On the Border

Eagles' On the Border Mastered from the Original Analog Master Tapes for Exquisite Sound: Mobile Fidelity's Numbered-Edition Hybrid SACD Reveals the Crucial Link Between Bill Szymczyk's Raw Production and the Band's Harder-Edged Songs. Double-Platinum 1974 Album Marks the Debut of Guitarist Don Felder: Features the Hits 'Already Gone,' 'James Dean,' and 'Best of My Love'. Eagles Come Ready to Rock: Band Also Covers Tom Waits' 'Ol' 55' and Pays Tribute to Gram Parsons with the Ballad 'My Man'. With it's name indicative of the music's boundary-testing diversity and Southwestern inspiration, On the Border finds The Eagles embracing a harder edge that establishes the band as a group that knows how - and wants - to rock. Glenn Frey, Don Henley, new member Don Felder, and company immediately announce their intent on the defiant album-opening hit 'Already Gone' and never look back, crafting a record that from start to finish is arguably their most consistent and balanced effort. The double-platinum set ultimately established The Eagles as a commercial force whose musical range transcended the calmer country-leaning style they perfected on their first two LPs. Throughout On the Border, The Eagles are in no mood to mess around. Mastered from the original analog master tapes and packaged in a mini-LP gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity's numbered-edition hybrid SACD of On the Border provides a lively, dynamic, and transparent view of a record whose influence continues to grow. The opportunity to zero in on the particulars of producer Bill Szymczyk's raw production - let alone the band's golden harmonies, vocal timbres, and cohesive interplay - brings the brilliance of the performances into full relief. Listen, for example, without limits to how Szymczyk's approach stamps the throttle-twisting 'James Dean' with a leather-and-jeans cool befitting it's protagonist. And how the slide-guitar fueled 'Good Day in Hell' boasts it's own mean streak. Filled with revealing details, On the Border has never sounded so good.