Like many of the other Eagles, Joe Walsh has had a successful solo career. This noted guitarist, songwriter, and singer was a member of The James Gang and his own band (Barnstorm) prior to his long term position in The Eagles, which began in 1975. Walsh's first chart appearance as a solo artist goes all the way back to 1973 when "Rocky Mountain Way" reached #23. He scored his biggest hit, "Life's Been Good," which reached #12, in 1978. Another notable Top 20 entry is his contribution to the Urban Cowboy soundtrack: "All Night Long," which peaked at #19 in 1980. Walsh's chart career ended when "Space Age Whiz Kids" stalled at #52 in 1983, although his 1991 tune, "Ordinary Average Guy," received a lot of airplay and remains a fan favorite. After a long hiatus, Walsh released an album a new songs in 2012 entitled, "Analog Man." Walsh proves he hasn't lost his touch for clever songwriting and self-effacing humor.
Singer and songwriter Richard Marx is well-known for his string of monster hits in the late 80s and early 90s (the first solo artist ever to have his first 7 singles land in the top 5). But he'd been long working in the music business before his debut hit "Don't Mean Nothing" reached #3 in 1987 and after his final chart appearance in 1997 (when "At The Beginning," a duet with Donna Lewis featured in the movie Anastasia, topped out at #45). Marx had been singing commercial jingles since the age of 5 and then found himself singing backup vocals for the likes of Lionel Richie. Richie got a demo tape of some of Marx's original songs to Kenny Rogers, who ended up recording some ("Crazy" and "What About Me?"). After a few more years of hustling, Marx finally got a record deal of his own and recruited musicians from The Tubes (Fee Waybill) and Eagles (Joe Walsh, Randy Meisner) to play on his self-titled debut, which would sell nearly 4 million copies. If you're looking for a lost gem from this record, check out "Lonely Heart." His sophomore record, "Repeat Offender," did not prove to be a jinx, yielding five more top 15 singles for Marx. Underrated tunes from this effort include "Nothin' You Can Do About It" and "Waiting For The Sunrise." While it performed well, his third effort ("Rush Street") met with mixed reviews. Shuffling music styles like a deck of cards, this record contains the trademark rock and pop fans grew to love, but mixed in some blue-eyed soul and sultry tunes that foreshadowed his transformation into an adult contemporary balladeer. I'm not a big fan of this record, but "Take This Heart" (which landed at #20) and "Big Boy Now" are worth a spin. Marx's fourth record, "Paid Vacation," is one of my favorites and possibly his most underrated. It felt like a strong return to form, although its lead single was yet another ballad. But what a beautiful ballad it was: "Now And Forever" had gorgeous acoustic guitar, a heartfelt vocal, and sweeping orchestration that remind me of Bread. The song reached #7 in 1994 (remarkable since grunge was in full swing) and marked Marx's final showing in the top 10. "Heaven's Waiting" is a more upbeat acoustic-based rocker from this terrific record. Marx continues to release records every now and then and has obtained huge success as a songwriter for other artists - everyone from NSYNC to Kenny Loggins to Luther Vandross ("Dance With My Father" won Marx a songwriting Grammy).
Soft rock artist Dan Fogelberg got his start on the charts in 1975 with the #31 hit, "Part Of The Plan," which featured Graham Nash and Joe Walsh as musical guests. His follow-up hit, "The Power Of Gold," (#24 in 1978) featured a different Eagle on harmony vocals - Don Henley. If that wasn't enough, Fogelberg's #7 hit from 1981, "Hard To Say," featured Glenn Frey on harmony vocals. Which begs the question...what was his beef with Timothy B. Schmit? Fogelberg graced the charts with other ballads like "Longer" (#2, his biggest hit), "Same Old Lang Syne" (#9), "Run For The Roses" (#18), and "Leader Of The Band" (#9). He could rock out a bit when he wanted to, like on "The Language Of Love" (#13) or "She Don't Look Back" (#85 in 1987, and his last chart appearance). Not that he needed to release more ballads, but "Windows And Walls" ranks among one of his most heartbreaking tunes about loneliness and growing old. Maybe it was too sad for radio, but it certainly deserves your attention. Sadly, Fogelberg left us too soon, dying of prostate cancer in 2007.
The legendary rock band known as The Eagles ruled the 70s, achieving 5 #1 hits and many other charting singles. However, you may be surprised to learn that many of their classic "hits" did not even chart. This includes "Desperado", "The Sad Cafe", "After The Thrill Is Gone", and "Victim Of Love". The Eagles rank at #20 among the best artists of the 70s and #126 of all-time. Their first greatest hits record is second only to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in selling more copies than any other album (29 million and counting). The Eagles first landed on the chart in 1972 with "Take It Easy" going to #12. In late 1974, they would score their first #1 hit with "Best Of My Love". The band's wings grew weary by 1980 as inner turmoil in the band had members itching to go solo. "Seven Bridges Road" would prove to be the band's last top 40 hit (peaking at #21 in 1980) until their surprise reunion in 1994. Their comeback hits, "Get Over It" and "Love Will Keep Us Alive", reached #31 and #22, respectively. Going all the way back to their debut self-titled album from 1972 (which peaked at #22) is a little known gem I'd like to highlight here called "Nightingale".
