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Life in the Fast Lane: The Eagles' Reckless Ride Down the Rock & Roll Highway
“Surely make you lose your mind…”
So the Eagles warn us about the outrageous and ruthless lifestyle of the ambitious rock-n-roller. In fact, Don Henley could barely listen to the track “Life in the Fast Lane” when they were recording it. He was so high that it made him sick.
The band that embodied the American dream with globe-straddling success, impossibly luxurious lives, and almost supernatural talent also descended into nightmare with bloodletting betrayal, hate-filled hubris, the skeletons of perceived enemies, brutally discarded lovers and former band mates left unburied in the road behind them. The Eagles’ story is a truly gothic American one of ultimate power and rivers of money; of sex and drugs at a time when both were the lingua-franca of sophisticated So-Cal living; of a band who sang of peaceful easy feelings in public while threatening to kill each other in private.
Now, legendary rock journalist Mick Wall delivers definitive insight into America's best-selling band of all time, a band that has sold more records than Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones combined, exploring their meteoric rise to fame and the hedonistic days of the 70s music scene in LA, when American music was taking over the world.
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So the Eagles warn us about the outrageous and ruthless lifestyle of the ambitious rock-n-roller. In fact, Don Henley could barely listen to the track “Life in the Fast Lane” when they were recording it. He was so high that it made him sick.
The band that embodied the American dream with globe-straddling success, impossibly luxurious lives, and almost supernatural talent also descended into nightmare with bloodletting betrayal, hate-filled hubris, the skeletons of perceived enemies, brutally discarded lovers and former band mates left unburied in the road behind them. The Eagles’ story is a truly gothic American one of ultimate power and rivers of money; of sex and drugs at a time when both were the lingua-franca of sophisticated So-Cal living; of a band who sang of peaceful easy feelings in public while threatening to kill each other in private.
Now, legendary rock journalist Mick Wall delivers definitive insight into America's best-selling band of all time, a band that has sold more records than Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones combined, exploring their meteoric rise to fame and the hedonistic days of the 70s music scene in LA, when American music was taking over the world.
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358 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 11, 2023
92 people are currently reading
978 people want to read
About the author
Mick Wall
69 books176 followersMick Wall is an author, journalist, film, television and radio writer-producer, who’s worked inside the music industry for over 35 years. He began his career contributing to the music weekly Sounds in 1977, where he wrote about punk and the new wave, and then rockabilly, funk, New Romantic pop and, eventually, hard rock and heavy metal. By 1983, Wall become one of the main journalists in the early days of Kerrang! magazine, where he was their star cover story writer for the next nine years. He subsequently became the founding editor of Classic Rock magazine in 1998, and presented his own television and radio shows.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 12, 2024
"Eager for action and hot for the game -
The coming attraction, the drop of a name -
The knew all the right people, they took all the right pills
They threw outrageous parties, they paid heavenly bills"
--lyrics that hit just a little too close to home courtesy of Glenn Frey, Don Henley, & Joe Walsh
Although not intended to be a full historical overview of the musical group, Wall's Life in the Fast Lane does quasi-focus on the Eagles' formation / rise / success / destruction cycle that all neatly occurred within the decade of the 1970's. However, mixed in with the 'facts' (unsurprisingly this was not an 'authorized' book) are plentiful spoonfuls of social commentary and humor, with author Wall occasionally getting in the way of himself with a severe infatuation of quirky wordplay. But once a reader can get past that (and/or get used to it), though, it was pretty entertaining. First breathing life as an ad hoc backing band for a Linda Ronstadt tour circa '71, the Eagles prospered the next year with their debut album featuring the hit single 'Take It Easy.' Although sometimes tagged with the questionable label of 'country rock,' they more preferred 'California sound' (although only belated bassist Timothy Schmitt was an actual 'Golden State' native) for a descriptor, as their tunes mixed rock, country, pop, R&B, and even a smattering of gospel. They released five albums between 1972 and 1976, culminating with Hotel California, which made them the most popular damn band in the land . . . until Fleetwood Mac and The Bee Gees both stormed in the next year with the respective blockbuster discs Rumours and Saturday Night Fever. Predictably, in-fighting and egos, along with a plentiful amount of the usual suspects wine, women, and the white devil (read: cocaine), fractured the original quartet - Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner - and their line-up changed without diluting their sound or hits by the latter part of their lifespan (adding Don Felder, Joe Walsh, and/or Schmitt), the destruction via internal drama was still essentially assured by the start of the 1980's. They've regrouped / split / reunited / filed lawsuits since the mid-90's to achieve staggering worldwide touring success (I saw them in '06!), but author Wall's cornerstone for his brisk narrative is the group's experience with its 'only in the 'Me Decade'' rocket ride to the top.
The coming attraction, the drop of a name -
The knew all the right people, they took all the right pills
They threw outrageous parties, they paid heavenly bills"
--lyrics that hit just a little too close to home courtesy of Glenn Frey, Don Henley, & Joe Walsh
Although not intended to be a full historical overview of the musical group, Wall's Life in the Fast Lane does quasi-focus on the Eagles' formation / rise / success / destruction cycle that all neatly occurred within the decade of the 1970's. However, mixed in with the 'facts' (unsurprisingly this was not an 'authorized' book) are plentiful spoonfuls of social commentary and humor, with author Wall occasionally getting in the way of himself with a severe infatuation of quirky wordplay. But once a reader can get past that (and/or get used to it), though, it was pretty entertaining. First breathing life as an ad hoc backing band for a Linda Ronstadt tour circa '71, the Eagles prospered the next year with their debut album featuring the hit single 'Take It Easy.' Although sometimes tagged with the questionable label of 'country rock,' they more preferred 'California sound' (although only belated bassist Timothy Schmitt was an actual 'Golden State' native) for a descriptor, as their tunes mixed rock, country, pop, R&B, and even a smattering of gospel. They released five albums between 1972 and 1976, culminating with Hotel California, which made them the most popular damn band in the land . . . until Fleetwood Mac and The Bee Gees both stormed in the next year with the respective blockbuster discs Rumours and Saturday Night Fever. Predictably, in-fighting and egos, along with a plentiful amount of the usual suspects wine, women, and the white devil (read: cocaine), fractured the original quartet - Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner - and their line-up changed without diluting their sound or hits by the latter part of their lifespan (adding Don Felder, Joe Walsh, and/or Schmitt), the destruction via internal drama was still essentially assured by the start of the 1980's. They've regrouped / split / reunited / filed lawsuits since the mid-90's to achieve staggering worldwide touring success (I saw them in '06!), but author Wall's cornerstone for his brisk narrative is the group's experience with its 'only in the 'Me Decade'' rocket ride to the top.
April 15, 2023
Mick Wall’s history of the Eagles is unlike many rock biographies which are often filled to the brim with endless details about rock star childhoods and each and every tour date. Wall takes a different approach where he gives the reader a feel and an attitude for what’s going on.
The Eagles were hatched out of the incubator that was the Troubador and Crosby’s Laurel Canyon. They were hatched out of that California laid back acoustic strumming feel, but meshed with David Geffen’s cutthroat business dealings. Not necessarily organically grown in someone’s father’s Hawthorne garage, instead they were put together because Glenn Frey wasn’t going to be a star on his lonesome.
As Wall explains it, though, it may have been the four musketeers with Frey, Henley, Meisner, and Bernie Leadon, but it was Frey and Henley’s band mainly, and, at least until later, ultimately Fret’s band. The other two were along for the ride and that led to tensions in the later years. Moreover, Frey and Henley wanted success – don’t kid yourself, most of them do.
As the band ultimately became very very successful, Wall leaves no doubt about the excesses, particularly by the Gods of the band, Frey and Henley. The lineup changed over the years with Don Felder adding in and later Meisner and Leadon going their own way, being replaced by Timothy Schmidt and Jie Walsh. The band played on until today, if you see the Eagles, there is only one original member still standing.
This book is a fun read because it is so brimming with verve and attitude. The reader not only gets the dry details but isn’t drowned in them and, more importantly, gets such a good sense of the times it’s as if you are actually there.
Note that this reviewer received an advance copy of the book from the publisher.
The Eagles were hatched out of the incubator that was the Troubador and Crosby’s Laurel Canyon. They were hatched out of that California laid back acoustic strumming feel, but meshed with David Geffen’s cutthroat business dealings. Not necessarily organically grown in someone’s father’s Hawthorne garage, instead they were put together because Glenn Frey wasn’t going to be a star on his lonesome.
