Product Description

The Eagles are the bestselling, and arguably the tightest–lipped, American group ever. Now band member and guitarist Don Felder finally breaks the Eagles’ years of public silence to take fans behind the scenes. He shares every part of the band’s wild ride, from the pressure–packed recording studios and trashed hotel rooms to the tension–filled courtrooms, and from the joy of writing powerful new songs to the magic of performing in huge arenas packed with roaring fans.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #502434 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

Review
"An entertaining tell–all."––Boston Globe

From the Inside Flap

When guitarist Don "Fingers" Felder was invited to join the already platinum–selling Eagles in 1974, he had no idea what sort of rock–and–roll heaven and show–business hell he was about to enter— –or how hard it would become to tell one from the other. For the next twenty–seven years, Felder found himself deeply involved in a musical career that was musically thrilling, emotionally exhausting, and surprisingly dangerous.

In Heaven and Hell, Felder shares this remarkable journey with a firsthand look at his tempestuous years with the Eagles. Even as he, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon, and, later, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit became America′s most popular and successful rock band, selling tens of millions of records, Felder reveals that greed, jealousy, and creative differences constantly threatened to tear the Eagles apart.

From one sold–out arena to the next, some members of the Eagles blazed a trail of sex, drugs, and rock–and–roll that became as legendary as their music. Felder explains how the famous E3 (third encore) parties, which began as spontaneous, raucous backstage binges, evolved into highly organized orgies, with roadies recruiting gorgeous women from the audience to be chauffeured to lavish hotel suites, where nothing was off limits.

Even further behind the scenes, he reveals the grim test of wills between Leadon, Felder′s friend since his impoverished boyhood in Gainesville, Florida, and the duo of Frey and Henley. Despite Felder′s attempts to mediate this conflict, it would not be resolved until a tense meeting that very nearly came to blows, which ended when Leadon stormed out of the room, never to return to the band.

Felder also offers a rare glimpse into the creative melting pot that produced such great Eagles hits as "Life in the Fast Lane," "Hotel California," "Victim of Love," and many others. The writing of these songs often involved the entire band, as well as non–band members, such as well–known Eagles collaborator J. D. Souther, Bob Seger, and others. Frequently beginning as a simple guitar lick or a vague idea, these songs took shape through a fascinating process of free association and collaboration, yet, says Felder, even these exciting moments led to friction and bickering.

Filled with hilarious true stories of rock stars on the road, including Felder′s first meeting with Keith Richards, who was passed out on a bathroom floor at the time, and Joe Walsh′s genius for practical jokes, Heaven and Hell is the book Eagles fans have been waiting for.

From the Back Cover
The inside story can finally be revealed

The Eagles are the bestselling, and arguably the tightest–lipped, American group ever, and Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975 is the bestselling album of all time in the United States. Through breakup and comeback, arguments and lawsuits, their popularity has continued to soar for more than three decades. Now band member and guitarist DonFelder finally breaks the Eagles′ years of public silence to take fans behind the scenes— –where drugs, greed, and endless acrimony threatened to break up the band almost daily.

In Heaven and Hell, Felder shares every part of the band′s wild ride, from the pressure–packed recording studios and trashed hotel rooms to the tension–filled courtrooms where he, Glenn Frey, and Don Henley had their ultimate confrontation. Yet, beyond the mayhem and clashing egos that have become standard–issue in rock–and–roll memoirs, Felder also remembers the joy of writing powerful new songs with his bandmates; the magic of performing in huge arenas packed with roaring fans; and the hard work, dedication, and creativity that each band member brought to the music, even in the worst of times.

Offering even–handed and perceptive portraits of every member of the Eagles, Heaven and Hell is a thrilling and thoughtful, raucous and bittersweet tale about the love of music and the price of fame.

Customer Reviews

nothing new really!
at first i was reluctant to read this book, having been a fan of the Eagles for a long time and a big fan of Don Henley and his solo stuff and didn't really want to hear anything bad about him. eventually i got hold of a copy and started to read it with trepidation! and knowing that Henley and Frey had tried to stop it being published, i thought there must be something real bad in the book. i was wrong and Henley et al. didn't have anything to worry about. what Felder writes in the book about the other band members is something i'm sure all bands that have been together for a long time, go through. there is always going to be disagreements and personality clashes in whatever band you end up in. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, for want of a comparison, don't always get on, as do lots of other group members. there is nothing shocking or unusual in this book. lots of drugs,drink and women; there's a novelty! maybe Don Henley is a quiet deep, not very talkative man, maybe Glenn Frey can be a bit arrogant. but big deal, it doesn't make a book. as for the sacking of Felder, well, as Timothy B schmit said to him, "you should have just signed the contract, instead of moaning about it". anyway, Felder did end up with a 'substantial sum of money', the amount being undisclosed. so he hasn't really got room to moan too much. Felder will always be recognised as the man who wrote the music for Hotel California, one of the most instantly recognisable pieces of rock music ever, it's a shame he will now be remembered also for spilling the beans about what(didn't happen) behind the scenes with the Eagles. to quote one of the Eagles tracks Mr Felder, Get Over It!