David DeFeis
American heavy metal singer
David DeFeis (born January 4, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and producer. He is the main composer, leader and sole constant member of the heavy metal band Virgin Steele.
Biography.
DeFeis comes from a theatrical family: his father is a Shakespearian actor who runs the theatre company "The Arena Players Theatre" while his sister Doreen is a gifted opera singer who performs all over Europe.
A big fan of European classical music, at 9–10 years old he was introduced to rock music by hearing the band Stalk, with his brother Damon (on organ and piano) and his sister Danae (on vocals), playing in the basement beneath his room. Damon DeFeis was later in the band Creation with future Kiss drummer Eric Carr, and died in the Gulliver's nightclub fire in 1974.
He began piano lessons at the age of eight. By age eleven, he began his career with Long Island's local heavy metal band Phoenix.
At 16 years old, he met for the first time his future partner Edward Pursino when DeFeis's band at the time, Mountain Ash, was auditioning for a gig at the high school dance. Mountain Ash was mainly a Black Sabbath cover band and, after the performance of the song "War Pigs", Pursino came over and introduced himself to DeFeis.
At the beginning of the 1980s, together with Jack Starr and Joey Ayvazian, he started the first line-up of the band Virgin Steele. They debuted in 1982 with the song "Children of the Storm" included in the compilation "U.S. Metal Vol. II".
In 1985, the guitarist Edward Pursino replaced Starr. Among the years, in their longtime relationship in Virgin Steele, DeFeis and Pursino released a lot of heavy metal classics such as the albums: "Noble Savage", "Invictus", "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I", "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II".
DeFeis collects swords: his collection includes more than 20 items. In studio, sometimes he uses his swords to create particular effects for the Virgin Steele songs, and during the concerts he usually burns a sword on stage.
Voice and musical style.
DeFeis is a classically trained pianist, with a bachelor's degree in composition from S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook. As vocalist, he is self-taught, possessing around four octaves and a four notes: E2-B6. He said he was very much influenced by guitar players like Jimmy Page, Brian May and Eddie Van Halen, because he wanted to do with his voice what they did with their guitars. He is also influenced by rock singers like Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant, David Coverdale, Ronnie James Dio and Ian Gillan.
The major part of the lyrics DeFeis writes are mythological, dealing with subjects from especially Greek, Sumerian and Christian mythology. All of them are based on real life in some form or another.
Metal opera and theatre.
Between the end of the 1990s and the 2000s (decade), he wrote music for actors based on the Oresteia and the Greek myths related by Aeschylus. According with German artists Walter Weyers and Martina Krawulsky, with the name "Klytaimnestra": "The House of Atreus" Metal Opera (musically available on the Virgin Steele's albums "The House of Atreus Act I", "The House of Atreus Act II") was performed on stage in Germany theaters by Landestheater Production.
The premiere of "Klytaimnestra" in Memmingen, June 5, 1999, has been the first ever regular musical theatre show based on heavy metal concepts.
After "Klytaimnestra" success, David DeFeis & Landestheater Production extracted a second metal opera musical, named "The Rebels", from the previous Virgin Steele's albums of the Marriage of Heaven and Hell trilogy ("The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I", "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II", "Invictus").
In 2003, the same team released a third Metal Opera, named "Lilith", based on the material of album "Visions of Eden". "Visions of Eden" was later on published in CD in 2006.
Producer.
DeFeis owns his personal recording studio called: "The Hammer of Zeus" (sometimes also called "The Wrecking Ball Of Thor").
Virgin Steele's albums are produced by DeFeis.
He also produced albums released by other artists such as: "Out of the Darkness" and "No Turning Back" by Jack Starr, "Nightmare Theatre" by Exorcist, "Stay Ugly" by Piledriver, "The Sign of the Jackal" by Damien Thorn, "Sin Will Find You Out" by Original Sin.
References.
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Angels of the Apocalypse
Angels of the Apocalypse is the second full-length album by Timo Tolkki's Finnish metal opera project Avalon, released on May 16, 2014 in Europe and four days later in North America.
