Heaven And Hell: My Life In The Eagles, 1974-2001

The Eagles crafted the soundtrack to the Seventies and Eighties, and even today their albums continue to top the charts. Yet, backstage, there were no peaceful, easy feelings.

Don Felder, a humble lad from Florida, found himself catapulted into the stratosphere when he joined the Eagles. Alongside former bandmates Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner, and his childhood friend Bernie Leadon, he sold tens of millions of records – Eagles: Their Greatest Hits: 1971-1975 remains the bestselling album of all time. He performed before countless adoring fans and co-wrote the renowned hit 'Hotel California'. His guitar-playing prowess elevated the band from mere popularity to iconic status. Now, Don Felder finally breaks the Eagles' decades of public silence to take fans behind the scenes, revealing a world where drugs, greed, and endless acrimony threatened to tear the band apart almost daily.

"Maybe there was too much talent. Maybe the personalities clashed with the egos. Whatever the reason, there were always these explosive arguments going on while I sat silently in a corner. I never expected it to survive. Never once did I feel, 'Hey, I got it made. This thing's gonna last for years.'"

Felder was wrong about the band's longevity, but he was also right in a way: the group disbanded in 1980, only to reunite for the mega-selling 1994 'Hell Freezes Over' album and tour. However, tempers continued to flare, and in 2001, after twenty-seven contentious years as an Eagle, Felder was unceremoniously dismissed by the 'board of directors': Frey and Henley. Lawsuits and counter-suits ensued. In Heaven and Hell, Felder takes us inside the pressurised recording studios, the trashed hotel rooms, and the tension-filled courtrooms, where he, Frey, and Henley had their ultimate confrontation.