Eagles - Dark Desert Highway: How America’s Dream Band Turned into a Nightmare

Often wondered why critics and those in the 'know' hated the Eagles while the public loved them.Mick Wall goes a long wat explaining that to a certain extents, those bands and singers that came before were feted above others in the genre but never made it quite so big.The Byrds, Burrito's, Poco, Pure Prarie Leauge and Gram and Gene all produced brilliant music but never sold many records, along come the Eagles and they clean up om a massive way. So why, was it it petty jealousness and the fact that the Eagles success was calculated to the extreme on the blueprint of those that went before.To me when I first heard them i knew nothing of this I just liked what I heard and fell in love with the whole LA country rock scene, Linda Rondstat, Jackson Browne, JD Souther and what was best of all they all knew each other and played together.When you are listening to this stuff in the seventies you paid no attention to corperate machine, each Eagles album got better and better, the songs were memorable and to me they were never 'faceless', Glenn Frey was to me the epitomy of LA cool and when I saw them in Earles Court with Joe Walsh I wanted to be in the Eagles.Most famously even the 'Dude' himself was heard to say 'I hate the ****ing Eagles man.By the end of the book Wall has a grudging respect for the Eagles and what they achieved and the huge success that came with it, no, it wasn't pretty by anymeans but the listening public still love that sound. Noone has come close to to that sound before or since the Eagles.I would say that as far as I am concerned the Eagles died the day Glenn left us and the band that is touring still is not the Eagles but a corperate money making machine, it is the songs that live on.

Stunning book and easy to read. If you've already read Don Felder's book, this is a nice addition, as it gives a "total perspective" of the whole band, right up to 2023. Lots of detail, with interesting anecdotes.

Mick Wall writes another good book about a band ! Shock, horror, probe ! Not his best but a good steady read,full of the essential sex , drugs, and rock and roll

Mindless drivel seemingly aimed at allowing the author to write a lot of crap that no one is interested in! Don’t get sucked it by the intro. I gave up a third of the way in! Don’t waste your money or time!

Highly recommended