Namesakes #29: The Eagles

A couple of weeks back, I went to see the 25th Anniversary re-release of The Big Lebowski with Ben. (Yes, Ben is still around. He just doesn't say anything remotely amusing that's worth posting here anymore.) It's my favourite movie and I laughed the whole way through even though I know the script off by heart by now. 

Those of you who know the film will be familiar with the fact that while The Dude loves Creedence and Bob, he isn't the biggest fan of The Eagles. An aversion to the Henley/Frey/Walsh et al. Eagles is quite common among the cool kids, and I always wonder if it's down to the fact that at one point they were "the biggest band in the world". Well, Their Greatest Hits retains the title of the best-selling album of the 20th Century in the US, so that's always a good reason to vote against them, isn't it? I myself have a great fondness for the band... but I did wonder what other options were out there. As usual, the answer surprised me...

THE EAGLES #1

We start, as we so often do, with doo wop. From 1954, here are Washington's Eagles with the original version of a song that would later be recorded by both Elvis and The Troggs.

THE EAGLES #2

Hard to put a date on these guys, but it's sometime in the 50s. All I can find out about them is that their lead singer (on this track at least) was called Flash Griner. He should have been a star.

THE EAGLES #3

Our next Eagles formed in Bristol in 1958, led by Terry Clarke who built his own guitar (but not, like Bryan May, out of an old fireplace). They were most well known for recording poppier versions of TV theme tunes, but did occasional sing as well...

THE EAGLES #4

Our next soar of Eagles (as collective nouns go, soar is not the best) emerged from Belgium in 1962, and somehow stayed together until 1978... when they changed their name to Cara. This 1974 "hit" is the only thing I can find from them online... and to be honest, it's enough.

THE EAGLES #5

Also recording as Buzz & Bucky, this lot came from Nashville in 1965... though they don't sound particularly country. Not a bad tune though...

THE EAGLES #6

Fast forward to 1966 when our next Eagles arrived from Jamaica, led by "The Black Lion of Judah", delivering some righteous ska all the way through to the late 70s.

THE EAGLES #7

1968. Japanese garage rock with The Chipmunks on backing vocal...

THE EAGLES #8

When I started this post, I had no idea that The Eagles everyone knows (whether you like them or not) would be the 8th band to use that name... and actually, there were a couple more bands who have not yet been immortalised on youtube, so they might not have even been in the first ten bands to call themselves The Eagles. I couldn't find any more recent, post-Eagles Eagles... but I guess there's an obvious reason for that. Once you've conquered the world, you can afford really good lawyers. (There were, however, a number of bands to reference The Eagles in their own name, such as The Eagles of Death Metal, Department of Eagles, The Illegal Eagles and (specially for The Dude), The Fucking Eagles. That's called legacy...

Here's Sam's favourite Eagles song...

Eight Eagles to choose from, but which ones are your birds of prey... and which ones just make you want to pray?