Customer Reviews

Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974-2001)

5 star:		(105)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First of all, I don't feel sorry for Felder. He is more than wealthy enought to maintain himself for the rest of his life. I feel this book is notable because he has given us a look into the workings of the Eagles. The last 4-5 chapters were the most interesting for me. Felder describes in detail the control Henley and Frey had in the band and how they un-equally shared the revenue with the Hell Freezes over Tour. Whereas Schmidt and Walsh signed their agreements willingly, it was Felder who tried to keep everything equal due to the original agreement they had when he had joined the band, and it was his downfall.

We hear and feel Felder's frustration when attempting to talk to Henley and Frey through their Manager Irving Azoff. Azoff himself protected more of Henley and Frey than the other band members. They all stayed in different floors away from each other in hotels during touring. When it was promised that the percentage of income would be worked out with Felder, (It never Happened). After Felder was fired, he was forced to sue the Eagles over constantant mis-management and handling of the finances. This book put Irzoff, Henley and Frey in an extreemly bad light, and I must say I agree completely with Felder on many of his examinations. The Company created called "Eagles Limited" was the organization made up by all the original members including Don Felder. Each had a 20% part of the organization equally. When Bernie and Randy (original members) left the group, these shares were given back freely but not extended to Schmidt or Walsh. This is probably the beginning of the control ride that Henley and Frey started with the group. To this day Schmidt and Walsh are just hired session and performance members only. Felder did still retain all his membership rights. When he questioned the accounting and business decisions, he was made to feel uncomfortable. Henley, Frey, and Azoff made no attempt to let him in on the decisions made. It was in fact a partnership with only two members making decisions while the other member was made to be a silent partner. Felder had every right to question accountability of the finances and decision making. When he was terminated, his only recourse was to sue. Some of this is covered in the book but may have been watered over due to the settlement of the lawsuit.

This book has made me a convert and fan to Felder. I never realized how much he incorporated into the Eagles music until now. I recommend this book highly because Don is a respectable guy, and a great guitarist. I believe Henley and Frey made a very bad decision with the removal of Felder. They obviously did not take into account how many fans Felder had.

When HEAVEN AND HELL was first announced, word-of-mouth was that it was going to be so incendiary that Frey and Henley would need asbestos gloves to read the thing. After breezing through HEAVEN AND HELL - and it is a quick, entertaining read - we're treated to the following: The Eagles did a lot of drugs and booze. They jumped every woman that came near. Don Henley was a sour-faced, perfectionist control freak. Glenn Frey was a ego-tripping control freak who treated people like dirt. Joe Walsh was a good-natured, slightly bent guitar hero who loved to trash hotel rooms, etc. And so?? All those peccadillos were fairly common knowledge or at least rumored for years...all Felder's book does is to confirm it!

HEAVEN AND HELL may have exposed the Eagles dirty laundry but - substitute a few names here and there - and it could be the story of the Stones, Zeppelin or any major rock group creating great music amidst drugs, alcohol, groupies and oversized egos. Why should The Eagles have been different?

Actually, given Henley and Frey's demeaning treatment of other members of the group, I thought Felder did an even-handed job of describing the group's life in the fast lane. People may question why he wrote the book but why shouldn't he? He was there; he has a perfect right to record what happened. His version of events may not agree with the version Frey and Henley want the public to accept but so what.

As I was reading Felder's book, time and again I got the feeling I was getting 'The Rest of the Story.' For example, as much as I liked the Eagles' music, often-times it seemed almost too perfect, too mistake-free. Now I know why. Likewise, judging from the book, Henley and Frey seemed as concerned with controlling the public's perception of the group as they were in crafting evocative songs and endearing music.

Felder's book should be required reading for all Eagles fans. It is a rare, warts-and-all, insider's view of the workings of a major rock group. Sour grapes...maybe. But it's still a great read!

By now, no Eagles fan should be surprised by tales told about "The Gods," Don Henley and Glenn Frey, and how they have treated (or mistreated) their fellow musicians over the years. What makes this book stand out is that the recounting here is done from the inside, by someone who is not only very capable of telling that history, but is also adept at conveying it in a very readable, conversational way. This is guitarist Don Felder's memoir-to-date, "Heaven and Hell."

