New Eagles book to publish

From the bar of The Troubadour on Santa Monica Boulevard in 1971 to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and beyond, the Eagles are unquestionably one of the trailblazing rock acts to ever take the stage.



On the 40th anniversary of the band’s formation, legendary music writer Ben Fong-Torres and Running Press present EAGLES: Taking It to the Limit (October 2011), a page-turning chronicle of the iconic band that brought listeners classics like “Witchy Woman”, “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, “Deperado”, “Lyin’ Eyes”, “New Kid in Town”, “Life in the Fast Lane” and “Hotel California”. This is the unofficial and unauthorized inside story of the band and its members— Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon, Don Henley, Don Felder, Timothy B. Schmit and Joe Walsh.



Inspired by the Beatles and by early country-rock pioneers, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Poco, and with the help of Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther and rising music industry superstar David Geffen, the Eagles quickly fashioned their own style. The ten years they spent together were a time of amazing productivity, maturation, creation and living the rock-and-roll dream. They produced albums that were both artistic and commercial triumphs; created classic songs that will be played until music is played no more; and brought joy to millions of fans around the world. But over time it would become obvious that this band that soared so high would eventually come crashing down.

They were on the road all of the time. They were constantly touring. They were living the rock and roll lifestyle to the fullest. As brilliant and talented as they were, they were also becoming fractious, paranoid and power-hungry. There were hard feelings and a constant war over the leadership and direction the band. By late 1980, the Eagles were no more.



EAGLES also covers:

* The birth of the Eagles, as a one-gig back-up band for Linda Ronstadt

* How the early leadership of the band was co-opted by its lesser known “stars”

* Frey and Henley’s methods of collaboration

* The risk they took in following up their highly praised debut with a “cowboy record” (“Desperado”)

* The band’s relationship with legendary rock producer Glyn Johns

* The continual war of words with the east coast rock press

* The decision to bring more rock energy to their music with the addition of rock guitarist Don Felder

* How wild man and hotel room-trasher Joe Walsh brought a chainsaw with him on the road

* The incredible commercial success of “Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975”

* The story behind the band’s break-up

* The lows of life after the Eagles for Walsh, Schmit and Felder

* The extremely successful solo careers of Glenn Frey and Don Henley

* The highly touted and miraculous Eagles reunion and re-birth—“Hell Freezes Over”



EAGLES: Taking It to the Limit is an impressive combination of insightful rock journalism and dozens of classic images from the band’s early days to the reunion tours. Ben Fong-Torres has always been an admirer and eager documenter of the Eagles’ story. In EAGLES: Taking It to the Limit, he collects all of the great anecdotes from the last forty years on the stage and in the studio, sheds light on the internal narratives and grants readers an incredible inside look at one of the biggest rock bands to ever “Take It Easy” and “Take It To the Limit” in the same rock-and-roll lifetime.



Ladies and gentlemen…the Eagles.





“We didn’t set out to be a band for all times. We set out to be a band for our times.

And sometimes, if you’re good enough to be a band for your time, you become a band for all time.”

—Glenn Frey





About the Author:

Ben Fong-Torres graduated from San Francisco State University in 1966 and became a writer and then senior editor at Rolling Stone magazine, where he wrote 37 cover stories and hundreds of articles. He interviewed many of the biggest acts in rock and roll, including the Eagles, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, and more. He left Rolling Stone in the ’80s and has since written for Esquire, GQ, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, Harper’s Bazaar, American Film, People, and many other publications. He has worked as a radio DJ and TV presenter, and is an accomplished book author with numerous music titles under his belt. He currently writes for the San Francisco Chronicle and Parade magazine. Fong-Torres lives in San Francisco.



EAGLES: Taking It to the Limit

Author: Ben Fong-Torres

Publisher: Running Press

Format: Hardcover; 192 pages; Retail Price: $30.00

ISBN-13: 978-0-7624-3984-3

Publication Date: October 2011