Desperado - The Day

Garrard Zero 100 - 1971 Innovation

It Was Time

Saturday. Finally. Definitely not a school day, but it wasn't just any Saturday. I had my plans for this one. As far as weekends went, Saturday was the only day possible to shop as places were open, while Sunday was a very classic day of rest. Shopping centers and non-stop hours were still quite a fantasy. I was too young to drive and really couldn't venture too far on my own with public transportation, so I really had to think it out to get my folks to where I wanted to go.

It wasn't really that difficult since all I wanted to do was go and buy a record, a pretty simple and innocuous activity, an easy one to consent to. This was a time when long-playing vinyl was king and certainly cost a pretty penny for a young kid. It was going to be the afternoon, as businesses closed for lunch followed by a siesta, to only reopen after 4 p.m. While there were record stores around Rome, only a handful, if not just two, were really the places that had recent releases, including imports for non-Italian artists. Ricordi was one and Consorti the other. There really was no easy way of knowing if they had what I was looking for. In a physical and analog world, there was no online catalog and the internet wasn't even in anyone's dream. There was a phone number, and while calling in itself wasn't difficult, getting someone at the other end to do a physical search would require willingness and probably would have required a certain wait, which meant a rather costly phone bill. So I did what we always did for anything - just went and hoped for the best. I chose Consorti rather than Ricordi because the latter, while well-stocked, was more geared to the classical music crowd and also specialized in musical instruments. Consorti instead was just a mega record store of the time.

Consorti

I was there just a little after 4 p.m., and there were just a few people perusing. I crossed my fingers. Consorti was located on the corner of street with Via Giulio Cesare and it was pretty close to St. Peter's Basilica, but when Rome is home, it's just another neighborhood with its own character and share of Roman chaos. Consorti was actually on a lower mezzanine floor at the lower level, not quite underground, but still definitely down. Rows and rows of vinyl record counters. It was mostly sorted by artists, and try as I might, I began to lose hope as I didn't see the title I was looking for. As they say, asking doesn't hurt and it's free. And so I did. It was actually fifty-fifty if the guy at the shop was going to consider my request; after all, what can a kid afford? I'm sure record shops were used to kids coming in asking for the latest of whatever idol they had; that's what fans do.

The look of a bygone era

Luck must have been on my side. The fellow actually didn't have to waste time as he said, "We were just unboxing our latest arrivals and I'm sure it's there, we just haven't gotten around to registering and placing it. Let me go take a look." He disappeared into a backroom and before I could even start fidgeting, he came back holding a record. I could already tell from afar that the record jacket kind of looked like what I was expecting. I could make out the four cowboys who kind of looked like somewhere between being outlaws and brothers in arms. Without even bothering to ask me, the fellow said, "Go ahead and listen to it in booth 2." You actually auditioned long-playing records at the time, and it was done with a listening booth rather than headphones. This was going to also be on a pristine copy.

An LP

The first on the track was immediately identifiable as if it were a Western movie like John Wayne with the harmonica playing. I was actually a little disappointed. Yes, it was polished, but I was bored with Western flicks. But then again, what could I expect with a record sleeve with four cowboys?

The third track changed everything. It was a soft ballad that began to showcase their strengths in harmony and tightness. The fourth was the title track, and the rest is history.

I did listen to the entire album but had already decided it was fine. I paid the five thousand lire of the time, quite a considerable sum considering my allowance, but that's what planning is for if you want to do things right. My folks didn't ask what I bought, and they had no further interest.

As with other kids, you could say I had my musical tastes, but the reality was that in part it was just part of a teen becoming an adult. In other ways, it was an element of typical rebellion against whatever may have been the norm for adults. Home was full of classical music, but mostly with Beethoven and Mozart, although never quite what you would think. Dad was with Mozart and probably Bach, considering his interest in music structure and composition. Mom, instead, for some years now, was enamored with Beethoven, a tragic romantic figure. While Dad didn't mind Beethoven, Mom always seemed to be at odds with anything Mozart. For the most part, I couldn't really figure this out and really didn't bother much about it. I listened to what I wanted in my room, headphones or not. I was at the tail end of Elvis Presley and even the Beatles. Italy's Little Tony and others rode this wave. Even the new emerging Gianni Morandi was just an evolution in the new Italian pop music scene. There was plenty, but somehow it didn't feel cool to me. So, I was finding my way with Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Neil Diamond, and Abba, or rather whatever my ear tended to be attuned to. I had an electric bass guitar, but I really had little clue about what I could do with it.

The Review

I was into hi-fi stereo systems although I really couldn't afford one. Still, I would buy the monthly Suono Stereo, Italy's leading specialty magazine at the time. With no other resource, I would read this printed material from front to back on literally every single page, regardless of whether the article was of interest or not. The main part of the magazine was dedicated to news on new equipment and technical reviews, which I devoured, and the remaining part was for critical reviews of new releases across different genres. Though not a particular section for my interests, I still read through as there was time and a lack of other things to read if not re-read. I always considered reviews a personal view and couldn't quite understand what references were being used. Some would praise, some would deadpan, all in equal measure. Sometimes it felt like it was for the sake of writing something or to fill a space. Still, it had to be respected even if I could hardly relate.

This review was a little different as it was about an American group, and the critic was quite enthused about them. He believed the album released had its merits and was likely to be a good success. I couldn't quite understand the genre it was supposed to be, but it definitely wasn't classical or jazz, nor a crooner. Could it be something along the lines of Led Zeppelin or heavier rock? Maybe a bit more innovative like Emerson, Lake, and Palmer? Perhaps. The more I reread the review, I became more convinced that it was a sort of discovery and something that could refine my musical tastes or at least be pleasant to my ears. But there was no easy way. It wasn't going to be played on the radio or television. I was going to have to go out of my way a little.

1973

I must have read the review sometime in the summer or fall of 1973. The album was released in the spring of 1973, so it wouldn't have made its way to Italy until some months later. At the time, I had no idea that I instinctively responded to ballads, particularly the ones with a slower tempo. While I could discern the words being sung, aside from simple refrains, the rest remained mostly words rather than phrases that told a story. It was just my mental block in understanding lyrics. This album, titled Desperado, had the right mix for me to thoroughly enjoy it and to also look forward to future works.

Desperado, The Eagles, April 1973

Who could have imagined that the group, The Eagles, would go on to create some of our most beloved hits like Hotel California, and that the genre of California pop rock sound was thus defined? The album, Hotel California, was released just when I was a freshman in college and became an instant memory of that particular year and time of my life. Nonetheless, Desperado is what provides a most striking memory of those years, being a teenager yearning to be 18, feeling in with the times, and catching a wave in music.