By Chris M. Junior

With his brief West Coast solo tour scheduled to begin Nov. 25, Eagles bassist/singer Timothy B. Schmit checked in on Thanksgiving Eve to let fans know what they can expect at each show, plus shed some light on what his legendary band might be doing in 2012 and beyond.

Your tour starts on Black Friday. Does that mean you will be taking it easy on Thanksgiving so you don’t have a sleepy turkey hangover when you hit the stage in Phoenix?

Timothy B. Schmit: “Actually, I don’t have a huge thing planned for Thanksgiving. Two of my daughters have other plans; they’re grown up and starting their own lives. So it’s going to be my son – my youngest – and my wife and I: It’ll be real easy, midday, and then I’ll get ready to go out [on tour].”

On 2009’s “Expando,” your recent solo album, you handled more than just bass duties. Will you be jumping around from instrument to instrument on this tour or just sticking to one or two?

TBS: “Mostly I play guitar and a little bit of bass. I’m surrounded by some great musicians, friends of mine, who do jump around (laughs).

“We hand the bass off to quite a few people in this show. There are a couple of multi-instrumentalists. It’s pretty cool. I’m really having a good time. It’s my show, but I think it comes off more like a revue because I have a lot going on up there.”

In addition to songs from “Expando,” what else can fans expect to hear each night on this tour?

TBS: “A little taste of my past – a couple of Poco things, and of course a couple of Eagles things, the ones that I sing on. And maybe a favorite song or two of mine.”

Talk about the mental and physical differences between fronting a band for an entire show and when you’re onstage with The Eagles.

TBS: “It’s really a lot different. In many ways, it’s a lot easier to do my role in The Eagles and play in front of 15,000 or 20,000 people. As far as mental strain, it’s a lot easier to do that than to play a small place where I’m doing it all, where I’m at center stage at all times.”

Speaking of The Eagles, Joe Walsh recently talked about plans to celebrate the band’s 40 anniversary in 2012. Is a lengthy tour a strong possibility? And what about any archival or new releases?

TBS: “It’s interesting because I read that from Joe, too, and I meant to talk to him about that. We did our last [Eagles] show of the year last Saturday in Las Vegas, and we flew home together. I meant to talk with him about [what he’s said] because I’ve been saying the exact opposite (laughs).

“I have not heard any mention of any shows; there’s nothing on the books right now that I know of. I think eventually, when we do go back on the road – and I’m not even sure it’s going to be this next year or not – we will definitely have to do a lot of revamping of our stage show because we’ve been doing sort of the same thing for a long time.

“And we’ve played everywhere, so we’ve got to change it up a little. I think it’s smart to not go out really soon because we’ve been everywhere. You can’t go back to these same places if you were just there not too long ago. It doesn’t work out real well.

“But there are some things in the air regarding other possibilities, not just touring. There’s going to be a ‘history of The Eagles’ at some point, which will maybe be a two-part documentary. And maybe there will be some new music coinciding with that. I don’t know; this is all just unofficial maybes. This is stuff that’s been bandied about.

“There’s even been talk about a possible Broadway thing that has to do with the history of The Eagles, but that would be two, three, four years away. I don’t know; we’ll see what happens. I’m hoping that it’s not over, and I don’t really think it is. I don’t think anybody thinks it is; we’re just going to take a little break for a while.

“Almost everybody is doing a record. Both Don [Henley] and Glenn [Frey] are working on solo records, and Joe I believe is finished with his. And if I have the time, and it looks like I will, I’m going to be working on my next one.”

Timothy B. Schmit on tour (schedule subject to change):

Nov. 25: The Compound Grill – Phoenix

Nov. 28: Belly Up Tavern – Solana Beach, Calif.

Nov. 30: The Coach House – San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

Dec. 2: Cashe Creek – Brooks, Calif.

Dec. 3: Canyon Club – Agoura Hills, Calif.

Dec. 6: Rio Theatre – Santa Cruz, Calif.

Dec. 8: Tower Theatre – Bend, Ore.

Dec. 9: Skagit Valley Casino – Bellingham, Wash.