As Wall explains it, though, it may have been the four musketeers with Frey, Henley, Meisner, and Bernie Leadon, but it was Frey and Henley’s band mainly, and, at least until later, ultimately Fret’s band. The other two were along for the ride and that led to tensions in the later years. Moreover, Frey and Henley wanted success – don’t kid yourself, most of them do.
As the band ultimately became very very successful, Wall leaves no doubt about the excesses, particularly by the Gods of the band, Frey and Henley. The lineup changed over the years with Don Felder adding in and later Meisner and Leadon going their own way, being replaced by Timothy Schmidt and Jie Walsh. The band played on until today, if you see the Eagles, there is only one original member still standing.
This book is a fun read because it is so brimming with verve and attitude. The reader not only gets the dry details but isn’t drowned in them and, more importantly, gets such a good sense of the times it’s as if you are actually there.
Note that this reviewer received an advance copy of the book from the publisher.
September 25, 2023
I really wanted to like this and was intrigued as an Eagles fan to see what else might have been uncovered with some research. However, many of the facts are mis-quoted and wrong. Author tends to like to read his own prose as proven by lots and lots of pointless rambling. Whole swaths of sections italicized but can't figure out if he's making the section up or mis-quoting people, or taking it from another book? Not really sure what the purpose was. If you've read 'To the Limit' and Felder's rag, you've got 90% of what this book has to say s much of it is taken from them and reconfigured around his opinion.
September 4, 2023
Fun read for fans of the Eagles, or fans of the 70’s California sound in general. Written from the perspective of a rock journalist, heavy on insider vibes and wistful yearning for the scene of 70’s.
Overall, the narrative flow of this ‘tell all’ was a little disjointed, bouncing around in time a bit. At times, the heavy use of 70’s rock vernacular is a little distracting, feeling almost forced. But overall, for fans of the band, there are plenty of interesting tidbits and views behind the curtain on a working band, and how some of the most iconic alumna of the 70’s were made.
Overall, the narrative flow of this ‘tell all’ was a little disjointed, bouncing around in time a bit. At times, the heavy use of 70’s rock vernacular is a little distracting, feeling almost forced. But overall, for fans of the band, there are plenty of interesting tidbits and views behind the curtain on a working band, and how some of the most iconic alumna of the 70’s were made.
May 12, 2024
Pretty good, considering I am not a huge Eagles fan. I think if I were, I likely would have enjoyed it more.
July 27, 2023
Loved this book. I am a huge Don Henley and Eagles fan. I am fascinated by the way they transitioned out of the 70s and continue to be one of the worlds best bands. Insights into Don and Glenn’s relationship and deeper understanding of the lyrics of the band. One of the best music biographies I have read done very tastefully yet an extremely fun and honest read. “You can check out anytime you would like, but you can never leave” -this book stays with you and will give you a deeper appreciation and understanding of the Eagles.
July 24, 2024
First thought: Wow, Mick Wall sure likes the sound of his own voice...or the look of his own words on the page.
The man tends to overwrite so much he gets directly in the way of what he's trying to say. The sad thing is, occasionally he actually has things to say.
This is by no means a definitive Eagles biography. It feels fairly muckrakish and, for a writer who deep dives into the Eagles 70s releases, he completely ignores HELL FREEZES OVER and gives LONG ROAD OUT OF EDEN only the barest whiff of attention. He doesn't even really cover how the five managed to come back together. So, at best, the last forty years of history is done away with in likely about as many pages. He also contradicts himself on occasion, talking about how Randy Meisner got a song on the FM soundtrack (along with the Eagles) but that the soundtrack flopped, only to say, pages later, that the soundtrack moved a million copies.
The good thing is, at least I know to avoid Wall's books going forward.
The man tends to overwrite so much he gets directly in the way of what he's trying to say. The sad thing is, occasionally he actually has things to say.
This is by no means a definitive Eagles biography. It feels fairly muckrakish and, for a writer who deep dives into the Eagles 70s releases, he completely ignores HELL FREEZES OVER and gives LONG ROAD OUT OF EDEN only the barest whiff of attention. He doesn't even really cover how the five managed to come back together. So, at best, the last forty years of history is done away with in likely about as many pages. He also contradicts himself on occasion, talking about how Randy Meisner got a song on the FM soundtrack (along with the Eagles) but that the soundtrack flopped, only to say, pages later, that the soundtrack moved a million copies.
