FEATURE SONG/ARTIST: YOU'RE ONLY LONELY by J.D. SOUTHER

...not to be confused, of course, with Roy O's huge hit, "Only the Lonely," although it does have a kind of Orbisonian feel to it. You know, like a slow dramatic "rock ballad" with a gently swaying melody and long plaintive notes - if it was a waltz, you could waltz clear across Texas to it. Well, he may have been born in the Motor City, but he was raised in Amarillo. Later in the 60s, Souther teamed up with another Detroit boy, the future Eagles memeber, Glenn Frey and formed his first musical partnership, the very country-sounding duo called Longbranch Pennywhistle. Souther's collaborations and associations sound like a who's who of early SoCal rock and country - Jackson Browne, Richie Furay, Chris Hillman to name a few. And then there was The Eagles.

This is really the only solo hit that I recall from J.D. Souther, but he's been there writing and co-writing some of my favorite songs for a long time, going back to early Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor, right on up to his work with The Eagles, co-writing well-known songs like "New Kid in Town" and "Best of My Love." All the artists mentioned here are scattered throughout my CD shelves, including this one from. And I heard that just last year, Souther released his first new work in 25 years! I just might have to check that out, but for now, let's here "You're Only Lonely" one more time...









Video from YT member soulbrofunkytom
Photo from www.last.fm

SO THAT'S WHY DON HENLEY ALWAYS LOOKED SO CRANKY

A friend of mine in Toronto just sent me a clipping from the Globe and Mail. It was an account of the troubled times, make that the very troubled times, of the Eagles. Now that I think of it, I vaguely remember hearing something along those lines, maybe it was back when they had the Hell Freezes Over tour (as in, This band is never getting back together unless…). But I have to admit, much as I enjoy their music, I just never got into the band’s trivia and personal details. I couldn’t point to their group photos and name you all the members. Don Henley is really the most recognizable to me. That may be heresy to some staunch Eagles fans, but what can I tell you. We all have our faves; I could put names to a good-sized lineup of doo-wop personnel.

Anyway, it seems the boys in the band were just too many large and robust egos under one roof. Or on one tour bus. Apparently they disagreed and fought over a lot of different things which all ultimately came down to money. Surprise! And now, Don Felder (is he the one with the really long hair?) has written a book titled Heaven and Hell: My Life with The Eagles (1974-2001). I suppose now that he’s had his say, other books by other Eagles will follow. So, if you’re a diehard fan, start hinting for Christmas.

For our musical interlude, here is one of my very favorite Eagles tunes – Seven Bridges Road. It’s a really great country-esque song that I first heard it done by Rita Coolidge. The Eagles do it a cappella, and the audience is loving it. So give us a little smile, Don.




Photo from www.frontrowking.com
Video by YT member DrMabuse06