Dec. 12: Kirkland PAC –  Seattle

Dec. 13: Aladdin Theatre – Portland, Ore.

Photo courtesy of Timothy B. Schmit

By Chris M. Junior

Jose Feliciano achieved great success in the late 1960s by reinventing The Doors’ “Light My Fire” as an acoustic ballad.

James Lee Stanley and Cliff Eberhardt have upped the ante by giving 12 Doors tunes — including “Light My Fire” — the acoustic treatment.

Their album “All Wood and Doors,” due July 12, features guest appearances by Doors guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore, plus Peter Tork of The Monkees and Timothy B. Schmit of The Eagles.

“James Lee Stanley and Cliff Eberhardt are excellent pickers, and what they did to our songs is unique and refreshing,” Densmore says. “It was a pleasure to be part of the project.”

The track list is as follows:

1. Break on Through

2. Love Me Two Times

3. Take It As It Comes

4. Strange Days

5. Light My Fire

6. Touch Me

7. Crystal Ship

8. Soul Kitchen

9. People Are Strange

10. Moonlight Drive

11. Riders on the Storm

12. The End

The iconic album art of "Hotel California." Print courtesy of www.rockpopgallery.com. © 1976, KOSH. All rights reserved.

By Michael Goldstein, RockPop Gallery

The follow-up to the successful 1975/early 1976 releases — the Grammy-nominated “One Of These Nights” and the huge-selling “Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975” — “Hotel California” was the first album to feature guitarist Joe Walsh, whose playing and songwriting influence brought the band from its more country-leaning efforts towards a more mainstream rock audience.

During the year and a half spent in the making of the record, drummer/singer/lyricist Don Henley emerged as the “featured player,” and much of the record’s tone and subject material reflected his commentary on success (and excesses it can breed), love lost and just how strange life in California can be.

With their arena-rock-ready musicianship now well-honed (Don Felder and Walsh on guitars and Henley and Randy Meisner providing the rhythmic fundamentals), the band was now ready for the big time, and “Hotel California” proved that they could create music that could both sell countless millions of albums (the record went platinum in one week) and make millions of fans in stadiums around the world cheer loudly as they sang aloud every word of every hit song. “Hotel California” won the Grammy in 1977 for Record of the Year and the songs “Life in the Fast Lane,” “New Kid in Town,” and the epic “Hotel California” (which you can never leave) became enduring classic Eagles tracks.

As the designer of some of the most well-known album cover images in history, Kosh (born John Kosh) has always appreciated a challenge (and a nice production budget). When the Eagles’ manager and record label called looking for an image to properly illustrate the release of a record by a “new” Eagles band — a band that needed no introduction — Kosh and his team braved the California winds in a death-defying effort that produced an iconic cover image and one very exciting “cover story.”

In the words of the designer, Kosh, “I had been designing album covers and promotional material in London for The Rolling Stones, The Who (“Who’s Next?”) and The Beatles (“Abbey Road”) at Apple and working closely with John Lennon on his “War Is Over” campaign.

THE EAGLES during “Hotel California“ introduced guitarist Joe Walsh (middle) to the fold. Walsh brought a heavier rock sound to an album, which won a Grammy in 1977 for Record of the Year. Photo courtesy of Rhino

“After a six-month stint in New York, the family moved to L.A. in 1974 and I soon fell ­­— with great enthusiasm ­— into the West Coast music scene. Heady times. I began working with Peter Asher [Apple] again, who was now managing James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt in LA. This led me directly to Linda’s label — Asylum — and the Eagles. Irving Azoff, their manager, called me in to meet Don Henley and Glenn Frey (they were still friends at this point, so the conversation was fresh and lively). Don Felder was also there, along with the amazing falsetto, Randy Meisner. It was a jolly affair — the Eagles were huge, enjoying hit after hit, and the California rock scene was burgeoning. Their producer and engineer, Bill Szymzyk, brought in an acetate of ‘Hotel California’ — destined to be the first cut on, and the title of, their next album. It was an obvious hit.

