(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Sat 25 October 2025 15:45, UK
Dysfunction runs in the veins of almost every rock band. Be they big or small, a band which delights in the rebellion of rock ‘n’ roll will always suffer when it comes to consistent harmony. When the Eagles first got together, they were meant to be a well-oiled machine.
Having spent most of their time cutting their teeth on the rock and roll club scene, half the reason why the band ended up making phenomenal music was because of their attention to detail on every single track. Even though the band had made excellent music throughout their career, Don Henley thought a handful of songs never got the proper treatment they deserved.
If things had been different, though, Henley could have easily continued working as a backing musician for Linda Ronstadt. After working in the group Shiloh, Henley had begun making inroads into the Los Angeles club scene, where he saw Ronstadt working in clubs like The Troubadour.
After getting a gig as her drummer, Henley quickly struck up a friendship with Glenn Frey, creating a symbiotic relationship whenever they played together. Although the idea was initially to get a massive group with Frey and Henley as co-captains, the duo had other plans beyond being session players. It would be a moment that would spark a run of songs and albums that would change rock music forever.
When discussing forming the Eagles, Frey recalled in History of the Eagles, “They were talking about putting together a supergroup to back up Linda. And Don said, ‘I’d rather just be in a band with you’”. After getting Ronstadt’s blessing and recommending country guitarist Bernie Leadon, the band quickly went into the studio once they drafted in Randy Meisner from the band Poco. It was an impressive moment that shaped the men and their career forever.
(Credits: Far Out / Showtime / The Eagles)
Signing a deal with Asylum Records, the band eventually travelled to England to work with Glyn Johns, then known for working as an engineer for legends like The Who and Led Zeppelin. While the group were ready to put their nose to the grind in the studio, not every sonic experiment they made worked in their favour.
When Henley talked about first tracking the drums, he remembered Johns having a minimal microphone setup, saying, “He would just put three microphones on the drumkit. He was used to recording John Bonham. I asked if I could have the drum louder, and he said, ‘If you want it louder, hit it harder’. And I hit it as hard as I could, but I couldn’t hit it like John Bonham”. We can’t hold that against him, though. Nobody could hit as hard as John Bonham.
Then again, the band weren’t trying to make Zeppelin’s version of blistering rock. They wanted to create music that would evoke the sounds of driving through the California desert, with ‘Take It Easy’ serving as the perfect gateway drug for potential fans. While Frey and Henley took the lion’s share of the vocals, Meisner would be the co-lead vocalist on various tunes on the album, including the song ‘Earlybird’.
Although the track featured the ideal blend of country-style banjo and slide guitar, Henley could have done without the birdsong at the end, telling Rolling Stone, “Those sounds are actual birds chirping.” It might have been a simple song addition, but for Henley, it felt a little silly. “They were taken from a sound effects library. I thought – and still think – it was corny, but it wasn’t my song. Adding the chirping sounds was the decision of both the song’s author and our producer”.
Despite the unwanted sound effects, the song would become an ideal encapsulation of what the Eagles stood for. While the band may have sidestepped the label of ‘country rock’ for years, their way of blending traditional country instrumentation with rock and R&B has made for some of the most natural-sounding American music of the last century.
The track, despite some detractors, stands as a charming and understated effort that captures the essence of the Eagles’ early sound. Its emphasis on natural beauty, simplicity, and tight harmonies showcases the band’s skill in creating evocative, genre-blurring music. While it may not have achieved the iconic status of their more famous songs, ‘Earlybird’ remains a gem for fans who appreciate the Eagles’ deep cuts and their ability to find beauty in life’s quiet moments.
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