The Eagles At The Capital Centre, March 1977: A Closer Look
We take a deep dive into the concerts and footage from the Eagles’ two-night stint at the Capital Centre in 1977.
SONGBOOKS & TOUR BOOKS
Songbooks
These songbooks were released around the same time as each of the albums (Eagles & Desperado were published as one volume, back to back. Read one side, then flip it over to read the other). They included sheet music and lyrics for each song, accompanied by photos. The files below include abridged (shortened) versions of each these songbooks. All photos featuring Randy have been included. Presumably, of Randy’s three solo albums, only One More Song has a songbook.
***A couple of pages were accidentally left out of the Desperado and On The Border Songbooks. Those have been updated.
Eagles – Eagles Songbook
Published 1973, Warner Bros. Publications
Included as a two-in-one with the Desperado Songbook.
Eagles – Desperado Songbook
Published 1973, Warner Bros. Publications
Eagles – On The Border Songbook
Published 1975, Warner Bros. Publications
Eagles – One Of These Nights Songbook
1976 Warner Bros. Publications
Eagles – Hotel California Songbook
1977 Warner Bros. Publications
Randy Meisner – One More Song Songbook
1981 Warner Bros. Publications
Tour Books
To my knowledge, the Eagles only published two tour programs during Randy’s tenure with the band, one to coincide with their Japanese tour in 1976 and one for the U.S. and European tour in 1977. Tour programs were published for Randy’s Japanese tours in 1981 and 1983. The latter is extremely hard-to-find. The ’81 program is included below.
Eagles – Japanese Tour Book 1976
Book included a poster
Eagles – 1977 Hotel California Tour Book
Distributed in both Europe and America.
Randy Meisner – Japanese Tour Book 1981
Photo Archive: Randy Meisner & Glenn Frey, February 23rd, 1978
Location: Bistro Restaurant, Los Angeles
Grammy party for Hotel California. The Eagles won Record Of The Year. Perhaps the first meeting between Randy and Glenn since Randy left the Eagles at the end of the Hotel California tour in July 1977.
Photo Archive: Eagles, 1976
Photographer: David Alexander
Photos from this session were distributed heavily for publicity for the Hotel California album and tour, including the individual shots of the band (the photo of Don Felder was taken in 1975 by Norman Seeff).
Photos
Photo Archive: Eagles, HOTEL CALIFORNIA Cover, 1976
Photographers: David Alexander/Norman Seeff
The cover photos of the Beverly Hills Hotel at sunset, taken at Will Rodgers Memorial Park, and the back cover and gatefold, taken in the lobby of the Lido Apartments in Los Angeles, were taken by David Alexander (read more here)
. The cover was designed by Kosh and Don Henley.
A poster insert was included with first issues of the album. It showed the band posed on a bed. According to photographer, Norman Seeff, this photo was a composite (multiple photos combined to create one image).
“Soon after commencing this session, the band walked out. I had no idea why at the time. A week later, I showed them a poster design I had created by combining a number of individual shots. They loved it and all was forgiven. It became a poster insert for the HOTEL CALIFORNIA album.”
Norman Seeff
Below are outtakes from this session.
“Try And Love Again” – Hotel California’s Hidden Gem
Tucked away near the end of Hotel California is the last song Randy wrote during his tenure with the Eagles, “Try And Love Again.” Today, the song is considered a deep track, but in 1976, it was a hit with contemporary critics, who felt it was the highlight of the album.
BANDSConcert HistoryEuropean Tour 1977Hotel CaliforniaHotel California TourSongsTake It To The Limit
European Tour 1977: Part Three: Germany
This was Randy’s second visit to Germany. His first trip was while touring Europe with Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band in 1970. All […]
European Tour 1977, Part Two: Glasgow, Scotland & Stafford, England
The Eagles performed two nights each in Glasgow, Scotland and Stafford, England. In Glasgow, Joe Walsh played the bagpipes in a kilt, and Randy’s version of “Take It To The Limit” was a highlight at both venues.
