To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles

If you're American growing up in the 70s or 80s you liked the Eagles whether you wanted to or not. They as well as later on Frey and Henley were on all the time so you couldn't escape them. I've read most of what is out there about the Eagles, including Felders book, every article and interview and even the "You'll Never make Love in This Town Again" which chronicles the salacious sides of Henley and a little on Frey and a clear picture of Henley emerges. And its not flattering. He seems to be his own worst enemy. Henley is famously known as a nitpicker, a tightly wound curmudgeon, an unpleasant, controlling man who may have been a better person had he not become a famous artist. In short, a talented creep. I'm glad that Eliots book is still around, as he seems to try to provide an accurate account despite Henley's attempts to control the media (odd given his liberalism-in fact one of the great captures in the book about him after his busts on prostitution, being caught with an underage prostitute overdosing in his home and drugs scandals, was that Henley was out "on a course of image self-rehabilitation. More than anything he wanted to recast himself as. Lennonesqye working class hero, a spokes for freedom, liberty and the American way....perfectectly personifying "liberals", twenty dress to the left when an issues affected someone else and twenty degrees to the right when it affected them personally") portrayals that he doesn't agree with (because much of what Eliot chronicles is documented and corroborated in other places - you just have to dig-because the Eagles-by design-are one of those bands-and especially Don Henley to the extent that it starts to seem like this man doesn't have much to do- that have desperately tried to control their image instead of rising above it as most superstars, as they claim and I believe they are, do. Most of what Henley tried to control is more documentation of his salacious behavior-the underage prostitute who nearly died at his house, his dalliances with prostitutes and drugs (heavily chronicled in the "You'll never make love in this town again" and elsewhere)-and points of vanity (that he didn't get a perm in the 70s)-which he would like replaced with his work on conservation, on Walden woods, fighting digital music distribution (for the little guy!) and other social justice causes from his Texas mansion. And yet his belligerent contradiction of facts only serves to diminish him. I would have more respect for him if he was Keith Richards, who didn't care or admitted it, or any other rock star that doesn't respond. His vendetta, going to book stores to hide copies of this book, takes away the very mystique he aims to protect. Anyway, this is a great book. Interesting, provides details you won't get elsewhere and absorbing. I only feel bad that part of Henley's campaign to kill this book hurt Eliot's launch, sales and distribution...The Eagles are a truly American phenomenon, I love their harmonies, songs and voices (especially all the song Glenn Frey sings on-just love that Michigan accent!) respect all they've done as a group as well as their solo careers (though I wasn't a fan of the solo work personally), marvel at how boys from all over the country with different musical interests and influences came together to produce one towering talent and know that they'll always be one of the greats...now if they-especially Henley-would only act like it.

eagles band book

Given the recent passing of Glenn Frey, there is plenty of interest in The Eagles. One think that I didn't know was that Glenn Frey wanted to call the band just plain Eagles after seeing one fly over them while they staying overnight at the Joshua Tree in California. If you look up any history on 60's and 70's era bands, you see all kind of crazy names for bands that didn't really gain any traction. Perhaps they had one hit or two but not alot of hit songs to remember. Frey and Henley turned out to be the two-some that wrote most of the early songs but when the group split up for 14 years, Henley and the others (Joe Walsh included) wrote many of the rockin' songs that elderly people like myself truly enjoy. One could say that in the early years, the group wanted to be much like Peter, Paul and Mary or the Mama and the Papas. They played back-up to Linda Ronstead for awhile and one wonders why she just didn't join up with them. But then she fell in love with Jackson Browne, who helped with her songs and they stayed together for some time. Jackson Browne continued to write on his own and actually helped Frey with some songs that he needed finished. It is ironic that he "played" Glenn Frey's part at the Grammy Tribute to the group. One could also wonder what kind of songs the group would write during the 14 years that they stayed apart but one gets the sense that the intense nature of their recording sessions, combined with the drugs and the groupies did them all in. It was hard to live that life forever and indeed two of the Eagles left the group because of the drugs that were so invading during that time. Surely the drugs and the late nights and the hard live changed all of them and not perhaps for the better. The Eagles songs will be around as long as the 60's generation stays alive yet even today, my grandchildren love to listen to their songs because they are so real and are sstories that people can easily remember and relate two. I have see the Eagles twice at the Garden and I will always remember their concerts. A Pieceful Full Easy Feeling..while on the road and in my car. Plenty of memories here.

Marc Eliot is a very fine author and in To The Limit, has written a very engaging biography of the Eagles. I am less a fan of the band's catalogue, than I am of music's contribution/adaptation to the social zeitgeist of recent (post 60's) history. That the Eagles have contributed large to the latter is unquestionable. I found the book well researched, balanced and very, very interesting.

What a great read! Eliot's book was compelling, providing a fascinating history of the California music scene circa the early seventies, not only of the Eagles, but touching the musical connections to Jackson Browne, David Crobsy, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Poco, and others who lived and created together in the Los Angeles canyons (Laurel, Coldwater, Topanga) during those post-1960s years; it also delves into the relationships of those who aided them in their rise to the top (Geffen, Azoff, etc.). Part of the book, as well, becomes a sentimental lament to the old Troubadour in Hollywood. Eliot provides rich details in the early part of the book on most of the initial Eagles members, but the focus eventually falls to Frey and Henley, the reasons made quite obvious as you venture further into the book (you'll never look at them the same again). Most compelling/disturbing is the "Postscript to the Da Capo Edition" at the end of the book, offering the author's challenges in trying to get the book published. It's a great complementary read to Don Felder's book: Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974-2001)

A lot of things I never knew, and probably never would have known if I didn't buy this book.

My husband loved it. He’s a big Eagles fan.

This was a good book , and it had things within it that I didn't know previously. It is not like reading a novel or fictional book though it has the form mostly of a documentry style although at times you would have a few pages that were more story like form . Most of the writing is of Don Henley with some as well about Glenn Frey. The other Eagles are referred to but not so much as the Henley and Frey . I would recomend reading other Eagles books first to gain some basic knowledge before reading this book , otherwise for some readers you will become lost in the names of everyone that has been referred to over the life of this group known as the Eagles .

Sehr viele Hintergrundinformationen, auch für nicht ganz so sattelfestes Englisch gut zu lesen.

Very informative book a great read

Grew up with the Eagles back in the 70s although I'm not American but an Indian living in the mountains of Northeast India. And when I say I grew up with the Eagles, it was all via short-wave radio. I loved, loved, loved them as do most people here in my home state of Mizoram. I never really knew very much about their personal lives though as all that was way before the internet. I did get some idea much much later from comments on YouTube that Don Henley is very controlling and that he gets Eagles videos and songs taken off YouTube. For some reason I never thought of looking for books about the Eagles until just recently when Meisner died and someone mentioned this book. Throughout the book, I had the impression that the writer doesn't seem to like the band members very much. Or think particularly highly of their music. At least he isn't very complimentary most times. Though Henley and his stiff-arm tactics in the postscript are a valid reason for that negativity. What puts me off most though is that Eliot doesn't seem to realize there are a lot of international fans and readers, and the constant references to the East Coast disliking the Eagles while backing Springsteen pretty solidly etc is all just so much internal politics that we don't care about. Also the details about the suits and record companies are way too much. I skipped those a lot. Still, a very well-rounded bio of the guys who created one of my all time favourite songs Take it to the Limit.

My wife said it was a good read and she is a big Eagles fan !!!