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

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
The Eagles are the bestselling, and arguably the tightest-lipped, American group ever. Now band member and guitarist Don Felder finally breaks the Eagles’ years of public silence to take fans behind the scenes. He shares every part of the band’s wild ride, from the pressure-packed recording studios and trashed hotel rooms to the tension-filled courtrooms, and from the joy of writing powerful new songs to the magic of performing in huge arenas packed with roaring fans.

Customer Reviews: Read 53 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Good look into the control of Frey and Henley April 20, 2008
36 out of 36 found this review helpful

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.

5 out of 5 stars

Finally, Don Felder's Inside Story of The Eagles - Great Read! April 18, 2008
20 out of 22 found this review helpful

I've been looking forward to this book ever since Don Felder first mentioned he might write it, apparently just after he was fired from The Eagles by Don Henley and Glen Frey. But then it was not going to be published because of lawsuits and counter-suits, etc., but now here it is at last. I have to admit I couldn't wait until now to get the book here in the US, so I paid a bit more and bought a new copy from England, where it was published last year. So I've already read it, couldn't put it down. A great read for any and every Eagles fan, especially those of us who followed the band from the very beginning, when The Eagles were comprised of Henley and Frey and Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner. Those four put together the band's first two albums; while working on their third album Felder was invited to join, and these five guys created the Eagles' most successful music. Back when all this was happening I presumed Felder was just some guy brought into the band to give them a harder-edged sound, much to the chagrin of the country-oriented banjo-playing Bernie Leadon. What I found out from this book, however, was that Felder and Leadon were old friends from back in Florida, and that it was Bernie who first came West and eventually persuaded Felder to come out as well a few years later. I also learned that Felder had known and played guitar with Duane Allman in Florida.
I followed The Eagles all the way through the 70s, was saddened when Bernie took his banjo and acoustic guitars and left the band, to be replaced by hard-rocker Joe Walsh, and then even more saddened when bass player Randy Meisner quit a year later. Felder talks at length about these two events, and how sad he was about it as well. He also gives us a much more realistic take on the "reunion" in 1994, as well as the reunion of all seven band members at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. And then he goes into the events around his firing. I think he writes very honestly here, without any petty vindictiveness. Sure he was/is upset about the way it all went down. What's left of "The Eagles" - Henley and Frey and about a dozen or more hired hands on stage filling out that "Eagles" sound - is currently putting on some big-time shows around the world and making a ton of money, and people who go to see them seem pleased. But are they seeing The Eagles? I don't think so. It's as if John and Paul, having fired George and Ringo, decided to hire a bunch of backing musicians and call themselves The Beatles. Sure, John and Paul were the main stars of the band, but only the four of them deserved to be called The Beatles. Same thing here. Henley and Frey became the big stars of what was originally a very democratic band. Henley is a fantastic talent, with maybe the best voice in rock. He and Frey wrote some great songs, no question. They can still play and sing and create a lot of good music. Don Felder created the song Hotel California, and it just doesn't seem right to see them playing it now without him. Ah well, this old sentimentalist remembers the good old days of The Eagles, and this book is a great way to bring those memories back. Thanks for writing it, Don!

5 out of 5 stars

So What's All the Fuss About!?! June 5, 2008
19 out of 19 found this review helpful

When HEAVEN AND HELL was first announced, word-of-mouth was that it was going to be so incendiary that Frey and Henley would need asbestos gloves to read the thing. After breezing through HEAVEN AND HELL - and it is a quick, entertaining read - we're treated to the following: The Eagles did a lot of drugs and booze. They jumped every woman that came near. Don Henley was a sour-faced, perfectionist control freak. Glenn Frey was a ego-tripping control freak who treated people like dirt. Joe Walsh was a good-natured, slightly bent guitar hero who loved to trash hotel rooms, etc. And so?? All those peccadillos were fairly common knowledge or at least rumored for years...all Felder's book does is to confirm it!

HEAVEN AND HELL may have exposed the Eagles dirty laundry but - substitute a few names here and there - and it could be the story of the Stones, Zeppelin or any major rock group creating great music amidst drugs, alcohol, groupies and oversized egos. Why should The Eagles have been different?

Actually, given Henley and Frey's demeaning treatment of other members of the group, I thought Felder did an even-handed job of describing the group's life in the fast lane. People may question why he wrote the book but why shouldn't he? He was there; he has a perfect right to record what happened. His version of events may not agree with the version Frey and Henley want the public to accept but so what.

