Can I Be Your Backup Singer?

Actual Miles by Don Henley

Light pop rock that has a little bite at times, Don Henley's "Best of" CD is appropriately titled Actual Miles. A reference, perhaps, to Henley's reputation as a typical rock god, stud-muffin with a woman (or underage girl) in every city? At any rate, Henley is more than just eye-candy for wanna-be back up singers and groupies; he's an accomplished musician, a founding member of The Eagles and a fervent environmentalist.

Henley's recognizable vocals from his days with The Eagles are well suited to this collection of mainly ballad or ballad-oriented-dance-tunes (hey, I just made up a new genre of music). What I miss on this CD (and other Henley/Walsh/Frey solo performances) are the fabulous harmonics that made the Eagles who they were. That being said, I still rate this compilation quite highly.

While the liner does not have lyrics for every song (only Allah is included for some strange reason), you can visit and find a complete lyric listing elsewhere on the web for all of the songs on Actual Miles.

Overall, Actual Miles' tone is that of heat; intense, fiery heat that might just drive you to do things you normally would not. The tunes on this CD, while originally released on separate discs, have a common theme of scorching passion and come together neatly.

Those who easily tire of the same cadence may not like this CD as well as I do; the underlying beat is very similar in many of the songs.

Track List

Dirty Laundry
Henley's sarcastic look into the world of (local) TV newscasters. The bite comes in strong in this song, with lyrics that stress the idiocity that alleged journalists sometimes exhibit. I giggle every time I hear this song, because I picture one of our local news people whom I had the opportunity to meet in person. This dingy twit couldn't even answer a simple question without a script. How about you? Recognize your local "Brokaw wanna-be" in the mix? A frenzied guitar solo mid stream adds to the energy of the tune.

The Boys of Summer
During the hotter months, strangers invade the love life of local boy and steal away his woman. Usually, "The Boys of Summer" reference ballplayers; interpret these "boys" to be ballplayers or tourists... whoever they are, they are temporary residents who may provide a season of passion, but lasting love comes from the hometown boy whose "love will still be strong, after the boys of summer are gone." In the "me-me-me" 80's, Wayfarer sunglasses were all the rage, and Boys of Summer references those famed frames. Hmm, maybe someone will do a cover and change the shades to Oakleys.

All She Wants to do is Dance
Typifies the morality and decadence of the 1980's. Maybe it was just me, but going to clubs, dancing, and not having a care in the world is what I remember best from the decade. (Okay, so I got married in the 80's too. I had to slow down SOMETIME!) Our dancer in the song ignores the war and destruction in her surroundings, she just wants to party on. One of two songs that Henley did not have a hand in penning (the other is Everybody Knows); this tune is a little too "disco-ey" for my tastes and doesn't show off Henley's delicious croon well.

Not Enough Love in the World
Slows down the pace to true ballad level. Not Enough Love is not anything special; the background accompaniment is typical light pop with some backup singers who echo Henley's sentiments. Seriously one of the weaker tracks on this CD due to its forgetability. (As in: Hey, was there a song between All She Wants to Do is Dance and Sunset Grill?)

Sunset Grill
Accompaniment is tense and tight, lyrics describe attempts to escape the insanity surrounding Henley. But in the last verse, it's apparent that leaving the situation is unlikely:

What would we do without all these jerks, anyway?
Besides, all our friends are here.

Orchestration makes a nice add to this tune... further painting the picture of sitting in a hot, steamy bar drinking something strong while wearing your white cotton suit and fedora, a la Miami Vice.

The End of the Innocence
A nostalgic look at things best remembered that are now gone. The only pop song I can think of that describes a first act of sex in such poetic terms:

Lay your head back on the ground
Let your hair spill all around you
Offer up your best defense
This is the end ... this the end
Of the innocence.

Along with The Heart of the Matter, one of the best of Henley's solo performances. Notice if you will, that this song is reminiscent of an 80's band called The Range... makes sense since it was co-penned and co-produced by Bruce Hornsby (as in "Bruce Hornsby and the Range"); Hornsby's also listed as one of the musicians on the track.

The Last Worthless Evening
Henley pleads with a woman suffering from a recent break up to let him make her happy again. In his plea, he offers that there are enough lonely and loveless people in the world; she doesn't have to be among them if she'd only give in to him.

New York Minute
Evidently, a New York minute is different from other minutes. Thanks Don, for enlightening me. The verse is slightly haunting, with repetitive chord changes. The chorus has the same problem as Everybody Knows (repeating the same darn phrase over and over again), but is not nearly as annoying since the phrase is not also included in the verse. If you can program your CD player, this might be one to skip over.

I Will Not Go Quietly
The rockin'-est track, I Will Not Go Quietly has a tight, loud drum beat that invites the listener to dance, even chair dancing if you are in your office or car. Funky intro with heavy drum, synthesizer

The Heart of the Matter
My all-time Henley favorite that never fails to make me tear up. I'd rate this particular song as Six Stars on it's own. Henley mourns the loss of a relationship and contemplates forgiveness before it's too late. With poignant lyrics like this, the music is secondary, but none the less great.

I'm learning to live without you now
And I miss you sometimes
The more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought I'd figured out
I have to learn again.
Been trying to get down
To the heart of the matter,
Because the flesh will get weak
And the ashes will scatter.
So I'm thinking 'bout forgiveness
Even if you don't love me anymore.

The combo of End of the Innocence and Heart of the Matter make this CD well worth the price, in my humble opinion.

The Garden of Allah
An odd tune that combines Henley's recognizable crooning with spoken verse by none other than SATAN. Listen to the lyrics and you may find them vaguely disturbing. The tune itself is faintly disco with a middle-eastern influence.

You Don't Know Me at All
I didn't know this track at all before getting this CD, but I like it. It's got a dark little melody, (with that same underlying beat unfortunately) which Henley periodically growls through. Slower and somewhat bluesy in tone, You Don't Know Me at All escapes the 80's dance theme (it, along with Allah were copyrighted in 1995) and adds a strong guitar solo.

Everybody Knows
Lame, lame, lame. I counted the word "everybody" in this song over 40 times. The tune isn't catchy, the lyrics are not only repetitive, they don't even tell an interesting story. Henley didn't write this tune; he only produced it, and it is terribly out of place on this CD. I would have much rather had an inclusion of You Must Not Be Drinkin' Enough, the title track from Building the Perfect Beast, or even a remix of All She Wants to Do is Dance (okay, I probably would have b*tched about that too, but it would have been an improvement).

All in all, a good investment if you like Henley, dance music, ballads, or The Eagles. And while the cover photo of Henley is pretty smarmy, I'd do backup singing for him any day.