Eagles ... No.1 Album of All-Time

[Rob Damen]

How Did The Eagles Claim No.1 Album Of All-Time List?
Michael Booth
The Denver Post

Quick, who’s got the best-selling music album of all time?

The Beatles, right? “The White Album,” no doubt, or “Sgt. Pepper’s,” or one of the hits collections.

No? Hmmm. Gotta be Elvis, then.

Wait, wait, don’t say it it must be the Stones.

U2? The Police? Who was bigger than any of those?

The Eagles and their little pop masterpieces, that’s who. The “top this” distinction of the most copies of one album title ever sold in the United States — 29 million and counting — belongs to “The Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975.”

And that compilation doesn’t even contain “Hotel California,” an iconic song from that era of rock history. No, it’s 29 million copies of the “Tequila Sunrise” sound over 30 years of sales, the hits album featuring the carefully honed soft rock of “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “Lyin’ Eyes.”

The collective rock wisdom of America finds it hard to take it easy on this sore point. Yes, the Eagles perfected a California vibe that soothed the nation in the mid-1970s.

But really. “Witchy Woman”?

What would the aging adolescent snobs in the “High Fidelity” record shop say?

“That’s just insane,” spluttered Paul Green, founder of the School of Rock in Philadelphia. “That must have been a lot of people buying it for a penny from that record club in TV Guide,” he said with a laugh. “Being a philosophy graduate, I’d have to call that an ‘argument ad populum.’ It’s ponderous, to say the least.”

“That’s just not right,” echoed Steve Waksman, a professor of music at Smith College and a longtime rock music collector. Acknowledging himself to be a purist when it comes to “albums,” Waksman argues that hits collections don’t deserve to be on top of the sales list, which was compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America — better to purchase “Hotel California” from 1976, with its grittier vision of success and a consistent sound reflecting the band’s creative peak.

“Still, there’s no shame in owning it,” Waksman said, perhaps realizing 29 million people make a good-sized lynch mob. “To me it’s always more interesting to think about why people like something, rather than dismiss it out of hand.”

So what exactly is it about “71-75” that propelled it slowly but surely past Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” (27 million, No. 2 all-time), “Led Zeppelin IV” (23 million, No. 3), Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” (23 million, No. 4) and AC/DC’s “Back in Black” (21 million, No. 5)?

Why are the Beatles, who have sold more from their complete album catalogue than any other act in history, stuck at No. 9 on the single-album list with “The Beatles”?

Why does Elvis not show up until No. 117, with his Christmas album, for crying out loud?

What in Mick Jagger’s name is Billy Joel doing with his greatest hits at No. 6 all-time, at 21 million copies? How did the “My Bodyguard” soundtrack wind up at No. 12? Whatever happened to Hootie & the Blowfish? Did the 16 million copies of “Cracked Rear View” (No. 16) fall on them?

And will any current artist ever climb those heights to take the Eagles to the limit?

The Eagles sold 18 million copies of the hits album in the first 18 months after release, in February 1976. Not all the songs were huge radio hits, a fact industry observers call the “huh?” factor. “Peaceful Easy Feeling” peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard chart, “Take It Easy” at No. 12, “Witchy Woman” at No. 9.

Don Henley has an answer.

“I think it’s a deceptively simple equation: Well-crafted, well-played songs with memorable melodies and decent lyrics,” said the ex-Eagle who has enjoyed a huge solo career. “Easier said than done, especially these days.”

Another explanation is that America loves rock and country — especially country, Waksman said. There are many more country music stations than classic rock stations these days. The top 20 all-time album list is heavily populated by such crossover country as Garth Brooks and Shania Twain, Waksman noted.

“Rock and country are the common denominators on the list, and with the Eagles you have both of that going on,” Waksman said. “The early Eagles in particular were a real hybrid, with folk, rock, country and singer-songwriter elements. They made that mix in a very distinctive way, and that can appeal to a broad base of listeners.”

