EAGLES

A definitive look at a band that helped shape the musical soundscape of the 1970s.

If you thought you knew all there is to know about the Eagles, think again. Forgo and Cafarelli have teamed up for this encyclopedic work about the popular band. Album by album, song by song, their book covers the Eagles from about 1971 to 1980. (It’s the second of three volumes). Definitive isn’t hyperbole here. A 43-page index is followed by a 2,149-item, 38-page bibliography, including previously published interviews the authors draw from liberally. The book unfolds chronologically, diving deep into what made the band tick, its influences, and the musicians it in turn influenced. The authors pepper the narrative with graphic pullouts for each year, including “Nuggets” (outrageous vignettes), “On the Road With…” (acts the band toured with), “Collaborations” (acts the bands sang with), and much, much more. Forgo and Cafarelli share plenty of Eagles lore, including when Joe Walsh kissed Raquel Welch after accepting an award, the time manager Irving Azoff helped Glenn Frey avoid a drug arrest in the Bahamas, and the stories behind classic Eagles songs, like “Desperado,” “Hotel California,” and “Take it Easy.” There are record charts, graphics galore, insights into cover art, tales of drug use and other debauchery, and studio tidbits recounting the stories of Don Henley, Frey, Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, Bernie Leadon, Randy Meisner, and others who contributed to the success of the Eagles over the decades. The authors have done a beautiful job of concocting a volume that will appeal both to faithful and casual fans. This doorstopper never lags, but it can be daunting. In fact, there are instructions on “how to use” the book, something that might scare away the average reader. But those who stick with it will be rewarded.

A rigorously researched, captivating tome on one of the top bands of the 20th century.