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

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

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

Author: Don Felder
Contributor: Wendy Holden
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-04-21
ISBN: 0470289066
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Wiley

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

Book Review: Life in the Fast Lane
Summary: 5 Stars


It's not often that celebrity autobiographies are this well written. While credit goes to writer Wendy Holden, Felder surely provided the content, tone and some editing.

Anyone who has been in a workplace controlled by a negative alliance knows the dynamic Felder describes. He goes light on it, but the examples given are classic power trips which would certainly be magnified by the drugs, the adulation of the crowds, the money and the pressure to record and perform in front of 40,000 people.

It's interesting how this played out legally. To walk away (as did two band member/partners) meant the loss of an ownership share. A share was worth millions, but the true amount was elusive knowledge since Felder's shared manager favored the power alliance. I presume Henley and Frey had wanted Felder out for years, and Felder subconsciously understood this and coped accordingly.

I went to Frey's web site. He seems to be responding to this book, and it's not very subtle. He puts his spin on the Cranston fund raiser, the allocation of hotel rooms, the tense creative sessions and other items where he doesn't come off very well.

The childhood predicts that Felder would be sensitive, and the abused wife syndrome an accurate metaphor. When Frey and Henley pulled the plug, Felder's emotional state was as they expected, but they probably never thought he'd sue them. Because these guys are far richer than us normal folks, the suit raised some sneers, but I think Felder needed to do this.

Felder's life is a prism of the times. His roots, while modest, were not uncommon, and are a period piece. His relationship with his parents is pure generation gap. His salt of the earth father had no life experience to help him fathom the forces his son was contending with. His brother, only a few years older, followed the accepted path, but did not have the unseen pressures of Don and his cohorts. A loving mother was caught between.

I never followed the Eagles, but like all Americans, their music is a backdrop to many events in my life. I hadn't given much thought to why I didn't know their faces, nor much about band personnel until the solo careers of Henley and Frey. Now I know that this was by design.

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

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.

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