The Eagles released only seven studio albums. It’s kind of hard to believe when you really think about it, because of how large they loom over the rock and roll landscape. Of course, their batting average with those albums was unmistakably high.
They were also pretty on point with their choices for album-opening songs. Let’s take a look through their catalog to find the best songs used to introduce their LPs.
5. “Already Gone” from On the Border (1974)
The band’s 1974 album On the Border just might be their most underrated. As a mix of genres, it’s probably the one record where, from song-to-song, there exists the sharpest contrasts. With “Already Gone,” they sort of ease listeners into this subtle eclecticism with a song that plays to what people perceived were their strengths. It treads the line between country rock and the slicker West Coast variant of the genre, with Don Felder (making his first appearance with the band) helping on that front with his stinging lead guitar. Let’s also give props to songwriter Jack Tempchin for the smooth-talking lyrics.
4. “The Long Run” from The Long Run (1979)
There is a lot of irony coursing through this song, including the unintended kind. For example, when Don Henley sings, Who is going to make it / We’ll find out in the long run, he intended it to be a kind of dig at flash-in-the-pan bands with little staying power. He didn’t know his own band was going to implode not long after the song and the album’s release. The band did intend to have the song title comment on the arduous process they underwent to get the album recorded. And, for all the unpleasantness going on behind the scenes with the band at the time, “The Long Run” was certainly a bouncy, fizzy introduction to the album.
3. “Take it Easy” from Eagles (1972)
If there’s anything that holds “Take It Easy” back a little bit, it’s the sound and attitude come off as perhaps a bit dated. Still, you can’t deny it defined that era of country-tinged rock with a smart pop sense attached to it. And it’s always been a fun song to which you can sing along, although the folks with routine voices out there could never bring the kind of inherent soulfulness that Glenn Frey offered. Frey also deserves credit for taking co-writer Jackson Browne’s lofty ideas and grounding them with grit and cheeky humor.
2. “One of These Nights” from One of These Nights (1975)
Tired of being pigeonholed as country rockers or balladeers, the Eagles decided to try something a bit out of their comfort zone with “One of These Nights.” Maybe, upon closer inspection, it wasn’t all that far-out for them. After all, Frey’s Detroit roots meant he understood R&B pretty well. (He’d certainly lean a bit more in that direction once his solo career kicked into gear in the ’80s.) And Henley possessed a natural soulfulness to his vocals as well. This song maybe doesn’t get quite as much credit as it should because the lyrics aren’t as lofty as some of their other stuff, but it’s a flawless single.
1. “Hotel California” from Hotel California (1976)
Contrarians who might be a bit sick of hearing it played umpteen times on classic rock radio can try to knock it all they want. The truth is “Hotel California” remains a peerless high-wire act pulled off by a quintet that was on fire in every possible way. The songwriting is immaculate. Don Henley and Glenn Frey manage to suggest a lot of themes without spelling them out for us, all while delivering so many quotable lines. The music is a wonder as well, with an almost funky rhythm in the verses giving way to pure rock heroics from Don Felder and Joe Walsh in the run-out. As signature songs go, it’s hard to top.
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Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns
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