Sebastian Payne

As I near the date of leaving for London (tomorrow), I thought I would suggest some fantastic Eagles songs I have discovered while exploring their back catalogue in preparation for seeing them live.

• The Sad Café (from The Long Run) - Known to Eagles fans as a hidden classic, this song was the last material to heard until 1994 with Get Over It. Being a Henley/Walsh/Fray/Souther composition, it is some of the best songwriting Don has ever done and includes everything you want from an Eagles song. Soft singing and precise drumming with touching lyrics. Finished off with a saxophone solo by David Sanbourn, it makes a lovely finish to an album full of hard rocking songs and deep cutting issues. Like Hotel California, it's up to you to decide what the song is about and how it relates to you personally.
• My Man (from On The Border) - In the vain of their early sound, this is an atypical country-rock song, driven by acoustic guitar with light drumming and slide guitar to brighten the mood. A tribute by then-Eagle Bernie Leadon to Gram Parsons (who had recently passed away at that time), the song will touch anyone who has suffered the loss of a close friend. The immortal line "and we who must remain, go on living just the same" is awfully special. I can not think of another song that expresses this so eloquently (Tears In Heaven comes close), My Man is a gem of a song which has never been performed by the band.
• Journey of a Sorcerer (from One of These Nights) - The track is most commonly associated with 'Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy' but I can honestly say I have never heard it until I played it from the album, not being a science fiction fan. Space and country music have rarely been pushed together but this song shows it can be done. Driven by a banjo, strings and slide-guitar, it makes a top notch instrumental to chillax to, even if it is an uncommon path for the band. Sonic experimentation I believe is the term for such songs

That ends today's music thoughts. I've just purchased The Zutons' Tired of Hanging Around and absolutely love some of the songs on it. Expect a write up or a mention in the future. The album came out just before my interest in music really began to flourish, hence the delay in finding it. Good music and good songwriting - not something you see cobbled together in modern music. They are recording a new album so hopefully I may see them on tour soon.