“I Was Thrilled to Death”: The Short-Lived Eagles Era That Don Henley Called Musical “Heaven”

The Eagles had many stellar moments throughout their career. It’s hard for fans to pinpoint one era as being the best. But for those in the middle of it, like Don Henley, they have no problem singling out their shining moment. Find out which era of the Eagles was Henley’s favorite, below.

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Behind the Era That Don Henley Called Musical “Heaven”

Sometimes being in a band is better before fame and fortune start calling. On top of the driving hope that you could one day earn those things, there are few fans to expect something of you, and no executives breathing down your neck telling you what to be. The Eagles didn’t have long before the world was at their feet, but the fleeting era when they were new names proved to be Henley’s favorite.

The band spent their early years in California, honing their sun-powered sound. They weren’t alone in their particular scene. Many artists were taking advantage of the West Coast, blithe mentality around the same time. Henley felt honored to be one of many purveyors of the early ’70s rock scene.

Henley’s Musical Heaven

“It was a great scene going on. It spawned a lot of people that are still on the radio today,” Henley once said of the Eagles in Los Angeles in the early ’70s. “I thought I was in heaven. I was thrilled to death to be here. It all fizzled out around 1973, 1974, but it was really something.”

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It’s not hard to hear Don Henley’s joy in early Eagles songs. The band wasn’t afraid to laze about in the sunny side of life. For an example, revisit “Peaceful Easy Feeling” below. Few songs sum up the Eagles–and Henley’s–creative freedom better than this track. It’s clear this was a band that was hell bent on making it, but they wanted to have a good time in the process.

Though that good time didn’t last, the band was tightly knit for a while. That’s likely another reason Henley adores this era of the Eagles. It was before all the legal battles and in-fighting they would experience later. Influenced by their Californian surroundings, the band was on a pleasure trip, enjoying every moment of working their way up the rock ladder.

Henry Diltz/Morrison Hotel Gallery**