Customer Reviews

Common Thread: Songs of the Eagles

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4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
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Unlike some of the reviewers here, I don't consider the cover tracks on this album better than, or even quite as good as, the Eagles' originals. But most of them are, no question, good performances of some great original tunes.

For all their California rock/pop-ness, the Eagles always had strong country influences in their sound (Don Henley himself has made reference to the band's "satanic-country-rock period" during the era of the "One of These Nights" album), and so adapting their songs to the vocal stylings of country singers isn't that big a stretch. The tracks on this tribute CD are pretty straightforward covers of some of their classics: in most cases, the track-length is within seconds of the Eagles' originals. Some of the versions have been "countried-up" a little, but even then they're pretty faithful to the originals.

Personally, I think I was most impressed by Clint Black's "Desperado," Tanya Tucker's "Already Gone," and Travis Tritt's "Take it Easy." Suzy Bogguss did a fine job with "Take It to the Limit," but I missed the Eagles' tight harmonies on this one. For all Suzy's talent, I just don't think it sounds as good as a solo. And I wish they would have found someone to cover "Witchy Woman" or even "Hotel California." But you can't have everything.

If you like country music and the Eagles, you got to have this cd. It demonstrates how far ahead the Eagles really were ahead of their time. Each country artist brings an unique quality and interpretation of the Eagle's early songs. A long term hold for any cd portfolio

This was something new in country music - a tribute album to which each invited star recorded one song, with the results going to charity. A lot of country singers of the nineties were fans of the Eagles and they enthusiastically joined in. The resulting album contains plenty of covers of their famous songs - indeed, nearly all the original versions of these songs can be found on greatest hits compilations by the Eagles. I've met people who listen to this more frequently than the originals.

So the song selection is mostly obvious with only Billy Dean doing something different, Saturday night being his choice, but all the performances are inspired. It seems that the singers and songs are well matched. My favorite here is Take it to the limit (Suzy Bogguss) but not by much. Every track is a real gem.

I only know of one previous cover of an Eagles song by any of the featured singers here, that being Tanya Tucker's version of Best of my love, which she recorded in the early seventies. Here she covers Already gone, leaving Best of my love to be covered this time by Brooks and Dunn.

This album was far more successful than anybody ever imagined possible, so tribute albums by various artists became a regular feature of country music, but this was the first of its kind and is still among the best.

This was an interesting CD when it first came out. Released in 1993, at the height of the "new" country popularity, this CD has many various country stars (and superstars) re-recording classic Eagles hits. Nothing wrong with that. I keep pulling this out every so often and it is still enjoyable (in a mellow sort-of-way) to listen to. The problem here is that this collection could have been SO much better. Not by including different songs, but by showing some creativity when recording. With the exception of Tanya Tucker's cover of "Already Gone" every song here is recorded exactly as the Eagles recorded them. Same harmonies, same guitar riffs (well, Travis Tritt does stray a little on "Take It Easy", but not much), and same beat. With the talent included here, and with some the hottest country musicians backing them up, the songs should have been more than just covered. Again, this does not make this a bad collection, just a little disappointing. Highlights here include "Desperado" by Clint Black and "Take It To The Limit" by Suzy Bogguss. It's also interesting to note that most of these songs were from the early days of the Eagles, before they re-invented themselves and went mainstream rock. I would recommend this to almost any country fan, and also to fans of the original Eagles line-up. If you're an Eagles fan who thinks "Hotel California" was their best album (and it probably was) you may not enjoy this too much.

I like these songs. In 1993 these versions of songs by the Eagles were released as a benefit for the preservation of land around Walden Pond. Country singers are usually good at picking up enough of the way a song should be done to do it right. Almost all of these songs are so familiar that most audiences would know if a rendition started to fall apart, but all these performances are so polished that anyone would be thrilled to hear them. I only know the greatest hits and songs The Eagles do in concert, but the final song, "The Sad Cafe" is the only selection on this CD that I have not heard often enough to know how it really goes, and all the songs sound right on.

I'm inclined to pay more attention to female vocalists than the other kind, and I'm glad some ladies got to do the longer songs on this CD, `Take It To the Limit,' (4:32) `New Kid In Town,' (5:07) `Already Gone,' (5:00) and `The Sad Cafe' (4:45). Four of the songs the guys sing are less than 3 or 4 minutes, but the longest song `Lyin' Eyes' (6:30) by Diamond Rio looks like a bunch of guys in the picture: Lead Vocals: Marty Roe, with Gene Johnson and Dana Williams on Background Vocals.

There are some great lines in the Eagles' songs that I like, and when I could not remember the final verse of one of those songs, today, this CD was the obvious pick to listen to because these singers are not afraid to be clearer than the originals. My mind digresses too much when listening to songs that everyone has heard millions of times, especially by the time a song gets to the guitar solo, and having a singer giving some country character to these songs makes the words stand out more than ever. If you ever appreciated the songs by the Eagles but got tired of listening to the original versions, this CD will give you 13 great songs with all the variety that mainstream country music fans expect.

