Image: The Smoking GunNo disrespect to Glenn Frey — whose death this week is a cause for genuine mourning — but his band the Eagles sucked hard. Some have gone as far as saying they were the worst rock and roll band of all time.Of course hating on the Eagles and their bloated middle-of-the-road 70s rock has become all too easy, but back in the day Fry had some early punk cred.Before Frey, drummer Don Henley, guitarist Bernie Leadon, and bassist Randy Meisner got together as members of Linda Rondstadt's backing band, and formed the Eagles in 1971, Frey fronted the Mushrooms, a band of mid 60s Detroit rockers.Their one and only single, “Such A Lovely Child/Burned” released in May 1967 was written by Bob Seger and had an early Kinks vibe with some flourishes of psych.The B-side appeared on the Norton records compilation Friday at the Hideout: Boss Detroit Garage 1964-67, alongside tracks by the Underdogs, Henchmen and the Pleasure Seekers, who included a young Suzie Quatro.
Fry also played guitar and sang back up vocals on Bob Seger’s 1968 single "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man". One of Seger’s more popular tracks, it tells the punk-like tale of a dice throwing teenage runaway who well, rambles. It’s a long way from "Hotel California".So Glenn Frey is dead and his band The Eagles are still despised by many. In 1973 esteemed rock critic Robert Christgau said, “Listening to the Eagles has left me feeling alienated from things I used to love.” But what if Frey had stayed in Detroit and continued on the road of punk rather than opting for the land of mediocrity and money in Los Angeles?Well, for one thing, for 45-years the music world may have been a lot less sucky.
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