The Long Run

by Eagles

Overview

Three years in the making (which was considered an eternity in the '70s), the Eagles' follow-up to the massively successful, critically acclaimed Hotel California was a major disappointment, even though it sold several million copies and threw off three hit singles. Those singles, in fact, provide some insight into the record. "Heartache Tonight" was an old-fashioned rock & roll song sung by Glenn Frey, while "I Can't Tell You Why" was a delicate ballad by Timothy B. Schmit, the band's newest member. Only "The Long Run," a conventional pop/rock tune with a Stax Records R&B flavor, bore the stamp and vocal signature of Don Henley, who had largely taken the reins of the band on Hotel California. Henley also dominated The Long Run, getting co-writing credits on nine of the ten songs, singing five lead vocals, and sharing another two with Frey. This time around, however, Henley's contributions were for the most part painfully slight. Only "The Long Run" and the regret-filled closing song, "The Sad Cafe," showed any of his usual craftsmanship. The album was dominated by second-rank songs like "The Disco Strangler," "King of Hollywood," and "Teenage Jail" that sounded like they couldn't have taken three hours much less three years to come up with. (Joe Walsh's "In the City" was up to his usual standard, but it may not even have been an Eagles recording, having appeared months earlier on the soundtrack to The Warriors, where it was credited as a Walsh solo track.) Amazingly, The Long Run reportedly was planned as a double album before being truncated to a single disc. If these were the keepers, what could the rejects have sounded like? ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	03/24/2023
Label:	Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
UPC:	0821797223461
Rank:	8533

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Eagles   Primary Artist
David Sanborn   Guest Artist,Saxophone,Sax (Alto)
Jimmy Buffett   Guest Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Timothy B. Schmit   Bass,Vocals
Glenn Frey   Guitar,Vocals,Soloist,Keyboards,Synthesizer
Don Felder   Organ,Guitar,Vocals,Soloist,Talk Box
Joe Walsh   Guitar,Vocals,Soloist,Talk Box,Keyboards,Slide Guitar,Guitar (Steel)
The Monstertones   Vocals (Background)
Bernie Leadon   Guitar,Vocals
Don Henley   Drums,Vocals

Technical Credits

Jim Ed Norman   Arranger
Timothy B. Schmit   Composer
Glenn Frey   Composer
David Crowther   Assistant Engineer
John Swain   Assistant Engineer
Bob Stringer   Assistant Engineer
Ed Mashal   Engineer
Don Felder   Composer
Joe Walsh   Composer
Bob Winder   Assistant Engineer
Jim Shea   Photography
Robert Seger   Composer
Kosh   Design,Art Direction
John Souther   Composer
Joseph Walsh   Composer
Ted Jensen   Mastering,Remastering
Bob Seger   Composer
Bill Szymczyk   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Barry De Vorzon   Composer
J.D. Souther   Composer
Eagles   Performer
Mark Curry   Assistant Engineer
Don Henley   Composer