It is the second part of the trilogy created by Tolkki, written as a prequel to the previous album "The Land of New Hope".
As with the previous effort, several heavy metal singers were invited to play the characters of the story of the album, with female vocalist Elize Ryd of Amaranthe reprising her role and Floor Jansen (Nightwish, ReVamp) playing the main character. The rest of the cast includes Fabio Lione (Rhapsody of Fire, Angra), David DeFeis (Virgin Steele), Simone Simons (Epica), Caterina Nix (solo Chilean singer who is having her debut album produced by Timo Tolkki) and Zachary Stevens (ex-Savatage, Circle II Circle).
Background and recording.
The album started to be composed in August 2013 in Greece, to where Timo travelled to seek inspiration.
In October 2013, Timo Tolkki launched a news website for the project in which he announced the album, which was provisionally titled "Avalon II". Tolkki also announced he would be working with former Stratovarius bandmates Tuomo Lassila (drums) and Antti Ikonen (keyboards).
In late January, Tolkki revealed the name of the album and the remaining singers. Timo also announced that there will be a contest for guitar and keyboard players, with the winners getting a chance to perform a solo with him in one of the songs.
Once again, the artwork was created by French artist Stanis W. Decker.
Timo stated he created some songs with a specific singer in mind. The title-track will clock around 10:00. He also described the music of the album as "darker and heavier" than its predecessor, which was necessary due to the "Apocalyptic scenes described in the lyrics".
References.
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Visions of Eden
Visions of Eden is the eleventh album by American heavy metal band Virgin Steele, released on September 8, 2006, via Sanctuary Records. The album is subtitled "The Lilith Project – A Barbaric Romantic Movie of the Mind". It is a concept album based on Gnostic beliefs, which critically revisits the traditional Christian mythology about the creation of the Earth and the Biblical accounts of Adam and Eve.
The story revolves around Lilith, the first wife of Adam and a symbol of female strength and independence. Representing the female side of the true, higher god, she suffers under the lusting, jealous Demiurge who represents the Christian god, and as an emancipated woman who could not get along with the dominant Adam stands in stark contrast to Eve. Adam's second wife is portrayed as a docile, subservient partner created by the demiurge at the request of Adam, who could not cope with an independent woman on equal footing with him.
Regarding "Visions of Eden", frontman David DeFeis declared: "What it really is, is the soundtrack for a major motion picture that has yet to be made! And by the hammer of Zeus, I will make this film one day. I call this work a Barbaric Romantic movie of the mind.".
In 2003, prior to the album release, the concept was performed on the theater stage by Landestheater Schwaben under the name "Lilith" (as were the previous Virgin Steele titles "The House of Atreus Act I" and "The House of Atreus Act II").
On February 17, 2017, the album was reissued as a double CD containing a remixed version and a remastered recording of the original mix.
Track listing.
All songs written by David DeFeis
References.
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Clémentine Delauney
French singer
Clémentine Delauney (born 11 February 1987) is a French singer with a soprano vocal range who is currently singing for the symphonic metal bands Visions of Atlantis and Exit Eden. Previously she was the female backing vocalist for Austrian symphonic power metal band Serenity and the vocalist of French philharmonic metal band Whyzdom.
Career.
At the age of 16, Clementine Delauney began her musical education at the Maîtrise de l'Opéra in Lyon.
In late 2010 she joined Whyzdom as their lead vocalist, but never appears on any record of the band, because the singer left the band in early 2012 before they began recording the second album "Blind?"
Back in 2011 Delauney also guest-sang on Serenity's "Out of the Dark" tour before being introduced as a permanent member in December 2013. Together with Serenity, she released the album "War of Ages" and the resulting music video "Wings of Madness" in 2013. In the same year it was announced that Clémentine Delauney was leaving the band and would join the Austrian band Visions Of Atlantis, in which she is still active.
Delauney performed alongside French operatic metal band Melted Space between 2013 and 2016. She can also be heard on the albums "The Great Lie" (released 2015) and "Darkening Light" (released 2018) as lead and background singer.