The good thing is, at least I know to avoid Wall's books going forward.
July 14, 2023
Everything, All The Time
I would have liked to have seen a bit more content given to the breakup and then the time since Hell Freezes Over. Otherwise it was outstanding. It took me back to the 70’s and many things lost in my memory.
I would have liked to have seen a bit more content given to the breakup and then the time since Hell Freezes Over. Otherwise it was outstanding. It took me back to the 70’s and many things lost in my memory.
July 16, 2024
This is something of a tell-all about one of the most popular (and one of my favorite) bands of the 70's. It starts with the genesis of the band and goes through all it's ups and many downs. Ego clashes, creative differences, drugs, debauchery, it's all here. While I found the book interesting and informative, it did leave a bad taste in my mouth regarding the music business. I think i'll go put on one of my well worn albums of theirs.
For the record, I received this having won an Amazon kindle giveaway.
For the record, I received this having won an Amazon kindle giveaway.
August 9, 2023
This book gave great insights into the 50 year history of the Eagles and the band member's personalities. Don Henley and Glenn Frey have always been very outspoken. They certainly had the talent but the drugs and money tainted the band. The Eagles sang heartfelt songs of love and relationships. The band started out as equals and the dynamics changed quickly. It is appalling how Randy, Bernie and Don were treated. It is wrong that the band got taken advantage of by the people in the music industry who took huge profits from the Eagles. I think that David Geffen is pure evil. It is totally understandable that the band called it quits.
I was thrilled when the band got back together and I was able to attend two of their concerts. I have bought all the records, 8 tracks, cassettes, CDs, video DVDs, books and T shirts of the Eagles. I have started every drive I have made across South Dakota in 35 years listening to the Eagles tunes.
As a typical woman, I was never concerned who wrote what or who sang what. I have read many book about the musicians I admired. It was wonderful to learn that Randy wrote and sang "Take It to the Limit" in light of his recent passing. I was very impressed how long he holds the last note of his song. May he rest in peace. Timothy Schmit is an excellent replacement for Randy. I also love Joe Walsh. He is a legend. And he is hysterical.
Once again the Eagles (or Don Henley) will be retiring the band. I would certainly love to see them live again but the price of tickets and traveling is way beyond my income. My husband and I relocated to Nebraska to be near our granddaughter! I hope the concert is recorded and available to the many Baby Boomer fans.
My husband and I have the "Despardo" and "Hotel California" albums autographed by the band and hanging in our bedroom. I "literally" sleep with the stars. P.S. The group "America" personally autographed all my albums several years ago. They are on the bedroom wall as well. At the America concert last year in Sioux Falls I was lucky to catch a guitar pick from Gerry Beckley. Second Row seats!
I was thrilled when the band got back together and I was able to attend two of their concerts. I have bought all the records, 8 tracks, cassettes, CDs, video DVDs, books and T shirts of the Eagles. I have started every drive I have made across South Dakota in 35 years listening to the Eagles tunes.
As a typical woman, I was never concerned who wrote what or who sang what. I have read many book about the musicians I admired. It was wonderful to learn that Randy wrote and sang "Take It to the Limit" in light of his recent passing. I was very impressed how long he holds the last note of his song. May he rest in peace. Timothy Schmit is an excellent replacement for Randy. I also love Joe Walsh. He is a legend. And he is hysterical.
Once again the Eagles (or Don Henley) will be retiring the band. I would certainly love to see them live again but the price of tickets and traveling is way beyond my income. My husband and I relocated to Nebraska to be near our granddaughter! I hope the concert is recorded and available to the many Baby Boomer fans.
My husband and I have the "Despardo" and "Hotel California" albums autographed by the band and hanging in our bedroom. I "literally" sleep with the stars. P.S. The group "America" personally autographed all my albums several years ago. They are on the bedroom wall as well. At the America concert last year in Sioux Falls I was lucky to catch a guitar pick from Gerry Beckley. Second Row seats!
