I know it's been fashionable to hate on the Eagles for several decades now, but I've always liked the band despite the fact that all the members are pretty much straight-up jerks. Of those jerks, I've always had a particular fondness for Glenn Frey. So obviously, it came as a shock when he died earlier this week from complications stemming from chronic rheumatoid arthritis, pneumonia and other afflictions. He was only 67, and it's disconcerting to realize that I am now older than he was when I saw the Eagles in concert back in 1994. "New Kid In Town" is a song I've deeply loved since I first heard it when it came out in 1976--I'd have been six or seven at the time, and it got heavy airplay on country radio stations back in the day (I got to listen to both kinds of music growing up: Country and Western). Oddly enough, for many, many years I believed this was a Jimmy Buffett song, and even after learning it was indeed an Eagles song, I was convinced Buffett had released a cover back in the 70s. Amazing how one's mind plays tricks on you, even in the face of all evidence. In any event, Frey delivers this one with masterful nuance, and I don't think anything can diminish my love for it.
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