Waksman credits two other factors: The Eagles’ rarely-matched vocal harmonies, and catchy pop hooks in the songs. “That was calculated on their part,” he said, “but that doesn’t make it any less effective.”

Admirers and neutral observers alike also point to the band’s mythology, whether conscious or spontaneous. The band members’ pictures appeared on only one album cover — 1973’s “Desperado.” Though the Eagles have enjoyed multiple reunion and farewell tours, and leaders Don Henley and Glenn Frey have had their share of the media spotlight, they’re not in the constant tabloid high beams focused on Jagger, Jackson or any of the Beatles.

“They haven’t been on the cover of People talking about addiction or divorce,” said one marketer who has worked with the Eagles. “There’s a mystique there.”

The Western iconography helps, too, Waksman said. The hits cover features an arid animal skull; their second album was “Desperado”; their third “On the Border.” They shared the California sound with Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Neil Young.

“They were living an alternative lifestyle that didn’t contradict their desire to go for the gold,” Waksman said. “They were hippies, but they weren’t San Francisco hippies. They were laid back in a different way.”

America is dominated by people who are country or think they’re country, Green said. “Once you get outside of the cities, it’s Texarkana,” he said. “I’m actually surprised Shania’s not closer to No. 1. The biggest tour this year is Tim McGraw.”

Once people start looking at the list, they find all kinds of patterns. (Go to riaa.com/gp/bestsellers/topalbums.asp).

“I was surprised by a lot of what I found there,” Waksman said.

Disappointed as he is by the presence of Billy Joel (“he represents pop at its most mundane”), Waksman actually believes the top 20 list “rocks harder” than he would have guessed. With Zeppelin in an admirable No. 3 spot, followed quickly by Floyd, AC/DC, Boston, Guns ’N Roses, Santana and Springsteen, “It’s great for hard rock to be up that high.”

Ironically, Waksman said, the list puts the lie to the heavy metal “counterculture.”

“Clearly by this list it’s not counterculture. There’s nothing nonmainstream about it.”

Many rock industry observers believe the Eagles, Jackson, Led Zeppelin and the others at the top of the list are safe from future assaults by contemporary artists. Albums simply aren’t selling in the mass volumes of the previous three decades; these days, the No. 1 album in a given year usually sells 5 million or 6 million copies.

FM radio is now divided into narrower niches, and many music fans download only the singles they want from a popular new release. Wired magazine editor Chris Anderson argues in his new book, “The Long Tail,” that so-called blockbusters in many fields, from music to movies, are a thing of the past.

Anderson traces the peak of music sales to the late 1990s and record-setting boy bands like ’NSync: “Twenty one of the all-time top 100 albums were released in the five-year period between 1996 and 2000,” Anderson writes.

Cheers,

Rob

[Rob Damen]

Can't say I was ever much of a big fan ... They're one of those bands you like but don't particularly love. There's times I've absolutely hated them because I've heard their hits entirely too much. Afterall, how many times can one hear "Hotel California" (not on this disc) and "One of These Nights" for crying out loud!

Nonetheless, their influence on modern country music is undeniable. Here's the ultimate primer for the mid-to-late 90's rise in country music's popularity.

Cheers,

Rob

[LennyH]

I've always been a fan but how can a greatest hits album be considered the best? That's just silly.

[Rob Damen]

Not "best," but best-selling.

Cheers,

Rob

[Captain Hate]

Originally Posted by Rob Damen

Nonetheless, their influence on modern country music is undeniable. Here's the ultimate primer for the mid-to-late 90's rise in country music's popularity.

I'm far from an expert in popular music tastes, and most of what passes for "modern country" makes me ill, but the last statement strikes me as wrong.

[Rob Damen]

Originally Posted by Captain Hate

I'm far from an expert in popular music tastes, and most of what passes for "modern country" makes me ill, but the last statement strikes me as wrong.

