Desperado is a step back from the success of Eagles. There are good songs here, but they are overshadowed by an unfocused mess of other material. The idea of lyrically connecting the songs in a loose concept album about lawlessness in the Old West is generally unsuccessful, but the high points of the album are able to stand by themselves quite well.

This time around the highlights of the album were written by members. “Tequila Sunrise” is a beautiful example of the same type of song as “Take It Easy” and “Peaceful Easy Feeling” slowed down but without losing its rock & roll arrangement. “Desperado” is an unusually sparse arrangement of a very slow ballad, but Frey’s piano playing and Henley’s vocal melody are lilting enough to prevent it from becoming plodding. “Saturday Night” is another effective ballad. “Outlaw Man” is a good rocker made great by Meisner’s driving but melodic bass playing through the second half of the song.

I have a general dislike for country music, and “Twenty-One” is an example of everything I hate about it. “Out Of Control” is harder and faster than anything on Eagles, but it does not seem to be a style that suits the band’s strengths as much as “Chug All Night” from the previous album. “Certain Kind Of Fool” is a good hard-edged song in the country-rock style of the band’s best work, but Meisner’s vocals sound unpleasantly strained. “Bitter Creek” is enjoyable, but the vocal version of “Doolin-Dalton” is unremarkable and the instrumental version of it is awful.