The Long Run (album)
The Long Run | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 24, 1979 | |||
Recorded | March 1978 – September 1979 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 42:50 | |||
Label | Asylum | |||
Producer | Bill Szymczyk | |||
The Eagles chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Long Run | ||||
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The Long Run is the sixth studio album by American rock group the Eagles. It was released in 1979 by Asylum Records in the United States and the United Kingdom. This was the first Eagles album to feature bassist Timothy B. Schmit, who had replaced founding member Randy Meisner, and the last full studio album to feature Don Felder before his termination from the band in 2001.
This was the band's final studio album for Asylum Records. It also turned out to be their last studio album during their original tenure, as the Eagles disbanded in 1980; even though they reunited in 1994, they did not release another studio album until 2007's Long Road Out of Eden.
Three singles were released from the album, "
Background
The album was originally intended to be a double album. The band could not come up with enough songs and the idea was therefore scrapped. The recording was protracted; they started recording in 1978, and the album took 18 months to record in five different studios, with the album finally released in September 1979.[2][3] According to Don Henley, the band members were "completely burned out" and "physically, emotionally, spiritually and creatively exhausted" from a long tour when they started recording the album, and they had few songs.[4] However, they managed to put together ten songs for the album, with contribution from their friends J. D. Souther and Bob Seger who co-wrote with Frey and Henley on "Heartache Tonight".[2] (Souther also got songwriting credit on "Teenage Jail" and "The Sad Cafe".)
According to Henley, the title track was in part a response to press articles that said they were "passé" as disco was then dominant and punk emerging, which inspired lines such as "Who is gonna make it/ We'll find out in the long run". He said that the inspiration for the lyrics was also "irony", as they wrote about longevity and posterity while the group "was breaking apart, imploding under the pressure of trying to deliver a worthy follow-up to
The album was produced by Bill Szymczyk, although the Eagles were listed as co-producers.[9]
Album pressing
The original
- Side one: "Never let your monster lay down"
- Side two: "From the Polack who sailed north" (may be a reference to the producer of the album Bill Szymczyk)[9]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [10] |
Christgau's Record Guide | C+[11] |
Rolling Stone | [12] |
Smash Hits | 4/10[13] |
In 1979 Rolling Stone wrote, "Overall, The Long Run is a synthesis of previous macabre Eagles motifs, with cynical new insights that are underlined by slashing rock & roll...(it) is a bitter, wrathful, difficult record, full of piss and vinegar and poisoned expectations. Because it’s steeped in fresh, risky material and unflinching self-examination, it’s also the Eagles’ best work in many, many years."[14] The Globe and Mail determined that "the Eagles' fawning synthesis of various kinds of rock and that roll sits less well the smoother it gets."[15] The New York Times stated that The Long Run "is neatly balanced among standard Eagles rockers, rather shallow social commentary, ballads and novelty numbers," and noted that the band's "mean streak" has "never been so apparent."[16]
Reviewing the album retrospectively in AllMusic, critic William Ruhlmann wrote that the album was a "major disappointment, even though it sold several million copies and threw off three hit singles," adding that the album "reportedly was planned as a double album before being truncated to a single disc. If these were the keepers, what could the rejects have sounded like?"[17]
Grammys
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1980 |
"Heartache Tonight" | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal[18] |
Won |
Commercial performance
When released in September 1979, The Long Run debuted at number two on
The album generated three Top 10 singles, "
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Long Run" | Don Henley | 3:42 | |
2. | "I Can't Tell You Why" |
| Timothy B. Schmit | 4:56 |
3. | "In the City" | Joe Walsh | 3:46 | |
4. | "The Disco Strangler" |
| Henley | 2:46 |
5. | "King of Hollywood" |
| Henley and Frey | 6:27 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Heartache Tonight" |
| Frey | 4:27 |
2. | "Those Shoes" |
| Henley | 4:57 |
3. | "Teenage Jail" |
| Henley and Frey | 3:44 |
4. | "The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks" |
| Henley | 2:21 |
5. | "The Sad Café" |
| Henley | 5:35 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes.[22]
Eagles
- talkboxon “Those Shoes”
- Glenn Frey – vocals, acoustic and electric rhythm guitars, keyboards, lead guitar on “I Can’t Tell You Why” and “King of Hollywood”
- Don Henley – vocals, drums, percussion
- Timothy B. Schmit – vocals, bass guitar
- Joe Walsh – vocals, guitars, keyboards, talkbox on “Those Shoes”
Additional personnel
- Jimmy Buffett – backing vocals on "The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks"
- The Monstertones – backing vocals on “The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks”
- David Sanborn – alto saxophone on "The Sad Café"