In 2017, the Frenchwoman founded the international metal band Exit Eden together with the 3 singers Amanda Somerville (Avantasia, Trillium), Marina La Torraca (Phantom Elite) and Anna Brunner (League of Distortion). On 4 August 2017 the four released their debut album, "Rhapsodies in Black", via Napalm Records. Together the band had a few shows, including at Wacken Open Air 2018.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Clementine Delauney launched her Patreon page in 2021. Since then she has been providing exclusive insights into the worlds of Visions of Atlantis and Exit Eden, but also into her personal artistic life. She has already released her first solo song "The Violence Within" via the platform.
Visions of Atlantis.
On 6 December 2013 it was announced via the Visions of Atlantis Facebook page that Clémentine Delauney has joined the band as the new lead vocalist, along with Siegfried Samer (who was replaced by Michele Guaitoli at the end of 2018).
Various live performances followed before the release of the "Old Routes – New Waters" EP in 2016, on which Delauney and Samer re-recorded some of the band's biggest hits.
The band's sixth album "The Deep & the Dark" followed in 2018, to which she contributed as lead singer and the main lyricist, together with singer Siegfried Samer.
Apart from writing the lyrics, Delauney is also responsible for the broad thematic universe of Visions of Atlantis, including concepts for music videos, photo shoots and costumes, which she showcased in the following years with the studio albums "Wanderers" (released 30 August 2019) and "Pirates" (released 13 May 2022). On 20 March 2024 it was announced a new album called "Pirates II – Armada" will be released in July 2024. Alongside with this announcement the first single, "Armada" was released via Napalm Records. This single was followed by two more, "Monster" and "Tonight I'm Alive" before the ninth studio album was released on 5 July 2024.
Exit Eden.
In 2017, Clémentine Delauney announced that she is part of the music project Exit Eden.
Together with Amanda Somerville, Marina La Torraca and Anna Brunner, the four cover well-known pop songs as metal versions. The debut album Rhapsodies in Black was released on 4 August 2017 via Napalm Records.
Delauney made several appearances with Exit Eden, including at Wacken Open Air 2018.
The music video "Run!" was released on 24 October 2023. The band's second studio album "Femmes Fatales" was released on 12 January 2024 and contained the band's own songs for the first time.
Discography.
Visions of Atlantis.
Live albums
References.
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Virgin Steele
American heavy metal band
Virgin Steele is an American heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.
The band released a few career highlights albums ("Noble Savage", "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I", "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II" and "Invictus"). In recent years, they have enriched their sound with elements of musical theatre, progressive and symphonic metal, developing and writing projects such as the metal opera "The House of Atreus" (based on "Oresteia" and the Greek myth related to the Atreides) in 1999/2000 and the soundtrack for an imaginary movie "Visions of Eden (A Barbaric Romantic Movie of the Mind)" or "The Lilith Project" (based on the Sumerian legend of Lilith) in 2006.
History.
Origins.
At the beginning of the 1980s, Jack Starr (a guitarist of French origin) was looking for the right elements to form the ultimate heavy metal band. The first to answer his call was drummer Joey Ayvazian and together they started jamming and auditioning singers. Future L.A. Guns bassist Kelly Nickels joined them in 1981. They auditioned around 40 singers before David DeFeis was introduced to Jack by a friend of Joey.
With an interpretation of "No Quarter" by Led Zeppelin, "Child in Time" by Deep Purple and "Catch the Rainbow" by Rainbow, David got the vacant role of singer, bringing with him bassist Joe O'Reilly. At the end of 1981 the first line-up was ready.
The debut album.
Virgin Steele debuted in 1982 with "Children of the Storm" (a song loved by Metallica), included in the compilation "U.S. Metal Vol. II". Later they issued their self-titled first album. Their style was and remains very original, a melding of American heavy metal and Rainbow's epic atmospheres. DeFeis, who also plays piano and keyboards, shows a particular liking for pompous and melodic arrangements, while Starr goes for a harder and more immediate assault. Fan mail was becoming more interesting. Two letters in particular stand out, one from a young band, who were from Seattle. Their name was Queensrÿche. The other, from California, also a band, who called themselves Metallica.
