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With five number one singles, fourteen Top 40 hits, and four number one albums,
the Eagles
were among the most successful recording artists of the 1970s. At the end of the 20th century, two of those albums --
Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)
and
Hotel California
-- ranked among the ten best-selling albums ever, and the popularity of 2007's
Long Road Out of Eden
proved
the Eagles
' staying power in the new millenium. Though most of its members came from outside California, the group was closely identified with a country- and folk-tinged sound that initially found favor in Los Angeles during the late '60s, as championed by such bands as
the Flying Burrito Brothers
and
Poco
(both of which contributed members to
the Eagles
). But the band also drew upon traditional rock & roll styles and, in their later work, helped define the broadly popular rock sound that became known as classic rock. As a result,
the Eagles
achieved a perennial appeal among generations of music fans who continued to buy their records many years after they had split up, which helped inspire
the Eagles
' reunion in the mid-'90s.
The band was formed by four Los Angeles-based musicians who had migrated to the West Coast from other parts of the country. Singer/bassist
Randy Meisner
(born in Scottsbluff, NE, on March 8, 1946) moved to L.A. in 1964 as part of a band originally called the Soul Survivors (not to be confused with the East Coast-based
Soul Survivors
, who scored a Top Five hit with "Expressway to Your Heart" in 1967) and later renamed the Poor. He became a founding member of
Poco
in 1968, but left the band prior to the release of its debut album in order to join
the Stone Canyon Band
, the backup group for
Rick Nelson
. Meanwhile, singer/guitarist/banjoist/mandolinist
Bernie Leadon
(born in Minneapolis, MN, on July 19, 1947) arrived in L.A. in 1967 as a member of
Hearts and Flowers
, later joining
Dillard & Clark
and then
the Flying Burrito Brothers
. Singer/drummer
Don Henley
(born in Gilmer, TX, on July 22, 1947) moved to L.A. in June 1970 with his band
Shiloh
, which made one self-titled album for Amos Records before breaking up. Finally,
Glenn Frey
(born in Detroit, MI, on November 6, 1948) performed in his hometown and served as a backup musician for
Bob Seger
before moving to L.A. in the summer of 1968. He formed the duo
Longbranch Pennywhistle
with
J.D. Souther
, and the two musicians signed to Amos Records, which released their self-titled album in 1969.
In the spring of 1971,
Frey
and
Henley
were hired to play in
Linda Ronstadt
's backup band.
Meisner
and
Leadon
also played backup for
Ronstadt
during her summer tour, though the four only did one gig together: a July show at Disneyland. They did, however, all appear on
Ronstadt
's next album,
Linda Ronstadt
. In September 1971,
Frey
,
Henley
,
Leadon
, and
Meisner
signed with manager
David Geffen
, agreeing to record for his soon-to-be-launched label, Asylum Records; soon after, they adopted the name
the Eagles
. In February 1972, they flew to England and spent two weeks recording their debut album,
Eagles
, with producer
Glyn Johns
. It was released in June, reaching the Top 20 and going gold in a little over a year and a half on the strength of two Top Ten hits -- "Take It Easy" and "Witchy Woman" -- and one Top 20 hit, "Peaceful Easy Feeling."
The Eagles
toured as an opening act throughout 1972 and into early 1973, when they returned to England to record their second LP,
Desperado
, a concept album about outlaws. Produced by
Glyn Johns
and released in April 1973, it reached the Top 40 and went gold in a little less than a year and a half, spawning the Top 40 single "Tequila Sunrise" in the process. The title track, though never released as a single, became one of the band's better-known songs and was included on
the Eagles
' first hits collection.
After touring to support
Desperado
's release,
the Eagles
again convened a recording session with
Glyn Johns
for their third album. Their desire to make harder rock music clashed with
Johns
' sense of them as a country-rock band, however, and they split from the producer after recording two tracks, "You Never Cry Like a Lover" and "The Best of My Love." After an early 1974 tour opened by singer/guitarist
Joe Walsh
, the band decided to hire
Walsh
's producer,
Bill Szymczyk
, who handled the rest of the sessions for
On the Border
.
Szymczyk
brought in a session guitarist,
Don Felder
(born in Gainesville, FL, on September 21, 1947), an old friend of
Bernie Leadon
's who so impressed the rest of the band that he was recruited to join the group.
On the Border
was released in March 1974. It went gold and reached the Top Ten in June,
the Eagles
' fastest-selling album yet. The first single, "Already Gone," reached the Top 20 the same month. But the most successful song on the LP -- the one that broke them through to a much larger audience -- was "The Best of My Love," which was released as a single in November. It hit number one on the easy listening charts in February 1975 and topped the pop charts a month later.
