To The Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles

Having been a fan since Take It Easy, I've read some of the tomes written about the band, and been bored to tears in many cases.This book had me from the first chapter. Marc Eliot has succeeded where other writers failed and that is the reader is told the story of the Eagles from the beginning, through the drug use, alcoholism, to the acrimonius split, the infighting, to Hell Freezes Over right up to the latest round of tours. He also doesn't leave out his own problems with Don Henley who said the book was full of lies and inaccuricies (Don, I love ya but you really need to get out more). In the updated version, Eliot takes us to places no other author has, we are shown how easy it was to fall into the "sex, drugs and rock and roll" lifestyle favoured by most artists in the 70's.It is far from your usual run of the mill biography of a band, it goes deep inside, shows you more than you sometimes feel comfortable with, more than you really wanted to know in some parts. He doesn't flinch from the unseemly, the sex, the drugs, the drink, we even get to know more about the first line up, Randy Meisner, Bernie Leaden, also about Don Felder and the reason for his departure,the wonderful Joe Walsh and how he battled his demons and won, Henley's gambling, Frey's sex crazed drug fuelled lifestyle (if this is true, this guy should be long dead). It is basically one of the best biographies I've read in a very long time, and the best one of the Eagles on the market.

'Untold' biographies can go two ways, but, fortunately, this one didn't disappoint. There is a lot of information here ( nearly 400 pages ) and chronologically delivered -right from the groups individual childhoods. I'm pleased that it did not just concentrate on their music, but instead gave a lot of 'behind the scenes' details about their fall-outs etc. I'm a huge Don Henley fan, but had no problem with the book's portrayal of the man - both negative and positive. If you are an Eagles fan, read it - in fact, even if you aren't a one !

Very good read, not just about the definitive 1970's US band, but also a lot about all the chicanery of the music business, detailing the behind-the-scenes goings on between the band's management and the suits running the record companies - more or less a never ending game of "chase the money".A lot of the book covers the post-split up period 1980-87, when Henley and Frey became legitimate superstars in their own right. Written at a good pace and doesn't hold the band members up on a pedestal, although not sure we could have done with the author's ripping into Don Henley in the last few pages. Good stuff otherwise though.

This is a great book for filling in the details behind the band; some excellent behind the scenes gossip and a great insight into the music business for any music fan. Lots of grainy detail that must have taken ages to compiIe. I did find it a little Henley centric, okay he's perhaps the main man now but even allowing for this, the book seems too keen to follow him.

Got this for my dad for Christmas and he was unable to put the book down till it was finished highly recommended as a brilliant read of your in to your rock and roll bands

Very well written book

Absolutely essential and worthwhile. Very interesting.What Don Henly did to the Author emphasises what is said in the Don Felder book.What would Mary Trump have to say?I would perhaps have liked to learn more about their creative process of songwriting. Could Don Henly have developed differently if not in the Eagles first?

lOOKED FORWARD TO READING THIS BUT WHAT A LET DOWN SHOULD HAVE BEEN CALLED THE DON AND GLEN SHOW,HARDLY ANY MENTION OF THE '94 'HELL FREEZES OVER TOUR' JUST GLOSSES OVER THE SHAMEFULL TREATMENT FOR DON FELDER,IN FACT READ HIS BOOK TO GET A FAR MORE HONEST PICTURE OF WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE WITH 'THE GODS' I LEARNT FAR MORE ABOUT THE NASTY MR FRY(WHAT A PIECE OF WORK), HENLEY COMES ACROSS AS SOMEONE SO FAR UP HIS OWN BACKSIDE HE MUST HAVE A FURNISHED FLAT THERE.AS FOR IRVING AZOFF,LETS NOT GO THERE!FELDER ALONG WITH JOE WALSH,RANDY MEISNER,BERNIE LEADON AND TIM SCHMIDT ARE TREATED AS MERE SIDEMEN,FELDER IN FACT THOUGHT UP THEIR SIGNITURE SONG.'HOTEL CALIFORNIA'WHICH ON THE 'HELL FREEZES OVER' CD LITS HIM AS THE THIRD COMPOSER WHEN HE IN FACT WAS THE FIRST,HE EVEN THOUGHT UP THE 'NEW' SPANISH INTRO TOO,WITHOUT ANY THANKS.THE BOOKS BIG FAILING IS TO CONCERNTRATE FAR TOO MUCH ON THE OVERALL SCENE IN THE 60'S/70'S HARDLE ANYONE COMES OUT WITH MUCH CREDIT AND JUST MAKES LA SEEM LIKE A PITILESS,HEARTLESS PLACE,PROB STILL IS,EATING PEOPLE UP AND SPITTING THEM OUT.WHAT IT HAS DONE FOR ME IS LOOK UPON THE EAGLES IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT AND,CAN VIEW MY TWO DVDS DIFFERENTLY TOO,SHAME AS THERE MUSIC WAS SOO GOOD TO LISTEN TO,WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO WRITE SONGS AND GO ON STAGE AND SING THEM?