“You’re Not That”: Behind The Eagles Album That Had One Producer Pushing Back on Their New Sound

The relationship between an artist or band and their producer can be tenuous. On paper, both parties enter this dynamic with the agreement that they will listen to one another to make the best album possible. But when you combine long hours in the studio with creative egos, this agreement can fall by the wayside quickly. Such was the case for The Eagles and Glyn Johns in 1974.

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The American rock band traveled to London to work with Johns on their third studio album, On The Border. By this point, The Eagles’ star was rising. They were interested in leaning into a heavier rock ‘n’ roll sound than their previous hits like “Take It Easy” and “Peaceful Easy Feeling”. Johns, on the other hand, had already worked with countless rock bands. He wanted something mellower, both musically and in terms of lifestyle, implementing a no drugs or booze rule in the studio.

This didn’t sit well with The Eagles.

Glyn Johns Tried to Discourage The Eagles From Chasing a New Sound

Ironically, the reason The Eagles wanted to work with Glyn Johns in the first place was Johns’ history of working with bands they admired. If the soft-rock, country-leaning band was going to embody a heavier soundscape like The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, or late Beatles music, then it only made sense to work with the man who helped bring those bands’ sounds to life. Johns, however, wasn’t convinced The Eagles should pursue that specific style.

In the documentary History of The Eagles, Johns said, “[Glenn] Frey sort of took over more. He had this desire to be something that I didn’t really feel they were capable of doing.” Don Henley reinforced this idea. He described Frey and Johns as “oil and water” and recounted the many times the men clashed in the studio.

Frey’s recollection tracks, too. “In the studio, Glyn Johns was pretty much a schoolmarm,” he said in the documentary. “He pushed, pushed, pushed. Then, he’d say, [mimicking British accent] ‘That’s it, that’s good enough, we’re moving on.’ You’re not a rock ‘n’ roll band. The Who is a rock ‘n’ roll band. And you’re not that.”

Ultimately, Johns and The Eagles parted ways. The band scrapped all the recordings from those tense London sessions except for two, one of which was “Best Of My Love”. Despite Frey’s reluctance to release that track, it became their most successful track to date and their first No. 1 hit.

The previous two On the Border singles (and the rest of the album) were produced by Bill Szymczyk. Neither “James Dean” nor “Already Gone” hit the Top 20. So, maybe there was more to be said about Johns’ recording style than Frey was ready to give him credit for back then.

Photo by Gems/Redferns