The Eagles
' fourth album,
One of These Nights
, was an out-of-the-box smash. Released in June 1975, it went gold the same month and hit number one in July. Moreover, it featured three singles that hit the Top Five: the chart-topping title song, "Lyin' Eyes," and "Take It to the Limit." "Lyin' Eyes" won the 1975 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group, or Chorus, and
the Eagles
also earned Grammy nominations for Album of the Year (
One of These Nights
) and Record of the Year ("Lyin' Eyes"). The group went on a headlining world tour, beginning with the U.S. and expanding into Europe. But on December 20, 1975, it was announced that
Bernie Leadon
had quit the band, and
Joe Walsh
(born in Wichita, KS, on November 20, 1947) was brought in as his replacement. He immediately joined the tour, which continued to the Far East in early 1976.
The Eagles
' extensive touring kept them out of the studio, and with no immediate plans for a new album, they agreed to release a compilation,
Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)
, in February 1976. The album's success proved to be surprisingly meteoric. It topped the charts and became a phenomenal success, eventually selling upwards of 25,000,000 copies and dueling with
Michael Jackson
's
Thriller
for the title of the best-selling album of all time in the U.S.
It took
the Eagles
18 months to follow
One of These Nights
with their fifth album,
Hotel California
. Released in December 1976, the record was certified platinum in one week, hit number one in January 1977, and eventually sold over 10,000,000 copies. The singles "New Kid in Town" and "Hotel California" hit number one, and "Life in the Fast Lane" made the Top 20. Meanwhile, "Hotel California" won the 1977 Grammy for Record of the Year and was nominated for Song of the Year; the album itself was nominated for Album of the Year and for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group, or Chorus.
The Eagles
embarked on a world tour in March 1977 that began with a month in the U.S., followed by a month in Europe and the Far East, then returned to the U.S. in May for stadium dates. At the end of the tour in September,
Randy Meisner
left the band; he was replaced by
Timothy B. Schmit
(born in Sacramento, CA, November 20, 1947), formerly of
Poco
, in which he also had replaced
Meisner
.
The Eagles
began working on a new album in March 1978 and took nearly a year and a half to complete it.
The Long Run
was released in September 1979. It hit number one and was certified platinum after four months, eventually earning multi-platinum certifications. "Heartache Tonight," its lead-off single, hit number one, and "I Can't Tell You Why" and "The Long Run" became Top Ten hits. "Heartache Tonight" won the 1979 Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
The Eagles
toured the U.S. in 1980, and at a week-long series of shows at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, they recorded
Eagles Live
. (Also included were some tracks recorded in 1976.) Released in November 1980, the double LP (since reissued as a single CD) reached the Top Five and went multi-platinum, with the single "Seven Bridges Road" reaching the Top 40.
The Eagles
were inactive after the end of their 1980 tour, but their breakup was not officially announced until May 1982. All five released solo recordings. (
Walsh
, of course, maintained a solo career before, during, and after
the Eagles
.) During the rest of the 1980s, the bandmembers received several lucrative offers to reunite, but they declined. In 1990,
Frey
and
Henley
began writing together again, and they performed along with
Schmit
and
Walsh
at benefit concerts that spring. A full-scale reunion was rumored, but did not take place. Four years later, however,
the Eagles
did reunite. In the spring of 1994, they taped an MTV concert special and then launched a tour that ended up running through August 1996. The MTV show aired in October, followed in November by an audio version of it, the album
Hell Freezes Over
, which topped the charts and became a multi-million seller, spawning the Top 40 pop hit "Get Over It" and the number one adult contemporary hit "Love Will Keep Us Alive."
The Eagles
next appeared together in January 1998 for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, when the five present members performed alongside past members
Leadon
and
Meisner
. On December 31, 1999, they played a millennium concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles that was recorded and included on the box set retrospective
Selected Works: 1972-1999
in November 2000. All was not well within the band, however, and
Felder
was expelled from the lineup in February 2001. A protracted legal battle ensued as
the Eagles
soldiered on as a quartet, releasing The Very Best of the Eagles in 2003 and achieving minor success with the single "Hole in the World."
Felder
's case was settled out of court in 2007; that same year,
the Eagles
returned with the band's seventh studio album,
Long Road Out of Eden
, a double-disc album that quickly went multi-platinum.
–
William Ruhlmann, Rovi
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More Eagles
Discography
The Studio Albums 1972-1979
New Zealand Concert
Long Road Out of Eden
The Complete Greatest Hits
Eagles [Box Set]
2007
Eagles Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 [2007] [Exclusive]
2004
Paper Sleeve Collection
2004
Best of The Eagles
2003
Best Collection
2003
The Complete Greatest Hits [Warner]
2003
Desperado/Hotel California/The Long Run
2003
The Very Best Of [2003]
2000
Selected Works: 1972-1999
1994
Get Over It
1994
Please Come Home for Christmas
1994
Hell Freezes Over
1994
Learn to Be Still
1994
The Very Best of the Eagles [1994]
1990
Best of My Love
1990
Lyin' Eyes
1988
The Legend of Eagles
1985
The Best of the Eagles [Asylum]
1984
Hotel California/Long Run
1982
On the Border/One of These Nights
1982
Eagles/Desperado
►
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