The second album.
The following year (1983) the second album "Guardians of the Flame" was supported by a mini LP called "Wait for the Night" ("A Cry in the Night" in the European version). After the album, Jack Starr started recording his first solo album, "Out of the Darkness". Meanwhile, DeFeis continued the band with Edward Pursino. As stated in the Virgin Steele's website "we never actually asked Edward to join the band, he just came down one day and never left".) After a lawsuit won by Starr over the name "Virgin Steele", he sold it to DeFeis.
"Noble Savage" and "Age of Consent".
Supported by Pursino, whose style better fit DeFeis' songwriting than Starr's had, Virgin Steele new lineup recorded "Noble Savage", which melds classic and epic music. Today, this album is still considered one of the most important manifests of heavy and epic metal worldwide. Between 1985 and 1986, some members of Virgin Steele strongly contributed to an album published under the name Exorcist called "Nightmare Theatre" and to an album published under the name Piledriver called "Stay Ugly". David DeFeis only produced and helped these albums even if some rumors said that he and Pursino were behind these bands.
Finally, the band managed to go to Europe, supporting Manowar on tour and gaining great approval from all quarters because of their live performances. When things started to come together, though, some inexplicable laws seemed to apply and the following album, "Age of Consent", got a very narrow distribution and ended up a complete commercial failure. At this point, Virgin Steele were in their darkest period: their label shut down and Joe O'Reilly decided to leave, forcing the band to stop playing for a while.
During this break, David DeFeis graduated in piano and composition and played live with a semi-improvised band called "Smoke Stark Lightning", featuring some famous musicians like his old mate Jack Starr and drummer Bobby Rondinelli.
The comeback.
In 1993, Rob De Martino was chosen as the new bass player and Virgin Steele came back with "Life Among the Ruins", an album of Whitesnake-influenced hard rock with a strong bluesy vein. The song "Last rose of Summer" is the highlight of the cd. Featuring none of the trademark epic and mythology-based elements of the band, "Life Among the Ruins" is probably the most atypical release in the Virgin Steele discography and disliked by many die-hard classic metal fans. Quite interesting is the fact the American version has got a different cover and a bonus-track called "Snakeskin Voodoo Man" (published as a stand-alone single too) while many video-clips, taken from this album, were included into the home-video "Tale Of The Snakeskin Voodoo Man".
"The Marriage of Heaven and Hell".
One year later, the band returned to the original sound with "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I", an album of epic metal full of melodic and symphonic influences, very progressive oriented. This work (a concept regarding the different side of human nature) includes, among the others, the song "Life Among the Ruins" which is not related to the previous album with the same title.
Virgin Steele went back to Europe supporting Manowar and Uriah Heep and at the beginning of 1996 released "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II", following the concept and the style of the first one. The band appeared also on the compilation "A Tribute to Judas Priest: Legends of Metal – Volume II" playing a raw cover of the song "Screaming for Vengeance". Another Judas Priest cover, "Desert Plains", is included as a bonus track in the "Age of Consent" album reissue.
After another European tour (this time as headliner) in 1996, a new album was released in March 1998: the third and final chapter of the "Marriage" saga, titled "Invictus". This was their heaviest album at the time and also very epic. Lyrically it is a concept album about humanity's rebellion against a pantheon of evil, uncaring gods. The band played at the Wacken Open Air festival in 1997 and in 1998. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell trilogy signs also the debut of drummer Frank Gilchriest. Always in 1998, Virgin Steele headlined a real long new European tour with Mark Reale's Riot and Stigmata IV as supporting acts. This tour included the headliner performance at the biker festival "Motorock" in Cremona (Italy).
Metal opera.
Between the years 1999 and 2000, the band released a metal opera, writing the albums "The House of Atreus Act I" and "The House of Atreus Act II", intended to be played by actors in theaters.
