Don Henley | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Don Henley anchored the Eagles as the bands drummer, frequent frontman, and co-leader. He wrote and sang many of their biggest songs -- "Hotel California," "Desperado," "The Long Run," "Best of My Love," "Life in the Fast Lane," "One of These Nights" were among his signatures, classic rock staples all -- but he also found considerable success on his own in the 80s following the groups disbandment. He established a distinctive, flinty voice right out the gate with "Dirty Laundry," the Top 10 hit from his 1982 solo debut I Cant Stand Still, but 1984s Building the Perfect Beast was a blockbuster, aided by the chilly, stylish MTV hit "Boys of Summer." Three other singles were pulled from the record -- the Top 10 "All She Wants to Do Is Dance," followed by the Top 40 "Not Enough Love in the World" and "Sunset Grill," all arriving in 1985 -- and he then labored on his third record, 1989s The End of the Innocence. Although this didnt have as many Top 40 hits -- the title track reached eight, followed by "The Last Worthless Evening" and "The Heart of the Matter," both peaking at 21 -- it was a bigger hit, going platinum six times, but after it ran its cycle, Henley decided to turn his attention to reuniting the Eagles in 1994, a project that kept him busy off and on for the next two years. His solo albums slowed -- he released Inside Job in 2000, 11 years after The End of the Innocence, and then took 15 years to record Cass County, his return to country-rock roots -- but he was never out of the spotlight thanks to ongoing work from the Eagles. Born on July 22, 1947 in Gilmer, Texas, Don Henley was raised in Linden, a small town in Cass County, Texas. His parents -- his WWII veteran father ran an auto parts business, his mother taught -- instilled a love of music into him at an early age but despite having some piano lessons, he didnt take to playing music as a child. Henley instead was drawn to football and he played into high school, when he suffered an injury that led him to switch over to the marching band. There, he picked up drums and he took to it quickly, next playing in a group called the Four Speeds with his guitarist friend Richard Bowden. Soon, the band switched its name to Shiloh and the group was a going concern throughout high school but Henley put his music career on the back burner once he attended college. He spent a year at Stephen F. Austin University before transferring to North Texas State University, where he was an English literature major. Henley spent three semesters at North Texas State before returning home to Linden to attend to his ailing father and, while he was there, he began playing with Shiloh again. In 1968, Kenny Rogers -- who was then riding high after the Top 10 success of 1967s "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" -- caught a Shiloh show and encouraged the band to head out to Los Angeles to take a shot at the big time. Once out in Los Angeles, Shiloh recorded an eponymous album for the independent imprint Amos in 1970, but the bigger breakthrough for Henley arrived when he met guitarist Glenn Frey, a native of Royal Oak, Michigan who had also recently relocated to L.A. and released an album on Amos. Singer Linda Ronstadt contracted Frey to assemble a touring band, so he asked Henley to join him, along with guitarist Bernie Leadon and bassist Randy Meisner, and this quartet supported the singer just once -- at a July 1971 show at Disneyland -- but they did back Ronstadt on her self-titled 1972 album. Before that album was released, this quartet became the Eagles, signing a deal with David Geffens Asylum Records. The Eagles self-titled 1972 debut kicked off a decade of dominance for the band. This debut featured the Top 10 hit "Witchy Woman" along with the Top 40 hits "Take It Easy" and "Peaceful Easy Feeling," a good start that was slowed somewhat by the underperforming Desperado; itd later eclipse its predecessor in platinum certifications, but it went no further than 41 upon its 1973 release, and none of its singles cracked the Top 10. Things started to rebound with 1974s On the Border, which gave the group its first number one Billboard hit with the Henley-sung ballad "Best of My Love." One of These Nights was a major hit in 1975, reaching the top of the Billboard charts thanks to "One of These Nights," "Lyin Eyes," and "Take It to the Limit." All these early hits were gathered on 1976s Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975), a compilation that bought the band time as they worked on their fifth album but wound up eclipsing all their other records in popularity. Not only was it the first album certified platinum by the RIAA, it would go on to sell 42 million copies worldwide, 29 million of those in the U.S., placing it in a dead-heat with Michael Jacksons Thriller as the biggest album of all