Don Henley - Building the Perfect Beast
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- 6 days ago
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Updated: 2 days ago
Written By: Moti Kupfer
Album review - Don Henley - Building the Perfect Beast
Release date - 19.11.1984
Label - Geffen
Genre -Pop rock / soft rock
In Early 80s One of the most beloved bands in the US, "The Eagles" broke up with great noise, as personal differences between the band members became more and more intense due to fame, money, and drugs. This soap opera ended with mutual accusations and threats of violence. This happened at their last concert (until their comeback in 94), when singer Glenn Frey threatened guitarist Dan Felder with "I'm gonna kick your ass when we get off the stage".
The band's drummer lead singer, and one of its songwriters Don Henley decided to start a solo career: "I said, 'God, can I do this by myself?' I thought maybe I should put another band together. Then I said, 'Nah, I can do this.' I drank a lot of Scotch making that first album," he told Record. "And then after it was done, I figured, 'Yeah, I can do this,' so this album was much more confident. ... I stretched further and took more chances."
Before embarking on his solo career, Henley had come to a different way of thinking about performing as an artist in the new decade. "This is the '80s: you dress up now, you have lights. It's showbiz now. It's not the '70s and the '60s anymore; it's completely different" he claimed.
In order to update and adapt his style to the 80s, Henley spent two years watching the performances of "The Eurythmics", Paul Young, and Tina Turner, in order to understand what was required of him.
After his debut album "I Can't Stand Still" released in 1982, Henley felt more confident in himself, this happened when work began on his second album "Building the Perfect Beast" released on November 19, 1984.
For the album, Henley was awarded many collaborations, starting with guitarist Danny Kortchmar (Carole King, Jackson Browne, James Taylor and others), and members of Tom Petty's backing band at the time, "The Heartbreakers" who contributed to the songwriting, guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench and drummer Stan Lynch. The album also features guitar playing by Lindsey Buckingham from "Fleetwood Mac", and vocals by Belinda Carlisle, and other musicians such as Randy Newman, Jim Keltner (Dylan), Waddy Wattle, Patty Smyth (singer of "Scandal"), the wonderful bassist Pino Palladino, and "Toto" member Steve Porcaro.
This album established Henley as an artist in his own right after many years of success with "the Eagles", as he gave birth to many hits. His writing aimed at deep intellectual themes beneath the synthesizer sounds, and the rich production.
The opening song, and the first single from the album "Boys of Summer" was given to Henley quite by chance. As the song was originally written for Tom Petty, by his backing band guitarist Mike Campbell. Campbell played the demo to Petty who politely rejected it. Henley, who knew Campbell through Jimmy Iovine, would occasionally drop by his studio to "fish" for new material. On one of these occasions, Campbell played him the demo in question. Henley wrote the lyrics with a nostalgic inspiration of summer, baseball games on empty roads, streets, and "Deadhead" stickers (the hippie and a die-hard fan of the "Grateful Dead").
Additional credit for Henley's high-pitched singing style on the song is given to Bob Seger, who stopped by the studio just before the song was completed and advised him to sing "Boys of Summer" higher. The song became Don Henley's biggest hit of his solo career (in terms of sales) and second only to "Dirty Laundry" when it reached number five on the Billboard charts.
The black-and-white video was shot by French graphic designer and photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino. Mondino met Henley in California and said: "When I listened to 'Boys Of Summer,' there was something nostalgic - he was looking back, talking about something that he's leaving behind".
When Henley accepted the award for Best Video, he admitted he had no idea what was going on when they shot the clip, but said Mondino and his crew made "Southern California look like the South of France." The clip won four awards, for Best Video of the year, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography.
Henley has a knack for writing about the heart and soul of America, blending his love of country and small-town life ("Sunset Grill") with cynicism about government, global instability ("All She Wants to Do Is Dance"), and modernization ("A Month of Sundays").
The album sold 3 million copies in the U.S., spawning another Top 10 hit ("All She Wants to Do Is Dance"). Henley's earnest delivery and universal messages give many of the songs on the album a timeless feel, and that's no small feat.
For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music
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