The Eagles

stormyviper11 said:I don't really get why everyone is getting so hung up on whether it's country or not—especially since the Eagles themselves never had an issue being lumped into that whole Country-Rock hybrid category. That's still a fair way to describe them, I suppose, though like most great bands, they always ended up outgrowing any single label.

🙏 🙏 🙏

What’s the point of this thread🤔 besides just confirming what we already knew from day one... that the Eagles are an incredible band. 👏

ari peka nikkola said:What's the actual point of this thread🤔 besides just confirming what was obvious from the jump... that the Eagles are a great band?

Well, I guess like any other thread, we had to get everyone on the same page first. 🙂
The whole idea behind starting this—if I'm being honest about my intention—was just to spark some conversation, maybe introduce people to the Eagles if they haven't realized what they've been missing ( 😁 ), and share some cool links and various stuff about them. You know, just swapping videos, audio, and all that kind of thing.

So, I was just sitting here thinking how wild it would be if there was some Inuit band out there playing Eagles covers using nothing but traditional folk instruments. They’d have to call themselves The Igloos, obviously. Their greatest hits? Probably stuff like Hotel California and New Kid in Town...

I mean, some people in here really do write the most ridiculous nonsense when they're supposed to be discussing serious topics... 🙂

stormyviper11 said:I was just thinking—it might be pretty funny if there were some Eskimo band playing Eagles covers on traditional instruments. They’d probably call themselves The Igloos. Their hits? Maybe Hotel Hilton or New Kid in Town...

Some people really just post nonsense even when things get serious... 🙂

😂
Train Leaves Here This Morning.

Or maybe a Latin band called The Iglesisases. 😁

One of my all-time favorite bands... I could honestly listen to them at any hour of the day. People claim they flirt with country music, but if you ask me, they flirt with everything—blues, rock, you name it. I actually went on WinMX to grab a live recording of their performance of Hotel California from back in the 70s... and man, it's incredible. The vocals and the guitar work just grab you by the throat, much like the Beach Boys. It gets right under your skin. That’s why this kind of music will never go out of style.👍

vividcyclist35 said:One of my favorite bands... I could listen to them anytime... and I agree they flirt with country, but to me, they flirt with everything—blues, rock, you name it. I actually grabbed a live version of Hotel California from the 70s off WinMX... it's incredible... the vocals and guitars just grab you, much like the Beach Boys... it really gets under your skin... that kind of music stays with you forever.👍

Yeah, the vocals and the guitars. That’s what does it for me, too. The vocals... exactly—I had the same thought about them being perfect, just like the Beach Boys. And those guitars... Joe Walsh and his solos are phenomenal (not to mention the faces he makes while playing 😂). But honestly, above all else, that solo in Hotel California is something I can't even put into words. I'm a total addict there.

Was that something you downloaded as audio or video?

PS. Regarding the vocals, I think I posted a link earlier where you can download some video. There's this one clip from a concert in Central Park back in '72 or '73—Take It to the Limit. The intro to the song is just pure vocals, no instruments, just that famous harmony, those thirds and fifths... not a single flat note, just perfectly sung. Definitely worth a listen.

Oops, looks like my thread dropped. Let's bump it up a bit. 🙂

I'm downloading some Eagles tracks from the web, so I’m looking for some advice from the experts here. What ten essential tracks should I make sure are on my compilation?

Anyway, circling back to that debate about Dylan. To me, Dylan is just an country artist. If you don't believe me, just listen to the Nashville Skyline album. His usual nasal tone actually sounds like a genuine redneck country voice there.😁

Hmm, it's tough to decide what to skip. Let me try this:

Hotel California
Peaceful Easy Feeling
New Kid in Town
Lyin' Eyes
The Girl from Yesterday
Get Over It
The Long Run
Desperado
In the City
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Train Leaves Here This Morning
Saturday Night

Those are my personal favorites, I guess. But I could never just stick to those—there's way too much other good stuff. Honestly, it's hard to find a track that isn't solid. It’s mostly just a matter of personal taste.

I'd suggest picking at least ten more... it might make the choice a little easier. 🙂

Thanks. I stumbled upon a "best of" folder on a hub that actually includes a good chunk of what you picked out.

Bryan Sanchez86 said:I went looking through the "content" here and couldn't find a single mention of this legendary band anywhere, so I figured I'd just start a thread about them myself.

Just a heads-up for everyone else: I'm currently putting together an archive of their stuff—mostly videos—so if anyone is interested in swapping files, feel free to shoot me a PM.

For those of you who aren't familiar with who The Eagles are, link is a good place to go if you want to catch up on their history.

