Guitarist Don Felder has been known for many musical talents, one of which is being the creator of magical musical parts that ended up being the foundation of some of rock’s most memorable songs. Since the 1970s, he has been recording a number of songs and other music and tucking them away. A few years ago, he decided to dig in and see what he had collected that hadn’t seen the light of day, and what he discovered lit a spark that led him to record his latest studio release: The Vault (Fifty Years of Music), which will be out on May 23. (The first single, "Free at Last," has been released.)
In addition to his renowned work with the Eagles, Felder has collaborated with artists such as the Bee Gees, Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand, and Andy Gibb, as well as contributing guitars to Stevie Nicks’ first two solo albums. Renowned as one of the finest players in the game, “Fingers” Felder is also one of the nicest, and it’s no surprise that when he decides to record, he is always joined by world-class talent.
The Vault, Felder’s fifth solo album, features a range of styles and all-star collaborations, including contributions from Steve Lukather, David Paich, Greg Phillinganes, Chad Smith, Matt and Gregg Bissonette, and Nathan East. The album ranges from classic rock anthems to introspective ballads, culminating in the poignant closer “Blue Skies,” a heartfelt tribute to Felder’s late Eagles bandmate Glenn Frey.
The record, along with his vast body of work will be showcased during this summer’s Brotherhood of Rock tour alongside Styx and Kevin Cronin. It’s a bill that he has been part of in the past, and one of his favorites to be a part of out on the road.
Copper caught up with Don to talk about the making of this record, the state of the business, and what he thinks is most exciting about the summer tour he is about to embark upon.
Don Felder. Courtesy of Michael Helms.
Ray Chelstowski: This new record contains material that spans over 50 years. Have you been tucking away songs for years or did this record come about all at once?
Don Felder: No, I just stumbled into it. What I moved out of Malibu after the fifth fire [I’d experienced there] and all of the mudslides I’d gone through, I took all of my recordings and tapes and just put them in storage. When I got into [where I live now] and bought a house, it had a studio that was already set up, and I thought that instead of bringing in all of my old analog gear I’d just build a digital studio. So I set that up and really had forgotten about the locker for like 20 years.
About four or five years ago I decided to go take a look and see what was in there. As I began to go through it I started to see all of these 24-track two-inch tapes, 16 track-tapes. 1/4-inch inch tape masters, and demo mixes. I also found couple of big boxes that were just full of cassettes, DATs, CDs; all of the stuff I had just done demos on. I decided to take the boxes back to my studio and found out what I had. So my engineer and I set things up and we transferred everything onto Pro Tools. As we began to play everything I heard [some] great ideas, and I’d star them.
Most of them didn’t have lyrics. When I joined the Eagles, my friend Bernie Leadon (of the Eagles, Flying Burrito Brothers, Dillard and Clark and others) who was in my high school band with me back in Gainesville (Florida) told me that if I wanted to write songs for this band then [I should] write music bits: intros, verses, chorus, solo, verse, chorus out. He said to give these song structures to Don [Henley] and Glenn [Frey] and let them write the lyrics and the melody. So, from every album we’d been working on I had 16 to 17 song beds. One of them became “Hotel California,” one became “Victim of Love,” and one became “Those Shoes.” As I was looking at those boxes [of tapes] I thought, there just might be some good stuff in there.
When I’d gotten about a quarter of the way through everything I realized I had enough ideas, and they went back as far as 1974. It represented every decade and showed how I was developing my writing skills. In fact, the first demo I did for the Eagles was on that 4-track. There were no drums, just an electric bass and guitar. I’d been brought in by the band to play slide guitar on a song called “Good Day in Hell” so I thought I’d write a guitar track. I took a cardboard box, put a mic in front of it and started playing drums on it. Then I added bass and rhythm guitar tracks to it. I picked up the slide and added that. There was no melody but I thought it sounded really cool and decided to try and make it into something and that became “Move On,” which is the first track on the record.
RC: Did you pull out any specific guitar for the slide work on the record?
DF: I have about four guitars in my studio that are set up just for slide. You can’t use the same guitar on every track. If you listen to these tracks in sequence you’ll realize each guitar is uniquely different. For me that’s part of the creative process. It’s one thing to have the drums and bass all sound the same. You can’t do that with guitar. For a live album, yeah. But when you are producing you have to have separation in tone. That also forces me to explore more.