June 30, 2023
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
Author Wall takes a different tact with this biography: more attitude and big picture rather than impersonal fact checking. It makes for an entertaining read though ultimately it can feel shallow: every other paragraph rams home the point that the band members were high on coke most of the time and, when not loaded, too busy playing Game of Thrones machinations on each other. The strength of the book is that the Eagles' success is nicely put into perspective of the 1970s so it is that much easier to understand.This is fairly chronological and starts with the scene in California that coalesced into Henley and Frey meeting and forming a band. There are good discussions about this new "California Country Rock" that David Geffen was looking to create and capitalize upon. And so the author does an excellent job of coalescing the personalities around the Eagles: From J.D. Souther's influence to Irving Azoff's milking of his personal cash cow. The book pretty much ends with The Long Run album, with just a few pages dedicated to careers afterwards.
So this is definitely more about getting a feel for the Eagles rather than becoming a trivial pursuit expert on the band. I do appreciate the big picture here and it is so important to understand that the Eagles did not become so big in isolation: several key events/milieus/cultures/times shaped the success that the band would find. Yes, there is perhaps too much emphasis on the drugs and in-fighting rather than tours. But that sells books, I guess.
In all, a very entertaining read, especially for those curious about the California/West Coast music scene in the 1970s. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
March 28, 2025
I hope that I'm not reacting to my dislike of Glenn and Don and that my review is simply about the biography, but I can't be certain of that.
If you have ever watched a documentary about Eagles, you probably have already seen that this group was extremely toxic. However, you haven't scratched the surface of their douchery. Mick Wall does a good job of walking the narrow line between hit job and hagiography. He has an appreciation of their music but doesn't pull punches when he discusses their flaws.
IMO, Glenn Frye and Don Henley drank their own flavor-ade. When one starts to believe the hype (exaggerated or extravagant claims made especially in advertising or promotional material), one loses all perspective and reality. The more that one is surrounded by yes-men and sycophants, the easier it is for the ego to explode.
I've don't expect great artists to be great people. I think many do and are therefore surprised when disgusting behavior is exposed. We all must decide whether one can still enjoy art made by vile people (in whatever sense that means to the individual).
I still enjoy their music. They are not my favorite band, but they aren't my least favorite either. To me, they are a "greatest hits" band. Meaning that some of their songs are truly exceptional, but most are just okay... some are pretty awful.
If you have ever watched a documentary about Eagles, you probably have already seen that this group was extremely toxic. However, you haven't scratched the surface of their douchery. Mick Wall does a good job of walking the narrow line between hit job and hagiography. He has an appreciation of their music but doesn't pull punches when he discusses their flaws.
IMO, Glenn Frye and Don Henley drank their own flavor-ade. When one starts to believe the hype (exaggerated or extravagant claims made especially in advertising or promotional material), one loses all perspective and reality. The more that one is surrounded by yes-men and sycophants, the easier it is for the ego to explode.
I've don't expect great artists to be great people. I think many do and are therefore surprised when disgusting behavior is exposed. We all must decide whether one can still enjoy art made by vile people (in whatever sense that means to the individual).
I still enjoy their music. They are not my favorite band, but they aren't my least favorite either. To me, they are a "greatest hits" band. Meaning that some of their songs are truly exceptional, but most are just okay... some are pretty awful.
August 25, 2023
Not so much a straight biography as a hip, conversational and occasionally meandering fable about the band Eagles (no definite article), the 1970s, too many egos, and mountains of cocaine. I worshipped the band in their heyday, in the desperate way only a lonely teenaged girl can pull off, but felt only mild outrage when they became a pop culture punching bag in the ensuing decades (mostly thanks to The Big Lebowski).
Wall doesn't argue that Eagles were groundbreaking musical geniuses, but he admires the way they captured the zeitgeist of 1970s California, when the folksy Laurel Canyon sound of Crosby Stills & Nash and Joni Mitchell was replaced by a darker hedonistic cynicism. Plus they sure knew how to write hit songs. Sure we all know now that Glenn Frey and Don Henley were raging misogynistic assholes, but reading this book made me nostalgic for my 13 year old self, listening to Eagles records in my bedroom, with only the music and lyrics to tell me how to feel.