As I was reading Felder's book, time and again I got the feeling I was getting 'The Rest of the Story.' For example, as much as I liked the Eagles' music, often-times it seemed almost too perfect, too mistake-free. Now I know why. Likewise, judging from the book, Henley and Frey seemed as concerned with controlling the public's perception of the group as they were in crafting evocative songs and endearing music.

Felder's book should be required reading for all Eagles fans. It is a rare, warts-and-all, insider's view of the workings of a major rock group. Sour grapes...maybe. But it's still a great read!

5 out of 5 stars

Some dance to remember, some dance to forget June 5, 2008
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

By now, no Eagles fan should be surprised by tales told about "The Gods," Don Henley and Glenn Frey, and how they have treated (or mistreated) their fellow musicians over the years. What makes this book stand out is that the recounting here is done from the inside, by someone who is not only very capable of telling that history, but is also adept at conveying it in a very readable, conversational way. This is guitarist Don Felder's memoir-to-date, "Heaven and Hell."

Other Amazon reviewers have covered the basics of Felder's life story, tracing his beginnings in Gainesville, Florida; his growing focus on music and guitars; and his father's undue influence on his life. Knowing where he'll eventually end up, the pages make for interesting and anticipatory reading. We follow Felder's winding career path (which includes attending Woodstock) as it eventually leads toward the Eagles, to California, and to the celebrity and opulent lifestyle that only rock stars can earn. And of course: simultaneously to alcohol, drugs, extramarital liaisons, and chain-saw attacks on hotel room furniture. (You go, Joe!)

Those folks who have also read books like Jonathan Gould's "Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain & America" will no doubt be stirred by the resemblance of the Eagles to the Fab Four. Felder himself refers to the analogy on page 116 when Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon are said to have adopted "the George and Ringo positions" in the group. Ain't it the truth? Here we have a band made up of highly creative musicians, dominated by two of the original members (who seem to be writing most of the songs) and a manager who's behind it all, calling the shots. And though the first albums took the public by storm, subsequent albums became tougher and tougher to put together as tempers flared, arguments ensued, and individuals walked out. Near the end, in and around the breakup, intricate legalities took over. In both cases, it all boiled down to ego and money. In retrospect, one wonders what would have been the Beatles' fate if Mark David Chapman had not pulled the trigger. Would John, Paul, George and Ringo have eventually buried the hatchet, just temporarily, and embarked on a "Hell Freezes Over" kind of tour? Wouldn't we all have fallen over each other to get tickets for it?

As for the Eagles: with just one phone call, the controlling forces decide that Don Felder -- after more than 20 years of service, and after contributing the signature "Hotel California" melody -- is no longer necessary to the band. To his credit, he does not roll over and play dead, but instead fights to keep his original legal position in Eagles, Ltd. Nevertheless, Felder is left behind in the end, much like the California license plate that graces the book jacket: battered, bruised, and detached; yet still in one piece, ready to be picked up again. I'm quite pleased to know that, due to the outcome of his successful lawsuit, he will still benefit from the CD I bought at Wal-Mart and the ticket I already bought to see the Eagles in concert later this year. Good for you, Don! And thanks for sharing both the good times and the bad times with us. But please know that after reading this book, I'm going to think long and hard before I spend any more of my own hard-earned dollars on the Eagles.

4 out of 5 stars

Personalities and dynamics of the 1970s superstar group April 13, 2008
15 out of 16 found this review helpful

If you like the Eagles, you'll enjoy this book. As to personalities, no one other than Glenn Frey comes off looking too bad. Felder is brutally honest about how he was fired and how he and his band mates reacted to it. (Even millionaires have to learn who their real friends are.)

I'm sure they'll be publicity about drugs and groupies, but this book provides more insight into how five guys work together, or don't, to create great commercial products.

Felder describes how songs were selected and arranged and pays homage to the creative input particularly of Don Henley. It was amusing, however, to discover how many of the songs on the recent album originated years ago.

Are there some sour grapes? Of course, but most of the book rings true. Felder fans will be pleased that there are several chapters on his childhood and how he developed as an A-list guitarist.

The rest of us will relish the chapters on the Eagles. In fact, I'd have given it 5-stars if it had been a little more salacious.

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