Eagles: Before the Band

by Rik Forgo

Few bands have had an impact on rock music like the Eagles. This legendary group has sold more than 200 million albums since they formed in 1971, and they continue to dominate rock radio.Their tours are still among pop and rock music's highest-grossing concerts every year. Their imprint on the fabric of rock music and pop culture in the United States is indelible. In this first of three books chronicling the band's history, Time Passages meticulously follows each member of the band -- Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon, Don Felder, Timothy B. Schmit and Joe Walsh as their careers evolve. You'll walk with them on each of their individual career paths led them to the Eagles and, eventually, to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We gather and organize their milestones, collaborations, awards, on-screen appearances chronologically, and, most importantly, gather the stories that helped shape their legend.

Genres: Music, History

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Crosby · Rating 2 out of 5]

For those wanting to know the musical history of the various individuals who would eventually serve as members of the ultra-successful band "Eagles", this book is a pretty good starter. I especially enjoyed the details about how their early hits, "Take it Easy", "Witchy Woman" and "Easy, Peaceful Feeling" came to be. Elsewhere, such details were mainly extended to naming the many members of obscure bands to which the eventual Eagle members originally belonged. These details were not nearly as interesting to me. I also had problems with the redundancy that resulted when information that was presented in boxed inserts was also presented in the narration almost verbatim. The boxed inserts often also split the narration up, in some cases by several pages. Having said that, I enjoyed the inserts more than the narration which often seemed disjointed and redundant. I was also distracted by the numerous typos throughout the book. Still, I enjoy the music the band produces and therefore found things to enjoy about the book.

[David H. Schurr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to put down and do something else!

If you enjoy the ins and outs of the music changes through the 60's and 70's you will enjoy this read. Ric uses a kind of Pulp Fiction style of writing but the book keeps building your curiosity from page one. I grew up following the bands mentioned throughout and to learn about their trials and tribulations, the ups and downs they went through, most of us would have given up years earlier. This book will keep you interested cover to cover.

[Marvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful historical perspective on the development of Country-Rock and the musical events that led to the formation of the Eagles. The band’s extensive and far-reaching family tree is covered in a timeline format. 

While I applaud the author’s thorough research on the topic, the book has a confusing layout, and there are issues with repetition and grammatical errors. It's also worth noting that this book is the first in a trilogy.

[Norman Schippert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting - I liked it

I liked the format of "short stories"... just interesting stories, anecdotes, and both meaningful and meaningless details. An easy read that goes great with me switching the music on my JBL between whichever artist, song, or album I'm reading about.

[jboyg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Repetitive History Of The Early Days Of The Eagles.

Poorly constructed and badly written and edited pre-history of The Eagle. Most of the info is well-known to fans and the author is merciless in repeating the same set of facts over and over.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

A simple read of overly repetitive content covering the background and genesis of the Eagles band. The book could have been delivered in half the pages and doesn't add much of anything new to its topic.

[Steve Urbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read on what led to the birth of the Eagles

Great attention to detail and history of country rock! Great insight into the intestinal fortitude it takes to make it to the top and the luck that is still needed to get there.

[Richard Halseth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about country rock.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish. Even though it goes through the beginnings of the Eagles and how they came together, I learned a lot about many other bands I have listened to for years.

[Seann Haver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rock history!

It was an interesting to learn about different musicians and their evolution in their music careers through the sixties and seventies. But I guess I was more interested in reading more on the Eagles experiences through the seventies. Still very informative. Thanks!

[ernie baum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written, factual errors. Not woth the $7 I paid.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Needed an editor, a fact checker, a proofreader, and a researcher.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gave a lot of facts and newsy tidbits. Very interesting and seeing how the groups are kind of all inter-related with members being in multiple groups and knowing the same people. Enjoyable format and laid out so nicely.