Maps of Music

Eagles Live (1980)

Where the lyrics of Eagles Live take you, and where it was really made.

Eagles Live was pieced together by mailing tapes between Los Angeles and Miami, and its harmony fixes were made "courtesy of Federal Express."

Key places

Inglewood shows, October 1976 (1976)

Recording site Los Angeles Forum — Five of the album's tracks were recorded at three October 1976 performances at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The band's line-up on those dates differed from the one that played the 1980 shows. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Santa Monica shows, July 1980 (1980)

Recording site Santa Monica Civic Auditorium — Three July 1980 shows at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium supplied part of the album, alongside one show at the Long Beach Arena. Ten tracks came from these four concerts. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The Long Beach concert that ended the tour (1980)

Recording site Long Beach Arena — The Long Run tour ended with a Long Beach concert on July 31, 1980, which raised funds for Senator Alan Cranston's campaign. The album's version of All Night Long was recorded at this show, which is noted for a backstage dispute between Frey and Felder. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Eagles Live: first live album by the American rock band the Eagles
• Two-LP set released November 7, 1980
• Fulfilled the band's remaining contractual obligation to Elektra/Asylum Records, though the Eagles were already breaking up
• Drawn from performances on the Hotel California and The Long Run tours
• Mixed by Glenn Frey in Los Angeles and Don Henley in Miami
• Includes "Seven Bridges Road," a Steve Young cover released as a single that became a top-40 hit

Background

• The band was plagued for years by internal strife
• The breaking point came by July 31, 1980, when The Long Run tour ended in Long Beach
• That Long Beach concert was a fund-raiser for then-Senator Alan Cranston's campaign
• Timothy B. Schmit joined in 1978, replacing original bassist Randy Meisner

Recording

• Five tracks were recorded in October 1976 at three performances at The Forum in Inglewood, California
• The other ten tracks were recorded in July 1980 at three shows at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and one at the Long Beach Arena
• Songs from each studio album except On the Border are included, plus two Walsh solo tracks
• Frey refused to join the others for overdubs, so the recording was done piecemeal
• Tapes were sent between the two cities until the album was completed

Cover

• The cover image is a band-equipment road case used during a concert tour
• The number 86 appears on both sides, and "MIA" is written on air-freight stickers on the back

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971.
• Founding members were Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner, all first recruited as musicians for Linda Ronstadt.
• They signed to David Geffen's Asylum Records in September 1971.
• The name was reportedly suggested by Leadon, though accounts vary.

Members

• Founding members: Glenn Frey (guitar, vocals), Don Henley (drums, vocals), Bernie Leadon (guitar, vocals), Randy Meisner (bass, vocals).
• Don Felder joined in 1974 as guitarist; Joe Walsh replaced Leadon in 1975; Timothy B. Schmit replaced Meisner in 1977.
• Frey died in January 2016; Meisner died in July 2023.

Career

• The band has five number-one singles and six number-one albums in the US, and six Grammy Awards.
• Estimated sales exceed 200 million records worldwide; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
• Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) and Hotel California are among their best-selling albums.
• The band broke up in 1980, reunited in 1994 for Hell Freezes Over, and released Long Road Out of Eden in 2007.
• The band announced a farewell tour in 2023 and held a Sphere residency in Las Vegas from 2024.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Eagles Live is a two-LP set released on November 7, 1980, the first live album by the American rock band the Eagles
• The album fulfilled the band's contractual obligation to Elektra/Asylum Records even though the Eagles were already breaking up
• It draws on performances from the Hotel California and The Long Run tours
• Glenn Frey and Don Henley mixed it on opposite coasts, in Los Angeles and Miami, respectively
• Producer Bill Szymczyk said the record's harmony and instrument fixes were made "courtesy of Federal Express"

Reappraisal

• The 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide said the album is "perhaps the most heavily overdubbed [live album] in history"
• The remark refers to the overdubbing that went into the album's recording

Records

• "Seven Bridges Road," a Steve Young cover, was released as a single and became a top-40 hit
• The only previously unreleased song on the album is a version of "Seven Bridges Road"

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The Eagles turned down a $2 million offer from the label to record two new songs for the album.
• The only previously unreleased track is a version of "Seven Bridges Road."
• The record labels were custom, showing a bird's nest filled with eggs and hand grenades.
• Original vinyl pressings had text engraved in the run-out grooves, a band tradition since One of These Nights (1975).
• Five lead singers are featured across the album's 14 vocal songs.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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