BBC Radio 1 interview with the Eagles, April 1977

Forty-four years ago this week, the Eagles gave an interview for BBC radio at the InterContinental Hotel in London shortly after their arrival to kick off their European tour, which included four shows at the Wembley Empire Pool.

Interviewing the band was renowned British rock journalist & co-founder of Zigzag magazine, John Tobler, who hosted a weekly show on Radio 1 called “Rock On,” which aired every Saturday afternoon.

The interview was most likely conducted prior to their opening at Wembley on April 25th. The interview was not aired live and the actual airdate is unknown. “Rock On” was an hour-long program, so the 84-minute interview presented here is the unedited version.

Each band member is interviewed individually, with Randy going first. His interview starts immediately at the 5-second mark and lasts 6 minutes. He doesn’t speak again for the duration of the interview, although you can hear him laughing in the background occasionally. Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Don Felder follow. There is a segment at the end where Don and Glenn discuss the band’s history and albums.

NOTES:

• Randy discusses two singles by The Poor on York Records (see Discography). He was probably too self-deprecating about the failure of these singles. “She’s Got The Time” (She’s Got The Changes),” sung by Randy, was set to break the Top 100¹ and probably would have if not for a disc jockey strike at the time of its release. ^{2 & 3}
• At the end of Randy’s interview, Tobler asks him about his recent appearance on Mac Gayden’s Hymn To The Seeker,⁴ which was recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami at the same time the Eagles were recording Hotel California. Randy states that he “sang on a couple of things,” but he is only credited with one song, the funky “Someone Whispered.” Randy’s voice soars in the background. Listen here.
• Don’t miss the moment at 1:08:40 when Henley, in defense of One Of These Nights’ being described by critics as the “weakest Eagles album,” mentions how Randy’s performances of “Take It To The Limit” always receives “about a three minute standing ovation” in the States. “So, there you go,” he says.
• A week later, during their stop in Glasgow (April 30-May 1), the Eagles sat for another interview that aired on the Radio Clyde program, “Stick It In Your Ear,” May 25th, 1977. ⁵

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¹ Billboard, April 22, 1967
² Interview with songwriter, Tom Shipley by Nick Warburton, October 2009.
³ The 1967 AFTRA (American Federation of Television & Radio Artists) strike took place from March 29th-April 10th.
⁴ Gayden, who is known for his wah-wah slide guitar technique, was once considered as a replacement for Bernie Leadon in the Eagles. (Post on Mac Gayden’s Facebook page, November 17, 2019
⁵ Record Mirror, May 21, 1977

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