Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974-2001)

First of all, I don't feel sorry for Felder. He is more than wealthy enought to maintain himself for the rest of his life. I feel this book is notable because he has given us a look into the workings of the Eagles. The last 4-5 chapters were the most interesting for me. Felder describes in detail the control Henley and Frey had in the band and how they un-equally shared the revenue with the Hell Freezes over Tour. Whereas Schmidt and Walsh signed their agreements willingly, it was Felder who tried to keep everything equal due to the original agreement they had when he had joined the band, and it was his downfall.

We hear and feel Felder's frustration when attempting to talk to Henley and Frey through their Manager Irving Azoff. Azoff himself protected more of Henley and Frey than the other band members. They all stayed in different floors away from each other in hotels during touring. When it was promised that the percentage of income would be worked out with Felder, (It never Happened). After Felder was fired, he was forced to sue the Eagles over constantant mis-management and handling of the finances. This book put Irzoff, Henley and Frey in an extreemly bad light, and I must say I agree completely with Felder on many of his examinations. The Company created called "Eagles Limited" was the organization made up by all the original members including Don Felder. Each had a 20% part of the organization equally. When Bernie and Randy (original members) left the group, these shares were given back freely but not extended to Schmidt or Walsh. This is probably the beginning of the control ride that Henley and Frey started with the group. To this day Schmidt and Walsh are just hired session and performance members only. Felder did still retain all his membership rights. When he questioned the accounting and business decisions, he was made to feel uncomfortable. Henley, Frey, and Azoff made no attempt to let him in on the decisions made. It was in fact a partnership with only two members making decisions while the other member was made to be a silent partner. Felder had every right to question accountability of the finances and decision making. When he was terminated, his only recourse was to sue. Some of this is covered in the book but may have been watered over due to the settlement of the lawsuit.

This book has made me a convert and fan to Felder. I never realized how much he incorporated into the Eagles music until now. I recommend this book highly because Don is a respectable guy, and a great guitarist. I believe Henley and Frey made a very bad decision with the removal of Felder. They obviously did not take into account how many fans Felder had.

First off, Felder has written (with help, admittedly) a very enjoyable look into the life and times of one of America's last great rock bands. Days when musicians depended on talent and not computer samples to create songs, and when being able to carry a tune with your voice wasn't such a liability as it is nowadays.

Secondly, it is an eye opening and fascinating look into what happens to insecure people with huge egos once they come into money, and lots of it. By this I'm speaking about "The Gods," Don Henley and Glenn Frey. At one point late in the book, the band is on tour in (memory fails me, but I think) China, and Glenn Frey instructs a lackey to overnight him a couple of cartons of his favorite cigarette. The lackey is summarily fired - because he shipped Frey SOFT PACKS instead of FLIP TOP BOXES. My jaw literally dropped when I read that. If that's what happens to you when you get rich and famous, I'm glad I am neither.

Having been (somewhat) in Felder's shoes, where people I trusted and thought of as friends suddenly threw me under the bus and had convenient amnesia as to my contributions to their success, I can relate to his story. Frey and Henley welcomed Felder into the band whole-heartedly, calling him Duane Allman incarnate, (which he is), and then set themselves up as the Supreme Dictators Of The Eagles, wrapping themselves in their own cloaks of superiority and fired Felder only when he asked to see the books of where the money was going.

I also cannot believe that Irving Azoff is actually still in business, the way he "managed" both Felder and "The Gods," yet was nothing more than a highly paid lapdog of Frey and Henley, screwing everyone else around him.

I'm afraid I've digressed, but it was a very intriguing book, one that I found hard to put down. If you're at all a fan of the band's music, and especially if you've read "To The Limit" by Marc Eliot, you'll find it incredibly enjoyable.

