Rock and roll can be viewed as a hybrid of classic guitar-based genres combined in wildly different proportions rather than a single genre. Few groups in the history of country rock have had as much influence as the Eagles. They were founded in 1971 by Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner.
With Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac’s most popular five-piece lineup was a strong contender. They aimed to unseat the Eagles as the band’s country rock royalty. But their sound was more varied, and without Eagles, albums like Rumours probably wouldn’t have been released. Nicks recalled, “We loved their singing, so Lindsey and I found the Eagles to be very inspirational.” And we admired how skillfully they could combine rock and roll with country music.
Eagles couldn’t be considered the forerunners of country rock, but they were innovators in their own right. Henley recalled three important bands that influenced his decision to relocate to California and combine rock and country music. He mentioned this in an interview with Uncut in 2017. He recalled, “We used to read about and purchase the albums of The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.” This happened in our little Texas town.
Growing up in Texas, Henley had spent his early years immersed in the natural world of country music. He played soulful cover sets “all over Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana” with his former band, Shiloh. Henley and his Shiloh bandmates made the decision to fuse rock and country music at the close of the 1960s. Their favorite bands inspired them. We reasoned, ‘Why not combine the two like these guys?’” he added.
Thanks to their incredible global success, The Eagles rose to prominence as the leading act in US country rock by 1975. “One of These Nights,” released in June 1975, was the Eagles’ breakthrough album. This came after three studio albums that had been somewhat successful.
Leadon chose to leave the band in spite of their unprecedented success after the release of “One of These Nights” in 1975. He cited dissatisfaction with the group’s adoption of pop-rock. For the Eagles, this was definitely the end of an era. However, they were far from done. Joe Walsh joined shortly after, and “Hotel California” became a huge hit.
It does seem odd that the Eagles released a Greatest Hits album in their short four-year existence. Especially considering their enduring success today. “I never expected it to do five million,” Frey remarked in a 1976 interview with Melody Maker, discussing the unexpected success of Greatest Hits: 1971–75. “I try not to look at the numbers anymore because they are so astounding this year. The type of person who purchases “Greatest Hits” albums is different. I believe you can reach a wider audience with them. You often interact with both under-15 and over-25 year olds.
Henley acknowledged the change in circumstances. After joking that he and his bandmates looked like the Eagle skull on the album cover, they finished all of the songs. “I didn’t feel bad about releasing a Greatest Hits album because it signalled the end of a particular phase for us,” the singer said.
Don Henley went on to say that the Eagles had entered a completely new era with the release of their then-new album Hotel California. Despite this claim, he believed “On the Border,” the third single from their third album, marked their international success in 1974. “We went from being in the top 90% of bands in America to the top 10% ever since ‘Best Of My Love’ started a whole big thing for us,” he asserted.
Don Henley was not incorrect in what he said. Eagles continue to be among the bands with the highest sales volume ever. They have sold over 200 million records worldwide, with 100 million of those sold in the US.
