Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I first caught this documentary on the Showtime channel in one setting (Parts 1 & 2). It was originally broken down in 2 parts. The first part shows the band members in their formative years and ends with their eventual breakup in 1980. The shorter part 2 deals with their lives afterwards, ending with their Farewell 1 Tour in 2005. Together the film runs a little over 3 hours. Certainly for Eagle fans, it is time well spent. Even if you're not a fan, it chronicles the seeds of a rock band in the 1970's. The early lives of writing partners Don Henley and Glenn Frey is well detailed including some interesting home videos. We see an early association with Jackson Browne and a brief time backing up Linda Ronstdat. We get a no holds barred look at the inner turmoil that comes with the growth of a rock band. We see the early comings and goings of band members leading up to a bitter breakup with lead guitarist Don Felder. One thing that comes through is the success of the group has transcended generations like few others. Their strength comes from some great song writing, often at the hand of Henley and Frey and some of the great 4 or 5 part vocal harmony. We get some first person detail of booze and drug binges, especially those of Joe Walsh. So what's missing? Well, certainly family and wives are tipped toed around and we see virtually nothing of them. We don't any of the juicy sexy-time stories which are all but ignored. How about some celebrity union stories? Still this is an entertaining journey through the lives of one of America's musical treasures. Available in April, the Blu ray package includes 3 discs in 1080p video resolution with a DTS-HD Master Audio option. Also included is a photo booklet and hours of new, previously unreleased material. Also included on the 3rd disc (which I haven't seen) is 1977 concert performances from the Capital Centre in Landover, Md. (Hotel California Tour) including Hotel California, New Kid In Town, Take It To The Limit, One Of These Nights, Lyin' Eyes, Rocky Mountain Way, Best Of My Love and Take It Easy.