Very Best of

Don Henley | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 16, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Geffen Records
• ASIN: B0028NSE0U
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,596 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

"Don's albums were like State of the Union addresses delivered with the perception and sharpness he had honed in theEagles during the 1970s. He could be relied on to comment on what was going wrong in his country in ways that wereentertaining as well as thought-provoking."

Out of all of the Eagles, Don Henley had the most successful solo career. 1984's Building The Perfect Beast sold over two million copies and stayed on the charts for over a year and 1989's The End Of The Innocence sold over three million copies and stayed on the charts for nearly three years. The Very Best Of Don Henley is the first career-spanning collection of all his classic hits, covering his tenures at Elektra, Geffen and Warner Bros Records.

The collection features some of the most enduring songs in recent pop/rock history, such as "Dirty Laundry," "The Boys Of Summer," "The End Of The Innocence" and "The Heart Of The Matter." These classic songs feature the talents of a veritable `who's who' of writers and musicians including most members of Eagles, Tom Petty's Heartbreakers and Toto, as well as Danny Kortchmar, Martha Davis, Patty Smyth, Axl Rose, Bruce Hornsby, Wayne Shorter, Take 6, Larry Klein, J.D. Souther and Sheryl Crow.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Incomplete, June 16, 2009

By 

Scott Walker - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Very Best of (Audio CD)

Unbelievably a second Don Henley solo compilation with blaspemous omissions. Again no "I cant stand still", " Johnny Cant Read" ,"Driving with your eyes closed" "A month of Sundays" or "Who Owns this place". Who the heck needs four songs from Inside Job? And yet the first single is missing. One freaking song from the first solo album. What a joke. This is nothing more than a repackaging of the Actual Miles with the Inside Job songs replacing the subpar new songs. For a Henley novice this is ok,but for a longtime Henley fan this is nothing special.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heart Of The Henley, June 16, 2009

By 

Michael Kerner "Michael Kerner" (Brooklyn, New York U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Very Best of (Audio CD)

There is no question about the lack of great artists right now in the music industry. But back in the 80's, there were a lot of greats whom really told the stories of what Americana was like for those who had struggled from Bruce Hornsby, John Mellencamp, the definitive Bruce Springsteen, and the biggest writer of them all, the Thoreau of the 80's, Don Henley. While he had left The Eagles due to creative differences, his strongest suits were from his solo works, which told the dark stories of those who've dealt with opression, and also those who had sought a better life. Yet, while Don had only released 4 solo albums over the years, his songs actually still tell the stories that last, even in these economic times for the unemployed, and for those who had loved his music. Now a new hits collection comes out of the shadows, and reintroduces Don's music to a whole new generation of fans.

The 2009 Very Best Of Don Henley, is released, and showcases the best of his works from his solo works, Inside Job, Building The Perfect Beast, I Can Stand Still, and his landmark 1989 album The End Of The Innocence. The songs here at first doesn't seperate itself from his other dynamic hits record, 1995's Actual Miles by the track listing (the first 10 tracks are in the same order as was Actual Miles), but still does the job nicely at showcasing his solo works. The collection includes all of his strongest songs from Heart Of The Matter, the deep and sobering New York Minute, to classics like The Boys Of Summer, which later on was covered by The Ataris, and Dirty Laundry. The collection does showcase Don's 2000 album Inside Job nicely though, by his biggest hits from that record, Taking You Home where he sung about being a first-time father and Everything Is Different Now. Sadly though, there are a couple of disadvantages to the record. The first one though is that a few of his solo works could've been highlighted here including Workin' It, and his deep sequel to Hotel California, The Garden Of Allah which was on Actual Miles. The seocnd one is that I also thought there could've been some of his classic duets here on the album as well like Leather & Lace with Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac and Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough with Patty Smyth.

All in all, despite a few flaws, The Very Best Of Don Henley is still a strong reflection of his music, a great buy for those who've loved his works over the years, as well as for anyone who had recently enjoyed the reunion album he did recently with The Eagles, Long Road Out Of Eden. Still, if you haven't yet heard any of Don Henley's solo works before, than The Very Best Of Don Henley is a great buy for you, and that is still the heart of the Henley.

Album Cover: B+

Songs: B 1/2+

Price: B

Remastering: B

Overall: B 1/2+

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Lazy if you ask me..., June 18, 2009

By 

Rodney Imai "Blueline99" (Irvine, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Very Best of (Audio CD)

This compilation album is identical to Actual Miles... same songs, same order with the following exception.
They remove two of the three new songs that was on Actual Miles and replace them with 3 songs from Inside Job.

No new music... they could have at least put some of his lesser known hits instead of rehashing the exact same playlist from Actual Miles.

Johnny Can't Read
I Can't Stand Still
Talking to the Moon
Them And Us
Month of Sundays
Driving With Your Eyes Closed

All great early stuff that could have been added

I at least expected his cover of Everybody Wants To Rule The World which he was singing in concert... that they could have done without any new effort.