Yeah, a lot of it makes me ill, too. But I'd say its fascinating to hear the similarities and you can hear many of the ideas in that music flower here. The Eagles are a very important bridge between eras. Well, I never thought I'd ever say it, but I'm giving up the goose.

Cheers,

Rob

[Scott Dolan]

Originally Posted by Rob

They're one of those bands you like but don't particularly love.

Exactly. Like, say, Tom Petty or Steve Miller(as two other examples). You wouldn't consider yourself a fan, but at least respect and often appreciate their music.

[Scott Dolan]

Originally Posted by Captain Hate

I'm far from an expert in popular music tastes, and most of what passes for "modern country" makes me ill, but the last statement strikes me as wrong.

Are there any other artists who you would say were more influencial and popular(redundant, I know)in the country/rock cross-over idiom?

Not me. At least none that come immediately to mind.

I mean, I guess you could point to bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Outlaws, Molly Hatchet, and all the other "Southern Rock" groups. But I still think The Eagles had much more of a cross-over appeal. Especially after Walsh entered the fray and they became more rock oriented.

[Rob Damen]

Originally Posted by Scott Dolan

Exactly. Like, say, Tom Petty or Steve Miller(as two other examples). You wouldn't consider yourself a fan, but at least respect and often appreciate their music.

Thank you.

You understand my point exactly.

Cheers,

Rob

[jeff54]

One of the cable channels, Bravo I think, was running the Eagles reunion show. It almost made me physically ill, and caused me to lose what respect I may have had for Joe Walsh, some of whose non Eagles stuff I really liked.

[Rob Damen]

You did better than me, Jeff. I chickened out and didn't even watch it.

Cheers,

Rob

[Dr Dave]

"turn up the Eagles the neighbors are listening"

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

fixed:

Don Henley has an answer.

“I think it’s deceptively simple-minded: Formulaic songs with sing-song melodies and cheesy lyrics,” said the ex-Eagle who has had a solo career as forgettable as his band's.

[John L]

I kind of like Don Henley's voice. But I much prefer his solo albums to the Eagles, who bore me to death.

[steve(thelil)]

I can't be objective about the Eagles. I always found their music somewhat annoying and for many years they were incredibly overplayed. So I basically have a Pavlovian cringe reaction whenever an Eagles' song comes on.

[Enforcer]

Originally Posted by Rob Damen

They're one of those bands you like but don't particularly love. There's times I've absolutely hated them because I've heard their hits entirely too much.

Originally Posted by Scott Dolan

Exactly. Like, say, Tom Petty or Steve Miller(as two other examples). You wouldn't consider yourself a fan, but at least respect and often appreciate their music.

This says it all for me. What's funny is that I've played Eagles tunes in bands before and the experience is always positive for reasons that are hard to explain. I never owned the records the songs we've played are from, but bands always just nail these songs. It must be from the ridiculous overexposure to them. Everyone just knows the tunes so well that even some mediocre bands I've been in just lock in and play the hell out of the songs. Which actually makes me like the songs even more.

And yet I'm not really a big fan of them. Funny.

[Rob C]

Seems like a good place to mention that my favorite current band name is "The Eagles of Death Metal".

http://www.eaglesofdeathmetal.net/

[Chris D]

I liked 'em on the rare occasions they rocked out: "Already Gone," "James Dean." Those are nice radio songs.

[Jon Abbey]

Originally Posted by Rob C

Seems like a good place to mention that my favorite current band name is "The Eagles of Death Metal".

http://www.eaglesofdeathmetal.net/

some friends of mine did a show at Tonic a few weeks ago parodying this name: "The Eagles of Hair Metal", which I think is even funnier.

[Scott Dolan]

Originally Posted by Squaredancecalling Steve

fixed:

The End Of The Innocence.

[groover]

Originally Posted by Scott Dolan

The End Of The Innocence.