Wall doesn't argue that Eagles were groundbreaking musical geniuses, but he admires the way they captured the zeitgeist of 1970s California, when the folksy Laurel Canyon sound of Crosby Stills & Nash and Joni Mitchell was replaced by a darker hedonistic cynicism. Plus they sure knew how to write hit songs. Sure we all know now that Glenn Frey and Don Henley were raging misogynistic assholes, but reading this book made me nostalgic for my 13 year old self, listening to Eagles records in my bedroom, with only the music and lyrics to tell me how to feel.
December 16, 2023
I found a lot of very interesting information in this book. I very much enjoyed reading about the process of forming the Eagles. And I found it very interesting learning about the various albums they did as well as how they put together the various tours the band performed.
But I did have a couple of problems with this book. I can handle some foul language but it seems like it was used just for the sake of using it. And I felt the author spent too much time pointing out what he knew about the music industry even when it only marginally involved the Eagles. He gave us a whole chapter on Gram Parsons overdose when a paragraph probably would have sufficed.
Finally I would have liked to read much more about the Eagles getting back together and their subsequent history than was presented here. Still a lot of valuable information was provided to anyone interested in the Eagles.
But I did have a couple of problems with this book. I can handle some foul language but it seems like it was used just for the sake of using it. And I felt the author spent too much time pointing out what he knew about the music industry even when it only marginally involved the Eagles. He gave us a whole chapter on Gram Parsons overdose when a paragraph probably would have sufficed.
Finally I would have liked to read much more about the Eagles getting back together and their subsequent history than was presented here. Still a lot of valuable information was provided to anyone interested in the Eagles.
August 11, 2024
Do not do not do not get the audio version of this book like I did. Sounded like AI. Even discounting that, this deep dive into the Eagles, their creation, success, implosion, and resurrection is written in a way that makes me wonder why the author decided to write a book about a band for which he does not hide his obvious contempt. So what if they wanted to become famous and make money while creating their music. Most do, although many do not admit to it.
The writing style reads like a bad Rolling Stone article, full of unnecessary prose and slanted to only make the band come off in a bad light. Look, I've seen the 3-hour documentary, History of the Eagles and I know what unmitigated douche canoes some of the guys are, but there's no denying their impact on the soundtrack of the latter half of the 20th century. Their Greatest Hits album is the biggest selling album of the 20th century, knocking Michaeal Jackson's Thriller out of the top spot. So yeah, a lot of people like the Eagles' music. The author is not one of them.
The writing style reads like a bad Rolling Stone article, full of unnecessary prose and slanted to only make the band come off in a bad light. Look, I've seen the 3-hour documentary, History of the Eagles and I know what unmitigated douche canoes some of the guys are, but there's no denying their impact on the soundtrack of the latter half of the 20th century. Their Greatest Hits album is the biggest selling album of the 20th century, knocking Michaeal Jackson's Thriller out of the top spot. So yeah, a lot of people like the Eagles' music. The author is not one of them.
August 2, 2023
Although I finished this work by Mick Wall, who has written previously on Led Zeppelin, The Doors and others, I honestly wanted to put it down repeatedly. Finishing it was something akin to the reasons we simply can't turn our gaze from a train wreck! The author's repeated and unnecessary use of profanity, his contrived grammar, and his virtually complete avoidance of the "Hell Freezes Over" and "Long Road out of Eden" albums were among the things that made the book intolerable. There are other biographies of Eagles (such as "To the Limit" by Marc Eliot and "Take it To the Limit" by Ben Fong-Torres, both of which Wall quotes liberally in "Life in the Fast Lane") that I would recommend over this new work.
September 9, 2023
Well, it was interesting enough to finish reading the book but I really spent a lot of time wondering why someone who obviously neither liked the music nor the musicians picked this group to write about. Maybe it had something to do with his reputation as the blurb on the book states he “is one of the world’s best known rock writers” and as the Eagles were a big name in the field, they were hard to ignore….
I somehow kept picturing the author posing in front of a mirror with a dictaphone, practicing to perfection a world weary but hip voice, dripping with sarcastic asides….
I somehow kept picturing the author posing in front of a mirror with a dictaphone, practicing to perfection a world weary but hip voice, dripping with sarcastic asides….
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November 13, 2024OMG, please don't listen to this. I wish I would have read it and not listened to it on Audible. It was horrible to listen ! Dudes voice!
The story itself was interesting. Don Henley and Glenn Frey are insufferable jerks. Nothing hidden here to make them look better.