“For the album cover, Don wanted me to find and portray the Hotel California — a hotel which would best exemplify a classic ‘California hotel,’ and to portray it with a slightly sinister edge. Photographer David Alexander and I set out to scout suitable locations. We photographed three hotels (including some with a rather ‘seedily genteel’ character) that fit the brief, and large prints were made for approval. By now I was dealing mostly with Henley — the rest of the band would saunter in as we progressed and mutter their approvals — and he preferred more sumptuous images. The shot of The Beverly Hills Hotel against the golden sunset was deemed the favorite.

“To get the perfect picture, David and I had perched nervously atop a 60-foot cherry picker dangling over Sunset Boulevard in the rush hour, shooting blindly into the sun. Both of us brought our Nikons up in the basket, and we took turns shooting, ducking and reloading. We used high-speed Ektachrome film as the light began to fade. This film gave us the remarkable graininess of the final shot.

“Beautiful dye-transfer prints of the chosen frame were made by the great Ted Staidel. I designed and drew out the master Hotel California logo, which was to become the theme of the package and the promotional materials. The script was almost impossible to bend in real neon, and, so, after many experiments, Bob Hickson was commissioned to airbrush the neon effect on the logo — which he did wonderfully — and it was pasted over the Beverly Hills Hotel sign on Ted’s print. The whole piece was then re-photographed, re-printed on the same stock as the original image and retouched to match the grain and hide the surgery.

“Next we organized the gatefold spread — a photo of the band surrounded by friends in the hotel lobby. This was shot inside a cleverly re-decorated flophouse, called The Lido, in Hollywood by David Alexander. Nobody knows what the sinister figure lurking in the balcony window is doing, or who he is. I assume he must have been a benign spirit as ‘Hotel California’ went platinum immediately.

“It is interesting to note that I got tangled in the same heated debate with Asylum Records over the using of the band’s name on the cover that I had years earlier with EMI in London. I thought it unnecessary to use the words, The Beatles on ‘Abbey Road,’ considering the album was so eagerly anticipated and they were the biggest band in the world at the time. Such was the case with ‘Hotel California.’ By 1976 the Eagles were the biggest band in the world and eventually only the title, ‘Hotel California’ appeared on the original cover of the album.

“Subsequently, as the sales of ‘Hotel California’ went through the roof, lawyers for The Beverly Hills Hotel threatened me with a ‘cease and desist’ action — until it was gently pointed out by my attorney that the hotel’s requests for bookings had tripled since the release of the album.

ABOUT KOSH
As a designer and art director, Kosh (Born John Kosh) became prominent in the mid-1960s with the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera. He met up with The Beatles toward the end of the decade and, as creative director at Apple Records, was responsible for design, promotion and publicity for The Beatles. His clientele expanded to cover the cream of the British rock bands, including The Rolling Stones, The Who and many others. He handled John Lennon’s crusades including the “War Is Over” campaign in 1969 and art-directed and produced the world-renowned “Abbey Road” and “Who’s Next?” album covers, among many others.

Kosh became well known in the London avant-garde art scene, designing and producing exhibitions, posters and books. After garnering several awards with the London Design & Art Directors Club, he was elected to the British Art Directors’ Jury before moving to Los Angeles in 1974. A seven-time Grammy nominee, Kosh won three of the coveted awards for his work for Linda Ronstadt’s “Lush Life,” “Get Closer” and “Simple Dreams” (above). He served as faculty member of Otis Parson’s Institute of Art and on the Board of Governors of the National Recording Academy.

Kosh’s client roster has included Capitol Records, Sony Records and Warner Bros. Records. Artist clients include The Beatles, Jimmy Buffett, Humble Pie, Randy Newman, Pointer Sisters, Linda Ronstadt (Kosh has prepared all her graphics since 1974), Bob Seger, Electric Light Orchestra, Ringo Starr, Spinal Tap, Rod Stewart, James Taylor, 10,000 Maniacs, T. Rex, The Who and, of course, the Eagles (including “Hotel California” — voted No. 6 in Rolling Stone Magazine’s “100 Best Album Covers of All Time”). A display of his more prominent graphics was exhibited at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum.

