Don Henley on the best possible replacement Eagles member: “One of the best”
Every member of the Eagles was responsible for making that core sound. No matter how many people might try to rearrange the lineup of the band, there isn’t a chance that anyone could written tunes better than Glenn Frey and Don Henley, nor could anyone play the banjo stylings of Bernie Leadon or have the chops of Don Felder and Joe Walsh. While life choices eventually forced Felder to give up his time as an Eagle, Henley knew he got the next best thing when Steuart Smith stepped up to the plate.
But getting any of the band members back on the same page in the late 1980s was practically a pipe dream. Frey and Henley were both doing respectable numbers in their solo careers, but when they announced the Hell Freezes Over tour with the last lineup of the group returning, it felt like a musical miracle occurred.
Then again, this reunion may have been a little too good to be true for Felder. Once he looked at saw how little he was getting paid compared to his bandmates, Felder left because of how he felt he had been neglected. I mean, it’s one thing not to be the person singing the songs, but if you’re the one who wrote the chord progression to ‘Hotel California’, you’d probably feel a bit cheated if you found out that your paycheck was worth less than everyone else’s.
While it looked like the band would never make a true Eagles album again, Long Road Out of Eden gave them one last chance to make an honest comeback. There had been flickers of that magic on the 9/11 memorial single, ‘Hole in the World,’ but they were missing some piece of rocket fuel, and that person’s name was Steuart Smith.
Although he never tried to work his way into the group, he would get numerous writing credits on Long Road Out of Eden and also tour with them playing Felder’s old parts. It might not have been exactly the same, but as far as Henley was concerned, this was the lineup that the later Eagles deserved.
When talking to Washington Post, Henley said that Smith was about as good as a replacement as they could find, saying, “Steuart’s quite a musician, and he’s added a lot of much-needed creative spark to the band. And he’s been very good for the writing process with regard to the new album. He’s just great to have around because he’s ready when you need him, but he’s not intrusive. He’s incredible, one of the best I’ve ever seen and one of the few people who could have stepped into this position and handled it as gracefully as he has.”
Even though it is disheartening to know that Felder isn’t laying down leads like he used to, it’s not like Smith can’t play or anything. He does do ‘Hotel California’ justice whenever harmonising with Walsh, and given his contributions on tunes like ‘Waiting in the Weeds’, he definitely has an understanding of what made those old albums work so well.
But as far as Smith is concerned, he is only one piece of the puzzle regarding the group these days, telling History of the Eagles, “I’m one part hired gun, one part collaborator. I’m one of the guitar players, but I’m not an Eagle. I don’t know what it’s like to be one of those guys.”
