band in a new R&B direction that was later pursued more fully. Like most successful groups, the Eagles combined many different elements, and their third album, which looked back to their earlier work and anticipated their later work, was a transitional effort that combined even more styles than most of their records did. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Already Gone Jack Tempchin, Robb Strandlund Eagles (4:13)
You Never Cry Like a Lover Don Henley, J.D. Souther Eagles (4:02)
Midnight Flyer Paul Craft Eagles (3:58)
My Man Bernie Leadon Eagles (3:30)
On the Border Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon Eagles (4:28)
James Dean Jackson Browne, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, J.D. Souther Eagles (3:36)
Ol' 55 Tom Waits Eagles (4:22)
Is It True Randy Meisner Eagles (3:14)
Good Day in Hell Don Henley, Glenn Frey Eagles (4:27)
The Best of My Love Don Henley, Glenn Frey, J.D. Souther Eagles (4:35)

Credits

Eagles (Main Performer), Eagles (Performer), Don Henley (Drums), Don Henley (Vocals), Randy Meisner (Bass), Randy Meisner (Guitar), Randy Meisner (Guitar (Bass)), Randy Meisner (Vocals), David Sanborn (Sax (Alto)), Don Felder (Organ), Don Felder (Guitar), Don Felder (Vocals), Albhy Galuten (Synthesizer), Glenn Frey (Guitar), Glenn Frey (Keyboards), Glenn Frey (Vocals), Bernie Leadon (Banjo), Bernie Leadon (Guitar), Bernie Leadon (Guitar (Steel)), Bernie Leadon (Vocals), Jim Ed Norman (Piano), Al Perkins (Guitar (Steel)), Bill Szymczyk (Producer), Bill Szymczyk (Engineer)
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Wikipedia: On the Border
Top
On the Border
On the Border cover
Studio album by Eagles
Released March 22, 1974
Recorded Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles, CA and
Olympic Studios, London in 1973
Genre Rock
Length 40:29
Label Asylum
Producer Bill Szymczyk, Glyn Johns
Professional reviews
Eagles chronology
Desperado
(1973)
On the Border
(1974)
One of These Nights
(1975)

On the Border is the third studio album by the American rock band Eagles, released in 1974 (see 1974 in music). Don Felder joined the band during the recording of this album.The song "My Man" is a tribute to country musician Gram Parsons. Bernie Leadon wrote and the sang the song as Parsons and Leadon had been members of the pioneering country-rock band The Flying Burrito Brothers. This is the first album by the Eagles to be released in Quadraphonic surround sound. It was released on Quadraphonic 8-track tape and CD-4 LP.


Contents

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Already Gone" (Tempchin, Strandlund) – 4:13
    • Lead vocal by Glenn Frey, lead guitar (uncredited) by Don Felder, guitar solos by Glenn Frey and Don Felder
  2. "You Never Cry Like a Lover" (Souther, Henley) – 4:02
    • Lead vocal by Don Henley, lead guitar (uncredited ) by Bernie Leadon
  3. "Midnight Flyer" (Paul Craft) – 3:59
    • Lead vocal by Randy Meisner, slide guitar by Glenn Frey, banjo by Bernie Leadon
  4. "My Man" (Leadon) – 3:31
    • Lead vocal and pedal steel guitar by Bernie Leadon
  5. "On the Border" (Henley, Leadon, Frey) – 4:28
    • Lead vocals by Don Henley, T.N.T.S. by "Coach", claps by The Clapetts, lead guitar (uncredited) by Glenn Frey

Side two

  1. "James Dean" (Browne, Frey, Souther, Henley) – 3:37
    • Lead vocal by Glenn Frey, lead guitar by Bernie Leadon
  2. "Ol' 55" (Waits) – 4:22
  3. "Is It True?" (Meisner) – 3:14
    • Lead vocal by Randy Meisner, slide guitar by Glenn Frey
  4. "Good Day in Hell" (Henley, Frey) – 4:27
    • Lead vocals by Glenn Frey, lead and slide guitar by Don Felder
  5. "The Best of My Love" (Henley, Frey, Souther) – 4:36
    • Lead vocal by Don Henley, pedal steel guitar by Bernie Leadon

Personnel

Eagles

Singles

  • "Already Gone"/"Is It True" - Asylum 11036; released April 19, 1974
  • "James Dean"/"Good Day in Hell" - released August 14, 1974
  • "Best of My Love"/"Ol' 55" - Asylum 45218; released November 5, 1974

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1974 Pop Albums 17

This was the first Eagles album to chart in the UK reaching position 28.

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1974 "Already Gone" Pop Singles 32
1974 "James Dean" Pop Singles 77
1975 "Best Of My Love" Pop Singles 1
1975 "Best of My Love" Adult Contemporary 1

None of the above singles charted in the UK.


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "On the Border" Read more