Other Amazon reviewers have covered the basics of Felder's life story, tracing his beginnings in Gainesville, Florida; his growing focus on music and guitars; and his father's undue influence on his life. Knowing where he'll eventually end up, the pages make for interesting and anticipatory reading. We follow Felder's winding career path (which includes attending Woodstock) as it eventually leads toward the Eagles, to California, and to the celebrity and opulent lifestyle that only rock stars can earn. And of course: simultaneously to alcohol, drugs, extramarital liaisons, and chain-saw attacks on hotel room furniture. (You go, Joe!)

Those folks who have also read books like Jonathan Gould's "Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain & America" will no doubt be stirred by the resemblance of the Eagles to the Fab Four. Felder himself refers to the analogy on page 116 when Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon are said to have adopted "the George and Ringo positions" in the group. Ain't it the truth? Here we have a band made up of highly creative musicians, dominated by two of the original members (who seem to be writing most of the songs) and a manager who's behind it all, calling the shots. And though the first albums took the public by storm, subsequent albums became tougher and tougher to put together as tempers flared, arguments ensued, and individuals walked out. Near the end, in and around the breakup, intricate legalities took over. In both cases, it all boiled down to ego and money. In retrospect, one wonders what would have been the Beatles' fate if Mark David Chapman had not pulled the trigger. Would John, Paul, George and Ringo have eventually buried the hatchet, just temporarily, and embarked on a "Hell Freezes Over" kind of tour? Wouldn't we all have fallen over each other to get tickets for it?

As for the Eagles: with just one phone call, the controlling forces decide that Don Felder -- after more than 20 years of service, and after contributing the signature "Hotel California" melody -- is no longer necessary to the band. To his credit, he does not roll over and play dead, but instead fights to keep his original legal position in Eagles, Ltd. Nevertheless, Felder is left behind in the end, much like the California license plate that graces the book jacket: battered, bruised, and detached; yet still in one piece, ready to be picked up again. I'm quite pleased to know that, due to the outcome of his successful lawsuit, he will still benefit from the CD I bought at Wal-Mart and the ticket I already bought to see the Eagles in concert later this year. Good for you, Don! And thanks for sharing both the good times and the bad times with us. But please know that after reading this book, I'm going to think long and hard before I spend any more of my own hard-earned dollars on the Eagles.

I've been looking forward to this book ever since Don Felder first mentioned he might write it, apparently just after he was fired from The Eagles by Don Henley and Glen Frey. But then it was not going to be published because of lawsuits and counter-suits, etc., but now here it is at last. I have to admit I couldn't wait until now to get the book here in the US, so I paid a bit more and bought a new copy from England, where it was published last year. So I've already read it, couldn't put it down. A great read for any and every Eagles fan, especially those of us who followed the band from the very beginning, when The Eagles were comprised of Henley and Frey and Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner. Those four put together the band's first two albums; while working on their third album Felder was invited to join, and these five guys created the Eagles' most successful music. Back when all this was happening I presumed Felder was just some guy brought into the band to give them a harder-edged sound, much to the chagrin of the country-oriented banjo-playing Bernie Leadon. What I found out from this book, however, was that Felder and Leadon were old friends from back in Florida, and that it was Bernie who first came West and eventually persuaded Felder to come out as well a few years later. I also learned that Felder had known and played guitar with Duane Allman in Florida.
I followed The Eagles all the way through the 70s, was saddened when Bernie took his banjo and acoustic guitars and left the band, to be replaced by hard-rocker Joe Walsh, and then even more saddened when bass player Randy Meisner quit a year later. Felder talks at length about these two events, and how sad he was about it as well. He also gives us a much more realistic take on the "reunion" in 1994, as well as the reunion of all seven band members at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. And then he goes into the events around his firing. I think he writes very honestly here, without any petty vindictiveness. Sure he was/is upset about the way it all went down. What's left of "The Eagles" - Henley and Frey and about a dozen or more hired hands on stage filling out that "Eagles" sound - is currently putting on some big-time shows around the world and making a ton of money, and people who go to see them seem pleased. But are they seeing The Eagles? I don't think so. It's as if John and Paul, having fired George and Ringo, decided to hire a bunch of backing musicians and call themselves The Beatles. Sure, John and Paul were the main stars of the band, but only the four of them deserved to be called The Beatles. Same thing here. Henley and Frey became the big stars of what was originally a very democratic band. Henley is a fantastic talent, with maybe the best voice in rock. He and Frey wrote some great songs, no question. They can still play and sing and create a lot of good music. Don Felder created the song Hotel California, and it just doesn't seem right to see them playing it now without him. Ah well, this old sentimentalist remembers the good old days of The Eagles, and this book is a great way to bring those memories back. Thanks for writing it, Don!

