Boylan called asking him if he was interested
in backing Linda Ronstadt and perhaps forming a new band with some other
backing band members - namely, Glenn Frey, Don Henley and Bernie Leadon
- it was too good to pass up. In July of 1971, he played with them for
the first time at a gig in Disneyland... and the rest is history.
They named themselves the Eagles and approached David Geffen, who had
already had dealings with Frey and was willing to sign them despite some
grumblings about royalty shares. The band formally became a part of Asylum
records in September of 1971. After playing some gigs in Colorado, the
band started to gel. Soon they were off to London to be guided by famous
producer Glyn Johns.
While Glenn Frey started the band and was its leader, Meisner initially
had the impression that he would be an equal member in terms of the amount
of song credits per album and the amount of lead vocals. For the first
Eagles album, this was indeed the case. He and Frey bonded quickly during
the making of the first Eagles album, sneaking away together to spoke
marijuana in defiance of Johns' strict "no drugs" policy. Meisner
even sung vocals for the Frey-penned song "Most of Us Are Sad."
Henley and Leadon, on the other hand, had also bonded from the outset,
writing "Witchy Woman" together. While Frey especially chafed
at Johns' handling of the band, it paid off in the form of three hits:
"Take It Easy," "Witchy Woman," and "Peaceful
Easy Feeling."
The band dynamics were to change considerably when Frey approached Henley
to do some co-writing for the Eagles' sophomore album, Desperado. The
two worked so well together that from that moment on, they began to form
a united songwriting front that would eventually begin to edge out Meisner
and Leadon. This became apparent immediately; Frey and Henley were involved
in every song on Desperado except the two written by Leadon, whereas Meisner
only co-wrote two songs and sang sole lead on one (he shared lead with
Henley on "Saturday Night").
Not that Meisner was completely disregarded; two lead vocals was reasonable
in a band with four members that only had about ten songs per album. It
was the lack of songwriting credits that really became noticeable. On
their third album On The Border, he only wrote one song: "Is It True."
His other lead vocal, "Midnight Flyer," was a cover. Frey and
Henley, quickly becoming the power brokers of the band, were rejecting
his material as not up to the standards of the Eagles. Frey and Henley
were working more closely with "fifth Eagle" John David Souther
than with the other members of the band. The success of On the Border
and its breakout Frey/Henley/Souther hit "Best of My Love" seemed
to lend veracity to their arguments, and Meisner accepted it, but with
a deepening sense of unease about his loss of influence on the inner workings
of the band.
Another source of problems was Meisner's progressively worsening involvement
with drugs, alcohol, and the "rock'n'roll lifestyle." Although
he was still married and had three children, he was unable to resist the
temptations of the road. The success of On the Border only made things
worse. Struggling with constant guilt and self-recrimination at his seeming
inability to be faithful to his wife, Meisner often spoke of quitting
the band.
One of These Nights was to yield a pleasant surprise for Meisner, however.
His songs were not usually selected as singles, but "Take It to the
Limit" was - and it was a smash success, becoming the Eagles' first
gold record. Co-written with Frey and Henley, it was to become one of
the Eagles' signature songs. Meisner's song "Too Many Hands,"
co-written by the band's new member Don Felder, was also deemed high-quality
by Frey and Henley; Frey even expressed that they'd finally found the
type of songs for which Meisner's voice was perfectly suited. Things were
looking up musically, despite continued conflicts over the direction of
the band. Frey and Henley, so productive and successful as a team, were
beginning to argue between themselves as well. Leadon felt so completely
marginalized the he finally quit the band in frustration.
By the time the Eagles were recording Hotel California, relationships
had deteriorated considerably. While Frey and Henley continued to work
together creating hits, their personal conflicts also grew. Joe Walsh
had been brought in to replace Leadon, and while his contributions continued
to move the band in a rock-oriented direction, Meisner felt increasingly
left behind. "Try and Love Again" was his only lead on the album,
written alone; the song stuck out as the only one on the album not aligned
with the Frey/Henley vision of the disillusion created by success that
wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
Amidst band conflict, Meisner's marriage was finally ending. His partying,
drinking, and drug using was now completely unchecked by any lingering
marital guilt. It began to interfere with performances, and it didn't
help Meisner feel any more positive about the band. It didn't give him
confidence about performing, either. He hated touring, hated being in
the spotlight, and was nervous about his ability to consistently hit the
high notes on "Take It to the Limit" live. The song was a show-stopper,
however; people loved its dramatic build and soaring climax, and screamed
for it every night. It was a fundamental part of the Eagles live set.
When Meisner refused to sing it one night in Knoxville, Tennessee, citing
illness that Frey suspected was caused by partying too hard, Frey lost
patience with him. He called Meisner a vulgar name and threw a sweaty
towel in his face, setting off a fistfight that had to be broken up by
roadies. Meisner decided at that point to leave the band at the end of
the tour, hoping that Walsh and Felder would join him; they too had expressed
dissatisfaction with the Frey/Henley rule that had now expanded to include
manager Irving Azoff. Walsh and Felder refused, proving any prior conversations
about forming a trio with Meisner were nothing more than idle talk. Before
Meisner had a chance to reconsider, he was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit...
just as he had been when fired from Poco.
Now Meisner was on his own. In some ways, it was a relief; certainly,
there was less pressure on him now. On the other hand, going from being
a part of the world's most successful band with multitudinous offers down
to a solo artist whom few were interested in was a difficult adjustment.
Under Azoff's continued management, he released a solo album in 1978 and
had a song appear on the FM soundtrack. Ironically, it was a cover of
the Frey/Souther song "Bad Man."
Puzzled by the lack of live gigs, Meisner went to Azoff to inquire about
it. Azoff, whose first loyalty was always to the Eagles, had little patience
for the much-less-marketable Meisner. Azoff exploded at him, backing him
up against the wall and shouting at him to "Get out of here and never
come back" (qtd. in Eliot). Meisner realized with dismay that even
his own manager wasn't on his side.
He had better luck with the album One More Song (1980).
P/W - 33&third
