Maps of Music

Hell Freezes Over (1994)

Where the lyrics of Hell Freezes Over take you, and where it was really made.

The title comes from a 1980 Don Henley remark that the band would reunite only when Hell froze over, and the reunion finally came 14 years later.

Key places

First live performance at Warner Bros. in Burbank (1994)

Live show Warner Bros. Studios — The band performed live for the first time after the reunion at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank in April 1994. The concert was made for an MTV special and produced 11 tracks for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Studio listed for the album recording (1994)

Recording site Village Recorders — The album's recording information lists The Village Recorder in Los Angeles as the studio. The exact date of the session is not given. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording location listed in New York City (1994)

Recording site The Hit Factory — The album's recording information lists The Hit Factory in New York City as a recording location. The exact date of the session is not given. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording location listed in Toronto (1994)

Recording site Phase One Audio Group — The album's recording information lists Sounds Interchange in Toronto. The point uses the city center because the building position is not confirmed. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Hell Freezes Over: second live album by the American rock band the Eagles
• Released November 8, 1994, by Geffen Records
• First album released after the Eagles reformed following a 14-year breakup
• Lineup from the Long Run era: Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Don Felder, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit
• Contains four new studio tracks and eleven tracks recorded live in April 1994 for an MTV special
• Two Top 40 Mainstream singles: "Get Over It" and "Love Will Keep Us Alive"
• Includes an acoustic version of "Hotel California"
• The four new studio recordings are the last to feature Don Felder, who was fired from the band in 2001

Background

• Album name refers to a 1980 Don Henley quote given when asked when the band would play together again
• 1993 tribute album Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles, recorded by several country artists
• Travis Tritt, who covered "Take It Easy" on that tribute, asked the band to appear in his video for the song
• The video appearance was the first time the group had appeared together in 13 years
• Two months later, Frey and Henley had lunch with their management and decided to reunite
• Band performed live for the first time in April 1994 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, for an MTV special
• Recording sessions produced 11 tracks for the album, including a new arrangement of "Hotel California" with an extended acoustic guitar and percussion opening
• At the start of the concert, Frey joked to the audience that the band had never broken up and had only taken a 14-year vacation
• The tour began May 27, 1994; the album was released November 8, 1994
• This is the band's second live album, after 1980's Eagles Live
• "Get Over It" became a modest hit; "Love Will Keep Us Alive" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart

Recording

• Eagles produced all tracks; Elliot Scheiner produced all tracks except "Learn to Be Still"
• Rob Jacobs produced all tracks; Stan Lynch produced "Learn to Be Still" only
• Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra provided backup on several tracks
• Ted Jensen handled mastering and editing

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Artist

Formation

• The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971.
• Founding members were Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner, all first recruited as musicians for Linda Ronstadt.
• They signed to David Geffen's Asylum Records in September 1971.
• The name was reportedly suggested by Leadon, though accounts vary.

Members

• Founding members: Glenn Frey (guitar, vocals), Don Henley (drums, vocals), Bernie Leadon (guitar, vocals), Randy Meisner (bass, vocals).
• Don Felder joined in 1974 as guitarist; Joe Walsh replaced Leadon in 1975; Timothy B. Schmit replaced Meisner in 1977.
• Frey died in January 2016; Meisner died in July 2023.

Career

• The band has five number-one singles and six number-one albums in the US, and six Grammy Awards.
• Estimated sales exceed 200 million records worldwide; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
• Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) and Hotel California are among their best-selling albums.
• The band broke up in 1980, reunited in 1994 for Hell Freezes Over, and released Long Road Out of Eden in 2007.
• The band announced a farewell tour in 2023 and held a Sphere residency in Las Vegas from 2024.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• "Get Over It" became a modest hit
• "Love Will Keep Us Alive" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart
• The album was also released on VHS, LaserDisc and DVD
• The DVD was one of the first music releases with a DTS soundtrack alongside a PCM stereo soundtrack
• The DVD also featured "Seven Bridges Road" in DTS audio only

Records

• Went to No. 1 on the Billboard album chart upon release and stayed there for two weeks
• Has sold over 9 million copies in the United States
• The tour began before the album's release and ran from 1994 to 1996, one of the most successful tours in music history
• The DVD was later re-released with an additional Dolby Digital soundtrack
• A DTS CD version was released in 1997

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album name refers to Don Henley's 1980 remark about when the band would play together again.
• Frey joked on stage that the band had never broken up and had only taken a 14-year vacation.
• "Seven Bridges Road" on the DVD was a remastered version of the recording from Eagles Live, with the five vocal parts separated more clearly for a 5.1 speaker setup.
• Don Felder played on the four new studio recordings, the last of which he appeared on before his firing in 2001.
• The DVD was one of the first music releases to use a DTS soundtrack.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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