time. Before Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) reached such heights came Hotel California, the album that turned the Eagles into superstars. Released in time for Christmas 1976, Hotel California had a pair of chart-topping singles in "New Kid in Town" and "Hotel California" ("Life in the Fast Lane" went to 11) and it not only reached number one, it kept selling for decades, eventually earning 16 platinum certifications from the RIAA. One more studio album followed: 1979s The Long Run, another chart-topper that bore three Top 10 singles -- "Heartache Tonight," "The Long Run," and "I Cant Tell You Why" -- before the group split. Henley launched his solo career in 1982, first appearing as Stevie Nicks duet partner on the Top 10 single "Leather and Lace" and then releasing I Cant Stand Still, an album he co-produced with Greg Ladanyi and co-wrote in large part with Danny Kortchmar. Its first single, "Johnny Cant Read," didnt crack the Top 40 but "Dirty Laundry" became a big hit, reaching number three on Billboard (itd eventually earn a Gold certification, the only Henley solo single to do so). Henleys big solo breakthrough arrived in 1984, when he released "The Boys of Summer" as the first single from Building the Perfect Beast. Accompanied by a sleek black & white video that ruled MTV (it won the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year in 1985, becoming the second video to take that category), "The Boys of Summer" climbed to number five and set up Building the Perfect Beast as a smash. Over the next year, it racked up sales -- it peaked at 13 on the Billboard 200 on its way to triple-platinum certification -- and also generated three additional singles in 1985: the Top 10 "All She Wants to Do Is Dance," "Not Enough Love in the World" (which peaked at 34), and "Sunset Grill" (which peaked at 22). Four years after this successful run of singles, Henley returned in 1989 with The End of the Innocence, a moody, deliberative album that turned into his biggest solo success, reaching number eight on the Billboard 200. Ultimately, the album didnt generate as many hits as its predecessor -- the title track went to eight, the same position as its parent album, while "The Last Worthless Evening" topped out at 21; "I Will Not Go Quietly" and "If Dirt Were Dollars" were Top 10 hits on Billboards Mainstream Rock radio chart -- but the overall record performed better, going platinum six times. On the heels of this success, Henley slowly became entangled in a dispute over his record contract with Geffen Records, culminating in the labels 1993 breach-of-contract suit against the singer. While the legal battle played out, the singer mended fences with the Eagles, a development that was instrumental in the 1994 settling of the lawsuit. Geffen allowed Henley to leave the label in exchange for the rights to release Hell Freezes Over, a 1994 reunion album by the group featuring four new studio songs and 11 live acoustic renditions of their hits. After Hell Freezes Over, the Eagles became a going concern, encompassing regular concerts and, in 2007, a double-disc album designed in part to be the bands last. As the Eagles rolled on, Henley continued with his solo career. He had an adult contemporary hit with "Sit Down Youre Rockin the Boat," taken from the soundtrack to the 1993 film Leap of Faith, and he released Actual Miles: Henleys Greatest Hits in 1995, supported by the single "The Garden of Allah" (this reached 16 on Billboards Mainstream Rock radio chart). Over the next few years, Henley was quiet but he finally returned in 2000 with Inside Job, his first album for Warner Bros. Supported by the number one adult contemporary single "Taking You Home," the album entered the Billboard charts at seven and was certified platinum. Another prolonged period of solo inactivity followed -- much of this time was devoted to political concerns and the Eagles -- but in the early years of the 2010s, he began working on a new country-oriented album called Cass County. Co-produced by former Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch, Cass County featured guest spots by Merle Haggard, Mick Jagger, Miranda Lambert, Dolly Parton, and Martina McBride, and saw release in September 2015. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 9 Title: I Can’t Stand Still Released: 1982-08-13 Tracks: 11 Duration: 42:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Can’t Stand Still (03:33) 2 You Better Hang Up (03:22) 3 Long Way Home (05:29) 4 Nobody’s Business (03:44) 5 Talking to the Moon (04:39) 6 Dirty Laundry (05:36) 7 Johnny Can’t Read (03:33) 8 Them and Us (04:02) 9 La Eile (00:51) 10 Lilah (04:08) 11 The Unclouded Day (03:35) |