...and there are probably plenty of fans out there. This rather ordinary (and probably mainly ghost-written, not to mention -ridden) book is The Eagles According To Don Felder. While one (this one anyway) can feel sorry for Mr. Felder in his various tribulations, he unfortunately has failed to comprehend a major fact of life, namely that pop/rock music is, above all, a money-making business, which long ago lost the purely music-making innocence for which Mr. Felder seems to hanker. Popular music is just another commodity to be marketed in the most efficient way possible, with an eye to profitability.

With a modern business ethic goes hand-in-hand corporate greed, in which chief executives get an inordinate amount of the cream. Thus, Messrs Henley and Frey get the cream. That Messrs Henley and Frey were as thoroughly unpleasant individuals as depicted here is not surprising - young successful rock musicians lack the maturity to handle it all and tend to acquire monstrously inflated egos. In addition, there's the fact that you're only as good as your last hit, and the recent products bearing the brand name "Eagles" have been distinctly mediocre, forcing them to rely on older product lines. However, there's no doubt that Henley and Frey have been the major innovators and producers of the business, and can therefore, in modern business terms, be said to merit a larger slice of the cake. And it becomes plain that Mr. Felder's only substantial product was "Hotel California", a major product to be sure, perhaps even the major product, but only one, and after that, essentially nothing. He mildly castigates the other Eaglets, Joe Walsh and Tim Schmidt, for not supporting him, but they at least seem to have grasped on which side their bread was buttered.

In addition, there's something rather bizarre about a multi-squillionaire, who has earned more in a year than the vast majority of us will earn in a lifetime, writing a book like this. Mr. Felder seeks to come across of a man of integrity, severely shafted by unscrupulous business associates. While there's certainly a substantial element of truth in that, this is the way of the modern business world, and Mr. Felder comes across to me as somewhat pathetic and naïve.

I think Felder did a great job of putting his ego in the background and telling the story straight. Don and Glenn pushed the band from an equal partnership of five Eagles to the two Gods plus their hired hands Tim and Joe. Felder fought and lost. Yes he resents the heck out of them but at the same time is not so blinded by his anger (perhaps due to help from an able ghostwriter) as to present an unrealistically one-sided tale.

The book is clearly cathartic for someone who lost his marriage, his career and decades-long friendships to his fight against Henley and Frey. Anyone who's loved and lost -- or made major life mistakes -- can relate to the story of survival and determination.

It serves as a reminder that the Eagles are more like all the other reunion bands -- with a few originals and several interlopers -- rather than the myth of continuity presented by their PR machine. Of the best-selling rock album of all time -- their Greatest Hits -- only 2 of the original 5 contributors remain. That all seven were present for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is one of the few legitimate codas to the long soap opera of Eagles Ltd.

I think Felder did a great job of putting his ego in the background and telling the story straight. Don and Glenn pushed the band from an equal partnership of five Eagles to the two Gods plus their hired hands Tim and Joe. Felder fought and lost. Yes he resents the heck out of them but at the same time is not so blinded by his anger (perhaps due to help from an able ghostwriter) as to present an unrealistically one-sided tale.

The book is clearly cathartic for someone who lost his marriage, his career and decades-long friendships to his fight against Henley and Frey. Anyone who's loved and lost -- or made major life mistakes -- can relate to the story of survival and determination.

It serves as a reminder that the Eagles are more like all the other reunion bands -- with a few originals and several interlopers -- rather than the myth of continuity presented by their PR machine. Of the best-selling rock album of all time -- their Greatest Hits -- only 2 of the original 5 contributors remain. That all seven were present for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is one of the few legitimate codas to the long soap opera of Eagles Ltd.

I was disappointed in this book, except for some of the "inside" information about the band members. Don Felder sounds like a victim, not taking responsibility for the financial choices he made during his career with the Eagles, nor for the personal ones he made with his family. He seemed surprised to learn that his wife and children made lives of their own while he was away touring - I wonder what he actually expected them to do with their time. Also, he rejoins the band and expects different behavior from Frey and Henley? Why? Frey and Henley don't seem like a picnic, but Felder comes off as a whiner.

