Glenn Frey — Co-founder of the Eagles. Purveyor of ‘80s hits “The Heat is On” and “Sexy Girl”. And now, crooner of classic ballads.
“I listen to Morning Becomes Eclectic all the time!” said Frey upon arriving at KCRW, although he wasn’t here to perform. Instead, he sat down with host Elvis Mitchell for an episode of The Treatment. Frey and Mitchell are both proud Detroit natives, and swapped high school stories before getting down to business. (“We used to run track against you guys!” said Elvis before the recording).
Frey released a new album this year, called “After Hours,” a collection of well-known standards like “Route 66” and “Caroline, No”, as well as the title track, which is an original.
Why did he record these songs? He did it for his parents, and his friends. He did it so people could have a way to relax at the end of the day. And, in a way, he did it for Clint Eastwood:
Eagles frontman and now, classics crooner Glenn Frey on THE TREATMENT by KCRW
The transition from Billboard hits to standards makes a lot of sense for Frey, who was always the laid back, mellow Eagle with the breezy, effortless vocals on tracks like “Take it Easy” and “Peaceful, Easy Feeling.”
That said, Frey says it was still quite a challenge to make these songs, which have been covered so many times before, into something uniquely his own.
“I certainly think I’m a better singer now than I was three years ago when I started this record… and I’m excited to write some other songs now, because I feel like I’ve been added to. And whatever I’ve done the past three years can only make whatever I do tomorrow better.”
Listen to the full interview here.
— Jenny Radelet