The subject of the metal opera was "Oresteia" and the Greek myths related by Aeschylus, very familiar to David DeFeis, because of his father's theaterical background. On the albums all vocals and orchestrations are managed by David DeFeis himself.
Just before "The House of Atreus Act II", the single "Magick Fire Music" was published, with some metal opera outtakes. Inspired by Virgin Steele's metal opera, the German band Tobias Sammet's Avantasia wrote various albums using the same format. David DeFeis appears as special guest on the track: "The Final Sacrifice" included in the Avantasia's second album. After the show at the Bang Your Head!!! festival in 2000 without a bass player, in 2001 Virgin Steele toured with HammerFall and Freedom Call with the new bass player Josh Block.
The 20th anniversary.
In 2002, the band released two compilations to celebrate the 20th anniversary. "The Book of Burning" consists of a mix of previously unreleased songs and new compositions created by David DeFeis in collaboration with original guitarist Jack Starr. The songs were written at the beginning of the 1990s and previously unofficially appeared in the underground, with Starr at the guitar, with the name "Sacred Demos". The album contained also re-recordings of various songs from the first two albums with Josh Block, and not Jack Starr, supporting Pursino at the second guitar. "Hymns to Victory" instead is a best-of album covering the band's career from "Noble Savage" to their latest album "The House of Atreus Act II".
The way to manage the reissues of the first two albums "Virgin Steele" and "Guardians of the Flame", never published in cd before, created one more time problems between DeFeis and Starr so they decided to truncate any sort of relationship. DeFeis managed the reissues all by himself remastering the original albums and adding new bonus tracks. The EP "A Cry in the Night" was included into the "Guardians of the Flame" CD.
Side projects.
David DeFeis (keyboards and backing vocals) appears as special guest on the first two Immortally Committed albums in the tracks "Epic" and "Council in Hell". He, Edward Pursino, Josh Block and Exorcist's drummer Geoff Fontaine played some live dates with the New York cover band Carnival of Souls. Between the years 2002 and 2005, the band headlined a large number of heavy metal festivals such as the "Agglutination Festival" (2003, Italy), the "Tradate Iron Fest" (2004, Italy), the "Keep It True V Festival" (2004, Germany) and the "Ragnarock Festival" (2005, Netherlands).
"A Barbaric Romantic Movie of the Mind".
David DeFeis also created his own recording studio called "The Hammer of Zeus" (sometimes also called "The Wrecking Ball of Thor"). In September 2006, after 6 years without an all-new studio album, the band released its 11th full-length "Visions of Eden". The album revolves heavily around Gnostic beliefs and critically revisits the traditional Christian mythology with regards to the creation of the Earth and the Biblical accounts of Adam and Eve. An even darker, more melancholic drama than the House of Atreus saga, the story revolves around Lilith, the first wife of Adam and a symbol of female strength and independence. Representing the female side of the true, higher god, she suffers under the lusting, jealous Demiurge who represents the Christian god, and as an emancipated woman who could not get along with the dominant Adam stands in stark contrast to Eve. Adam's second wife is portrayed as a docile, subservient partner created by the demiurge at the request of Adam, who could not cope with an independent woman on equal footing with him.
"Visions of Eden (A Barbaric Romantic Movie of the Mind)" or "The Lilith Project" is based on the Sumerian legend of Lilith and it is intended as the soundtrack for an imaginary movie. The band is looking for a producer to bring this concept album story to screen.
Recent activities.
In 2007, the band played at the Power Prog VIII Festival (Atlanta, Georgia) and at the Evolution Festival (Florence, Italy). David DeFeis and Josh Block appear on the Polish band Crystal Viper EP in the cover of Virgin Steele's song "Blood and Gasoline" from "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I" album. Between 2007 and 2008 the out of print albums "Noble Savage", "Age of Consent", "Life Among the Ruins", "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I" and "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II" were reissued (with bonus tracks) by the German label Dockyard1. There are also rumors that a DVD live album is planned, a three hours show recorded at the Downtown Club (Long Island, NY) in 2002 and an acoustic concert played in 2000 in München should be part of it.
