Everyone thinks it was for the money. Or the copious groupies. Good guesses but … WRONG! It was THIS, their debut album - one of the best mixtures of both hard and soft rock of the entire 70s. I mean I LOVE Joe Walsh and consider his James Gang Rides Again LP to be utterly essential hard rock, but even he never made an album this good. And neither would The Eagles ever again. lol. Yes, unfortunately it was all downhill from here folks. But, what a hill!!!
That’s right. The Eagles used to be good. Damn good. I swear! Long before they became one of the first yacht rock bands peddling soft assed singles on the seas of cheese with cuts like “The Long Run” (barf!) they were a really good & innovative country rock outfit picking up the torch from The Almighty Byrds and putting out solid albums of HARD and soft rock in great balance from a veritable stable of awesome songwriters boasting the likes of Jackson Browon, Glen Frey, DonHenley, Bernie Leadon, Randy Meisner, & soon to be secret weapon JD Souther. I mean they had talent! And this is their best.
Most people have the misconception that this album consists of three killer singles and lots & lots of filler. WRONG AGAIN, people! Every track on here is friggin’ amazing (okay, Tryin, the last cut, is just good. I admit it, already.)
Another thing most people don’t realize is how influential this album was on both hard rock and the future of metal. In fact, I almost entitled this piece The Future of Metal because … well it was. At least the 80s hair metal variant that dominated the rock & pop charts and more importantly the halls of my junior and senior highs forever altering the DNA of our young little Repo.
Now hard rock/heavy metal ballads have taken their fair share of shit over the years. But, when they’re good, they can be life altering. I mean those sappy ballads have done more to foster good times & getting laid by kids of all ages than all the classical music made in the last one hundred years combined. That’s right! Heavy metal ballads are where babies come from, children. That stork stuff is utter rubbish.
And “Take The Devil” is the seminal Heavy Metal ballad. I mean Heart literally lifted it's riffs for their huge hit “Barracuda.” And more importantly, Bon Jovi made an entire frickin’ career off this one track. Just ask, Daydreamer!
The Eagles would delve even further into this hair metal territory on their second album - Desperado - which I swear could pass for a Proto-Hair Metal if any album could. I mean tell me “Control” doesn’t remind you just a bit of Quiet Riot or Krokus. lol. And check out the lyrics to “The Outlaw Man” sometime. And tell me its totally over the top silly and cheesy lyrics didn't inspire a legion of metal songs.
Anyways would love to get RockyRaccoon’s -the king of hair metal - opinion on this. And Gowi’s why we’re at it. I know Rocky at least has to love this album (Don’t let me down, Rocky! lol)
Grade: A. This is not just Eagles best album. It's one of the best albums of the entire 70s. It’s a killer, unpretentious mixture of hard rockers, soft rockers, country rockers and by far their best ballads & singles. I mean songs like “Peaceful Easy Feeling” lives eternal and its words are still words to carve down on your grade school desk and live by. (If only I'd listened!) And I typically burn out on most classic rock staples. But, not this. So put your lighters high in the air and salute the glorious Eagles as they fly all the way up my chart to perch at number 19.
An interesting essay Repo, I do have the Eagles' debut in my top 20 of 1972, and agree I never listen to the Long Run...
Speaking of Joe Walsh in the Eagles...
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Repo
imacgill