RC: With all of that material, what criteria did you use in picking what songs/treatments would move forward, and did any feel dated and need a refresh?
DF: The only song that I thought might sound dated, because it had been written in the 1980s, was “All Girls Love to Dance.” It’s got that walking synth bass and it’s got its feet in the ’80s. I couldn’t really leave that behind because it would have ruined the groove of the song.
One of the reasons why I re-recorded “Heavy Metal” is [that] in the 1980s it was [recorded in] all-analog and this song just sounded like it needed a fresh makeover. So, I went back and re-recorded the entire thing; the bass, drums, guitar, and the vocals. It now sounds to me like it had just been written and recorded today. I mean I play that song in every show and people know it really well, but I just wanted a clean updated version of it.
RC: Like your last solo record, you are backed by some of the best musicians in the game. How do you know when it’s time to pull in someone like guitarist Steve Lukather (of Toto)?
DF: Well, I know how all of these guys play, their sound and their feel. Whether it's (bassist) Nathan East or (bassist) Matt Bissonette, who played with Elton John for like 10 years, I’ve known them since the 1970s and I know how much fun it is to have them around. When Luke comes over, for the first 45 minutes, we’re just laughing and telling jokes, catching up. Then we pick up the guitars, record for 30 minutes and we’re done. It’s not a long tedious session. It’s one of the things that I look for in terms of who comes in to play. There’s no negative energy or divas. We’re just musicians having a great time together making records.
RC: The final song on the record is an instrumental ballad. After a string of full-out rockers, it’s an interesting choice to close things down.
DF: I had been playing around with that little acoustic guitar part. I’d seen a string quartet performance here in L.A. a few years ago and it was just miraculous. They played a lot of soundtrack scores from movies they’d been part of and I was fascinated. I kept thinking about the effect it might have of me just playing acoustic guitar accompanied by a string quartet. Then after Glenn passed I developed it into what it is today. At the time when I recorded it it was me playing acoustic guitar alone and I thought it would sound really pretty if we added strings. So we contacted that quartet, and they were delighted to participate. I had all of the girls at the end singing “I’ll be forever wishing you blue skies,” which was my final farewell wish for Glenn, and I dedicated the song to him.
RC: On an Eagles note, why did it take so long to record The Long Run album?
DF: I think that Glenn said it best. Coming off of Hotel California, which was the biggest, most unexpected hit that any of us could have imagined, and going back to the studio trying to make something as good, not necessarily better, presented impossible pressure. It just really was a stressful time to try and outperform, out-solo that previous album. We also had just so much time, because we had a tour already planned and we were racing to try and finish those tracks. It was hard work.
RC: The new record contains a song, “Hollywood Victim,” that’s kind of companion tune to “Hotel California.”
DF: When you are here in L.A., the staff at every restaurant you go into is probably filled with aspiring actors or musicians. They’re working, waiting to get that break. More often than not the glamor they anticipate when they arrive is not for them. It’s a very small percentage of people who get to do that. It’s like professional sports. So, if you listen to that track it begins with the beautiful piano part that is very welcoming. Then the bass comes in and it’s like wham, it hits you like the reality of what it’s like trying to find your way around this town and often beating your head against the wall. “Hotel California” represented the underbelly of Los Angeles. I wanted to write something that was a little more conspicuous in meaning and in its storyline.
RC: Even when you do catch a break it seems as though the business becomes even more difficult to navigate.
DF: There was a time when we were playing that you’d be able to go down to the mom and pop radio station in town and do an interview live on air. After three or four times of doing that they became part of your family and they’d support you. That doesn’t exist anymore. In fact, privately-owned radio is pretty much over. There’s a lot of great satellite radio and streaming but it’s really taking the money away from the artist.
RC: You head out on tour once again with Styx and Kevin Cronin, formerly of REO Speedwagon. What do you enjoy most about hitting the road with these two?
DF: It’s four hours of solid hits. These are some of the greatest players and musicians, and guys who are 24/7 fun to hang out with. There’s no baloney, no drama. We have a great time onstage and off, and the audience can really sense that. When the bands are having a great time and they’re rocking, that’s when people get up off their seats, get on their feet and party. We’ve done this together so many times that we really know what’s all gonna happen, when and where. How can you not like that? It’s gonna be a great tour!
