The Eagles: Long Road Out of Eden

Editorial

Let's first discuss disc one. This entire album was obviously produced to get the Justin Timberlake influenced country rock out of the way early, which the first disc has in spades. Included on disc one is the newest single, How Long. The song is a cover (and not a very good one) that was originally written by J.D. Souther in the 1970's, but is a bad choice for a first single. Cheesy lyrics and predictable music abound, drawing one to comparisons with modern, mainstream pop music (think Justin Timberlake, Avril Lavigne et al). For a band with as much experience as The Eagles, this is more than a little disappointing.

However, the plus side is that the title track on the second disc, Long Road Out of Eden, makes up for the entirety of the first disc. The second CD seems more of a musical endeavour than a pop release, which is great (and redeeming). There's more musical adventure, better song-writing and tasteful vocal harmonies, not to mention some obscure instrumentation, as on the intro to the title track. Eagles fans will jump to grab this release, but it feels a little hollow. Unfortunately, despite what the charts say, this is not a lasting release at all.

Tracks
Disc 1
1. No More Walks in the Wood
2. How Long
3. Busy Being Fabulous
4. What Do I Do with My Heart
5. Guilty of the Crime
6. I Don't Want to Hear Any More
7. Waiting in the Weeds
8. No More Cloudy Days
9. Fast Company
10. Do Something
11. You Are Not Alone

Disc 2
1. Long Road Out of Eden
2. I Dreamed There Was No War
3. Somebody
4. Frail Grasp on the Big Picture
5. Last Good Time in Town
6. I Love To Watch a Woman Dance
7. Business As Usual
8. Center of the Universe
9. It's Your World Now

Vincent Giles, November 2007