“A Certain Kind Of Fool”
Learn more about “Certain Kind Of Fool,” co-written and sung by Randy Meisner, from the Eagles’ second studio album, the outlaw-themed DESPERADO.
Learn more about “Certain Kind Of Fool,” co-written and sung by Randy Meisner, from the Eagles’ second studio album, the outlaw-themed DESPERADO.
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. I did not want to risk damaging the books by scanning every page (a couple are in fragile condition). All photos featuring Randy have been included.
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.
Also on the bill were Bachman Turner Overdrive and Dan Fogelberg.
The review below includes a very brief interview with Glenn Frey, who said he was at a “low emotional ebb” after performing five nights in a row. It also has a couple of misprints, including the ages of the band members (“23 and 24”). At the time of the concert, Randy was the oldest at 27, Don Henley and Bernie Leadon were 26, and Glenn Frey was 25. Randy’s “Tryin'” is listed as “Keep On Moving” and “Sun’s Come Up” is “Ol’ 55.” The latter would appear on their not-yet-released album, On The Border in April 1974. Another song intended for the album, “Don’t Be Mean To Your Bad Man,” written by J.D. Souther and Glenn Frey, was also performed, but did not end up on the album. It later appeared as just “Bad Man” on Randy’s self-titled debut in 1978.
Randy’s “Take It To The Limit” was “really well-performed and the crowd reaction was instantaneous, long and loud – so long, in fact, that he told the crowd it was embarrassing him, and he looked as if it were.”
This was Black Tie’s first club performance.
The band included, Randy, Jimmy Griffin from Bread, Billy Swan, David Kemper from the Jerry Garcia Band, and Randy’s former Eagle bandmate, Bernie Leadon, who toured with the band through January 1986, when he was replaced with Blondie Chaplin.
All but Leadon appeared on the band’s album, When Night Falls, which featured Randy singing lead on one song: Buddy Holly’s “Learning The Game.” However, when the album was rereleased on CD in 1990, Randy’s lead vocal on the song was replaced with Griffin’s. Listen to Randy’s version here:
Find out more about Black Tie below:
J.D. Souther opened the show and later joined the band onstage for “Best Of My Love,” which he co-wrote with Don Henley & Glenn Frey.
The Summit had a four-sided video screen called a “Telscreen” which hung from the ceiling. Any band who came in to perform paid a flat fee for use of the Telscreen and received a videotape of the concert in return. These Telscreen performances were often bootlegged, hence the existing footage of the Eagles Summit show, which has never been released officially.
According to a March 5th, 1978 article in the Houston Chronicle, the Summit’s Telscreen production crew were known to add graphics to their video footage as it was happening. During concerts, they focused mainly on whoever was singing. This explains the footage of the Summit show, which included graphics between songs and very few camera angles.
At the show, Randy and Joe both wore white t-shirts bearing the logo for Criteria Studios in Miami where the band was finishing up Hotel California at the time. In fact, the previous night’s show in Baton Rouge was held up for two hours because the band was late arriving from Miami.
In 2006, Randy recalled the grueling touring and recording schedule from this period:
“We had to go out on the road while we were doing that album and then go back to Criteria Studios in Florida to finish it…We went back and forth a lot…wanted to get the tracks right and mixed right. We knew the album was special.“
Interview with Ken Sharp, 2006
The less-than-complimentary review in the Houston Chronicle noted that the band looked and sounded “frayed around the edges,” this was perhaps due to their touring/recording schedule from the time period.
Below are Randy’s two lead-singing performances from the concert:
“Take It To The Limit”
“Midnight Flyer”
Click the link below to watch the concert in its entirety:
Eagles, Houston Summit, November 6, 1976
The real story behind the Knoxville 1977 concert, using facts from published reviews, plus Randy’s own words.
A crowd of nearly 40,000 packed Tampa Stadium on America’s 200th anniversary for “4th Of July Jubilation,” an outdoor concert featuring The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and Loggins & Messina.
Randy’s tribute to Mother Earth was included on the Eagles’ 1975 album, ONE OF THESE NIGHTS.
A rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the recording of Randy’s second solo album, ONE MORE SONG.
In front of a small audience at the College Of The Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, the Eagles performed a 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 and first with producer Bill Szymczyk & guitarist Don Felder. In the reviews, Randy’s “Is It True” is called the “most beautiful song on the album.”
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.
An overlooked, yet pivotal, period of Randy Meisner’s career took place between 1966 and 1968 when he was a member of the short-lived, Denver garage rock band, The Poor. Here, I hope to provide a comprehensive look at the band’s origins and brief existence on the L.A. music scene during the Summer Of Love.