They really are a top-tier group, aren't they? 👍

Bryan Sanchez86 said:Hotel California
Take It to the Limit
New Kid in Town
Lyin' Eyes
The Girl from Yesterday
Get Over It
The Long Run
Desperado
In the City
Peaceful Easy Feeling

These are my absolute favorites.

I guess I'm bringing up an old topic again, but hey, they were such a great band. A little overlooked these days, unfortunately!

Another topic that's been gathering a bit of dust—a band this massive deserves more than just one thread. I get the feeling they haven't quite reached the legendary status in America that some of those other giants from the last century did, and I think a lot of people only associate them with one specific thing. Sure, Hotel California is their trademark and basically an anthem, but it definitely isn't the only track worth highlighting when talking about them. I won't ramble too much, but over the next few posts, I'll try to introduce some of their albums and tracks that deserve attention—stuff that’s mostly stayed "in the shadow" of HC this year.

The Eagles started their journey in the early 70s, dropping their self-titled debut, Eagles, in '72. That record immediately gave us several big hits like Witchy Woman, Peaceful Easy Feeling, and one classic that probably doesn't even need an introduction, since I'm pretty sure almost everyone has heard Take It to the Limit.

So, from that first album, I'll also mention Nightingale, which honestly felt like it didn't even belong on the debut, and another laid-back track that somehow reminds me of the sound or atmosphere of The Beatles—you tell me if I'm close or way off with that comparison Train Leaves Here This Morning

Their second album, titled Desperado, came out the very next year. The original idea was to sing about outlaws from the past, but the themes eventually expanded to cover the whole Wild West era. I was never totally sold on the title track, even though it was a single and a hit back in its day, so I'll skip that one. Instead, I'll suggest their second most famous track from this album because it just has *something* about it Tequila Sunrise

Just like the previous record, almost all the band members contributed to the songwriting, and we see the influence of Jackson Browne again (who co-wrote Take It to the Limit) on the excellent Doolin-Dalton

Aside from that, I'll pick out a classic rock ballad, Certain Kind Of Fool, then one to showcase their actual musicianship Outlaw Man, and one to show how they sound when they lean into what made them so recognizable—those sweet harmonies Saturday Night

There were plenty of other good tracks on both the first and second albums that I could have mentioned (Tryin', The Devil, Out of Control, Bitter Creek...), but these few should be enough to give anyone stumbling upon this thread a sense of what the band's catalog looked like at the start of their career. Just a small side note for the opening of this thread—though I doubt anyone will catch this 😁 Unlike most bands that officially carry the prefix "The" before their name, they don't. They aren't The Eagles, just Eagles. I can't quite remember the exact reason why, but there it is for anyone interested.

The Eagles' third album, On The Border from 1974, really marked a shift in their sound—the guys wanted to lean more into classic rock and move away from that heavy country influence that defined their early songwriting. That decision actually caused some friction with the producer from their first two records, who wasn't really on board with the change. Meanwhile, the lineup grew by one when Don Felder joined the group at the suggestion of Bernie Leadon, whom he already knew. He was originally brought in to add a bit of grit to Good Day in Hell with his playing, but the rest of the band liked his guitar work so much that after just a few rehearsals, they asked him to join officially. Aside from everything else, we should definitely highlight their first of five #1 hits in the US, Best of My Love
.
Personally, I’ve always been drawn to Already Gone, which was released as a single alongside the aforementioned tracks, and that great track by Leadon, May man, dedicated to a late friend—not to mention their cover of Tom Waits.

Maybe I should also mention Is It True, You Never Cry Like a Lover, and On The Border, since they're worth a listen too. And I guess the other two songs (Midnight Flyer, James Dean) are probably favorites for some fans, even if they aren't my top picks.

Then, just the following year (1975), they released One of These Nights, featuring the title track One of These Nights. That ended up being their biggest album yet, turning them into a massive international phenomenon—their tour even expanded to include parts of the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. OOTN was also the last album featuring Leadon, who struggled with the direction the rest of the band—especially Frey—was taking as they moved toward that classic rock sound.

On this record, the duo of Frey / Henley really established themselves as the primary songwriters, essentially teaming up to pen the biggest hits. Besides the title track, you've got Lyin' Eyes and Take It to the Limit. Even though the other members contributed to some tracks, it was increasingly becoming about their specific roles...

Beyond those three Top 10 hits on Billboard, a few other tracks deserve a shout-out, specifically Too Many Hands and After the Thrill is Gone.
If Hollywood Waltz were available on YouTube, I'd include that too, but I'll wrap up this look at the Eagles' fourth album with the instrumental Journey of the Sorcerer.

Just Glenn Frey and Don Henley, performing it with a slightly different arrangement...

Both versions are actually great. 👍 I’m not sure if anyone else caught this, but—I guess it might just be me—the chorus from Braketrue(Queen) feels almost identical to that Henley track.