Prismark10 I remember the Eagles as a kid when they had a few hits in the British charts but it was not the music I grew up with. By the time I was a teenager they had already broken up.They were a band I got to know retrospectively through their hit songs and then later their new songs after they reformed in the 1990s.So I arrived to this two part documentary rather fresh knowing little about the band apart from band members Don Henley and Glenn Frey had pop hits as solo artists in the 1980s.Part one focuses on the formative years of the musician from being kids onwards, the early days of the band until they hit the big time and their creative tensions leading to their breakup. Its a fascinating and informative story for me. I had no idea that such a Californian sounding rock/country/blues band recorded their early work in London and how much they were in awe of the music of The Who, Beatles, The Rolling Stones.The band has gone through lineup changes with disputes among band members. Joe Walsh with his past demons comes across as the most honest in the documentary, Frey and Henley as the victors and the defacto leaders of the Eagles get to write their version of the history.

patalbright2 After watching this again I still feel this was a monetary project from start to finish. It is nice to sit back and enjoy some of the music that you remember so well from the 70's decade. It is a pity that today's kids have nothing in the form of music or an identity that I had as a teenager in the seventies period. They have their phones and social internet and nothing else. There is not a single musician today that can even come close to entering the hero spaces musicians had in my teen years such as Dylan, Lennon, Roger Waters, down home southern poets like R.VanZant, and yes, Henley and Frey. For this reason I can relax some of my initial reaction to their egomania which is still painfully obvious. Don Henley's reaction to his very successful solo career which led to some masterful music in my opinion he just blows off with "I won some awards and had some hits" and finishes with his usual bombardment of everyone else and their unwillingness or inability to reach his own genius level-mainly producers, agents, songwriters and other musicians. He comes across as a total a$$ and seems to know it and not care the least-so be it.The total highlights of the entire program belong to Joe Walsh for his honesty and in an indirect way to Linda Ronstadt and her blossoming sexually and "voice as big as a house" that I remember so, so well from that period. Again, there is nothing or no one today in terms of young female singers, that could match her talent or her effect on young men that I also remember so well- Henley's admission that she was "one of the boys" also reflects as an identical feeling I had about her at that time.The star of the show is Joe Walsh as he seems so separated from the narcissistic love Henley and Frye have for themselves. His honest approach comes off as realist and sincere especially his reflections on how he remembers that era, as if it were a fiction novel, and using it for an example-brilliant! Perhaps some young people will take to heart what he has to say and use it to improve their own lives.All the partying and some senseless nudity come across as flush material and the catfights between the former and current members of the group are nothing new to even casual fans of the band. I saw the Eagles live once during the Hotel California tour and their abilities as a live band, along with inspiring melodies and well rehearsed harmonies, were the impression I remember even today. Lynda Ronstadt was also touring with Jackson Browne about the same time and, of course, her show was unforgettable to say the least.All in all this is a good production and I think people can use the ole saw "take what you want and leave the rest" and find this an enjoyable program to watch.paHow can you write a spoiler for a music program about 40year old songs?

dunsuls-1 Maybe the best "American"band in history.They started in the late 60's broke up in the 80's reunited in the 90's and are still around today.Only the Rolling Stones are around longer and they are not American. Showtime has put together a great 2 part documentary totaling 3 hours of the story of this bands history and turmoil and the music.There are now 4 members and 3 ex members.Not bad for this super group that still counts its 2 songwriters as there through it all.Glenn Frey, Don Henley.Their personnel life and relationships are not delved into,but the story doesn't shy away from drugs and booze. They may not have be as edge as other bands but their music was unique in the harmony and melodies unlike the harder edgy songs of the times.As someone said in the film,what the country also needed was someone saying"Take it Easy"which had a great lyrics and romantic overtones that everyone needed and that song provided.The solo artist and close friend of Frey contributed to the song with the lyric, "Well, I'm a standing on a corner In Winslow, Arizona "and Frey added "And such a fine sight to see It's a girl, my lord In a flatbed Ford Slowin' down to take a look at me "and thats also when I became a fan back in the day.Nostalgic ? Yes. Important,hell yes. If you like the music from the are 60's and 70's you'll flash back to as someone else said in the film,the 70's as you remember them even if thats not the way they really were.

Twins65 Remember in THE BIG LEBOWSKI, when Jeff Bridges as "The Dude" complained so much to his cabbie about turning off "Peaceful Easy Feeling" because "he hates the F-ing Eagles, Man"! That rant got him evicted from his cab and earned him a long walk home from Malibu to his crappy apartment. Was it worth it? Well, The Dude just might change his tune if he checks out the new documentary HISTORY OF THE EAGLES currently running on Showtime.I recently watched both parts over two days, and it was well worth the time spent. Even though I never really was a big fan, I can most assuredly say that these guys were truly the biggest American band of the 1970's. Pretty much every album from their 1st through Hotel California was a part of the soundtrack of my teenage years. And as Don Henley mentioned in the beginning of Part 2, with the advent of classic rock radio in the early 80's, they've been constantly with us all the way through 2013. The songs were so good that we just never get tired of them.As far as the movie goes, much like the recent Scorcese long film about George Harrison and P. Bogdanovich's nearly 4-hour marathon on Tom Petty, it's all good. I'm convinced cable TV is the best way to show a rock doc., as you really get to tell and see it all with numerous interviews of those who lived it, without having movie theater time constraints and/or box office totals to worry about. And wow, did the Eagles have a whole bunch of video which I'd never seen. Some of it's great, much of it is "disposable", but almost all of it fascinating for fans.I read some of the comments on the IMDb board bashing Henley and Glenn Frey for coming off as "pompous a-holes". And while they did seem a bit overly protective of their cut of the band's fame and fortune, they have the right to. THEY STARTED THE BAND! Watch this film if you've ever yelled along while driving with the woo-hoo-hoos on "Already Gone", as it will flash you back nicely to the fun of the mid-70's.P.S.-And Dude, I know you once did your wacky dance to The First Edition's "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)", but you may want to skip over the part in the film where Kenny Rogers discusses helping Henley's pre-Eagles band Shiloh try to get started in LA. You will not recognize Kenny and may be a bit frightened with the condition his face's condition is in these days!