Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 Eagles

One of the most perfectly compiled collections ever, Their Greatest Hits 1971-75 brings together 10 sublime country-rock tunes that helped make Southern California seem like the most mythical landscape of the '70s. Don Henley's vocals, most notably on the haunting piano ballad "Desperado" and the soft-rock charmer "The Best of My Love," were a major part of their success, but Randy Meisner's soulful "Take It to the Limit" and Glenn Frey's hitting-the-road rocker "Already Gone" showcased the band's impressive range.

THE EAGLES-THEIR GREATEST HITS 1971-1975:

Long before the Eagles reunited as a megalomaniacal touring cash-grab with little interest in producing new material, they doled out decent folk-rock with a sharp pop edge. DON HENLEY's eerie moaner WITCHY WOMAN and lonesome prairie ditty DESPERADO nicely offset GLENN FREY's twangy JACKSON BROWNE co-write TAKE IT EASY and cheater saga LYIN' EYES. Underrated RANDY MEISNER's lonesome country croon on TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT is another laid-back treat. GREATEST HITS predates their two most overplayed hits HOTEL CALIFORNIA and LIFE IN THE FAST LANE but stands as the best-selling comp of all time. I can almost see a smile creeping onto HENLEY's stony kisser.

RATING: FIVE NEST EGGS

Everyone likes the Eagles, except for a tiny minority of sad, bitter souls who trudge through life, eyes downcast, cursing all those who are talented and successful. Although later collections, such as 2003's "Complete Greatest Hits" are more comprehensive, there are 10 reasons why this is one of the top-selling albums of all time, and they are numbered on the back for your convenience. Like Queen's 1981 "Greatest Hits", the exceptional song selection makes for a concise, extremely enjoyable listen which is ALL KILLER NO FILLER. A casual fan could get by with this and "Hotel California". But even listeners who may eventually go deep into the catalog should start with this excellent set.
Although none of the Eagles were from Los Angeles, that is where they joined forces before conquering the airwaves in the 70's and epitomizing the "California Sound". They played their radio-friendly country-rock without over-indulgent jamming, instead concentrating on the quality of the songs.
All Eagles fans have their favorites, so I will concentrate on mine. In my non-humble opinion, 4 of their 5 best songs are on this collection. "Desperado" is an excellent ballad which would have been a huge hit as a single. This beautiful song was the title track to their album that explored the cowboy mythology which many other rock bands tapped into more than a decade later. The 2 "evil woman" songs are both great. "One of These Nights" is the gentler of them, very melodic and with some falsetto vocals. "Witchy Woman" has more contrast, moving from pounding hard rock to more easy-going guitar, but with an underlying menace throughout, sort of a West Coast forerunner of Blue Oyster Cult's "The Reaper". Eagles were a rock band, but their very best song was one of their most countrified. "Lyin' Eyes" is a masterpiece about a young woman caught in a trap of her own making. Excellent group vocals and smooth playing combine with eloquent lyrics to tell a compelling story. By trying to have it all the easy way, she ends up with nothing, lying first to her husband, then to her lover, and finally to herself.
The cover art is nothing to get excited about, although I like the stylized lettering. But the packaging doesn't matter much when the contents are of this high a level of quality.
If you agree that the best part of "The Big Lebowski" was when the cabbie threw The Dude out of his taxi for dissing the Eagles, or if you simply appreciate great, melodic 70's rock, this should be one of the most important pieces in your collection. Very few others can fly this high.

Released at a crossover point from country into more contemporary rock 'n' roll and as they were approaching the peak of their popularity, this compilation provided what was, at that time, a perfect summary of The Eagles' finest work, the songs that had seeped into the general public consciousness over the preceding four years.

Indeed, as far as Anerican record buyers are concerned it's never been bettered, with US sales now running at over thirty-eight million. Remarkable thing about that is, it doesn't contain any of their Hotel California classics and yet is still considered the quintessential best-of.

There is nothing I can say that will add anything new to the conversation regarding this album(compilation), except that disco/country never worked better than on One Of These Nights. The rest of the record is terrific of course, but the other standouts for me are Don Henley's Witchy Woman, and Randy Meisner's Take it to the Limit.

Quite possibly one of the best Compilations in music history, Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 has all the songs you could possibly want on a compilation. There is hit after hit from their first four albums. There are so many songs on here that would make any music fan happy like "Lyin' Eyes", "Take it Easy", "Peaceful Easy Feeling", but the song that sells this album, at least for me, is "Desperado", the title track of their second album which is one of the best songs of the 70's. I could go on and on about the songwriting, the craft, the chemistry, but you should definitely take a listen to this yourself. After all, this album resonated with many, and sold about 100 Million units worldwide so there has to be some appeal. It's a hugely satisfying album and I cannot wait to listen to it again. I pretty much prefer songs like "Witchy Woman" rather than Heartache Tonight. A must listen compilation!

5/5

Absolutely love this album! It has become my go to. Love throwing this on. Every track just hits right on the money. Put your ear to it!

My 489th most played album. Eagles - Their Greatest Hits. 38 times platinum. The most sold album in the history of the world. I always have the same thoughts when I'm thinking of loading this on to my Ipod, I think I'm tired of these songs, then I say to myself well it has been a year, so I load it on, then every time a song comes on, I'm saying turn it up! Got this on album from the record club in the 70's. $1.77. Worldwide, the album has sold over 42 million copies as of 2011.

When this was released, the Eagles didn't actually have enough hits to fill an entire album, thus the inclusion of "Desperado". Every song here is a good listen except for the overplayed "Take It Easy" and "One of These Nights", and the lackluster "Already Gone".

Nauseating.

A cross between slick, LA session muso smarm and sh*tkickin' down home simplicity. THIS is the album you get to hear in any suburban petrol station, two dollar bakery and faceless, plastic shopping mall from the northern reaches of Canada, to remote Scotland to the South Island of New Zealand.

The Main Problem with the record, besides the somewhat faceless nature of the session musicians that helmed the Eagles (technically competent, but bland and curiously emotionless) is the fact that they were the first (and only) Rock Band to celebrate total mediocrity; the message hidden behind their songs is one of stoic rationality, not kicking trends or being impulsive, and being quietly resolved to life's defeats and hard times.

There's not much you can say about them musically, as songs such as Lyin' Eyes, Take It Easy and Tequila Sunrise all repeat stock three or four chord progressions, and the harmonies are "as smooth as silk". The main reason West Coast seventies radio programming is so bland has to do with the carefully mixed tone of the drums and vocals, but also the inherent flattening effect of analog recording technology. Whatever the case, the West Coast had a "sound", and that "sound" was the sound of blandness. I can't believe this is the same city that gave us Jack Nicholson's performance in "Chinatown". But there it is: bland, nauseating, politely distant. The audio equivalent of medicated dullness.

Also, what of their "massive success" in terms of sales? Many music collectors feel compelled to drudge through this well-worn set of radio standards in reaction to the bands massive sales, suggesting there must be something to be grasped by listening closely. But really, are the Eagles anywhere near as good as the other outstanding artists of their day? No, most people can't even picture who the singer is. The Eagles success was rooted in manager Irving Azoff gaming the singles airplay system by covertly paying broadcasters to repeatedly play the disc. It had nothing to do with public opinion, much less the message or talent of the Eagles music which had completely outlived it's welcome three or four years into their career.