The Eagles: An American Band

by Andrew Vaughan

“Take It Easy.” “Lyin' Eyes.” “One of These Nights.” “Hotel California.” These songs are among the most memorable ever written, and they all came from one amazing band: the Eagles. This gorgeous volume traces the history of the group from the late 1960s through to the present. Capturing the albums, the tours, the fights, the triumphs, the awards, and the remarkable freezing over of hell (otherwise known as their 1994 reunion tour), The Eagles offers a truly unique look at how the group exported the Southern California lifestyle to every corner of the world.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2010

Reviews

[Verone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information about my favorite band.

[Sko Buffs · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a coffee table book than a book with info you weren't aware of. But hey - it's Eagles (no article before the band.) Lots of great photos and memorabilia.

[Blog on Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, there are a rash of new music books on the market for your favorite music fan for the holidays. "The Eagles: An American Band" by Andrew Vaughn (Sterling). At first glance, this career compendium on "America's greatest rock band" seems like a bit of a hack job. Unlike the serious volumes already written on the subject (most notably Fred Goodman's "Mansion on the Hill" and Barney Hoskyn's "Hotel California") this coffee-table sized tome is basically a souvenier. A book that covers all of the historical touchstones, but with none of the actual `being there' of the best rock writing. Going back to cover the pre-Eagles scenes of early L.A. rock, the Sunset Strip even Altamont (none of which involved the actual band), the book displays the origins of a group born out of Glenn Frey's Detroit roots and Don Henley's Texas musical experience (in Shiloh) to come together to form the country-rock sound of California's biggest musical export. Despite its lavish photos and physical weight, this one comes across as a British historian's view of the California rock scene (Vaughn was a long time Londoner before moving to Nashville in recent years.) An OK book for the uninitiated, but at this point, who would that be?

[Elise · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very quick, superficial story of how the Eagles got together, argued, broke up, and reunited for Hell Freezes Over. Heavily focused on Don Henley and Glenn Frey. Some other guys were in the Eagles as well.

Was the chapter about the tribute album really necessary?

I picked this up after seeing the Eagles in concert (History tour), hoping for a little more insight into the band and the stories behind the songs. Really, going to the concert and hearing the Eagles tell a quick story about a song was more educational than this book.

Maybe I'll seek out an actual book about the Eagles, not a coffee table book.

The pictures are nice.

[Owen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the terrible writing and the oft-repeated labeling of the Eagles as the greatest band of all time, the book does an excellent job of drawing a genealogical tree for country/rock/singer-songwriter LA in the late 60s/early 70s. As an Eagles ignoramus,I was enthralled.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I liked how the author also included the Eagles' inner-circle of friends, managers, etc. Four stars because there wasn't enough attention given to the other Eagles who aren't Don Henley and Glenn Frey.

[Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great photographs and tells the story of the Eagles succinctly and from a fan's point of view. Not as good as "Take it to the Limit", but still worth reading if you are a big Eagles fan.