That's a great tune that certainly benefited from the creative input of a talented artist who was not a member of the Eagles.

[Gary Sisco]

They're still overplayed. Boomer radio plays them at least twice an hour. I had a job where the guy I worked with kept a radio tuned to one of those schlock stations for boomers who are stuck in time. It was so predictable after a week or so I could tell him, They'll play The Eagles next. They'll play Billy Joel next. He thought I was some kind of Las Vegas-act wizard or something. Thing is, guys like him turn on the radio but they don't *listen to it.* Anyone who did would pick up the rotation soon enough. Or turn the radio off, more likely.

[Scott Dolan]

Originally Posted by groover

That's a great tune that certainly benefited from the creative input of a talented artist who was not a member of the Eagles.

Hahahaha........

I won't say it. Chris D might be watching.

But that album had 10 songs. 8 of them were released as singles. Plus the dude won a truck full of Grammys(back when there was still a small shred of credibility left)for that album.

I don't know how "forgettable" you could call that.

[Frisco]

I'll never forget a night back around 1974 or so. A good friend of mine went to a concert at Cobo Hall in Detroit (I can't recall who was headlining) but he comes back and says something like, "You should've heard the opening band, some group called the Eagles, I never heard anything so lame". When I finally heard the group I knew what he had to endure.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Sorry guys. I like the Eagles. I love the album "Hotel California". Always have, always will. It came out during my formative teen years which is likely the main attraction, but no matter... the music is good.

FWIW, I currently have the surround DVD-Audio disc of "Hotel California". The surround mix, particularly on the title track, is incredible. 4 guitars coming at you from 4 corners of the room and bathing you in sound is something you should experience.

As for "Their Greatest Hits", I have the DCC gold CD version. Crystal clear remastering by Steve Hoffman. Yeah, the stuff's over-played, but the tunes are catchy. Everyone who grew up in the 70's knows all of the songs by heart. I was just playing it this weekend.

Later,
Kevin

[cookie]

I'm an Eagles fan, kinda.

My favorite Eagles song is "Desperado" .

[steve(thelil)]

I would mention that many Eagles fans are blameless. If the Eagles were dominant when you were the age that you "imprinted" on rock music, you're probably going to like them - and it's not your fault. It's lkinda ike you can't blame a New Englander for being a Red Sox Fan*.







*Believe it or not, there seem to be some (otherwise) entirely likeable people who actually root for the Red Sox.)

[john williams]

I hate The Eagles. Hotel California is one of the most overplayed songs ever. The're the sort of band that gets played at redneck parties over here. You know, Bat Out of Hell, then Hotel California, then Stairway to Heaven, etc, etc, etc. Really boring!

They should have all been shot for New Kid in Town. It has one of the most irritating tunes and banal lyrics ever penned.

Wasn't there a Seinfeld episode that featured an Eagles song?

[Captain Hate]

Originally Posted by Chris D

I liked 'em on the rare occasions they rocked out: "Already Gone," "James Dean." Those are nice radio songs.

Agreed; I usedta get my beer-drinkin' & dope-smokin' buds to put this on when I was over (hey, it's not like they had any Roy Wood, assholes!!) but I never bought this album myself. I do have a soft spot in my head for "Take it Easy" particularly how Bernie Leadon's banjo kind of sneaks up in the mix. But "Witchy Woman" is an absolute musical felony; when they go into the falsetto voices in the chorus, serial killers should've appeared in the studios and aerated them. I could tolerate "Desperado" until some moron started singing along to it in my car, at which point the radio station changed.

Joe Walsh is a typical asshole from Kent State that is good at getting people to think that he's a lot smarter and more talented than he really is.

[Captain Hate]

Originally Posted by JBW

Wasn't there a Seinfeld episode that featured an Eagles song?

Yes, some idiot that Elaine was banging had "Desperado" as *his* song and Elaine felt bad for not having her own song. And they wonder why it took them so long to get the right to vote.