Linda Ronstadt, one of the most popular and versatile artists of the Rock & Roll era, has yet to hear from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

(No. 17 in a continuing series on artists who should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but are not)

By Phill Marder

She has been called the “Queen of Rock.“

She has been called “The First Lady Of Rock.“

She has earned 11 Grammys, two Academy Of Country Music awards, an Emmy, an American Latino Media Arts award and she has received Tony and Golden Globe nominations.

She ranked No. 1 female singles seller in 1975 and 1977.

Combining albums and singles, she is one of the highest ranking artists in the history of recorded music.

All told, she has posted 38 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching the top 10 on 10 different occasions, No. 2 three times and the top spot once. On the Billboard top album charts, she has 36 entries, including 10 that reached the top 10 and three that hit No. 1.

She has reached the UK top 40 with five albums and three singles, including a No. 2 single in 1989.

Between 1969 and 1994 she has had 20 singles reach the Canadian top 40, including two that peaked at No. 2 and two that reached No. 1, and nine top 20 LPs, including the “Trio” album, which hit No. 4, and “Simple Dreams,” which topped the Canadian charts.

On the Country charts, she has had solo albums and a single reach No. 1 in addition to a No. 1 collaboration with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris.

She is considered the first female solo artist popular enough to pack large concert arenas.

She was named top female artist of the 70s by Cash Box magazine.

She was the first female to have three consecutive platinum albums and her “Living In The USA” became the first album to ship double platinum. In addition, her “Canciones De Mi Padre” is the best selling non-English language album in United States history.

YET SHE IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO GET EVEN A NOMINATION FROM THE ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME!!!

This has to be some kind of sick joke.

She is, of course, Linda Ronstadt.

Linda Ronstadt is a great singer. Pitch perfect, she lets the song be the avenue of pleasure, enhancing it not swamping it. Whitney Houston once bragged how she sang the *#$! out of “I Will Always Love You.” She did. That’s why Ronstadt’s version is so much better. She showed off the song, not how many notes she can hit.

There’s no better ballad singer than Linda Ronstadt and she has more than held her own on hard rocking material, from classic to punk. In addition, Ronstadt has been a major force in Country music and she also has recorded albums of standards, Mexican favorites, rock classics as lullabies, cajun and jazz offerings and Christmas favorites.

With that said, it’s a puzzle that Ronstadt has been ignored so far, though maybe her abandonment of Rock has a lot to do with it as she spread her wings to embrace recordings outside the world of Rock. It’s Ironic that artists who maintain the status quo are criticized for not growing musically, while those who do branch out are criticized for abandoning Rock.

Still, from 1967 when she first broke onto the scene with The Stone Poneys until 1983 when she began to branch out with Nelson Riddle, Ronstadt fairly dominated the charts with tasteful covers of everyone from Betty Everett to Billy Joe Royal. To further add to her credentials, Ronstadt sang backup on Neil Young’s two biggest hits, “Heart Of Gold” and “Old Man,” Andrew Gold’s No. 7 “Lonely Boy,” and Warren Zevon’s “Excitable Boy” and many others. And, in 1971, her touring band was Bernie Leadon, Glen Frey, Randy Meisner and Don Henley, who did fairly well as The Eagles after polishing their chops behind Ronstadt.

Perhaps Ronstadt has been shunned because she’s been outspoken on different topics. For instance, take this quote on the Ramones: “I couldn’t understand the words. I like power but it has to have some intelligence. This was so constricted I would call it hemorrhoid music.“

The Ramones are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, by the way.

“I didn’t set out to be a star, said Ronstadt. “I don’t think of myself as a star. I set out to become a singer. I would have sung no matter what. I finally learned how to sing. It’s too bad I had to do all my learning in public.”

On critics, Ronstadt has said, “I’m tired of being victimized by people who are dedicated to a snappy phrase.”

Well, I’m not dedicated to a snappy phrase. I just like music. And, obviously, I’m not alone in my admiration for Ronstadt. It’s time for those responsible for who gets nominated and who gets inducted to start studying those who are eligible. The joke has worn very, very thin.