The Eagles first live television performance on ‘Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert’ in 1979. From left to right, members are Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Don Felder(1)
Don Felder, a co-member of the Eagles, with Joe Walsh, he discusses his time as a rockstar in the 1970s and gives an inside insight into Joe Walsh’s transition into the Eagles(2). After talking about the beginning of the Eagles, Felder, the lead guitarist, dives into how Walsh provided a unique spark to their group. Going along with our thesis of a hard partying lifestyle, he discusses Walsh as creating a schizophrenic environment on stage, as well as away from music. The group’s leaders, Glenn Frey and Don Henley were able to control him on stage, but his off stage often prevailed.
While Bernie Leadon, a co-founder of the Eagles was against the partnership with Walsh, other co-founders, Glenn Frey and Don Henley were a fan of it. They believed that the combination of a well-established band with a well-established solo star would be beneficial for them, which proved to be true in their first album together, Hotel California, which is one of the best-selling albums of all time(3). However, as discussed in our thesis, the success of the album did not end up meaning long-term success for the band, as Joe Walsh’s party boy reputation ended up being one of the reasons the group broke apart.
The Eagles full crew, with the addition of Randy Meisner during a photoshoot(4)
References
(1) Howe, C. (2018, March 14). Eagles’ Joe Walsh had a taste for BDSM and coke, memoir reveals. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5496413/Eagles-Joe-Walsh-taste-BDSM-coke-memoir-reveals.html
(2) Felder, D. (2007)Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles. Weidenfeld & Nicolson,
(3) Deriso, N(2015, December) “How Joe Walsh’s Arrival Transformed the Eagles.” Ultimate Classic Rock, ultimateclassicrock.com/joe-walsh-joins-eagles/.
(4) Howe, C. (2018, March 14). Eagles’ Joe Walsh had a taste for BDSM and coke, memoir reveals. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5496413/Eagles-Joe-Walsh-taste-BDSM-coke-memoir-reveals.html