"Desperado is one of those albums where everything sounds right. The Eagles had already released their great first effort the year before but this is when their songwriting reached real high altitudes. The album is full of gems such as Tequila Sunrise, Doolin-Dalton, Desperado, Outlaw Man to name but a few.
It's also masterfully produced by Glyn Johns and recorded in 1973 at Island Studios in London. The artwork depicting a scene back in the Old West is also worthy of a praise.
Let's put it this way: out of the six albums they released in the seventies, Desperado might only be compared to Hotel California in terms of perfection."
Vintage Eagles
Tulips | Ohio USA | 10/17/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you like the original sound of the early Eagles, this one's for you. It's got the feel of country-western rock of the early 70's. I remember buying the first two albums of the Eagles when they first broke out on the scene. I played them all the time. These are the best sound the Eagles ever put out. They have their early hits, but also the songs that never made hits are here that I feel are just as good if not even better since they weren't played to death on the radio. Songs like Doolin' Dalton/Desperado Reprise, Out of Control, Bittercreek, etc. If you want the outlaw music of early Eagles, this is a must buy. You'll love it."
Fantastic Album
Vincent D. Dipaolo | Lubbock, Texas USA | 03/10/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"One of the best albums ever in my opinion. I love the outlaw theme of the album. The songs are well crafted with an interesting mix of "Wild West" country and rock. This is an album you want to listen to from start to finish...don't jump around. Very fun to listen to."
Desperado is the Eagles' true masterpiece
Ken | Olathe, KS, U.S.A. | 05/02/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Eagles' multi-platinum records Hotel California and The Long Run are their biggest sellers. Indeed, being an Eagles fan, I think they're both great records. However, I think Desperado, which originally came out in '73, is the Eagles' true masterpiece. It's their one and only "concept" record; it's an allegory that compares the life of a rock-and-roller to that of an outlaw in the Old West, and the guys are featured on the cover in Western dress. Desperado was also the last record the Eagles did as a four-man band in the '70s; Don Felder would join the Eagles' original lineup of Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner in '74, the year after Desperado was released. Desperado may not be the Eagles' biggest selling record, but it's certainly their most consistent.
The opening track "Doolin-Dalton" recalls the bank robbery in Coffeyville, Kansas, that went awry when two members of the Doolin-Dalton gang were killed. In "Twenty-One", Bernie expresses the gunslinger's youthful confidence: "I'm twenty-one and strong as I can be/I know what freedom means to me/And I can't give a reason why/I should ever wanna die." The good-time rocker "Out of Control" is self-explanatory; as Glenn Frey sings, "We're gonna saddle a horse, we're gonna ride into town/We're gonna get a little out of control." "Tequila Sunrise" and this record's title track "Desperado" were the hits from this album, and "Desperado" has the distinction of being one of the most covered songs in history. Besides being an Eagles hit, "Desperado" was a pop hit for Linda Ronstadt and a country hit for Clint Black and Johnny Rodriguez. Pop duo The Carpenters and country music icons Johnny Cash and Kenny Rogers have also recorded the song. "Desperado" shows the outlaw's dilemma, which the entertainer also faces: does he continue with his wild life or does he settle down? "You better let somebody love you before it's too late," Don Henley sings.
"Certain Kind Of Fool" is one of three great songs Randy Meisner came out with while he was an Eagle; the guitar-laced "Too Many Hands" and the Eagles' monster hit "Take It To The Limit" were the others. Randy likens a guitar to a pistol and the musician's nomadic lifestyle to the outlaw's life on the run. Both pursuits involve money, and both involve trying to escape, be it from the fans or the lawmen. As Randy sings, "It wasn't for the money, at least it didn't start that way/It wasn't for the running, but now he's running every day." An instrumental version of "Doolin-Dalton" serves as the intro to "Outlaw Man", which more than any other song captures the essence of the outlaw's and the singer's nomadic life: "All my friends are strangers, they quickly come and go/All my love's endangered/'Cause I steal hearts and souls." Of all the songs on here, "Saturday Night" is my favorite. The hero is looking back on his life and wonders what happened: "Whatever happened to Saturday night" when he was in love, things were looking up for him, and his town wasn't a ghost town. Bernie's song "Bitter Creek" is about the outlaw gang reuniting for one last stand, which could be compared to the singer getting his band together for one last tour. "We can walk right in and steal 'em blind/All that money/No more running." In the "Doolin-Dalton/Desperado" reprise, the protagonist is finally reaping the consequences of his choices: "Four men ride out and only three ride back" and "Your twisted fate has found you out and it's finally turned the table/Stolen your dreams and paid you with regret." The outlaw dies in a shootout, and the singer he represents dies from any number of causes(drug overdose, murder, and so on).
Desperado shows the Eagles at their most cohesive level. All the guys sang lead on at least one song and shared in the songwriting. The only song on here not written by an Eagle was "Outlaw Man", composed by David Blue. On "Doolin-Dalton" the band got help from a couple of solid singer-songwriters: Jackson Browne, who co-wrote the Eagles' hit "Take It Easy", and John David Souther, who collaborated on such Eagles hits as "Best Of My Love", "New Kid In Town", and "Heartache Tonight" and had his own hit in '79 with "You're Only Lonely". Although the Eagles' record sales climbed when Joe Walsh replaced Bernie Leadon in the band, I think the band lost something when Bernie left. Though Joe is an accomplished guitarist, singer and keyboard player, Bernie plays several different instruments well--banjo, guitar, mandolin, and pedal steel guitar--and he plays all of them on this record. Bernie also is an extremely gifted singer-songwriter; while an Eagle, in addition to the songs he contributed to Desperado, he wrote "Train Leaves Here This Morning", "My Man", "I Wish You Peace", and, with bandmate Don Henley, the hit "Witchy Woman", on which he played lead guitar. All of these songs are great numbers. Though their music is still popular, the Eagles have never quite filled the void Bernie left when he departed. Also, once Bernie left and was replaced by Joe, I think the Eagles became more of a Henley-Walsh dominated group and less of a team. Hotel California and The Long Run, though they're great records, feature Don singing lead on most of the tracks and Joe playing guitar and/or keyboard on practically every song. By contrast, Desperado features the Eagles working together as a group and has a bunch of songs with a common theme. For that reason I think it deserves every bit of praise it has gotten."
Classic Eagles CD
Wayne | 09/18/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This classic Eagles CD contains the title track along with such favorites as Doolin Dalton and Tequila Sunrise. A must have for your classic rock collection."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1
