I saw the Eagles in concert back in the summer of 77 (Linda Ronstadt opened!) at KC's Arrowhead Stadium, when the Eagles were at their peak, shortly after "Hotel California" had been released. Fast forward about 4 years, early fall 1981, I was hung-over in the afternoon after having celebrated my bachelor party the previous evening. I would be getting married in about 5 hours and was scared shitless. So I popped a beer, lit up a joint, threw a steak on the grill and listened to the HC album as it was the perfect background music for my brain as I tried to get a perspective on where I had been and where I was going. (BTW, still married to my love) The Eagles and their music were the perfect soundtrack for my life during the 70's when my priorities were girls, booze, recreational drugs, girls, bars, music, cars and girls.So I was and remain a huge fan, although not interested in paying $200 plus for decent tickets to see them in concert (I might have paid $10 in 1977) and I've viewed the SHO doc about 4 times, recently for the first time since Frey's passing. I assume virtually everyone reading this page has also viewed it, so all can do is offer a few thoughts on a solid documentary about a what was a truly great band.As is with most of these type of documentary's, the most interesting part are the early years, when the Eagles formed a group after being sidemen for various bands in the LA music scene of the late 60's and early 70's. Henley made an excellent observation about making it big but realizing that there were other musicians and writers, just as talented, but for one reason or another didn't get the big career break. Sometimes it's just being in the right place at the right time and for the Eagles, the wave broke just perfectly. After hitting the band hit superstardom with HC, Henley and Frey would align to take creative control of the group, which would ultimately cause the departure of two of the other originals, guitarist Bernie Leadon and bassist Randy Meisner. Lead guitarist Don Felder joined the band on album #3 "On the Border" (my personal favorite) and kicked the band up a notch with his blistering work, plus wrote the music for tune "Hotel California" (Henley & Frey try to minimize his contribution.) And it seems after HC everything pretty much went into the shitter as far as their relationships with one another as greed, arrogance and drugs devoured the band.Some nice reflections by Joe Walsh, who was already a big name in rock when he joined the group for HC, replacing Leadon. Walsh almost killed himself through years of drug and alcohol abuse. He was able to clean himself up when the group reunited in 94 after 13 years and was able to tolerate the arrogance of Henley and Frey. Felder wasn't willing and ultimately would be fired by Henley, Frey and their manager Irving Azoff, the consigliere of the band. In retrospect Felder may have made the mistake that many make, overvaluing their contribution and importance to their organization. He did file a lawsuit for breach of contract that was settled by both parties and wrote a book about his experience that ultimately left him persona non grata to Henley and Frey and not in consideration for any further work with the band.To this day the Eagles are still touring, with only Henley left from the original lineup. More power to them,but maybe we would be best left with just our memories of perhaps the most outstanding band of the greatest era in rock.

Great documentary on a great band.Made in 2013, a documentary on the Eagles, from the early days of Glenn Frey and Don Henley to the (then) present day. Includes interviews with the band members at different times in their lives, including in the mid-1970s. No narration, the movie is effectively narrated by the interviews. Not your simple chronological telling of their story either, there is an examination of the impact of their music. Quite emotional at times.Also quite bluntly told too. The frictions within the band are often examined and the truth is not sugar-coated.A wonderful musical and emotional journey.

History of The Eagles (2012)*** (out of 4)When you hear the Eagles you immediately think of one of the greatest bands all off time. A band that perfectly took rock, blues and country and mixed them together with some of the greatest songwriters ever. You also know about their incredible rise to the top and their hard hitting bottom, which is all fully displayed in this mammoth documentary that clocks in at three hours.Part one of the documentary talks about the original members, where they grew up, how they got into music and their influences. From here we learn about the guys showing up in California, working with other artists and how the band finally got together to make music. We hear about the early struggles as well as how everything finally came together on the first couple albums. Part one continues throughout the 70s leading up to a rather violent end on stage and the band's break up.The second part of the documentary picks up right after the break up and we hear about the various solo projects that the members did and then we get into the 1994 comeback show, album and tour. We also learn more about the drug and alcohol abuse that was to be put aside during these shows as well as their double-disc album and continuing to tour.If you're a fan of the Eagles then you're bound to love this documentary, which features interviews with all seven men who has been members of the band over the decades. We also hear from the likes of Jackson Browne and others who helped the band along the way. There's no denying that there's all sorts of wonderful information here and what's best are the interviews where everyone shares their honest feelings about what was going on during the various periods of the band.Needless to say, you also get to hear all of their classic tunes but we don't just get the studio versions. No, instead of the same versions we've heard countless times we get various live versions as well as some alternate versions. HISTORY OF THE EAGLES is a fast, fun and quick look at the band, which could have gone on for even more hours and still have been just as entertaining.

After watching this again I still feel this was a monetary project from start to finish. It is nice to sit back and enjoy some of the music that you remember so well from the 70's decade. It is a pity that today's kids have nothing in the form of music or an identity that I had as a teenager in the seventies period. They have their phones and social internet and nothing else. There is not a single musician today that can even come close to entering the hero spaces musicians had in my teen years such as Dylan, Lennon, Roger Waters, down home southern poets like R.VanZant, and yes, Henley and Frey. For this reason I can relax some of my initial reaction to their egomania which is still painfully obvious. Don Henley's reaction to his very successful solo career which led to some masterful music in my opinion he just blows off with "I won some awards and had some hits" and finishes with his usual bombardment of everyone else and their unwillingness or inability to reach his own genius level-mainly producers, agents, songwriters and other musicians. He comes across as a total a$$ and seems to know it and not care the least-so be it.The total highlights of the entire program belong to Joe Walsh for his honesty and in an indirect way to Linda Ronstadt and her blossoming sexually and "voice as big as a house" that I remember so, so well from that period. Again, there is nothing or no one today in terms of young female singers, that could match her talent or her effect on young men that I also remember so well- Henley's admission that she was "one of the boys" also reflects as an identical feeling I had about her at that time.The star of the show is Joe Walsh as he seems so separated from the narcissistic love Henley and Frye have for themselves. His honest approach comes off as realist and sincere especially his reflections on how he remembers that era, as if it were a fiction novel, and using it for an example-brilliant! Perhaps some young people will take to heart what he has to say and use it to improve their own lives.All the partying and some senseless nudity come across as flush material and the catfights between the former and current members of the group are nothing new to even casual fans of the band. I saw the Eagles live once during the Hotel California tour and their abilities as a live band, along with inspiring melodies and well rehearsed harmonies, were the impression I remember even today. Lynda Ronstadt was also touring with Jackson Browne about the same time and, of course, her show was unforgettable to say the least.All in all this is a good production and I think people can use the ole saw "take what you want and leave the rest" and find this an enjoyable program to watch.paHow can you write a spoiler for a music program about 40year old songs?