Broke my heart to find out that Linda Rondstadt did Heroin with the rest of them.
The Graham Nash stuff was interesting, it is always a different story, when you hear about how it went down!
JD Souther, ick factor!
But lovely things to say about Joe Walsh!
The story itself was interesting. Don Henley and Glenn Frey are insufferable jerks. Nothing hidden here to make them look better.
Broke my heart to find out that Linda Rondstadt did Heroin with the rest of them.
The Graham Nash stuff was interesting, it is always a different story, when you hear about how it went down!
JD Souther, ick factor!
But lovely things to say about Joe Walsh!
May 24, 2024
Not my favorite style of writing but pretty good account of the band. It certainly takes you a bit deeper into the classic era than the "History of the Eagles" documentary does, so that's a huge plus.
I know it's not the sexiest part of their history, but I would have enjoyed more background post-breakup. As a super fan, I want it all! But there is really only some mention of Don Henley and Glenn Frey's solo careers and then a fast-forward to a 2022 Hyde Park concert to close it out.
I know it's not the sexiest part of their history, but I would have enjoyed more background post-breakup. As a super fan, I want it all! But there is really only some mention of Don Henley and Glenn Frey's solo careers and then a fast-forward to a 2022 Hyde Park concert to close it out.
December 20, 2023
Wow, what a crazy story. Of course you could see it coming - the rise to the top, the squabbling and backstabbing, drugs and reckless lifestyles followed by the downfall. I liked how it also threw in the stories of all other rock stories intertwined with Eagles events. Funny - I never knew they were "Eagles" and not "The Eagles."
March 30, 2024
This book read like I thought it would. A trashy interesting story of one of the most commercially driven bands with excellent harmonies that surfed the money wave at a peak. A very American band that lived a drug addled rock and roll lifestyle that nearly killed them and ruined friendships. Confirmed my notion of the band.
September 14, 2025
Not Worth the Effort
This book is the result of an author who truly despised the book's subject. Negative and cynical from beginning to end. I didn't expect Wall to write a love letter, but a bit of neutrality would've been nice. With that said, there are lots of reasons to hate the Eagles. Frey and Henley top the list, of course.
This book is the result of an author who truly despised the book's subject. Negative and cynical from beginning to end. I didn't expect Wall to write a love letter, but a bit of neutrality would've been nice. With that said, there are lots of reasons to hate the Eagles. Frey and Henley top the list, of course.
October 3, 2025
Excellent read. The author not only rides you down the Life in the Fast Lane of being in the Eagles but provides great detail about the overall 70’s music scene. For some reason the author has an axe to grind with Henley and Frey, but I guess he’s just jealous. After all, they wrote the greatest catalog of music in American history and, well, he just wrote a couple books. Take it Easy 🫡
December 29, 2024
Rock Journalism at its Finest
Fun, informative and super interesting account of the music and mania of the Eagles. Mick Wall is super compelling, and has a sympathetic yet truthful openness. Wish he still had his podcast! Great book!
Fun, informative and super interesting account of the music and mania of the Eagles. Mick Wall is super compelling, and has a sympathetic yet truthful openness. Wish he still had his podcast! Great book!
March 12, 2025
A cursory take on the Eagles
This book is a cursory take on the Eagles. Fans of the Eagles will find it a satisfactory retelling of the band’s legendary career, but I didn’t personally like the writers conversational tone and smirky in jokes. Not highly recommended.
This book is a cursory take on the Eagles. Fans of the Eagles will find it a satisfactory retelling of the band’s legendary career, but I didn’t personally like the writers conversational tone and smirky in jokes. Not highly recommended.
July 28, 2023
A well-written book that gives you most of the seedy details about the band, yet recognizes that this bunch of louts made some pretty good music every once in a while.
August 12, 2023
Superficial snarky history of Eagles band
January 10, 2024
I loved this book. It has gotten some bad reviews, but I liked it just as much as Take it To The Limit...maybe better. If you like Eagles (no article, ie not The Eagles) you should get this.
March 12, 2024
Entertaining read. Told the story well.
March 19, 2025
I enjoyed the info in this book, just not how it was told. His choice of language at times was weird. I also didn't enjoy the back and forth in time, telling stories.
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