The Long Run

Performer: Eagles
Artist: Jimmy Buffett; David Sanborn
Engineer: Bill Szymcyzk; Ed Mashal
Producer: Bill Szymcyzk
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: The Eagles: Glenn Frey (vocals, guitar, synthesizer); Joe Walsh (vocals, slide guitar); Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit (vocals); Don Felder (guitar, organ). Recorded at Bayshore Recording Studio, Coconut Grove, Florida. Three years in the making (which was considered an eternity in the '70s), the Eagles' follow-up to the massively successful, critically acclaimed Hotel California was a major disappointment, even though it sold several million copies and threw off three hit singles. Those singles, in fact, provide some insight into the record. "Heartache Tonight" was an old-fashioned rock & roll song sung by Glenn Frey, while "I Can't Tell You Why" was a delicate ballad by Timothy B. Schmit, the band's newest member. Only "The Long Run," a conventional pop/rock tune with a Stax Records R&B flavor, bore the stamp and vocal signature of Don Henley, who had largely taken the reins of the band on Hotel California. Henley also dominated The Long Run, getting co-writing credits on nine of the ten songs, singing five lead vocals, and sharing another two with Frey. This time around, however, Henley's contributions were for the most part painfully slight. Only "The Long Run" and the regret-filled closing song, "The Sad Caf�," showed any of his usual craftsmanship. The album was dominated by second-rank songs like "The Disco Strangler," "King of Hollywood," and "Teenage Jail" that sounded like they couldn't have taken three hours much less three years to come up with. (Joe Walsh's "In the City" was up to his usual standard, but it may not even have been an Eagles recording, having appeared months earlier on the soundtrack to The Warriors, where it was credited as a Walsh solo track.) Amazingly, The Long Run reportedly was planned as a double album before being truncated to a single disc. If these were the keepers, what could the rejects have sounded like? ~ William Ruhlmann The long-awaited follow-up to Hotel California and the Eagles' last studio album proved a considerable disappointment, although it sold in the expected multimillions and included the hits "Heartache Tonight," "The Long Run," and "I Can't Tell You Why." ~ William Ruhlmann THE LONG RUN, the Eagles' long-awaited follow-up to their hugely successful HOTEL CALIFORNIA, was the celebrated group's final studio album. By the time THE LONG RUN was released in early 1979, the laid-back West Coast rock scene that The Eagles had dominated throughout the decade had pretty much run its course. Many of the biggest rock groups of the era -- including The Eagles--were incorporating new influences into their music and toughening up their sound. While similar in feel to HOTEL CALIFORNIA, THE LONG RUN is a far more diverse album that features an immaculately crafted set of songs ranging from the soulful pop of the Don Henley-sung title track and "I Can' t Tell You Why" to tough, country-influenced rocker "Heartache Tonight" and the epic, dynamic "In The City." Even though Don Henley, Glen Frey and Joe Walsh would all go on to lead successful solo careers in the ensuing years, they would rarely better the polished pop on THE LONG RUN.

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