| I Can’t Stand Still : Allmusic album Review : Don Henleys first solo album may still have had the ghost of the Eagles lingering in the corners, but for the most part it showcases his stalwart partnership with producer and songwriter Danny Kortchmar. Lyrically, Henleys songs are a tad weak, but for an inaugural album from a man who had spent most of his career surrounded by multi-talented musicians and writers, on the whole it fairs quite well. His material deals with the hardships of love, the fickleness of the media, and the declining state of education, all induced with a friendly pop sound. The title track, a trouble-in-paradise love song, has Henley pouring his heart out with sugary angst, but is helped along with some avid keyboard work. "Dirty Laundry" is Henleys attack on the shallowness of the network newsperson that peaked at number three on Billboards Top 40. Its bouncy chorus and contagious organ riffs proved that his role as a musician could conform to any style. His social commentary comes into fruition with "Johnny Cant Read," loosely based on the increasing amount of high-school dropouts at the time and helped bolster Henleys reputation as a musician with a concern for pressing issues. Numerous musicians help him out on this album as well, including former Eagles members Timothy B. Schmidt, Joe Walsh, and J.D. Souther; drummer Jeff Porcaro and guitarist Steve Lukather, both from Toto; and even Warren Zevon. Don Henleys adept combination of lyrical wit and thought-provoking staidness begins to materialize on I Cant Stand Still, paving the way for an extremely accomplished solo career. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 9 Title: Building the Perfect Beast Released: 1984 Tracks: 11 Duration: 47:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Boys of Summer (04:49) 2 You Can’t Make Love (03:33) 3 Man With a Mission (02:45) 4 You’re Not Drinking Enough (04:41) 5 Not Enough Love in the World (03:54) 6 Building the Perfect Beast (05:01) 7 All She Wants to Do Is Dance (04:30) 8 A Month of Sundays (04:29) 9 Sunset Grill (06:20) 10 Drivin’ With Your Eyes Closed (03:37) 11 Land of the Living (03:23) |
| Building the Perfect Beast : Allmusic album Review : After experimenting with synthesizers and a pop sound on his solo debut, Don Henley hits the mark on his sophomore release, Building the Perfect Beast. This album established Henley as an artist in his own right after many successful years with the Eagles, as it spawned numerous hits. While the songs seem crafted for pop radio, its hard to fault him for choosing arrangements that would get his messages to the masses. Unlike most pop in the 1980s, however, Henley had deep intellectual themes layered beneath the synthesizer sounds and crisp production. In the opening song "Boys of Summer," he talks about trying to recapture the past while knowing that things will never be the same. Henley has a gift for writing about the heart and soul of America and for mixing his love for the country and small-town life ("Sunset Grill") with cynicism about government ("All She Wants to Do Is Dance") and modernization ("Month of Sundays"). Although the politics and the sound of the album make the decade of release easy to place, Henleys earnest delivery and universal messages give many of the tracks a timeless feel, which is no small feat. This is Henleys most consistent album, and it is the place to start for those wanting to sample his solo work. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 9 Title: The End of the Innocence Released: 1989-06-27 Tracks: 10 Duration: 53:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The End of the Innocence (05:16) 2 How Bad Do You Want It? (03:47) 3 I Will Not Go Quietly (05:43) 4 The Last Worthless Evening (06:04) 5 New York Minute (06:36) 6 Shangri-La (04:57) 7 Little Tin God (04:43) 8 Gimme What You Got (06:13) 9 If Dirt Were Dollars (04:34) 10 The Heart of the Matter (05:22) |
| The End of the Innocence : Allmusic album Review : Don Henley took some time before completing his highly anticipated third album, The End of the Innocence. Although he manages to duplicate much of the magic of his previous album, Henley has backed off of the synthesizers and expanded his musical palette. He uses background vocals to great effect, whether its the tragic ballad "New York Minute" (with vocal group Take 6) or the angry rocker "I Will Not Go Quietly" (with Axl Rose of Guns N Roses). His collaboration with Bruce Hornsby on the opening title track show a mature Henley singing about disillusionment over a beautiful piano riff that gives the song a timeless air of nostalgia. While he still tackles political issues and writes about small-town life in America, Henley also mixes in romantic ballads, including the closer "Heart of the Matter." In this epic song, Henley explores the emotional complexity of relationships and coming to terms with oneself during the aftermath. Throughout the album, he manages to balance being cynical yet hopeful, and his great melodies allow his poignant lyrics to penetrate. This album is highly recommended for those who like their pop music with a message. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 9 Title: An Eagle Out East Released: 1993 Tracks: 11 Duration: 1:09:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Dirty Laundry (06:16) 2 End of the Innocence (05:32) 3 Last Worthless Evening (06:07) 4 Sunset Grill (06:29) 5 New York Minute (09:03) 6 Hotel California (06:55) 7 Life in the Fast Lane (05:29) 8 The Boys of Summer (06:05) 9 All She Wants to Do Is Dance (05:06) 10 I Will Not Go Quietly (07:19) 11 Desperado (05:02) |
