Better than ever!
This new CD is classic Eagles! Harmony just as great as in the '70's. Songs have real meaning. The Eagles can still do it after all these years!

A great rock band, a good rock album
Let me say something flat out, and hope and pray that everyone understands what I'm driving at: the Eagles were--and are--a great singles band. Taken song-by-song, their discography is the best in the business. If you look at albums as a whole, however, there's something lacking. Not to say it isn't good--far, far better than most bands--but there's just something not there.

I think LONG ROAD OUT OF EDEN is a perfect example of that. After all, it gives us two full-length discs to work with. The simple fact is, there's a lot of filler here. Good filler, yes--but filler nonetheless. I've listened to this album several times now (I bought it the day it was released; why I'm only reviewing it now, months later, I have no idea), and a lot of the songs haven't stuck with me. It's like they were put on there in order to make this a two-disc set.

Now, as we all know, the Eagles, at their absolute worst, are still better than pretty much everybody else in the business--so maybe this is all a moot point. I'll go ahead and mention a few highlights, though of course you'll have to judge yourself: the harmonic "No More Walks in the Woods;" the country rockers "How Long" and "Buy Being Fabulous;" the scathing "Fast Company," "Business as Usual," and "Frail Grasp on the Big Picture;" the whistfully beautiful "I Love to Watch a Woman Dance;" the eloquent instrumental "I Dreamed There Was No War;" the peaceful "No More Cloudy Days" and "Do Something;" and of course the title track, a politically-charged "Hotel California."

Politics abound on this album (I've always said, Don Henley is at his best when he's pissed at the government, which he pretty much has been since the eighties). But don't let it get ya down--it's politics set to good music. And at least it's SMART politics--no "get this guy outta office 'cause he sucks" junk, but real music for real people with real problems. 'Course, it's not all serious--"Guilty of the Crime" is fun, fun fun. So, you see, there's something for everybody on LONG ROAD OUT OF EDEN. And the fact that the Eagles can sell more records today than they could in the seventies suggests something very, very important: that good music ages like good wine (or, since we're dealing with rock 'n roll, good women). The Eagles are still the best at what they do. There's simply no room for argument.

Bravo
I was initially reluctant to purchase this new album, loving the old Eagles' albums so much. But I am extremely pleased with their new work. It retains the interesting instrumentals and gorgeous vocal harmonies of the earlier works, but with more mature and socially-conscious, even political, content. The Long Road Out of Eden track is stunning, both for its use of middle eastern instruments and melodies and for its thoughtful lyrics. The following instrumental track, I dreamed there was no war, was profoundly moving for the lushness of the instrumentation; it is a perfect complement to the earlier Long Road track. Other offerings are similarly reminiscent of the young Eagles, but, to me, much more interesting in terms of lyrics and equally enjoyable for the variety and musicality that I expected of this group. I could not be more pleased.

Outstanding
I am an old Dane of 62. So please excuse my English. I just want to tell you, that I find this double-CD one of the best the last many years. I listen to it every day and can't find a really bad song. My favourites are How Long and I Don't Want To Hear Any More.

It's all right, but...
I tried to like this album. I really, really wanted to like this album. I'd waited years for it, and got it as soon as I could after it was released.

I have listened to it all the way through at least a dozen times, trying to give it a fair chance. I think it *sounds* a lot like the Eagles. The music, the harmonies... it recaptures a lot of their old sound, but I just don't think the lyrics stand up to their older work.

If you compare the best songs on this album to even the least of their earlier hits, I just don't think there's any comparison. I just think that they were trying too hard to sound like the Eagles, and, honestly, I think that they take themselves *way* too seriously on this album.

Some of the songs are just plain silly to me. On "Last Good Time in Town," when they're whispering lyrics like "staying at home" and "turn off the phone," or when Glenn Frey is trying to sound menacing, I guess, when he's singing "Somebody's following youuuuuuu," it just sounds silly to me.

The album is decent, and it's reminiscent of the Eagles. If you're looking for something that's easy to listen to in the background, this will fit the bill. If you're looking for music that's comparable to classic Eagles music, then this album isn't it.

In fairness... I think any group that breaks up, reunites and puts out a new album nearly 30 years later is not going to put out the same quality of music as their earlier hits. If the Beatles had survived and reunited years later, it wouldn't have been as good as their old music, because they're not the same people that they were when they were younger.

In the end, I think that if they had cut the album down to one disc, and honed the music on that disc, they would have been better served. I think quality would have been preferable to quantity in this case.

So it's not bad... but it's much less than what I had hoped for.