Customer Reviews

Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I am a big fan of Don Henley with and without the Eagles, and while his social commentaries do get a bit tiresome at times, there is no denying the quality of the music, which is the bottom line for me. From the opening biting social commentary of "Dirty Laundry" to the closing unlisted track "Everybody Knows", most of these tracks are stellar.

"The Boys Of Summer" and "The End Of The Innocence" are two of Don's biggest and best hits that are of course included here. In fact, every top 40 Don solo song that is not a part of a duet is here. In addition, none of the three new tracks are really ballads--interesting since Don has had so many great slower hits.

I take exception to those who think "I Will Not Go Quietly" should not be here. That is a great hard-rocking track that rock radio played a lot of in the summer of 1989. To me, it helps to show the diversity that does in fact make up Don Henley's great solo music.

For sure, you can't go wrong if you are a fan of the Eagles and/or Don with this collection. While some of his hits are much better than others, this collection provides just what a greatest hits collection should provide--all the biggest hits along with some great album tracks and interesting new material. Definitely a recommended purchase.

Don Henley is one of my favorite male singers of all time, with or without the Eagles (which, behind Fleetwood Mac, is my favorite band), and a truly great songwriter, littering his lyrics with wit and wisdom. "The Boys of Summer" is my all-time favortie song of any genre... the sound is the perfect soundtrack for driving the California coast! And "The End of the Innocence" is so true... an absolutely gorgeous masterpiece that manages to include an important message. The collection only falters in that it nearly draws exclusively from 2 albums, with "Dirty Laundry" the sole representative from his first solo effort. In my opinion, "Johnny Can't Read" should have been inluded over "I Will Not Go Quietly". The "new" songs offer little new, and pale next to the classics. So... If you are just a casual fan, this collection will probably suit you and works well as an intro to Don's amazing talent. It leaves you craving more, however. Therefore I suggest buying the 3 proper CD's, which ususally are bargain priced anyway. Can't wait for the latest Don Henley release coming next month!

This collection, without a doubt, is one of my favorite CDs I own. It is always in my car- the CD cover has even begun to fade. I'm not exactly sure why certain songs such as "I Will Not Go Quietly" or "Not Enough Love In The World" are considered greatest hits, but I enjoy hearing them anyway. Of the three newer songs, "Garden of Allah" is far and away the best.

Don Henley makes a masterpiece of his greatest hits, and even adds 3 new songs (2 of which I like a lot) to the mix. He certainly doesn't skimp on the good music in this fine collection. Starting off with "Dirty Laundry," a biting track about the press, he never lets the listener down with is fine material from 3 albums. My personal favorites from this album-"The End of the Innocence"-a fantastic track, "New York Minute"-a really haunting song about rushing through life too fast, and "Not Enough Love In The World"-Henley on a falsetto, not bad. The new songs, especially "The Garden of Allah" (a really funny track), are quite fine as well. The only thing that could have made this album better is the inclusion of "Johnny Can't Read," "Sit Down You're Rocking The Boat," and his masterpiece duet with Patti Smyth "Sometimes Love Ain't Enough." Still, this is a fine album, one of the finest greatest hits albums I've seen in a while...

Henley`s solo collection is not a mixed bag of music. Actual Miles shines quality all over. From the opening track Dirty Laundry, with a very good tabloid critique of the media society, which still holds up today, to the last track. This CD shines.But how can you possible go wrong when you move into The Boys of Summer on Track 2. You can realy feel the summer breeze shivering trough youre soul on this one. An open soundpicture with a somekind of air feel to with it. Uplifting. Track 4 It`s not enough love in this world is also a winner. It`s moody and have enough tempo upbeat to make you a happier human beeing. And the lyricks tell you things to think about too. But the real winner and my old time Henley favourite is Track 6 The End of the Innocence. The opening with the piano. It`s pure music magic. And when Henley`s voice is put in gear. This is what music should be. It`s like a short movie in a way. Just close your eyes, and listening. Anyway if you new to Henley this one gives you an earopener when it comes to pure gold quality all trough

This "comment" - not a complete review - is for the following review below: (so click "not" recommended or whatever if you must).


<<<<<
Typical Greatest hits collection, January 7, 2005

Reviewer: Alan B. Richards (Denton, TX USA)

The title says it all. This album has neither the depth or the flow of either "Building the Perfect Beast" or "Inside Job" and in fact contains nothing off of "Inside Job" which to me is Henley's best solo album. It don't sound like Henley was involved in the production at all. It's better than listening to the radio. But you're better off buying the real Don Henley albums for the gems that don't make it to a greatest hits album
>>>>>>

Yes, this is the typical greatest hits collection (aren't they all?). But I do find it important to point out two things:

1. INSIDE JOB was released about five years AFTER this greatest hits collection was produced. Your release information is WAY off.

2. You are half correct (to a certain point) that Don Henley was not "involved in the production at all". In 1994, Henley and David Geffen (former head of the now-sold Geffen Records that had a contract with Henley at the time) were in a legal battle where Henley wanted out of his contract with Geffen Records, because he believed Geffen was not treating him fairly monetary wise (isn't that always the case?). Geffen sued; Henley countersued. The suit was settled when (a) The Eagles agreed to let Geffen release the live album HELL FREEZES OVER and (b) Henley agreed to let a Greatest Hits album be released of his solo work (which is this one: Actual Miles). Henley wanted out and this compilation is what came from it.