- Bob Seger – backing vocals on "Heartache Tonight" (not credited in liner notes)
- Joe Vitale – piano, electric piano
Production
- Bill Szymczyk – producer and engineer
- Ed Mashal – engineer
- David Crowther – assistant engineer
- Mark Curry – assistant engineer
- Phil Jamtaas – assistant engineer
- Bob Stringer – assistant engineer
- Bob Winder – assistant engineer
- Ted Jensen – mixing, remastering
- John Kosh – art direction, design
- Jim Shea – photography
Long Run Leftovers
It appears that several more songs were submitted for The Long Run, but did not make it. Some of these are included in the collection
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[46] | 3× Platinum | 210,000^ |
France ( SNEP)[47]
|
2× Gold | 200,000* |
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[48] | Gold | 10,000* |
Japan (Oricon Charts) | — | 247,000[49] |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[50] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[51] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[52] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[19] | 7× Platinum | 8,000,000[20] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ Daley, Dan (November 2004). "Producer: Bill Szymczyk". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ a b c Giles, Jeff (September 24, 2015). "36 Years Ago: The Eagles Grind to a Halt with 'The Long Run'". Ultimate Classic Rock.
- ^ DeRiso, Nick (November 7, 2015). "35 Years Ago: The Eagles Limp Away With the Patched-Together 'Live'". Ultimate Classic Rock.
- ^ a b c Browne, David (June 10, 2016). "Eagles' Complete Discography: Don Henley Looks Back". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Andy Greene (July 16, 2015). "Flashback: The Eagles Play 'Take It to the Limit' in 1977". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles". Song Facts.
- ^ "Joe Walsh: In the City". AllMusic.
- ISBN 978-0470289068.
- ^ a b Big Jay Sorensen (November 22, 2014). "This Week In History: The Beatles' 'Abbey Road,' The Eagles' 'The Long Run' & Bon Jovi's 'New Jersey'". WCBS-FM.
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "The Long Run". Allmusic. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
- ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). Eagles. Simon and Schuster. Archived from the original on February 28, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (November 1–14, 1979): 29.
- ^ "The Long Run". Rolling Stone.
- ^ McGrath, Paul (6 Oct 1979). "The Long Run The Eagles". The Globe and Mail. p. F8.
- ^ Rockwell, John (5 Oct 1979). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C12.
- ^ "The Long Run - Eagles - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ "Past Winners Search". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- ^ a b "American album certifications – Eagles – The Long Run". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ a b "Eagles: Biography". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "WINNERS: 22nd Annual GRAMMY Awards (1979)". The Recording Academy.
- ^ The Long Run (booklet). Eagles. California: Asylum Records. 1979. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ISBN 978-0-470-28906-8.
- ^ "Eagles: The Long Run". Mojim Lyrics. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 7866a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Eagles – The Long Run" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – E". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Eagles from the menu, then press OK.
- Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- Musica e Dischi(in Italian). Retrieved 23 February 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Eagles".
- ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Eagles – The Long Run". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Eagles – The Long Run". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Eagles – The Long Run". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ^ "Eagles | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ^ "Eagles Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ^ ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1979". RPM. December 22, 1979. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
- ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1979 par InfoDisc" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
- Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
- ^ 年間アルバムヒットチャート 1979年(昭和54年) [Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1979] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1980". RPM. December 20, 1980. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
- Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
- ^ Nielsen Business Media, Inc (December 20, 1980). Billboard.com – Year End Charts – Year-end Albums – The Billboard 200.
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has generic name (help) - ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1996 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- ^ "French album certifications – Eagles – The Long Run" (in French). InfoDisc. Select EAGLES and click OK.
- ^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1981". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Eagles – The Long Run". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('The Long Run')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
- ^ "British album certifications – Eagles – The Long Run". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 15 July 2021.