2017-10-20 (One of These Nights - Eagles)

One of These Nights - Eagles (1975)

As I went through the Eagles' catalog today, I realized my Mom had most of their albums and their Greatest Hits collections. Nowadays I consider most of their stuff to be soft and cheesy. It was pop music, even back then. But, I guess there's something to be said for accessibility. I listened to these guys a lot. I remember playing this record over and over around 8th or 9th grade. There's a lot of good stuff there.

Going through and finding the right song was not that easy. I wanted to pick an Eagles song for Mom's birthday, today. They started in the early 70's with a sound more like the Byrd's or the Flying Burrito Brothers. That was probably their best years. But, as the 70's went in LA, so did their sound. It became more influenced by the social scene and their popularity. By 1975, this album was picking up on some early disco sounds. The big change happened just after this album, when Joe Walsh replaced Bernie Leadon and brought his cantankerous guitar sound and East Coast vocals into the mix (not a huge fan). It was subtle on Hotel California, but the driving force on The Long Run's title track and "Heartache Tonight".  

I have a specific memory of my freshman year - Don was a senior and we were both playing soccer. Practice started about 45 minutes after school and we lived about 5 minutes away. We would head home after school, grab a snack and sit in the living room to kill off the half hour or so, before practice. We would spin the Eagles - mostly their 'Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)' record, with "Take It Easy", "Desperado", "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and others and sing along. It's a damn shame that neither of us are great singers. Don has his moments and at least he continues to put himself out there. But, we cut our vocal teeth on some of the best stuff and worked out the parts and really listened to ourselves. I felt pretty comfortable on the Eagles' material, with the exception of  "Seven Bridges Road".

Anyway, I thought "One of These Nights" was a good choice. I never asked her, but I imagine this is the type of song that drew Mom to the Eagles. I can also see how she might relate to it's main theme. One of these nights.......