To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles [Paperback]

Marc Eliot (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 28, 2004

The Eagles are the most popular, enduring rock band in America. With singles and albums hitting the top of the charts for a quarter century and a greatest hits collection that has sold more copies than any other recording in history, the Eagles have entered the pantheon of pop music. To the Limit is the unauthorized account of the group from its earliest years through the breakup, solo careers, and reunions.Blending the country and folk music of the late sixties with the melodic seductiveness of Detroit-style roots rock, the Eagles brought a new sound to a stagnant music scene. Under the brilliant management of David Geffen, the Eagles projected a public image of unshakable camaraderie-embodied by the cerebral, brooding Don Henley and the intuitive, self-destructive Glenn Frey-bolstered by the gorgeous harmonies of their songs. Behind the scenes, however, there was another story.At turns revealing, inspiring, funny, and shocking, To the Limit is the chronicle of a time, a place, and a group that succeeded in changing forever the world of popular music.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Veteran rock writer Eliot (Down Thunder Road: The Making of Bruce Springsteen) refuses to take it easy on the most commercially successful supergroup of the 1970s in this unauthorized, warts-and-all biography. As dons of the so-called Avocado Mafia, a loose association of singers and songwriters who first came together in Southern California in the late 1960s, the Eagles are, for Eliot, representative figures in a fascinating pop-culture drama. In tough, sometimes lyrical prose, Eliot shows how Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon and Randy MeisnerAthe original members of the groupAbecame the top-selling and most influential rock band of the Me Decade by combining laid-back attitude with self-consciously eclectic musicianship. Nor did it hurt the group's quest for fame, Eliot makes clear, to have brilliant business and PR men such as David Geffen and Irving Azoff on the side of the Eagles from the beginning. Eliot's a savvy enough storyteller not to let in-depth analysis of the aural and business dimensions of the Eagles' saga get in the way of good dish: the book brims with anecdotes about the band's now-legendary hotel-room demolition sessions, prodigious substance abuse and tireless womanizing. Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and David Crosby join more incongruous notables such as James Cagney, Kenny Rogers and Ronald Reagan's politically contrary daughter, Patti Davis, to make Eliot's account even more engaging. If the writing's purple at times, it's only because the band members' colorful excesses demand such treatment. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Considering Eliot's previous controversial biographies, including Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince (LJ 5/1/93) and Down Thunder Road: The Making of Bruce Springsteen (LJ 8/92), it's not surprising that ex-Eagle Don Henley tried to halt publication of this well-researched study of America's biggest band of the 1970s. The artist and the author eventually reached a truce, with the reticent Henley sitting for interviews, and this may explain why some unsavory details (such as Henley's 1980 drug bust) are lightly glossed over. Eliot gives little insight into what made the band tick, but he does provide an excellent contextualization of the early 1970s L.A. rock scene, and he offers fascinating character studies of Eagle compadres Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, and J.D. Souther, as well as music biz barons David Geffen and Irving Azoff. The generous appendix includes extensive notes and a detailed discography. Recommended for popular music collections.
-ALloyd Jansen, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 420 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (December 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030681398X
• ISBN-13: 978-0306813986
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #378,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marc Eliot is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books on popular culture, among them the highly acclaimed biography Cary Grant, the award-winning Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince, and most recently American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood, plus the music biographies Down Thunder Road: The Making of Bruce Springsteen, To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles, and Death of a Rebel about Phil Ochs. He has been featured in many documentaries about film and music and has written on the media and popular culture for numerous publications. He divides his time among New York City; Woodstock, New York; and Los Angeles. Visit him at marceliot.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Obvious mistakes cast doubt on author's research, March 21, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles (Hardcover)

It wasn't a bad book; neither was it a great book. I also noticed some of the odd errors and omissions that other reviewers have pointed out. An obvious mistake that the author makes is describing the song "Get Over It" as "...a comical, good-natured nod at the feud between Henley and Frey." Did Eliot even listen to the song? I always thought it was about low-brow, opportunist morons on afternoon talk shows like Oprah and Montel. This is confirmed by the Eagles themselves in the liner notes of the recent release of "The Eagles: The Very Best Of." When the author makes overt goofs like this, the reader has to wonder about other 'facts'.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The book lacks details and is rather smug through out., March 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles (Hardcover)

What a disappointment this book was! 'Hoping to learn the in-depth history of my all-time favorite band, this book left me with more questions than it did answers. Mr. Eliot could have done us all a favor and left out alot of the behind the scenes dealings of the music industry. While a fraction of the material was relevant to story of the Eagles, the majority of it was not. Few kind words were said about any of the band's members save for Don Henley - who was in fact, the chief reason for the break-up of the band in the first place. This fact seems to be lost amidst Mr. Eliot's ranting about the solo success Henley had after the Eagles, and going too far in-depth on Henley's personal life. True, there is some interesting information about the band's early years and their trials and tribulations during the time when Rock and Roll was taking on a new face. Also of some interest is the fact that Kenny Rodgers took an interest in the band very early only to see them go elsewhere and find incredible success without him. But overall, the book says little that is flattering about anyone other than Henley, and to a far lesser extent, Glenn Frey. Perhaps Mr. Eliot should have researched Randy Meisner's time with Poco a little more diligently; the members of that band had nothing but praise for him. Little praise is given to the talents and contributions of Don Felder, Bernie Leadon and Timothy Schmidt. The big question I have after reading the book is; " Did Mr. Eliot owe Don Henley a favor?" Do yourself a favor and wait for the paperback version or wiat until you see it on the bargain table.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Through a jaundiced eye., August 15, 2008

By 

J. Schimmel "unlikely redneck" (Harrisburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles (Paperback)

Marc Eliot has written a detailed book about a rock group whose members have shunned personal publicity of any type. It was interesting to read about the backgrounds of each of the members, and it added a lot to understanding the persons they became. His descriptions of drug use and sexual promiscuity were stunning. Are they accurate? To a great extent his reports are confirmed by Don Felder in his autobiography, although Felder tended to minimize the drug use, no doubt because of his involvement.

It was absolutely fascinating to read how Don Henley and Glenn Frey were radically changed by their use of cocaine, although he never comes right out and says "Look how they've changed." His description of the orgies in the "Third Encore" makes me wonder if they owned stock in a pharmaceutical company for all their STDs. It is also fairly clear that their manager, Irving Azoff, condoned and enabled them to continue their destructive behavior. Eliot painted such a vivid picture of an obnoxious, arrogant little man that I hope I never meet Azoff. It is truly a miracle that they all survived.

If you're like me and read everything you can find about The Eagles, this is worth adding to your collection.