The Eagles' follow-up to the globally successful "Hotel California" took three years in the making and in the intervening time bass player Randy Meisner had left the band, and was ironically replaced by Timothy B. Schmidt, his successor in Poco.
Frankly, the album was a disappointment at the time, and whilst the three singles were good, I thought the rest of the LP was ordinary at best. Indeed, looking at the track listing now I was unable to recall any of the other songs.
The split of vocal responsibilities were similar to "Hotel California", with Glenn Frey having just one lead vocal, there being one each for Joe Walsh and the bass player, with Don Henley singing the rest.
The title track "The Long Run" opens side one. A mid-tempo rocker with a distinctive guitar intro it's a promising start to the album. "All the debutants in Houston, couldn't hold a candle to you"
Things improve further with Schmidt's "I Can't Tell You Why". A gorgeous, slow ballad sung by Schmidt, whose soft, high voice is perfectly suited to the song, and together with trademark lovely harmonies, a beautiful guitar solo and similarly beguiling lengthy guitar outro, it's perfect material for the Virgin Chilled radio station !
Next-up is Joe Walsh's "In The City", which was apparently a solo recording which the rest of Eagles liked so much they re-recorded it, with Walsh again the vocalist. It's pleasant but still sounds more like a Joe Walsh song rather than The Eagles.
"The Disco Strangler" has a decent funk riff but its an awful song not helped by Henley's dreadful vocal. Thankfully its only 2:40 minutes long !
Side one closes with "King of Hollywood". There is an exquisite guitar intro but afterwards lumbers along in a dull and uninteresting manner apart from a circa "The Wall" Pink Floyd style guitar solo.
"Heartache Tonight" is arguably the standout song on the album and opens side two. Co-written with Bob Seger, and sung by Frey it begins with pounding drums and an anthem-like chant, then the guitars come in and the tempo increases. It's the sort of song that Kiss might have recorded.
"Those Shoes" includes Talkbox effects but it is an uninspiring plod. The Eagles were tying to be bad-ass and heavy, but it didn't work. It gets worse with the slow "Teenage Jail". Image a country song performed by a heavy metal band and you'll get the picture. It attempts to be sinister but fails badly.
"The Greeks Don't Want No Freak" is something completely different though. It actually sounds as if The Eagles are having fun, and it resembles something that might be found in a 1960's teenage musical. All fairly harmless, and not particularly great, but it comes as a bit of a blessed relief after the two preceding two tracks.
"Sad Cafe" closes the album, and is a song in a similar vein both musically and lyrically to "Wasted Time" and "The Last Resort" from Hotel California. There is a glimpse of flamenco style guitar, and unexpectedly a saxophone solo, whilst a smoothing organ is prominent throughout the track. I had completely forgotten this nice song.
Overall, "The Long Run" is a little better than I expected. The three singles are still the highlights, and "In The City and "Sad Cafe" were worth a listen. However, as I think one critic remarked it is more like five solo albums merged into one, with too many different styles and The Eagles determined to show they could rock with the best of them rather than being the gentle country-rock band that made their name.
Track Listing :
Side One :
1. The Long Run
2. I Can't Tell You Why
3. In The City
4. The Disco Strangler
5. King Of Hollywood
1. Heartache Tonight
2. Those Shoes
3. Teenage Jail
4. The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks
5. The Sad Cafe
UK Chart Position : 4
Singles :
Heartache Tonight ( No 40 - 1979 )
The Long Run ( No 66 - 1979 )
I Can't Tell You Why ( - 1980 )
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