I recommend this greatest hits album only for the casual listener of solo Henley, as every hit single he released is on this compilation. If you want to delve into the "unknown" that Henley really has to offer, purchase Building The Perfect Beast and The End of The Innocence.

Despite the cynical (and hilarous) cover, this is really quite an adequate Greatest Hits albums. It includes almost all of the best songs from Don's solo career. I like Don Henley's music because he's honest, he's not fooling anybody, and he tells you what he really thinks in his songs, instead of just catering to the audience like so many others. This is rare in an artist today; you have to dig through an awful lot of boy bands and sell-outs to get to the Don Henleys, Roger Waters, and Bruce Springsteens. Anyway, this has most of Don's best songs that are both lyrically cynical and honest as well as still managing to be melodic. Dirty Laundry, The Boys of Summer, New York Minute, etc. are all great tracks, and The Heart of the Matter (one of my favorite ballads), The End of the Innocence, and others are flat out masterpieces. Buy this album if you want a good overview of Don's solo career, although it is missing a few songs, which is why I have it 4 stars instead of 5.

All but two of the recordings on this album are taken from four older albums: BUILDING THE PERFECT BEAST (4 of 13), THE END OF THE INNOCENCE (5 of 13), I CAN'T STAND STILL (1), and TOWER OF SONG (1). That is, they're the same recordings, not re-recorded or rearranged to 'get a musically superior version'.

Speaking for myself, knowing that and being able to get "Dirty Laundry" with a sampling of songs from BUILDING THE PERFECT BEAST is all I needed to know to persuade me that this album was worth pursuing. Henley's got a gift for coupling good music with clever lyrics, and he sings clearly enough that I don't have trouble following what he's saying. (Which means, of course, that the arrangements aren't drowning out the vocals with percussion, a plus.)

Four of the first five songs strike me as perfect for playing over the summer holidays in hot weather.

"Dirty Laundry" (from I CAN'T STAND STILL) Good song to listen to when the scandal-mongers have been unusually busy in the media. "I make my livin' off the evenin' news/Just give me somethin', somethin' I can use/People love it when you lose/They love dirty laundry..."

From BUILDING THE PERFECT BEAST (see): "The Boys of Summer", "All She Wants To Do Is Dance", "Not Enough Love in the World", and "Sunset Grill", of which the last is my favourite of this group. "Let's go down to the Sunset Grill/watch the workin' girls go by/Watch the basket people walk around and mumble/stare out at the auburn sky..."

From THE END OF THE INNOCENCE (see): "The End of the Innocence", "The Last Worthless Evening", "New York Minute", "I Will Not Go Quietly", and "The Heart of the Matter", the last of which is a contender for best breakup song. "I'm learning to live without you now/but I miss you sometimes/The more I know, the less I understand/All the things I thought I knew, I'm learning again..."

Really, if you like Henley's music at all, you should know enough by know to persuade you whether this album is worth your time, if you don't have the individual albums from which most of the songs were drawn.

"The Garden of Allah" Recorded in 1995; the sense of the title is roughly any supposed earthly paradise. Fairly slow tempo, minor key as the Devil appears, lamenting simpler days past. "Vainly reaching for the bottle full of empty Edens/branded specially for the ones/who had come with great expectations/to the perfumed halls of Allah/for their time in the sun..."

"You Don't Know Me at All" Breakup song. "I gave you everything on a silver tray/Could've been a fool forever, but I'm not made that way/And after all these years, I think it's time to say goodbye/I'm doin' you a favour, I will not help you live a lie/And believe me, if you think I'm gonna catch you when you fall/you don't know me, you don't know me at all."

"Everybody Knows" (from TOWER OF SONG) The only piece on this album that Henley didn't compose as well as perform.

This is a collection of some of Don Henley's greatest work. Like a lot of people, I was disappointed with the absense of "Johnny Can't Read" and "A Month of Sundays". I would've also liked to have heard "Land of the Living" make the cut. However, upon greater reflection, I realized that this was a greatest *hits* album, and not a greatest *songs* album. If my favorite songs never became singles, it's not the album's fault. My advice is to get this album filled with Don Henley's greatest singles, if not all his greatest songs.

One can perhaps rant about the absence of earlier Henley hits like "Talking to the Moon" or even of some of the Eagles tunes, but this is still a great collection.

"The Boys of Summer" is, to my mind, the best driving song of all time...truly an unbelievable sound that conjures up many powerful, nostalgic feelings. "The End of the Innocence" is also great, a slow and romantic track that takes one back to bygone days. And "The Sunset Grill"...aaah, memories of driving along the California Coast highway in the late afternoon with the top pulled down...

Truly a beautiful CD, and the new tracks "Garden Of Allah" and "You Don't Know Me at All", while commercially unsuccessful, are quite good. The only negative thing to say about the CD is the cheesy cover.