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

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Book Description

The inside story can finally be revealed

The Eagles are the bestselling, and arguably the tightest-lipped, American group ever, and Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 is the bestselling album of all time in the United States. Through breakup and comeback, arguments and lawsuits, their popularity has continued to soar for more than three decades. Now band member and guitarist DonFelder finally breaks the Eagles’ years of public silence to take fans behind the scenes— -where drugs, greed, and endless acrimony threatened to break up the band almost daily.

In Heaven and Hell, Felder shares every part of the band’s wild ride, from the pressure-packed recording studios and trashed hotel rooms to the tension-filled courtrooms where he, Glenn Frey, and Don Henley had their ultimate confrontation. Yet, beyond the mayhem and clashing egos that have become standard-issue in rock-and-roll memoirs, Felder also remembers the joy of writing powerful new songs with his bandmates; the magic of performing in huge arenas packed with roaring fans; and the hard work, dedication, and creativity that each band member brought to the music, even in the worst of times.

Offering even-handed and perceptive portraits of every member of the Eagles, Heaven and Hell is a thrilling and thoughtful, raucous and bittersweet tale about the love of music and the price of fame.

Product Details

• Published on: 2008-04-21
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

When guitarist Don “Fingers” Felder was invited to join the already platinum-selling Eagles in 1974, he had no idea what sort of rock-and-roll heaven and show-business hell he was about to enter— -or how hard it would become to tell one from the other. For the next twenty-seven years, Felder found himself deeply involved in a musical career that was musically thrilling, emotionally exhausting, and surprisingly dangerous.

In Heaven and Hell, Felder shares this remarkable journey with a firsthand look at his tempestuous years with the Eagles. Even as he, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon, and, later, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit became America’s most popular and successful rock band, selling tens of millions of records, Felder reveals that greed, jealousy, and creative differences constantly threatened to tear the Eagles apart.

From one sold-out arena to the next, some members of the Eagles blazed a trail of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll that became as legendary as their music. Felder explains how the famous E3 (third encore) parties, which began as spontaneous, raucous backstage binges, evolved into highly organized orgies, with roadies recruiting gorgeous women from the audience to be chauffeured to lavish hotel suites, where nothing was off limits.

Even further behind the scenes, he reveals the grim test of wills between Leadon, Felder’s friend since his impoverished boyhood in Gainesville, Florida, and the duo of Frey and Henley. Despite Felder’s attempts to mediate this conflict, it would not be resolved until a tense meeting that very nearly came to blows, which ended when Leadon stormed out of the room, never to return to the band.

Felder also offers a rare glimpse into the creative melting pot that produced such great Eagles hits as “Life in the Fast Lane,” “Hotel California,” “Victim of Love,” and many others. The writing of these songs often involved the entire band, as well as non-band members, such as well-known Eagles collaborator J. D. Souther, Bob Seger, and others. Frequently beginning as a simple guitar lick or a vague idea, these songs took shape through a fascinating process of free association and collaboration, yet, says Felder, even these exciting moments led to friction and bickering.

Filled with hilarious true stories of rock stars on the road, including Felder’s first meeting with Keith Richards, who was passed out on a bathroom floor at the time, and Joe Walsh’s genius for practical jokes, Heaven and Hell is the book Eagles fans have been waiting for.

About the Author

Don Felder is widely considered one of the greatest guitar players in the music industry, and he continues to tour and play as a solo artist. He lives in Los Angeles. WENDY HOLDEN is a seasoned journalist and bestselling author. She lives in Suffolk, England.

Customer Reviews

Excellent Read!
I really loved this book! Got it yesterday and read 3/4 of it soon as I got it…quitting only because it was 3 a.m… and my eyes were sleepy! Lot of it has been reported on Henleys and Freys Egos and all…but this was even more of an insight into….how greedy they really seemed to be. I could have read more…wish he’d gone into even more detail…but of course “THE GODS” sued to keep a lot out of it! hard to believe they could become one of the greatest band ever.amonst all the acrimony, etc.!Really an enjoyable read!

