And I found out a long time ago
What a woman can do to your soul
Ah, but she can’t take you any way
You don’t already know how to go

Eagles – “Peaceful Easy Feeling”

Last week, I mentioned the Warren Zevon tribute album, and today my ears were back in tribute album territory listening to Common Thread: The Songs of The Eagles.

In 1993 when Common Thread was released, The Eagles had been dormant for many years, so why not let some of country music’s brightest stars breathe new life into an album’s worth of classics? I remember hearing about the project, and feeling like they were walking on some sacred ground. Did I really want to hear someone else singing Eagles songs if it wasn’t the Eagles?

Part of it was that I really wasn’t a huge fan of country music. I heard Common Thread, and while I had to admit that it was well executed, musically it wasn’t my thing.

Common Thread was a benefit project for Don Henley’s Walden Woods Project, and one can wonder if it might have been testing the waters to see if people still cared about The Eagles? It certainly planted a few seeds – Travis Tritt managed to assemble the entire The Long Run-era Eagles lineup to appear in his video for “Take It Easy,” and hell froze over officially in April 1994 when the band reunited for their first live performances and subsequent reunion tour.

Fifteen years later, my musical horizons have been further broadened, and I couldn’t resist picking up a copy of Common Thread for a buck during my weekend record store excursion which has been previously chronicled here and here. Like the Zevon tribute, the star power on Common Thread is incredible – a 1993 Who’s Who of Country Music featuring artists like Travis Tritt, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill, Suzy Bogguss, Brooks and Dunn and many others leaving only one question:

Where was Garth Brooks?

Probably on the road, I’m guessing.

As tribute albums go, this one is a nice mix of artists that nailed it (Little Texas,) made it their own (Trisha Yearwood and Billy Dean,) and in some cases, both.

The only track I didn’t enjoy was Clint Black’s rendition of “Desperado.” Never been a Clint Black fan – can’t tell ya why, but I’ve never been able to get past his voice – too much twang!

One thing that surprises me about Common Thread is that while it sold over three million copies, none of the singles charted inside the top 20 – Tritt’s version of “Take It Easy” was a near miss, charting at #21 on the country singles charts.

Still, three million people can’t be wrong, can they?

Little Texas – Peaceful Easy Feeling
Trisha Yearwood – New Kid in Town
Billy Dean – Saturday Night

P.S. – the Eagles are on tour….and I’ve never seen them. Pittsburgh looks like a potential road trip??

November 8 – Omaha, NE @ Qwest Center
November 9 – Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
November 11 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
November 13 – Springfield, MO @ MSU Arena
November 15 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
November 16 – Memphis, TN @ FedExForum
November 20 – Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
November 21 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mellon Arena
November 25 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wachovia Center
November 26 – Worcester, MA @ DCU Center
December 1 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
January 26 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Bank Atlantic Center
January 29 – Tampa, FL @ St. Pete Times Forum
January 31 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Arena

Relevant Links:

Eagles official website

The Walden Woods Project

Purchase Common Thread: Songs of The Eagles from Amazon – CD