Customer Reviews:
 Don "Crybaby" Felder December 25, 2008
Don Felder is one of my favorite guitarists. His smooth Les Paul tone and melodic solos are second to none. His solo on "I can't tell you why" is one of my all-time favorite guitar solos - so melodic and lovely. BTW, it is a typo that Glenn is listed as the soloist on the sleeve of "Long Run." I was heartbroken when he was fired from the Eagles.
This book is a great read. I couldn't put it down. However, this book leaves a bad taste. Throughout the book Felder keeps telling the reader how pressured he was, how difficult it was to deal with the "Gods," etc. I believe him, but I guess the temptation of $$$ was too much to walk away from it all. Felder portrays himself as a victim, but to me he appears to be a crybaby. Here's why.
-Felder believed in equal partnership of the Eagles. He even told Tim that he had been fighting with the Gods not just for him, but also for Joe, Tim, Bernie & Randy. Then, why did he NOT fight for equal partnership for Joe and Tim when they joined as hired guns in the 70's?
-He did sign a new contract when the Eagles regrouped and he continued to complain. Felder needs to grow up. If you sign a contract, just do your job. Otherwise, don't sign it. That is business 101.
-He described himself as homeless after the divorce because he was living in his ship. I bet that hundreds of millions people would love to be homeless like Felder.
-He couldn't deal with his wife's success as a businesswoman. Wow...
-He was devastated because Don Henley didn't send him a Christmas present. Whew...what can I say?
-Henley and Frey were control freaks and dictators, which Felder had to put up with. But, unlike his old friends Bernie and Randy, Felder chose to put up with them only to complain more.
-After his firing, he begged Glenn, "I will do ANYTHING." This tells a lot about Felder...
-Tim Schmidt said, "I don't know why you (Felder) think you are entitlted to more." Yeap, Tim's right. Although Felder's guitar was an integral part of the Eagles, for most fans Henley and Frey are the heart and soul of the Eagles. Eagles ltd can surely claim that Felder was way overpaid during 74-80. His contribution was less than that of Henley and Frey.
Well, this book has changed my perception of Felder. That doesn't matter at all because I don't care whether he is a saint or a whiner when listening to his tasty guitar parts of the Eagles songs.
 The Eagles - Inside Job December 20, 2008
Being an appreciative fan of the Eagles from their inception and enjoying their commitment to disciplined, well-orchestrated concerts, I was very interested in their former lead guitarist, Don Felder's, 'inside' years of experience as a band member. Heaven and Hell is a fast read. Felder and Holden share the highs and lows of an accomplished artist in one of the world's premier music 'machines'. Fortunately, Don's equal sharing of his youth, guitar experience and the effects of his band membership on his life and family, add a demension beyond the music and the performances. Heaven and Hell didn't leave this reader feeling the book was an effort to 'get-even' with other band members, Azoff or others, but merely shared what many fans have hoped for - a credible view 'inside' by a most accomplished musician and band member. The Eagles, the music industry, agents, etc. are no different than most enterprises - egos flourish, perceptions of 'what's mine' exist and relationships evolve. Heaven and Hell provides Eagles fans a welcome perspective not available before. Thank you Don for your dedication and timeless contributions, without which, so many Eagles songs and concerts would be less 'complete'.
Fascinating Read... WOW December 14, 2008
I LOVED this book and couldn't put it down. I've been an Eagles fan since I was a small girl and didn't even realize Don was fired when I went to the Farewell Tour concert! When I got home from that concert, I googled Don's name to see what happened to him. Then, this year I was listening to Howard Stern, I heard Don on the show promoting his book and knew I had to read it. It is well written (poorly edited with quite a few typos!) and a gripping story of stardom, discord and brilliant PR. I don't know what Glenn Frey, Don Henley or Irving Azloff would have to say for themselves in response to this, but I can say Don Felder does not sound like a disgruntled, ranting employee, but rather a man who truly LOVED playing guitar and creating beautiful music and just wanted a fair deal. This is first and foremost, the story of a dedicated musician who deserved more recognition and respect than he got. If you love/loved the Eagles, this is a must read... you will not be disappointed.
Where a brillant muscian starts! December 14, 2008
This is a great book on many levels. In Gainesville FL Felts trains himself to play guitar and while a teenager plays briefly with Stephen Stills. Then, while earning money teaching guitar lessons, his prize student is Tom Petty. It never ceases to amaze me how small the world is.
It's years later after a marriage and move to the Northeast before he takes the advice of a friend and moves to Los Angeles. The friend just happens to be Bernie Leadon, Eagles band member and the next thing you know, Felts is in the Eagles and in for the ride of his life.
And now the somewhat conservative poor kid moves from pot and alcohol to cocaine and beautiful women at every turn which wouldn't be a problem except he is now married. But of course this part will create the most controversy as he describes the inner works of the Eagles and the egos that grow as they are more successful. Felts position is they all signed on as equal partners but as Henley and Frey take the lead they want more share. Obviously Felt's pushes his side of the story including the origination of maybe their most famous song, Hotel California which he invented and shared writing billing with Henley and Frey.