I couldn't put this book down. Don Felder captured perfectly, the innocence and cultural changes of 70's coming of age experience through his personal Eagles journey.

Don writes honestly about the clash between musicians and corporation's need to make a profit, with greed, excess & egos growing out of the band's success. In a Rock & Roll band, the experience of working with a talented group of musicians unfolds much like any group that experiencing sudden wealth or power. Today it could be a team in software development. The pitfalls, tensions and self importance are similar. This story is told first hand and honestly in beautiful shades of grey.

I enjoyed this book more than To The Limit (which is excellent book and reaffirms the same Eagles' story Don Felder tells). A great read for a summer day. Kudos to Wendy Holden for her prose.

I always figured Don Henley and Glenn Frey were egomaniacs...Don Felder's tell-all book called Heaven and Hell not only confirmed my assumption but provided loads of details to back it up. Wow. I know the money was great and all but I still can't understand how Felder survived all those years with these guys.

When I first opened this book I assumed I would skip whatever pre-Eagles coverage Felder offered and jump right in to the Hotel California era. I also thought I'd cut it short and not bother reading much beyond the band's first breakup. Much to my surprise, I started reading about Felder's childhood on page one and was immediately hooked. The guy has led a fascinating life and it's remarkable how many other well-known musicians he's stumbled across over the years. Growing up in Gainesville gave him access to bands like The Allman Brothers and he was even Tom Petty's first guitar teacher.

While the early years of Felder's life were more interesting than I originally figured, the book really shines when he hooks up with The Eagles after they've had a taste of success in 1974. Hotel California is one of my favorite albums and probably the only one I care much about from The Eagles. The story of how that album was made, and how that song was written, is riveting. Felder takes you behind the scenes of tours, studio sessions and traveling with the band. You get the impression you're right there in the same room with these guys. The book is exceptionally well-written.

I finished reading it last night and I'm still marvelling at how Henley, Frey and the band's manager (Irving Azoff) railroaded Felder into a much smaller cut of the proceeds towards the end. And yes, I realize Henley and Frey were the two "faces" of the band and they had much more successful solo careers than Felder, but still...I'll bet Paul and John never hosed George and Ringo like that. When you see these mega-bands from the '70's reuniting for "one final farewell tour" and ticket prices are well north of $100 it's hard to look at it as anything other than greed. Heaven and Hell will reinforce that notion, particularly when it comes to Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Irving Azoff. No matter how much you liked (or even disliked) The Eagles, Heaven and Hell is a very worthwhile read and sheds much light on the '70's music scene.

I really loved this book! Got it yesterday and read 3/4 of it soon as I got it...quitting only because it was 3 a.m... and my eyes were sleepy! Lot of it has been reported on Henleys and Freys Egos and all...but this was even more of an insight into....how greedy they really seemed to be. I could have read more...wish he'd gone into even more detail...but of course "THE GODS" sued to keep a lot out of it! hard to believe they could become one of the greatest band ever.amonst all the acrimony, etc.!Really an enjoyable read!

This book is an entertaining enough read. I actually would have rated it higher than three stars because it is enjoyable. But ultimately, it's written by a very small, bitter man.

Don Felder is a very talented guitarist. No question. The first time that I saw the Eagles in person was in Vegas on 12/27/1999. I never realized just how many of their key guitar parts were played by him. But for those people who think that without him, their sound isn't as good, get a grip.

There's a lot of great guitar players in the world, and the ones who become famous become so because they write and sing great material. That's what separates well-known great guitarists like Eric Clapton or Jeff Beck or George Harrison from equally great guitarists like Felder or a thousand other session men. Another of those is Felder's replacement, Stueart Smith, who is a virtuoso. (And has actually written more material for the Eagles than Felder ever did.)

Does Felder honestly believe that he's equally responsible for the success of the Eagles as Don Henley and Glenn Frey? Then, he's quite the one to talk about egos.

