But ON THE BORDER is the best of both worlds--yes, the band gained a harder edge but it also retained some of the more country elements of before. "Midnight Flyer" is an impressive bluegrass-style breakdown with Bernie Leadon zipping away on banjo; and Leadon's "My Man", a tribute to the departed Gram Parsons, features his handy steel guitar work. A lot of great cuts are to be had here. Ironically, one of the two songs Glyn Johns produced, "The Best Of My Love", would become the group's first #1 hit in early 1975; and in yet another ironic twist, they would hit #1 with this single just two weeks after their former employer Linda Ronstadt got her #1 single "You're No Good."

I admit to being a very devout Eagles/Linda Ronstadt fan, being as I am from the Los Angeles area. But they remain the standard by which many rock and country acts are measured. And as long as there are faux "boy bands" like 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys, there will always be a need for the Eagles.


Every song is great   July 23, 1999
10 out of 12 found this review helpful

I didn't realize until the other day that "Ol' 55" is a Tom Waits composition. Every song on here is different, and every song is great. "You Never Cry Like A Lover" - can't understand why this one isn't played more - tender and intense! "Good Day In Hell" flat out smokes. The harmonies are flawless (as usual) and the instrumentation is superb. Add this one to your collection for sure.


Great Album   February 5, 1999
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

Besides Hotel California, this is the Eagles best album. This is an album rich in both rock and country. From the hard rocking On the Border and James Dean, to the countryish sounds of the Bernie Leadon sung My Man and Ol' 55, this is one terrific album. Only Good Day in Hell is a throwaway. Another standout song is the Randy Meisner sung Is it True.

This album was made during the Leadon-Meisner years of the band. Frey, Henley, and Walsh get all the notoriety in the Eagles, but Meisner was the nerve center of the band with his bass and quality vocals, both as a lead and as a harmonizer (listen to his harmonies on Ol' 55). The Eagles are a better band with Meisner as opposed to Tim Schmitt, as On the Border will proves.


No Junior Year Slump Either   January 30, 2003
Mad Dog (TimbuckThree, Tennessee)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Have you ever locked onto a band during their first album, only to be let down by the second and later discs? I remember the early evolution of the Eagles oh so clearly. The first LP caught my ear and the concept of the second moved the band to a new dimension. But this, the third album, was the big buzz for me. Sure, one album later the band was selling much bigger, but this disc was it - the crystalline moment, for the Eagles. Radio jumped on Best of My Love and James Dean while I was in the groove on Already Gone, Midnite Flyer, Good Day In Hell and Ol' 55. The addition of Don Felder catalyzed the band towards a more hard edged, harder rock sound. The Eagles never made it to the land of hard rock, but it sure looked like this album was going to take them there. Next time your boss or your woman or man pisses you off, crank up the volume and play Already Gone. It's pure auralgasmic bliss and reality be damned!


Take A Trip To The Border   January 8, 2001
Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Don Felder joined the band for On The Border. His addition marked the starting of a shift from a country rock band towards more main stream rock. In fact most of the album is made up of harder rocking songs. The album opens up with the brisk "Already Gone", "James Dean" is a tribute to the culture icon, "Good Day In Hell" is a stinger and the title track gets into a favorite Eagles subject, paranoia. Bernie Leadon still left his bluegrass footprints on the album with the scorching banjo workout, "Midnight Flyer" and "My Man" is a tribute to country-rock god, Gram Parsons. "Ol' 55" is a gorgeous cover of a Tom Waits tune with classic Eagles harmonies. Despite the harder edge, it was the supple ballad, "Best Of My Love" that became the album's big hit and the band's first number one single.