Glenn Frey once picked the “zenith of the Eagles”
As the Eagles embarked on their farewell tour, The Long Goodbye, it became apparent that despite decades passing since the band initially started performing, their influence isn’t going anywhere.
This isn’t news to the band, either. Glen Frey was well aware of the band’s success as they continued to grow in popularity even after their initial split. Their push toward becoming an immovable legacy from the world of music hasn’t required the band to be present and making music for it to go forward.
“While the band did break up in 1980, our music continued without us,” he said when discussing the popularity of the Eagles even after they stopped making music together. “It was becoming increasingly apparent to me that, no matter where I went or what I did, for the rest of my life, I would always be an Eagle.”
Frey died in January 2016 at the age of 67. He joined the band initially in 1971, a decision that completely changed the musical outfit’s trajectory. What people got with Frey wasn’t just an excellent songwriter and musician but somebody with the vision to take what would be a good band and propel it into something otherworldly. He had a business mindset as well as a creative one, which the band members attribute to their success.
Don Henley once referred to Frey as “the glue” of the band, saying he could contribute commercially and creatively to their growth. “He’s a big sports fan, so he applied coaching principles to running this band… He recognises people’s strengths and gets them to do what they do best.”
Given Frey’s intricate view of the band, his view on their albums went a lot further than just whether he liked them or not. He was able to look at an album and understand what it did for the band, how it appealed to their audience, and how it allowed them to go in the direction that they did. He was truly influential in that sense, with as intricate knowledge of his band as coaches do sports teams.
While he was happy with the work that the Eagles put out into the world, there was an album in particular that stood out to him and continued to reach people long after their split. It’s unsurprisingly their most popular. “The zenith of the Eagles,” he said when asked about the chart-topping album Hotel California, “In that what we had to say came together with our learning of how to make records.”
To pick a band’s high point is to understand truly the group. Nobody is better placed than Frey to ascertain that. But there’s a good chance that every single member of the public would pick the mammoth-selling LP as their best work.
This album really cemented the band’s reputation and sealed their fate as one of the best country rock bands in the world. This is a mantle they continue to carry to this day, a reputation that continues to sell out tours and see them top best album lists worldwide. Frey was at the heart of all of it, the songs and the understanding of what they could do for the band.