As a young, 19-year-old college student enjoying a typical Texas summer away from school, I discovered this amazing CD. Already an Eagles fan thanks to my mother and aunts, I picked this one up one afternoon when I was in dire need of something good to listen to. Well, I was suprised as to what I'd heard. Here were all these recordings by various country stars, each song quite different from the next, but all typically true to the original versions. To this day, I absolutely cherish this set of songs I have. From Alan Jackson's smooth and laid-back "Tequila Sunrise", to Diamond Rio's and Little Texas' perfect, soothing harmonies on "Lyin' Eyes" and "Peaceful, Easy Feeling", to Clint Black's raw emotion on "Desperado", this is definitely a classic to me. In other words, when I think back to those great, fun, innocent times from the summer and fall of 1993, this CD is undoubtedly part of the soundtrack of my life.

I picked up "Common Thread: The Songs Of The Eagles" when it originally came out. Back then, I was a sucker for Nashville's commercial country engine and this album seemed to fit the bill. Laden with 90's Country stars, I figured this album would be great. Of course, back then I thought it was. However, my tastes have changed over the years and my love of commercial Nashville has turned into hatred. Posers like Mr. and Mrs. Faith Hill, Big and Rich, and Shania Twain have stolen the spotlight from real Country artists by cranking out easy-to-digest pop songs and passing them off as Country. Even with my transformation though, I've grown to love this particular album more over time. In fact, most of the artists on this project have either been drawn deeper into traditional Country or their careers have faded into dust. I guess Nashville got lucky on this album by picking artists that weren't molded for stardom but found it in their own right.

For instance, take Little Texas. They were probably one of the most popular commercial outfits to be plugged by Nashville. Pretty boys with long flowing hair and an "aw shucks, ma'am" mentality when interviewed, Little Texas was groomed for the spotlight. With that said, their take on "Peaceful, Easy Feeling" is one of the most honest and, in my opinion, one of the best songs on this entire album. They've been busted up for quite sometime now, but this cover will always be a gem in my book. Though they were very commercial, they were very good at what they did.

A group who also basked in the light of commercial Country even though they were solidly grounded in the old hillbilly, mandolin-drenched twang was Diamond Rio. They were and still are one of my favorite bands. They have a "high lonesome" quality in all of their songs that shows the listener that they still remember what makes Country music great. Their cover of "Lyin' Eyes" is the best song on this album. Their talent has kept them near the top of Country music to this day.

Alan Jackson, Clint Black, and Brooks and Dunn also take some solid stabs at a few of the Eagles' tunes. Jackson puts a good country spin on "Tequila Sunrise" and Black shoots straight on "Desperado." Kix Brooks handles the vocals in "Best Of My Love," and I'm glad he did. His voice fits that tune nicely.

There are plenty of other artists on this album that do a grand job. Travis Tritt's "Take It Easy" and Billy Dean's "Saturday Night" deserve special recognition as one takes a huge Eagles hit and makes it his own while the other takes a relatively unknown to the mainstream Eagles tune and gives it a wonderful rendition.

Fans of California's light country and rock should enjoy this album. This may be a little bit too soft for Southern rockers. Of course, just tell the modern Country fan that this is great stuff and just like sheep they'll probably gobble it up. Oh, and if you're into labels, this is California country, not country-rock or "pop" as the Amazon reviewer argues. Check out the Flying Burrito Brothers or the Desert Rose Band if you don't believe me.

1. Take It Easy (Travis Tritt, 3:32) -- 2. Peaceful Easy Feeling (Little Texas, 4:19) -- 3. Desperado (Clint Black, 3:38) -- 4. Heartache Tonight (John Anderson, 4:23) -- 5. Tequila Sunrise (Alan Jackson, 2:53) -- 6. Take It To The Limit (Suzy Bogguss, 4:32) -- 7. I Can't Tell You Why (Vince Gill, 4:04) -- 8. Lyin' Eyes (Diamond Rio, 6:30) -- 9. New Kid In Town (Trisha Yearwood, 5:07) -- 10. Saturday Night (Billy Dean, 3:25) -- 11. Already Gone (Tanya Tucker, 5:00) -- 12. Best Of My Love (Brooks & Dunn, 4:38) -- 13. The Sad Cafe (Lorrie Morgan, 4:45)

If you love Country Music and the Eagles, this is the CD to buy. All of the artist do a great job and some even sound like the original Eagles arrangements.

This is one of those albums you can simply leave in your stereo and let it play all day. Get over who is singing, and listen to what the Eagles have inspired musically. This is the rare occasion that a tribute album actually contains 7-8 tracks of music that sound significantly better than the original recordings. And this is the Eagles we're talking about. Buy this album!