'Hell Freezes Over'

In 1990, after a decade of solo projects and television/film work, the Eagles attempted to reunite in the studio; however, when Glenn Frey pulled out at the last minute, prospects again became cold. Then, three years later, Eagles manager Irving Azoff was putting together Common Thread, a country music tribute album to the band, when Travis Tritt, who was covering "Take It Easy" for the collection suggested that members of the Eagles appear in the song's video, which all of them did.

Seeing the opportunity in the band’s enjoying being together for the video, shoot, Azoff managed to convince Frey and Don Henley to reunite the band. However the pair had two conditions. One was that Frey and Henley would make more money than the other three. The more difficult condition was that Joe Walsh, who had been long struggling with alcoholism and other addictions, would clean himself up at a rehab program. Walsh agreed to this, though the struggle was difficult, with many in the Eagles camp providing assistance. By 1994, the reunion was on.

To launch their reunion they agreed to an MTV special and a combination live/studio album, appropriately titled Hell Freezes Over after a comment Henley made in the 1980s in regard to when the Eagles might get back together. The album was scheduled for release on Geffen Records on November 8, 1994. The live tracks and MTV Special would be recorded and filmed at Warner Studios in Burbank California and the studio tracks would be recorded at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles. The album was produced by the Eagles with Elliot Scheiner, Rob Jacobs and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch.

The album opens with four studio songs, the first being guitar-laden "Get Over It," the lone new song cowritten by Henley and Frey, the de-facto theme song for the reunion, it features Henley at his most self-righteous and is also the one new rocker on the album.

Next up is the Timothy B. Schmit vocal showcase "Love Will Keep Us Alive," written by British cowriters Jim Capaldi (of Traffic) and Paul Carrack, who originally recorded it. It is a lovely song and a great contrast to the in your face vibe of "Get Over It". Years later, Joe Walsh would take part in a live recording of the song with Steve Winwood and others as the closing track of the star-studded tribute Dear Mr. Fantasy: the Music of Jim Capaldi and Traffic.

"The Girl From Yesterday" is up next, another nice ballad written by Frey with long-time Eagle friend Jack Tempchin (he wrote “Peaceful Easy Feeling.”) It’s a very pretty song with plenty of pedal steel guitar, with a strong lead vocal from Frey.

The final new song, "Learn To Be Still" is another slow yet satisfying song with lead vocals by Don Henley. Henley wrote the song with producer Stan Lynch. During the recording for the MTV special, Henley forgot the words, which led to an ice-breaking moment for the band that helped loosen up the nervousness of the initial reunion appearance.

Leading the live portion of the album is a mellow version of “Tequila Sunrise” from 1973's Desperado. The song is enhanced by congas and castanets by percussionist Scott Crago and a lovely mandolin solo from Don Felder.

Next up is a lovely acoustic version of "Hotel California" again featuring the talents of Scott Crago on congas and timbales. It is a very effective re-imagining of one of the Eagles signature songs. The dueling guitar outro is tastefully reworked for acoustic guitars.

"Wasted Time," featuring the Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra is next. The Orchestra masterfully heighten the emotion of the song, and the vocal harmonies also soar with perfection.

Following is Joe Walsh's signature ballad from the Hotel California album "Pretty Maids All In A Row. Joe is in great voice here considering at the time he was just recently out of rehab for alcohol addiction. Once again, sublime harmonies and instrumentation.

Timothy B. Schmit's contribution to The Long Run album "I Can't Tell You Why" is performed next. This is a prime example of the Eagle penchant for perfection on their live performances as it’s difficult to discern differences between the live recording here and the original album cut.

"New York Minute" from Don Henley's 1989 solo album The End Of The Innocence is the only solo Eagles song on the album, though the DVD also features Henley's "The Heart Of The Matter". Henley and Frey would add material from their solo careers into future Eagles tours. Al Garth adds trumpet to the song.

Henley’s Hotel-ending epic "The Last Resort" comes next and is once again enhanced by the Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra.

Glenn Frey introduces "Take It Easy" as "how it all started". It’s again an effective performance, again very much in the spirit of the original.

Joe Walsh’s "In The City" is once again not significantly different here than it was in the studio for The Long Run, though to be fair this version allow Walsh to end the song with a playful riff from the Beatle's "Day Tripper. "

"Life In The Fast Lane" is another near clone, reprising the Hotel California version both vocally and in its strong hooks.

The album closes with "Desperado" sung beautifully by Henley.

Conspicuously absent from the album were any song contributions from former members Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner, possibly to prevent them from profiting from the publishing royalties, which Meisner found "unfair, petty and insensitive." That said, it is understandable that the current members would prefer to focus on their own songs, and with the possible exception of Meisner’s “Take It To The Limit,” their contributions were not noticeable given all the hits that were revisited.

The world tour that followed was one of the most lucrative tours ever and the Eagles (including Leadon and Meisner) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 1998. The final Eagles concert of the 20th Century was held on New Years Eve 1999. They were clearly to be part of the rock scene again in the 2000s, but had only one full studio album to do. They were to become pretty much a live band from this point forward.