He was the “New Kid in Town”-Memoir provides fascinating insight into Eagles
Don Felder rose from near poverty to become guitarist in one of the most popular bands in the 70’s. His new book HEAVEN AND HELL chronicles how he became a guitarist, met Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green, Duane Allman and other important guitarists, developed his skills and ultimately became one of the guitarist/songwriters in the Eagles.

Felder was first introduced to Henley & Frey by his future and former Eagles bandmate Bernie Leadon who was a friend. Interestingly, Felder also played at one time in a band with Stephen Stills although he never tried to use that connection when he got his first big break backing David Blue and, later, Crosby & Nash.

Felder’s book is surprisingly even handed given the recent bad blood between Don Henley & Glenn Frey and Felder over his firing from the band. Felder ultimately had to take his former bandmates to court since he was a part owner of Eagles, Ltd. the company the band set up to pay out their royalities and handle merchandising.

While there’s no doubt that “The Gods” (as Felder refers to them when, later in the band’s career, they suddenly became perfect and untouchable in their own eyes)are talented, they gave Felder a raw deal considering how much he did contribute to the band. Nevertheless, Felder manages to be fair balanced and brings up both the good and bad times. Ultimately, he feels that his sacking from the band was a benefit because, as his estranged wife pointed out, he was locked in an abusive relationship at the end of the band’s rein.

Felder provides details about the creation of many of the band’s classics, how the band really was a “one for all and all for one” at first when he joined but that the fighting and bickering had already begun as well.

He also chronicles how the Eagles managed to bruise and damage his friendships with former bandmates Joe Walsh and Tim Schmit.

Kudos to the book’s co-author as well for helping Felder create a breezy memoir about his life in the fast lane. The book does have some flaws for example when referring to “On the Border” the book states that Henley & Frey wrote or co-wrote 9 of the 14 songs on the album (there were only 10 songs on the album and Henley co-wrote 5 while Frey co-wrote 4).

I suspect that during the galleys this got overlooked but there are bits and pieces that have minor inconsistencies. The authors also thank Marc Elliot for his book TO THE LIMIT which was written with participation of Don Henley to clear up some issues as well. Elliot’s book, along with this one, provide a good clear idea about the band’s rise and fall from the heights of rock stardom.

It’s a pity that Felder was sidelined as he is a talented guitarist and songwrite but this book does address some of the questions that lingered around his dismissal.

This truly is Felder’s inside perspective on being in one of the most popular bands of its time. I would have liked a complete discography on Felder’s career and, perhaps, to have also heard a bit more about his post-Eagles life but those are minor issues in the context of the thing.

Life In - And Out Of - The Fast Lane
First off, Felder has written (with help, admittedly) a very enjoyable look into the life and times of one of America’s last great rock bands. Days when musicians depended on talent and not computer samples to create songs, and when being able to carry a tune with your voice wasn’t such a liability as it is nowadays.

Secondly, it is an eye opening and fascinating look into what happens to insecure people with huge egos once they come into money, and lots of it. By this I’m speaking about “The Gods,” Don Henley and Glenn Frey. At one point late in the book, the band is on tour in (memory fails me, but I think) China, and Glenn Frey instructs a lackey to overnight him a couple of cartons of his favorite cigarette. The lackey is summarily fired - because he shipped Frey SOFT PACKS instead of FLIP TOP BOXES. My jaw literally dropped when I read that. If that’s what happens to you when you get rich and famous, I’m glad I am neither.

Having been (somewhat) in Felder’s shoes, where people I trusted and thought of as friends suddenly threw me under the bus and had convenient amnesia as to my contributions to their success, I can relate to his story. Frey and Henley welcomed Felder into the band whole-heartedly, calling him Duane Allman incarnate, (which he is), and then set themselves up as the Supreme Dictators Of The Eagles, wrapping themselves in their own cloaks of superiority and fired Felder only when he asked to see the books of where the money was going.

I also cannot believe that Irving Azoff is actually still in business, the way he “managed” both Felder and “The Gods,” yet was nothing more than a highly paid lapdog of Frey and Henley, screwing everyone else around him.

I’m afraid I’ve digressed, but it was a very intriguing book, one that I found hard to put down. If you’re at all a fan of the band’s music, and especially if you’ve read “To The Limit” by Marc Eliot, you’ll find it incredibly enjoyable.

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