If you like the Eagles, you'll enjoy this book. As to personalities, no one other than Glenn Frey comes off looking too bad. Felder is brutally honest about how he was fired and how he and his band mates reacted to it. (Even millionaires have to learn who their real friends are.)

I'm sure they'll be publicity about drugs and groupies, but this book provides more insight into how five guys work together, or don't, to create great commercial products.

Felder describes how songs were selected and arranged and pays homage to the creative input particularly of Don Henley. It was amusing, however, to discover how many of the songs on the recent album originated years ago.

Are there some sour grapes? Of course, but most of the book rings true. Felder fans will be pleased that there are several chapters on his childhood and how he developed as an A-list guitarist.

The rest of us will relish the chapters on the Eagles. In fact, I'd have given it 5-stars if it had been a little more salacious.

Some points I think must be made clear, in my opinion:

01) Even bashing Henley and Frey a lot, he says a lot of times that the best ideas usually came from them and that progressively they reached a creative peak and transformed themselves in the main songwriters. He takes absolutely nothing away from Frey and Henley's amazing musical talent;

02) Even if Felder has made millions of dollars, in his opinion he should have made more. It's his opinion. It's the same opinion a lot of employees have, even when the owner of the company in which they work was the one with the "talent" to put the enterprise together. In this kind of consideration, it does not matter the salary;

03) Frey and Henley are indeed the Eagles, however it was not Felder who went after them: the Eagles went after Felder; the Eagles proposed equal partnership, not Felder;

04) Losing a wife and kids is absolutely common ocurrence, even if you're NOT a rock star! In its mind, he was a good father even if his job was to travel around a lot. Again, it's a matter of opinion and, sicne he's writing the book, he's entitled to;

05) He wrote "just" HOTEL CALIFORNIA": one of the greatest guitar solos ever. The fact that there isn't a lot of other material from him in Eagles albums does not mean he's not a good songwriter. A lot of great bands has this kind of dynamics: the bosses simply won't listen to your material;

06) Like a lot of rock biographies, I expected to know a whole more of song writing process, guitar chords used, etc. This book has not them all, but has a lot more than other rock biographies around;

This is an above average rock biography and it's not an Eagles biography! It has Don Felder's history and Don Felder's point of view about the Eagles, just that. He never said this was an Eagles biography.

While this is superbly written, I can only recommend it as a companion piece to Marc Eliot's "To the Limit," which provides a more well-rounded portrait of The Eagles as a whole. But that book's strength - the fact that Eliot was an outsider and relatively disinterested in the he-said-she-said world of rock and roll - is also its weakness. Felder makes up for that unavoidable shortcoming and then some.

It is important to note that the book's subtitle is "My Life In The Eagles." That's exactly what you get: Felder's perspective on the wild ride that was The Eagles in their heyday. The other Eagles (with the exception of Bernie Leadon, who was already an old friend of Felder's when he came on board) are for the most part presented as shadowy bit-players in the saga, which is why I recommend Eliot's book if you want a more well-rounded portrait of the band as a whole. What Eliot could not offer is an insider's look at what life inside the band was like. It is probably impossible for any of us to appreciate that fully without actually having actually partied with a best-selling band in a drug-infested hotel suite circa 1976, but Felder's vivid descriptions offer a remarkable look at the wonderful-yet-terrible experiences he had in that era. While one can tell that it's tempting to gloss over the excesses he himself went to in that time, he resists that temptation - albeit barely - and deals honestly with what life as an Eagle was really like.

Even more vivid are Felder's heartfelt memories of growing up in Florida in the 1960s, poor but determined to succeed, rubbing shoulders with future superstars like Stephen Stills and Tom Petty along the way, and surviving the pitfalls of the Woodstock era. Once his persistence and talent lead to his joining The Eagles literally on the eve of their emergence as the biggest band of the 1970s, there are plenty of great behind-the-music stories to share. I have read numerous other accounts of how "Hotel California" came to be, some of them essentially verbatim transcripts of interviews with Felder, but the one presented here is the most detailed I've seen. He also shares interesting stories I had not heard before about the emergence of classics like "One of These Nights" and "Victim of Love," but has surprisingly little to say about "Visions," the only Eagles song he ever sang lead on. (Tellingly, he does admit that he doesn't care for it all that much.) There is also a surprisingly candid insider's take on the frequent criticism of the Eagles sound as being too slick.

