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“Already Gone” – The Eagles
(Words/music: Jack Tempchin and Robb Strandlin, available on On the Border, Asylum 1974)

After spending far too long listening to classic rock radio, including a couple jobs where this was on constantly, I’ve overdosed on the Eagles.  I’m at a point where Don Henley’s voice causes me to turn the radio to any other station instantaneously.  Perhaps it’s a reaction to being told how wonderful “Hotel California” was for years, because I can’t say I actively loathe their songs (“Hotel California” included, even if I wouldn’t mind going a few years without hearing it).  The Eagles do a few things well – for example, they can harmonize with the best of them.  They just tend not to do these things on the songs that get blasted over the radio.

“Already Gone” plays on the band’s strengths.  Specifically, the band uses harmonies without letting them overpower the rest of the song.  Rather than push the multiple part vocals out into the front of the mix, the harmonies blend in with the rest of the track.  This way, the harmonies strengthen Glenn Frey’s lead vocal, whether it’s the subtle underscoring in the verses or the more forceful and direct backing vocals in the chorus.  These harmonies also tend to wash over the vocals, emphasizing the sound of their voices rather than the specific words they sing – another plus since the Eagles craft sounds better than words.  Additionally, the constant interplay between the lead and slide guitars breathes a lively spirit into the song.  These two guitar lines run through the entire arrangement, rarely going more than a few bars without emerging for a fill or two.  It provides a harder edged counterpoint to the smoother sounding harmonies and offers another dimension to the track.  It gives me hope enough to think that there’s a few more songs like this (or like “Take it Easy”) in the band’s catalog – well constructed rock songs that won’t drive me to furiously press my car radio’s “scan” button.

More on The Eagles: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm