Hell Freezes Over turns 30!
Celebrating the album’s 30th Anniversary
The Eagles album that we never thought we would see (or hear) was released on November 8, 1994.
This is the cover of the album “Hell Freezes Over” (1994) by the Eagles.
“Hell Freezes Over” is the second live album by the Eagles. The album is the first to be released after the Eagles had reformed following a fourteen-year break up. The album name is in reference to a quote by Don Henley after the band's breakup in 1980. Henley was asked in an interview about when the band would play together again, to which he responded "when hell freezes over". The band's lineup was that of the “Long Run” era: the late Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Don Felder, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit. The album contains four new studio tracks and eleven tracks recorded live in April 1994 for an MTV special. Hell Freezes Over went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 upon its release where it stayed for two weeks. The album has sold over 9 million copies in the United States. Hell Freezes Over was also released in video form on VHS, LaserDisc, and DVD. Before the album was released, the Eagles started a tour, which would last from 1994 to 1996 and became one of the most successful tours in music history.
Source: Wikipedia.org
“Like a long-lost, wild-eyed uncle, Country music also returned home late that year (1994), just in time for Thanksgiving dinner, along with stories of good lovin’ and hard livin’, stories that would make a grandma blush and a grandpa smile. Spurred along by nights spent at some of our area’s honky tonks, as well as hearing the familiar Country-infused melodies of the newly-reunited Eagles, I quickly became reacquainted with Country music, especially the Outlaw variety…”
- Woodard, Anthony. “Find the time...”. Mar. 30, 2023
The Eagles are one of my all-time favorite bands. I’ve heard their iconic songs on the radio for as long as I can remember. Their music, style, and story are authentic pieces of Americana. As a young child, I often heard their albums playing on my parents’ record player console that sat in our living room right across from the pea green sofa. One of the very first songs that I recall hearing on that turntable was “Take It To The Limit”.
A future “rockstar”… Photo of me circa 1976.
Courtesy of Anthony Woodard
There also were many trips and times spent in the car with these great tunes playing on the radio. Even though it was over 45 years ago, I can still remember my dad popping an 8-track cartridge of “Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)” into the tape player of the Ford LTD, as we all made our way down to Pomme de Terre Lake. My late father was also a big Linda Ronstadt fan; her songs accompanied us on our trips to the lake as well.
Courtesy of Anthony Woodard
The laid-back sounds of the Eagles, Ronstadt, and other artists from the ‘70s Country Rock scene created a perfect soundtrack for summer road trips or times at the lake. And, despite the changing musical tastes that come with being teenagers, we always held the songs of the Eagles in high regard, especially “Hotel California”; timeless and forever cool. Classics like “Tequila Sunrise”, “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, and “Lyin’ Eyes” were some of the first strumming songs that I learned to play on the guitar a few years later.
Full circle...
My son enjoying the lake in 2014.
Photo Credit: Anthony Woodard
I soon took an interest in Flamenco and Classical guitar after watching guitarist Don Felder perform his unforgettable acoustic intro and solo to Hotel California during the band’s 1994 MTV special. While Don’s 1994 rendition was phenomenal, his and Joe Walsh’s dueling outro guitar solo for this signature song as performed in the late-‘70s was beyond legendary; it is their magnum opus.
Me, my guitar, and a karaoke track on a lazy afternoon…
Courtesy of Anthony Woodard
A heartache tonight... I’ve seen the Eagles live in concert twice; each time they were top-level. However, I never got to see them live with Don Felder. I had tickets to their concert that was originally scheduled for my 21st birthday; a perfect end to my “Summer at Sandstone”. Unfortunately, the show was postponed due to Glenn Frey’s worsening medical issues and I was unable to attend the rescheduled date the following Spring. Felder was later fired from the Eagles in 2001.
My Ticket
Courtesy of Anthony Woodard
October 23, 2013: Eagles live at Sprint Center - Kansas City, Missouri
Photo Credit: Anthony Woodard
Sadly, Glenn’s medical issues became insurmountable and ultimately took him from all of us on January 18, 2016. Rest In Peace.
Glenn Frey in 2008
Photo Credit: Steve Alexander. Source: Wikipedia.org
"Standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona..."
Life-sized bronze statue of late musician Glenn Frey (pictured right) at "Standin’ On The Corner" Park.
Photo Credit: Anthony Woodard
Eagles Forever!
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