Geffen/UMePrior to the formation of The Eagles, the late Glenn Frey made music with his good friend and frequent songwriting partner JD Souther under the name Longbranch/Pennywhistle. The duo released a self-titled album in 1969, and now that record will be reissued on September 28 on CD and as a 180-gram-vinyl LP.
Longbranch/Pennywhistle features 10 tracks, six written by Souther, two penned by Frey, one Souther-Frey co-write and a cover of the James Taylor tune “Don’t Talk Now.” It finds the two songwriters exploring the country-influenced rock sound that would help launch the Eagles to stardom a few years later.
“Glenn Frey was my roommate, best friend, and first songwriting partner in Los Angeles,” says Souther. “We knew we were onto something original, as are most young musicians, including our soon-to-be friends and collaborators Jackson Browne and Don Henley; but quite honestly, we were just trying to do our best work in a very competitive environment.”
Among the session musicians who contributed to the album: guitar great James Burton, slide-guitar master Ry Cooder, Wrecking Crew pianist Larry Knechtel, drummer Jim Gordon and fiddle player Doug Kershaw.
The music on the Longbranch/Pennywhistle album was also included in the recently released Frey solo retrospective Above the Clouds: The Collection, but this will mark the first time it will be issued as a standalone CD — and the first time it will be available on vinyl in nearly 50 years.
Eagles songs that Souther co-wrote with Frey and Henley include “Best of My Love,” “New Kid in Town,” “Victim of Love” and “Heartache Tonight.” Frey died in January 2016 at age 67.
Here’s the Longbranch/Pennywhistle track list:
“Jubilee Anne”
“Run Boy, Run”
“Rebecca”
“Lucky Love”
“Kite Woman”
“Bring Back Funky Women”
“Star-Spangled Bus”
“Mister, Mister”
“Don’t Talk Now”
“Never Have Enough”
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