 | Album: 5 of 9 Title: One of These Nights Released: 1995 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:11:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Hotel California (06:44) 2 One of These Nights (04:46) 3 Desperado (05:35) 4 End of Innocence (05:57) 5 Sunset Grill (06:32) 6 Boys of Summer (05:29) 7 Life in the Fast Lane (05:24) 8 Volcano (03:38) 9 All She Wants to Do Is Dance (05:36) 10 Margaritaville (04:32) 11 Dirty Laundry (05:51) 12 Well, Well, Well (05:27) 13 The Heart of the Matter (05:57) |
 | Album: 6 of 9 Title: Actual Miles: Henleys Greatest Hits Released: 1995-11-20 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:13:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dirty Laundry (05:36) 2 The Boys of Summer (04:49) 3 All She Wants to Do Is Dance (04:30) 4 Not Enough Love in the World (03:54) 5 Sunset Grill (06:29) 6 The End of the Innocence (05:16) 7 The Last Worthless Evening (06:04) 8 New York Minute (06:32) 9 I Will Not Go Quietly (05:43) 10 The Heart of the Matter (05:22) 11 The Garden of Allah (07:04) 12 You Dont Know Me at All (05:36) 13 Everybody Knows (06:08) |
| Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits : Allmusic album Review : Although it is drawn from only three albums (with only one track, "Dirty Laundry," from I Cant Stand Still), Actual Miles was a well-chosen best-of from an artist who had enjoyed just enough hits to justify one. Five tracks each came from Building the Perfect Beast and The End of the Innocence, and they included all of Don Henleys Top 40 hits. The album was filled out with a cover of Leonard Cohens "Everybody Knows" and two new tracks, among them the ambitious "The Garden of Allah," which seemed to be an attempt to create a new allegorical masterpiece along the lines of "Hotel California," but managed to be only pretentious. Still, the bulk of this album was the sound of AOR radio in the mid-80s. That, of course, was the catch -- this album should have come out about four years before it did, and probably would have if Henley hadnt been suing Geffen Records. Though destined to be a successful catalog item, in 1995 it was more a historical artifact than a major release. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 9 Title: Inside Job Released: 2000-05-22 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:10:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Nobody Else in the World but You (04:50) 2 Taking You Home (05:31) 3 For My Wedding (03:37) 4 Everything Is Different Now (05:12) 5 Workin’ It (05:37) 6 Goodbye to a River (05:49) 7 Inside Job (04:50) 8 They’re Not Here, They’re Not Coming (05:59) 9 Damn It, Rose (07:13) 10 Miss Ghost (06:41) 11 The Genie (05:45) 12 Annabel (03:41) 13 My Thanksgiving (05:12) |
| Inside Job : Allmusic album Review : Don Henley essentially sat out his 90s recording contract, waiting until he could sign to another label that would allow him greater artistic freedom and royalties. He finally signed to Warner and released his fourth solo album, Inside Job, in the spring of 2000. Considering his long absence from recording, it shouldnt come as a total surprise that the album sounds as if it could have been cut in 1990 or even 1986 (check out the obnoxious synth solo on the opening track). That is not entirely a bad thing, however. It would have been rather embarrassing if Henley was trying to run with the young boys, and he sounds very comfortable settling into a role that is something less than an old master and something more than a crotchety old-timer. It falls somewhere between that, since his simmering anger -- always apparent but raised to the surface on his solo records -- still can be heard, which makes him seem a little cranky on occasion, when he gets carried away with his temper. For the most part, though, he sounds relaxed, comfortable, and reflective on Inside Job, more so than he ever has. The heart of the record is in the slower numbers, where he honestly lays out his feelings about his new love and marriage. Whenever he sticks to personal relationships, and thereby gentler music, Inside Job stays winning. Its brought down when he steps up to the podium to rail against the modern world, but this isnt quite enough to sink the record. Inside Job lacks the melodic craftsmanship that made Building the Perfect Beast a blockbuster, and it isnt as focused as The End of the Innocence, but it is a solid comeback record from an artist who spent a little too long out of the spotlight. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 9 Title: The Very Best of Don Henley Released: 2009-06-16 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:14:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dirty Laundry (05:36) 2 The Boys of Summer (04:49) 3 All She Wants to Do Is Dance (04:30) 4 Not Enough Love in the World (03:54) 5 Sunset Grill (06:29) 6 The End of the Innocence (05:16) 7 The Last Worthless Evening (06:04) 8 New York Minute (06:36) 9 I Will Not Go Quietly (05:43) 10 The Heart of the Matter (05:22) 11 Everybody Knows (06:08) 12 For My Wedding (03:37) 13 Everything Is Different Now (05:12) 14 Taking You Home (05:31) |
| The Very Best of Don Henley : Allmusic album Review : Fourteen years separate 2009s The Very Best of Don Henley and Henleys first compilation, Actual Miles: Henleys Greatest Hits. During that near decade-and-a-half, Henley only released one new album, 2000s Inside Job, a record that generated a couple of minor hit singles highlighted by "Taking You Home," which reached number 58 on Billboards Hot 100 and number 12 on their Adult Top 40 chart. This means that this 2009 compilation doesnt have anything major thats not on the 1995 disc -- even the cover of Leonard Cohens "Everybody Knows," which debuted on Actual Miles, has been carried over to The Very Best -- so theres not much reason to swap hits discs, but anybody in the market for a Don Henley compilation will find this satisfying, as it has all the big hits from Building the Perfect Beast and The End of the Innocence. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 9 Title: Cass County Released: 2015-09-18 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:02:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Bramble Rose (04:31) 2 The Cost of Living (03:40) 3 No, Thank You (03:45) 4 Waiting Tables (04:47) 5 Take a Picture of This (04:06) 6 Too Far Gone (03:43) 7 That Old Flame (04:25) 8 The Brand New Tennessee Waltz (03:20) 9 Words Can Break Your Heart (03:40) 10 When I Stop Dreaming (03:06) 11 Praying for Rain (05:00) 12 Too Much Pride (03:45) 13 She Sang Hymns out of Tune (03:15) 14 Train in the Distance (04:47) 15 A Younger Man (04:20) 16 Where I Am Now (02:36) |
| Cass County : Allmusic album Review : Don Henley doesnt move fast because he can afford not to hurry. He can spend the better part of a decade waiting out a record contract, labor on a 90-minute Eagles reunion for maybe half a decade, then take another eight years before returning with Cass County, his first solo album in 15 years and only fifth overall. Thats the mark of a man who takes his time, but all that chronology pales compared to the true journey Cass County represents: a return to Henleys country roots, whether they lie in the blissed-out, mellow sunshine of Southern California or the Texas home that provides this record with its name. According to prerelease scuttlebutt, the album began as a covers project -- on the deluxe edition, there are remnants of this record, including a poignant "She Sang Hymns Out of Tune" and a duet with Dolly Parton on the Louvin Brothers "When I Stop Dreaming" -- and the album does begin with a version of Tift Merritts "Bramble Rose" that finds space for both Mick Jagger and Miranda Lambert, a sign of the star firepower on Cass County. Plenty of other guests pop up here, including Merle Haggard and Martina McBride, although theres no doubting Henley is the center of Cass County, but the nice thing about the record is that hes not calling attention to himself, not in the way he did when he loaded up albums with somber six-minute anthems. For the first time in decades -- four, to be precise; One of These Nights was the last time he explicitly dabbled in country-rock -- Henley prefers to paint on a small canvas, abandoning sociological epics for tales of longing and heartbreak. Hell still adopt a cynical sneer -- "No, Thank You" is quintessential spiteful contrarianism, salvaged by a boogie borrowed from "Achy Breaky Heart" -- and the elegiac "Praying for Rain" disguises its environmental activist heart in the form of sun-bleached hippie country, but the shift to expertly constructed miniatures benefits Henley considerably, pushing the focus onto his skill as a craftsman while also suggesting how, in the age of bro-country, this kind of cosmic American music functions as a traditional throwback. This is also where Henleys stubbornness winds up as an asset: he doesnt feel like hes succumbing to either nostalgia or the present; he stoically carries on according to the way things ought to be, and, against all odds, he winds up with a record thats not only easier to enjoy than most of his solo records, but also stronger song for song than many of the early Eagles albums. | ||