A new Virgin Steele album, entitled "The Black Light Bacchanalia", was released at the end of October 2010 for the new label SPV/Steamhammer while, in 2011, the whole back-catalogue, from "Noble Savage" onwards, will be reissued again with faithfully restored covers and booklets, bonus tracks and liner notes.
The first ever Virgin Steele tribute album "By the Gods: A Noble Tribute to Virgin Steele" was released on October 31, 2015, by Majestic Metal Records. It features a 12-page full-color booklet with exclusive liner notes by Virgin Steele's frontman David DeFeis.
In February 2017, the album Visions of Eden was reissued as a double CD containing a remixed version and a remastered recording of the original mix.
Three years after Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation, in 2018 the box-set Seven Devils Moonshine is published containing 3 new albums ("Ghost Harvest – Vintage I – Black Wine for Mourning", "Ghost Harvest – Vintage II – Red Wine for Warning", "Gothic Voodoo Anthems") plus the re-issues of The Book of Burning and Hymns to Victory.
Five years after "Seven Devils Moonshine", the band released their first album since then, and their first single-CD album since "Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation", "The Passion of Dionysus", on June 30, 2023.
Style.
Barbaric romantic music.
Virgin Steele play what they call symphonic, romantic and bombastic music with many elements taken from classical music and fantasy/mythological lyrics based on real life events. David DeFeis (all vocals, keyboards, orchestration, synth bass, swords and effects) about Virgin Steele's music: "From a whisper to a scream, barbaric, romantic, bombastic, yet subtle, grandiose, yet earthy. A call, a shout, an invocation to Freedom and the continual awakening to the awareness that every moment of life is lived to its fullest potential. It is a force, a sacred quest which drives Virgin Steele on".
Typically, during Virgin Steele's concerts a sword is burnt on stage. In some special show they used to play a long live set called "Three hour extravaganza". Fans consider "The Burning of Rome (Cry for Pompeii)" and "Emalaith" some of the most representative songs of the band.
Many Virgin Steele songs are mythological, often dealing with subjects from Greek and Christian mythology. Most of their albums are concept albums. The later albums tend to be more epic and mythological while, on the early albums (up until "Life Among the Ruins"), many songs are more real-life based stories of love and sex. According to David DeFeis, all the lyrics he writes are based on real life in some form or another.
Metal opera and theatre.
A metal opera is a mix between rock opera, Broadway style and "heavy metal adapted for theater actors' live performances". According to German artists Walter Weyers and Martina Krawulsky, with the name "Klytaimnestra – The House of Atreus", metal opera (musically available on the Virgin Steele's albums "The House of Atreus Act I", "The House of Atreus Act II") was performed on stage in Germany theaters by Landestheater Production. The result, very different from a heavy metal concert, is a metal based dark Broadway style musical really powerful and energetic with actors only. The premiere of "Klytaimnestra" in Memmingen, June 5, 1999, has been the first ever regular musical theatre show based on heavy metal concepts. After "Klytaimnestra"'s success, David DeFeis & Landestheater Production extracted a second metal opera musical, named "The Rebels", from the previous Marriage of Heaven and Hell trilogy ("The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I", "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II", "Invictus").
In 2003, the same team released a third metal opera, named "Lilith", based on the material of album "Visions of Eden". "Visions of Eden" was later on published in CD in 2006. In a different way to the previous two operas. Regarding the album, David DeFeis declared: "I don't think of it as a Metal Opera. What it really is, is the soundtrack for a major motion picture that has yet to be made! And by the hammer of Zeus, I will make this film one day. I call this work a Barbaric Romantic movie of the mind.".
Band members.
Current members
Former members
Discography.
Compilations.
(*) re-issues included in 2018 box set Seven Devils Moonshine
References.
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Long Road Out of Eden
Long Road Out of Eden is the seventh studio album by American rock band the Eagles, released in 2007 on Lost Highway Records as their first ever double album. Nearly six years in production, it is the band's first studio album since 1979's "The Long Run". In between that time the band recorded four original studio tracks for the live album "Hell Freezes Over" (1994), "Hole in the World" for "The Very Best Of" (2003) and the Joe Walsh-penned "One Day at a Time" for the "" DVD (2005), which Walsh later re-recorded for his 2012 album "Analog Man".
