No artist wishes to live their lives in the shadow of their heroes. It is simple to copy everything in one’s record collection. But it takes a master’s touch to create songs that appear to have no clear inspiration. It is as if they are plucked from the air and recorded on vinyl using some form of musical magic. Glenn Frey had already written a few hit songs with the Eagles. But he believed no other rock band could match one of their classic ballads.
However, most of the California rockers’ best material was often in a downtempo style. Songs like ‘Desperado‘ and ‘Best Of My Love‘ would become anthems for generations of rock fans. It soundtracked the most heartbreaking moments of people’s lives, in addition to the band’s barnburners like ‘Life in the Fast Lane‘ and ‘Get Over It‘.
As the band began to make their way towards Hotel California, Frey knew they would not accept anything less than perfection. The album included some of the band’s most well-known songs. And many tracks were created under a lot of pressure, such as editing out Don Felder’s vocals on the track ‘Victim of Love‘.
The album’s first half tells the story of Don Henley’s trials and tribulations in Hollywood. It begins with the track ‘Wasted Time‘, in which he reflects on the fallout from one of his relationships. Instead of the usual country-infused songs in the band’s collection, Frey wanted to take the song in a soulful direction. He directed the Philadelphia soul songs he had loved as a child to inject some R&B into the track.
After enlisting an orchestra to finish the song, ‘Wasted Time’ was extended for another track on the album. It opened the second side with an instrumental version of the song. The song works just as well as a classic composition without vocals. But Frey knew that no one could touch what Henley did with the vocals.
When discussing the song in The Very Best of the Eagles, Frey thought Henley turned it into one of the band’s greatest compositions. He stated, “We did a big Philly-type production with strings — not country rock. That track will not appear on a Crosby, Stills, and Nash or Beach Boys album. Don’s singing abilities pushed so many of our limits. He could sing the phone book. It didn’t matter. “We had a golden throat.”
However, Henley taking the majority of the vocals was not an accident. During the Hotel California segment of History of the Eagles, Frey admitted that he was singing less and less. We intentionally had Don Henley. Henley delivers the song beautifully. The band wouldn’t fully realize the trademark sound until they all harmonized together.
By the time the song reaches its roaring crescendo, hearing Frey, Joe Walsh, and Randy Meisner join Henley was the sound that cemented their place in the world of classic rock and beyond. Many bands strive for the perfect guitar sound or drum track. But the Eagles understood that their trademark magic occurred whenever they opened their mouths.
