Here I refer to the solo works of Don Henley, not his time with the Eagles.
I like “Dirty Laundry.”
You needed at least one more option: I enjoyed both his work with the Eagles and his solo stuff, and also, India Arie completely fucked up "Heart of the Matter.
You left out Don Henley Must Die
I said “meh” assuming that meh means boring. It’s better than being chained in a pit of filth, but worse than a lot of other things.
I like Don Henley both as an Eagle and as a solo artist. I especially like “Building the Perfect Beast” and “The End of the Innocence.” I will listen to both those albums in their entirety. I consider “I Will Not Go Quietly” as one of my favorite tunes. However, to me, he is the voice of the Eagles. Not to take anything away from Frey, Schmidt, or Walsh. I thought some of his best vocal work was in their last album, “Long Road Out of Eden.” I thought some of his standout songs on that album were “Too Busy Being Fabulous,” “Waiting In the Weeds,” “Fast Company,” and “Business As Usual.”
Edit - But yeah, he is a fine solo artist with a good body of material.
Moved thread and poll from IMHO to Cafe Society.
I don’t like The Eagles at all, but I actually kind of like some of his solo work. I wouldn’t call myself a fan or anything, but Boys Of Summer and Dirty Laundry are good songs.
Don’t like him. Not quite chained-to-a-pit-of-filth dislike, but stronger than a meh, largely because songs I may have once been meh about I’ve heard played enough that they are now actively irritating. Hearing The Boys of Summer on the radio can make me kind of stabby.
But then I am also a non-fan of The Eagles, who never did much for me. They too have crossed over from meh, to somewhat irritating. Hotel California, which I once considered tolerable, now languishes in the same pit of discards as the likes of Freebird - I’d be perfectly happy if I never heard either again.
I don’t like the Eagles, but I like the solo stuff from them.
He’s done some great work, but I’m more of a Joe Walsh fan.
Yeah, you left out my option… love the Eagles, love Don Henley. Couldn’t really choose a favorite between the two.
Only song of his solo stuff I find listenable is End of the Innocence which is for all practical purposes a Bruce Hornsby song. BH wrote the music and lyrics, and played piano on the track.
I haven’t listened to a whole lot of his stuff, or the Eagles for that matter, but I quite like the entire Actual Miles compilation. Yes, I know it’s a Greatest Hits thing, but still, they’re pretty good.
Don Henley is the Miller Lite of rock.
Joe
I love his magic tricks and goofy moustache.
Oh wait, that’s Doug Henning.
I was watching a cop show once where one cop asked another if the suspect “sang” (ratted on his friends during an interrogation). The answer: “Like Don Henley.”
I remember thinking, so did he give up his friends or not?
This. Great album, but Henley himself? Meh.
Seconded.
I am not a huge fan, but I think he is competent at his craft.
I was a high-school kid yearning for an unrequited love when “Boys of Summer” was on the charts. So I love that particular song.