The point of the entire book is the evil Don Henley and Glenn Frey and their outsized egos. No question they have them. But who in their position doesn't? Wasn't Bernie Leadon displaying a rather huge ego when he didn't like the fact that they band was moving in a [more successful] direction that he didn't like? Felder could have walked away whenever he wanted. That's what Randy Meisner did. Meisner didn't want to deal with touring and the pressures of having to turn out more albums on schedule. He wanted to be with his family and work on his own. Felder could have done the same. Yet he stayed with the band and even came back when they reunited.

Felder blames every bad thing in his life on Henley and Frey. Did they force drugs into his system for him? Did they personally take groupies and mount them on Felder's pen..? For god's sake, be a man and take responsibility for your own failings.

So why did Henley and Fry settle out of court? Look at most of the reactions here to this book. Most believe what Felder wrote, without even hearing the other side. Dragging out a high-profile court case and bringing more of what was a sordid past into light is hardly when Henley and Frey need. They both have families and both have done things that they aren't proud of. As for financial matters, no matter the truth, a judge would likely have given Felder some sort of financial settlement. It is unlikely that any judge would have ruled 100% for one side of the other, so the easiest thing to do was to settle, with an agreement that got a lot of other ugly gossip material that was originally in this book removed.

Felder tries to drag down Timothy B. Schmit and Joe Walsh with him. Great guy. He seems to paint them as pathetic sidemen under the thumbs of "The Gods." Maybe Schmit and Walsh are just more realistic about their situation. Schmit nor Walsh was with the band at the start, and contrary to what he seems to portray, neither was Felder, who didn't get there until the tail end of the recording sessions on the third of their six pre-breakup albums.

The Eagles as performers in a band are a different entity than Eagles Ltd, the company that controls the band. Felder did own a chunk of that but it is now just Don and Glenn. Just because Walsh and Schmit are not co-owners of the management company "Eagles Ltd." does not mean that they are not truly part of "The Eagles." Some has to run and manage the show, and that's Henley and Frey, and Irving Azoff.

This is not that unusual a situation. A lot of musicians in rock bands really are just salaried men. From 1972 to 1980, the same time frame as the Eagles, Wings was one of the most popular bands in the world. Outside of Paul and Linda McCartney, it featured a lot of different salaried musicians during it's run. The exception was ex-Moody Bluesman Denny Laine, who was there from start to finish. But he was also on salary. He had a lot of similar complaints about Paul McCartney's control of the band and about money, despite McCartney's public challenge to name someone else in his [Laine's] position that was as well paid. Laine was McCartney's collaborator and co-writer of some Wings material. But did he really think that people were coming out to see him?

Did Felder, despite his great talent, think that people were coming out to see him?

Walsh and Schmit are happy with their situation. Obviously, they're making a ton of money. But professionally, they don't have many options anywhere close to being Eagles. And, yes, they are Eagles.

Schmit never had a particularly successful solo career. Walsh was very successful before he joined the Eagles and for a while after they disbanded in 1980. But, by 1994, Walsh's recordings weren't selling. He's very popular as part of the Eagles, and his guitar solos and lead vocals are a great part of the show. But he just wasn't that big a draw when his name was on top of the bill as a solo act. Both Schmit and Walsh add a lot to the Eagles, but in reality, the Eagles are mainly Henley and Frey. Most of the songs are theirs. Schmitt only contributed one lead vocal pre-breakup and has had three since the reunion. Walsh had two lead vocals pre-breakup and has two on the new album.

Even as popular as Walsh is with the fans performing mostly James Gang material, Henley and Frey could probably perform by themselves as the Eagles with just a nameless backup band and still be nearly as popular.

Felder was basically the Ringo Starr of the Eagles. He should have just stayed quiet and played his role. Like Starr, he is a talented musician with fairly limited ability beyond his instrument. Actually, if you listen to Felder's only lead vocal, 1974's "Visions," there is something of a vocal similarity to Starr. A pleasant sounding enough voice with range that is obviously quite limited.