The Long Run

The Long Run was the Eagles' last studio album before their 1980 breakup. It is the culmination of the domination of the band by Glenn Frey and Don Henley, and the departure of the other remaining co-founder Randy Meisner. The 4th co-founder, Bernie Leadon had left several years earlier. The move away from country rock to to a heavier pop-rock sound (although still with some country influence) was also complete. That said, the album is also more musically diverse than it's predecessor Hotel California. The Long Run was also the 2nd album I bought "with my own money" (the 1st was Who Are You by The Who).

Although Heartache Tonight, I Can't Tell You Why and the title track gained the most radio play, and continue to do so, they're probably the smoothest and musically least interesting songs on the album. Well, OK, Heartache Tonight at least rocks some amount and is probably the song that caused me to by the album back in 1979. Joe Walsh's In The City shines through "side 1", mostly because the rhythm guitar playing is interesting. Adding spark to "side 2" are Those Shoes, with it's slightly funky tinge, and Teenage Jail, a slow and heavy track that I used to listen to repeatedly. The seemingly throwaway The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks adds a little more novelty before Henley's closer The Sad Café takes the the album out in a similar fashion to Hotel California's The Last Resort. Being a sucker for a great ballad, I've always loved The Sad Café and it is also one of my earliest introductions to nice saxophone solos in nice ballads. :-)

I'll never regret buying the initial vinyl version of The Long Run or replacing it many years later with the CD. It is a very good album with some very good songs performed incredibly well. I don't think it is the great album that The Eagles would have liked to follow up Hotel California with. However, this album continues to demonstrate that The Eagles were outstanding musicians. Although it isn't one of my favourite albums, I do like listening to it every couple of years... and it is still miles ahead of much of the dross churned out by others since...