That’s why one my old bosses used to call me Bubbles, dang it.

Oh wait…

Oh, and someone gave me a gift card for the Olive Garden recently. I haven’t been in probably 16 or so years and am actually kind of looking forward to it.

Same holds true on The Long Run album….I know I’m in a very small minority, but The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks was just a fun song to listen to and very un-Eaglelike that they seemed to not give a shit and actually just play. I mean, hardly a masterpiece, but something I would turn up if it came on the radio. Which it won’t. But it should well before the title track and that god awful Heartache Tonight. Why Don Henley could sell more records when teamed up with Glenn Frey than he could on his own is completely beyond me.

I just can’t hear HC as a great album. Influential, yes. Unfortunately (IMO). But that’s the album that turned me from a casual Eagles fan into an Eagles dismisser, so there’s no way it gets even “great in its own time” from me. I mean, here’s Slarti saying all these positive things about it, and I’m realizing that half of the details he’s mentioning I never even noticed, because the production got in the way of my being able to hear them. [shudder] Man, do I hate that sound!

I don’t even like the Eagles that much. Not really my taste, actually. I just think the album, and the band, is trashed because people hear “Eagles” and they think of Glenn Frey’s solo career, the ridiculous ticket prices, the smugness of their interviews, Walmart, their aloof attitude during concerts and the truly bad imitators they inspired (Richard Marx, Hootie, Garth Brooks, Matchbox 20). Even those hating the Eagles (which I don’t) would admit that the vast majority of big time acts post 1980 or whatever couldn’t carry the Eagles jock.

And yeah, I said imho for a reason. Because it is simply mine. But to me, saying that HC isn’t an all time great album is kind of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. IMHO.

Well, that’s the thing. Your humble opinion is yours. Mine, as I was careful to state above, is mine. I think it’s a shame that you can’t see any legitimate reason for anyone to have taste different than your own, and have to assert that it’s due to snobbery. I’ve given pretty specific reasons for disliking a specific album. If you disagree, that’s cool. There’s no reason I can see for you to attack my motives, but that’s your problem.

I mean, you don’t really think that there’s any objective measurement of the top tier of rock (or any kind of) music, do you?

I think at times people confuse talent with output. Those acts may have been more naturally gifted. In fact, I’m pretty sure they were….

But none of them put out something, imho, that equals Hotel California. If Hotel California hadn’t sold 2 billion albums or whatever and hadn’t been pushed so hard on the radio, the music snobs would be whining/bragging how great this under appreciated album is.

I can’t believe I’m actually defending the Eagles. But to deny this album and pieces of their other stuff should be among the top tier of rock music of all time is a bit much.

Granted, it might be the best of a bad decade, but if you don’t have HC as one of your definitive albums of rock and roll, then you’re not getting it. The Eagles showed brilliance in spite of themselves. They mucked themselves up too much for the most part, but this one is a top 10 of all time.

Saturday Night Fever!