These photos were taken by Ethan Russell in late 1971 or early 1972 at Bernie Leadon’s home in Topanga Canyon.
Randy’s fringed jacket can be seen in photos and footage from his Rick Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band period.
“The Eagles before their first record and hence before they were famous. They were being scouted by Glyn Johns who was by then already my dear friend. They look young and happy and not road weary.” –Ethan Russell.
The Eagles played Tampa Stadium on July 4th, 1976. The concert was called “4th Of July Jubilation.” Fleetwood Mac and Loggins & Messina also performed.
Location: Paramount Ranch, Agoura Hills, CA
Photos from this session were used on the front and back cover of Desperado, released in 1973. Additional photos were published in the Desperado Songbook the same year.
“The original concept was to depict The Eagles ‘gang’ alive on the front cover and dead at the hands of the posse on the back –with pictures of the bank robbery and ensuing shoot-out in which they met their grisly fate displayed across a double spread in the middle. ‘Then, at the last minute, without telling anybody, David Geffen scrapped the centerfold,’ Diltz says. ‘He was always doing stuff like that to save three cents on the production costs.'”
Uncut, May 2007
Diltz also filmed the session and a short film showing the band members in a staged gunfight was later shown during the Eagles’ performance of “Doolin-Dalton/Desperado (reprise)” on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert in 1974.
In 1989, Randy told radio personality, Redbeard, some funny stories about the making of the short film and the horses here:
Photo shoot for the cover of the Eagles’ debut album.
Photography by Henry Diltz. Art direction by Gary Burden.
The Eagles wanted the cover of their first album to have a “California” vibe, so Diltz suggested a “secret mountain top” in Joshua Tree National Park “where certain Hollywood actors would take psychedelics.” (Uncut, February 2022)
Bernie Leadon sets the scene:
“We met at the Troubadour at one in the morning and just drank our faces off, smoked all the pot and dope we could find and went out in my Toyota jeep and somebody else’s car and drove off to Joshua Tree. We arrived at four in the morning, before dawn, to the secret spot of all the old time dopers, way out in the back overlooking Palm Springs. They had this old barber’s chair way at the top of the mountain… you could sit there and it was great. We carried some guitars and all the camera equipment in the middle of the night, stumbled up this fucking mountain… made a fire and a camp and began making peyote tea and trying to eat peyote without throwing up… and the peyote was starting to come on and keep us awake… gave you that acid-like speed effect… those pictured are well stoned.”
The Story Of The Eagles: The Long Run by Marc Shapiro, 1995
On May 3rd, 1975, the Eagles played Kent State University on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the Kent State Shootings. But it was not without controversy.
Randy’s tribute to Mother Earth was included on the Eagles’ 1975 album, ONE OF THESE NIGHTS.
The Eagles were the headliners at the third annual Ohio University Music Festival in Athens, Ohio on April 28th, 1973.
The Eagles played four nights at the Wembley Empire Pool in London on April 25-28th, 1977. It was the first gig on their European Tour.
On November 30th, 1973, the Eagles played the College Of The Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. During the show, they performed a rare 10-minute epic, written and sung by Randy, called “Wait & See,” which was originally intended for ON THE BORDER.
The inside story of the Eagles’ third album ON THE BORDER, released in 1974. It was their first album with producer Bill Szymczyk & guitarist Don Felder. The reviews called Randy’s “Is It True” the “most beautiful song on the album.”
On March 10th, 1973, the Eagles played the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, where Dutch critics deemed Randy’s performance of “Certain Kind Of Fool” the evening’s pièce de résistance.” Get more details, plus see exclusive home movie footage not found anywhere else.
The Eagles played Popgala ’73 in Voorburg, Netherlands on March 9th, 1973. Find all the details and see rare home movie clips shared here exclusively.
The Eagles played a concert at Washington Park in Chicago on August 9th, 1975. The band also took a series of photos on Lake Michigan, one of which appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone.