And then there is all the dirty laundry (sorry, couldn't resist) about The Eagles' last few years and the aftermath of the breakup. It is undeniably one-sided, but it also fits in well with most of what the public already knows about Don Henley and Glenn Frey and their less-than-charitable outlook on who and what The Eagles were (not to mention on each other). One comes to understand all too well why their name became synonymous with the term "corporate rock" and to see a classic divide-and-conquer story at work. It's a tale as old as rock and roll itself and then some, but in light of most of their solo works compared to the best Eagles material, it is all too clear that Felder has a point: Glenn and Don did not build the empire on their own.

At least he - and we - will always have the memories. If those memories include blasting "Already Gone" on the morning after a nasty breakup or putting on "Hotel California" and dancing both to remember AND to forget, you've got to read this. For fans of Scotty Moore, George Harrison, Mary Wilson, Richard Manuel, John Cale, John Paul Jones - or for that matter, if you even know who they are - this will tell you what you already know about the music business. Read it anyway!

This is basically another tale of domestic abuse--this time with a '70s country-rock soundtrack. Oh, and not one but TWO abusive husbands: Henley and Frey. I do understand how Felder's situation put him in a tough position within the band, but I really do think someone should have shaken him really hard at some point, maybe by the early '80s, and shown him how the sacrifices he was making with his marriage, family, health, and musical talent were in no way worth the cash and any financial security he ended up with.

I read about "Heaven and Hell" in a British magazine before the book was published in the United States, and I knew I had to pre-order it. It was worth the wait. As mentioned by another reviewer, this book makes an excellent companion piece to Marc Eliot's "To the Limit." I've read all four Eagles biographies that I know of, but those two are the best.

"To the Limit" gives a great overview, and "Heaven and Hell" gives an inside look from Felder's point of view, plus later details not covered in "To the Limit."

Once the book picks up speed, it's hard to put down, even if you've read the other Eagles biographies. Felder seems like a nice guy; of course, I guess most people would present themselves as such in their autobiographies. However, since he's pretty frank about himself and others, he may indeed be as decent as he seems.

I think Felder is an immensely talented guitarist, and he does have the right to stick up for himself and the other lesser-known Eagles -- and he seems to really be the one member who most transformed them into a rock band (right in the middle of "On the Border").

Still, I'm not sure why he doesn't seem to realize why Henley and Frey demanded and got top billing when the reunion rolled around. Not only did they have the most successful solo careers, they were the primary songwriters, the primary singers on the hits (except for "Take it to the Limit" and "I Can't Tell You Why"), and they are the only two members of the band to be there from the beginning to the present. That said, it's a shame they carried on without him, and none of the Eagles books paint Henley or Frey in a very favorable light. With Henley's gift for writing and reputation for speaking his mind, you have to wonder if he'll ever decide to tell his version of the Eagles' story.

From a writing standpoint, the book is well written, except for the occasional times where it drifts from practically perfect prose to occasional profanity. When those instances occur, the reader is reminded that there are two people writing this book -- Felder and Wendy Holden. Better are the majority of moments in the book when the writing seems neither poetic nor profane -- just telling it as Felder remembers it. That's when you forget it's a book and you just become immersed in the storytelling, which to me is the mark of a great autobiography.

If you love the Eagles you may not wish to get to know them as well as you do in this book. Don Felder, however, remains a gentleman throughout his autobiography. I've never read such a straightforward account of some very unpleasant people. One never feels as if he/she is reading one of those tawdry gossip publications that proliferate the marketplace these days. Mr. Felder dishes reality without dishing dirt.
His accounts of creating the Eagles' music are just as involving and, obviously, well-informed.
Overall, one feels as if he/she is receiving a balanced look at what happened behind the scenes. Mr. Felder is not afraid to step back and take a not always flattering look at his own behavior. If you have any interest in the Eadles and their music this is the first book to read.