Maybe the Eagles were over themselves, but the rest of the world wasn’t, as this single topped the US charts.
Kronomyth 6.01: New Kid Charlemagne.
I know people who love the Eagles and I know people who love Steely Dan and, oddly, they’re not the same people. Maybe it’s the way the bands were marketed. Steely Dan: peddling Beat prose and soft porn. Eagles: electric urban cowboys in designer jeans. East Coast college intellectualism versus West Coast sagebrush wisdom. But the difference between their music is marginal. Take “New Kid In Town” for example: a meticulous, self-contained story that deals with the transitory nature of being at the top. Add a marimba, and you could be listening to “Razor Boy” or “Haitian Divorce.”
Just a personal observation, mind you, and not the sort of thing meant to rankle Steely Dan fans. Note that the single version runs fifteen seconds shorter than the 5:04 elpee version; just enough time to squeeze in one more radio commercial. “Victim of Love” is the same as the elpee version and demonstrates why having two lead guitarists in a band is a good thing.
Original 7-inch single version
A1. New Kid In Town (John David Souther/Don Henley/Glenn Frey) (4:49)
B1. Victim of Love (Don Felder/John David Souther/Don Henley/Glenn Frey) (4:04)
Back-to-back hits 7-inch single reissue
A1. New Kid In Town (John David Souther/Don Henley/Glenn Frey) (4:49)
B1. Hotel California (Don Felder/Don Henley/Glenn Frey) (6:08)
The Plastic
Released on 7-inch single on December 7, 1976 in the US, Australia and Canada (Asylum, E-45373), on December 31, 1976 in the UK (Asylum, K 13069), and in 1976 in Belgium (Asylum, 13069), the Netherlands (Asylum, AS13069) and Spain (Asylum, 45-1438) with regional picture sleeve. Reached #1 on the US charts (charted on December 18, 1976 for 15 weeks) (RIAA-certified gold record) and #20 on the UK charts.
- Re-released on back-to-back hits 7-inch single in 1977 in the US (Asylum Spun Gold, E-45085) with “Hotel California” on the flip side.
- Re-issued on 7-inch single in 1978 in Yugoslavia (Asylum/Suzy, ASY 13084) with picture sleeve.
