Guitars and Gunslingers.4 Out Of 5 Stars
I'm not sure why so many rock bands feel that they absolutely must write a song that equates being in a band to being western outlaws. But from Bon Jovi to Thin Lizzy, they all need to write a cowboy song. So you really have to hand it to Eagles. They skipped the single song part and went for a concept album, "Desperado." On their second full length album, yet. This also marked the beginning of Don Henley's ascent to the front of the band. On "Eagles," the band kind of democratically split the singing and songwriting. For "Desperado," Don Henley took writing or co-writing credit on 8 of 11 songs.
The singing was still split among the members (with Leadon getting on of the better album tracks, "Bitter Creek"). However, the partnership between Henley and Glenn Frey was starting to bear serious fruit, with the two most memorable songs being their co-compositions, "Desperado" and the album's hit, "Tequila Sunrise." Oddly enough, it was Linda Ronstadt's version of the title song that originally got to be well known, although Eagles' now can probably claim that prize. The overall western theme is tied in the title song and another one of the band's work with Jackson Brown, "Doolin' Dalton," which appears in three forms on "Desperado." It leads the album off, then Leadon banjo picks a reprise just before "Outlaw Man," and then a medley reprise with the title track to bring the album to a satisfying close. Also, the harmonies remained one of the band's biggest draws, with songs like "What Ever Happened to Saturday Night" and "Tequila Sunrise."
What was still holding Eagles back was they had yet to show they could convincingly rock. To their credit they've repeatedly blamed producer Glynn Johns for that, but one listen to "Out Of Control" also points out that they still didn't have the material that was up to the task. That hardly matters, as "Desperado" was an early peak for Eagles, and their albums would keep getting stronger. By the time they'd next explore the concept album, they'd be more than ready.
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