Glenn Frey - Above The Clouds: The Collection review

Glenn Frey's work outside the Eagles: The hits and the misses

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Glen Frey - Above The Clouds - The Very Best Of Glenn Frey

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Glen Frey - Above The Clouds - The Very Best Of Glenn Frey

Glen Frey - Above The Clouds - The Very Best Of Glenn Frey

Disc 1: The Very Best Of
Disc 2: Beyond The Charts
Disc 3: Early Output
Disc 4: Live at the National Stadium in Dublin (DVD)
(Full track listing below)

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Among the tributes that followed the death of Glenn Frey in 2016, the most poignant came from Don Henley, the other leading figure in the Eagles, who credited Frey as the real power behind one of America’s greatest bands. “Glenn started it all,” Henley said. “He was the man with the plan.” 

This new box set of three CDs and a DVD contains music that Frey made without the Eagles. The best of it comes on the first disc, with the hits he had as a solo artist. Henley’s solo work was better, with songs such as The Boys Of Summer and The End Of The Innocence comparable to the Eagles’ classics. But Frey’s hits were a part of the fabric of 80s pop culture. 

The Heat Is On, with honking sax, was the big number in Beverly Hills Cop, and two others featured in Miami Vice: You Belong To The City, a moody ballad; and Smuggler’s Blues, with stinging slide guitar, a study of the drug trade from one of its best-paying customers. 

The second disc has lesser-known solo tracks, some good and some bad – notably a pointless cover of Route 66. 

The third has, for the first time on CD, the sole album by Longbranch Pennywhistle, Frey’s late-60s double-act with future Eagles collaborator JD Souther. As an early example of country rock, it has historical value. And the DVD has a solo gig from Dublin in 1992, which ends with Desperado – the first of the many great songs that Frey and Henley wrote together.

Track listing

 1. The Heat Is On
 2. Call On Me
 3. Part Of Me, Part Of You
 4. You Belong To The City
 5. Smuggler's Blues
 6. Sexy Girl
 7. The Allnighter
 8. Soul Searchin'
 9. Same Girl
 10. The One You Love
 11. Strange Weather
 12. I've Got Mine
 13. River Of Dreams
 14. Love In The 21st Century
 15. Lyin' Eyes / Take It Easy (Medley - Live at the National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland / 1992)

 1. Let's Go Home
 2. I Got Love
 3. This Way To Happiness
 4. Common Ground
 5. After Hours
 6. Rising Sun (Instrumental)
 7. The Shadow Of Your Smile
 8. Better In The U.S.A.
 9. Brave New World
 10. Caroline, No
 11. For Sentimental Reasons
 12. It's Too Soon To Know
 13. Worried Mind
 14. Lover's Moon
 15. Route 66
 16. True Love

 1. Jubilee Anne
 2. Run Boy, Run
 3. Rebecca
 4. Lucky Love
 5. Kite Woman
 6. Bring Back Funky Women
 7. Star - Spangled Bus
 8. Mister, Mister
 9. Don't Talk Now
 10. Never Have Enough

 1. Long Hot Summer
 2. Peaceful Easy Feeling
 3. New Kid In Town
 4. The One You Love
 5. Strange Weather
 6. I've Got Mine
 7. Lyin' Eyes / Take It Easy (Medley)
 8. Wild Mountain Thyme
 9. River Of Dreams
 10. True Love
 11. Love In The 21st Century
 12. Livin' Right
 13. Smuggler's Blues
 14. The Heat Is On
 15. Heartache Tonight
 16. Party Town
 17. Desperado

Paul Elliott
Paul Elliott

Freelance writer for Classic Rock since 2005, Paul Elliott has worked for leading music titles since 1985, including Sounds, Kerrang!, MOJO and Q. He is the author of several books including the first biography of Guns N’ Roses and the autobiography of bodyguard-to-the-stars Danny Francis. He has written liner notes for classic album reissues by artists such as Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy and Kiss, and currently works as content editor for Total Guitar. He lives in Bath - of which David Coverdale recently said: “How very Roman of you!”