Later as they retour his continual questioning of the "Gods" leads to his expulsion. As always the truth is somewhere in the middle but Felts presents a creditable case. Watching Henley and Frey recently on 60 Minutes also exposes how the group is together now for the money and really don't like each other.
I recently attended an Eagles concert and while the performance was excellent, the matching suit outfits felt very corporate and I left disappointed. This book disappointed me more. Yes, I enjoyed the book very much but sometimes seeing behind the curtain destroys the myth. Buy this book if you like the Eagles or music in the 70s.
Clash of the Megalomania Titans! December 5, 2008
"Clash of the Megalomania Titans!" could also have been the name for this book. It's really not surprising, I suppose, that after years of adoring fans telling you how great you are (and in many cases, using their bodies to do it), that you would develop a highly disjointed view of the world BENEATH you.
In many instances, I found myself saying "Really, Felder? You actually THOUGHT that!?" Example; When he describes the final straw that led to his decision to divorce his wife. The incident is so trite and trivial, that his consequent action comes off as the world's worse excuse to divorce someone! Either that, or it comes off as a man (whose own ego and sense of entitlement to non-stop attention) who has suddenly caught one of his wide-eyed minions blinking for a split second. "Off with their heads then!!" seems to be the preposterous answer.
He is mad at his wife for half blowing-off their dinner and movie plans (which he pressured her in to doing, last minute), so instead of talking to her and expressing how he feels, he tells her that he's just going to head home and he never says a word...and this is the unforgivable incident that leads to divorce?? Yikes! I guess Celebrities really DO lead sheltered lives! If this is the final straw to ending a 25+year marriage, I'd be afraid to ever say one word to the guy if I was his friend, band-mate, etc. God knows he could decide to quit you on a whim...like he did Walsh, when he called him to talk to him about the group's decision to let him go. He said he and Walsh were "old buddies". Yet, he gave up on him too, simply because he didn't like his attitude during the call..."I haven't spoken to him since" says Felder. And he wonders why his friends are disappearing! He didn't express how he was really feeling (hurt by his response) and he's made no effort since to rectify what could be, in all honesty, a case of mistaken impressions (just like the movie/dinner incident).
These scenes in the book are telling, in that Felder appears as someone who doesn't communicate very well with others, ESPECIALLY at critical moments in his life. He sucks it in when Henley & Frey tell him that he's going to be paid less (instead of having it out when it counts, at the meeting, not down the road, after the tour is over). And when he describes how this ultimately becomes the issue that leads to his getting kicked out of the band, he points out how he himself never really talks directly to anyone about the problem, until it is all blown out of proportion and it's too late...a familiar theme throughout his life, apparently (read the book and you'll see what I mean).
But, all the above being said, this book is as addicting as the groupies and blow Felder speaks of indulging in! :-) I read it twice within a couple of days of getting it. It's not overly eloquent in it's prose, but the simple, straight-forward way of telling his side of the story, seems heartfelt and true (to his point of view, anyway).
In Felder's defense, it's also not hard to imagine that there is truth to some of the accusations he makes. I have no doubt, with all of the other egos at play in the band, surely there were times when the term "*-hole" applied to both Frey and Henley.
And contrary to some of the other reviews here, I DO think that even junior members of a band count! Each artist brings that special little sound that is all his own to a group. And without all of the right ingredients in the pie, it may look like apple pie, and it may smell like apple pie, but it won't TASTE like THAT apple pie, the one you love from your favorite, special bakery on the corner. Felder's contributions to the Eagles sound (and to their biggest single of all time, their signature song, "Hotel California"), MUST be appreciated and recognized.
I think that this is Felder's point at the end of the day, and I agree. I hate to see any one or two band members think that THEY are the band (even if they did write most of the songs, over-all). Roger Waters thought (and still does think) that he's Pink Floyd. I love Waters, but without Gilmore on the Guitar, and Mason on the drums, to me, he's just "Roger Waters"...and Pink Floyd under Gilmore is a shell of what it should be. Point being, without each other, they both suck on their own (for the most part), and are nothing compared to what they were when they were in "Their Band", together, performing as a group.
Henley and Frey should do themselves, and the fans, a favor; Bring Felder back in to the fold. I don't like seeing them all on stage without him. It bugs me when any band does this. Like the way Led Zeppelin is supposed to be going on tour soon, without Robert Plant. Excuse ME!?!? You've GOT to be kidding! It's an insult to fans when these great acts from back then get together with partial (or in some arrogant cases, NONE) of the original band members. The Eagles are no exception.
Bottom line; Buy the book. It will get you thinking...and it's entertaining and interesting from a historical perspective. It made me wish I could have been Don Felder, with all of his drug-induced, rock & roll fame, fortune and hot little groupies! Why do some people just get all of the "COOL" problems in life? :-(
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