It is the band's first album released following the dismissal of Don Felder in 2001, as well as their final album with Glenn Frey before his death in 2016.
The album produced two singles on the Hot Country Songs charts: a cover of JD Souther's "How Long" and "Busy Being Fabulous", both of which were Top 30 hits on the country charts as well as Top 20 hits on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts. The album produced five straight hits on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts with "How Long", "Busy Being Fabulous", "No More Cloudy Days", "What Do I Do With My Heart", and "I Don't Want to Hear Anymore".
The album debuted at No. 1 in the US after a last-minute rule change by "Billboard" (which also blocked Britney Spears' highly anticipated "Blackout" from topping the chart) and won the band two Grammy awards for "How Long" and the instrumental "I Dreamed There Was No War". The album became the band's sixth consecutive No. 1 album, and was the highest selling album of the year. It has since sold 3.5 million copies in the US alone. Being a double album with length exceeding 90 minutes, the album was certified 7× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of 3.5 million albums.
Album information.
According to Henley, Bill Szymczyk, who had produced their previous albums, was a producer on the album, although Henley described Szymczyk's role as that of "a mediator, a consigliere, a ringmaster" since they (Frey and Henley) had already learned how to produce records themselves.
Three studio versions of songs from "Long Road Out of Eden": "No More Cloudy Days", "Do Something" and "Fast Company" were first released in 2006 in a bonus CD of a special edition exclusive to Wal-Mart of the DVD release, "Farewell 1 Tour-Live from Melbourne".
On August 20, 2007, the song "How Long", written by JD Souther – who had previously worked with the Eagles co-writing some of their biggest hits including "Best of My Love", "Victim of Love", "Heartache Tonight" and "New Kid in Town" – was released as a single to radio with an accompanying online video at Yahoo! Music and debuted on television on CMT during the Top 20 Countdown on August 23, 2007. The band performed the song as part of their live sets in the early to mid-1970s, but did not record it at the time due to Souther's desire to use it on his first solo album.
The deluxe collector's edition of "Long Road Out of Eden" was released on November 20, 2007, featuring two bonus tracks, "Hole in the World" and "Please Come Home for Christmas". This version of the CD is wrapped in a red linen cloth, screen printed with panoramic imagery, and includes a 40-page booklet with lyrics, credits, exclusive photos and desert scenes from the making of the "How Long" video.
"No More Walks in the Wood" is a song using the words from "An Old-Fashioned Song", a 21-line poem (without choruses either in the poem or song) by John Hollander. The song is in four-part harmony with guitar chords, but mostly sung a cappella.
In a 2007 interview with CNN, band member Don Henley declared, "This is probably the last Eagles album that we'll ever make." When questioned about the possibility of a follow-up album in November 2010, band member Timothy B. Schmit said, "My first reaction would be: no way. But I said that before the last one, so you never really know. Bands are a fragile entity and you never know what's going to happen. It took a long time to do that last album, over a span of years, really, and it took a lot out of us. We took a year off at one point. I'm not sure if we're able to do that again. I wouldn't close the door on it, but I don't know." In a 2010 interview with undercover.fm, Joe Walsh said that the band might be able to make one more album before the band "wraps it up".
At the 2009 Grammy Awards, the album won Best Pop Instrumental Performance and was nominated for three more: Best Pop Vocal Album; Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals for "Waiting in the Weeds"; and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals for "Long Road Out of Eden".
Joe Walsh previously recorded "Guilty of the Crime" for the 1995 soundtrack album "".
In 2009 "I Don't Want to Hear Any More" was released as the fifth single from the album. The song's writer Paul Carrack had already cut his own version, with Henley and Schmit singing backing vocals, in 2007.
For the first year after the album's initial release, the album was available in North America exclusively via the band's website, or through Wal