Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 343 - Eagles

Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 - Eagles

Asylum Records

Released February 1976

US Album Chart #1

UK Chart #2

Side 1

Side 2

Notes on Singles

Take It Easy / Get You In The Mood

May 1972

US Chart #12

Witchy Woman / Earlybird

August 1972

US Chart #9

  

Peaceful Easy Feeling / Tryin'

December 1972

US Chart #22

  

(Italian Picture Sleeve)

Tequila Sunrise / Twenty One

April 1973

US Chart #64

  

(German Picture Sleeve)

Already Gone / Is It True?

April 1974

US Chart #32

 

(Dutch Picture Sleeve)

Best Of My Love / Ol '55

November 1975

US Chart #1

 

(Belgian Picture Sleeve)

One Of These Nights / Visions

May 1975

US Chart #1

UK Chart #23

(German Picture Sleeve)

Lyin' Eyes / Too Many Hands

September 1975

US Chart #2

UK Chart #23

(German Picture Sleeve)

Take It To The Limit / After The Thrill Is Gone

November 1975

US Chart #4

UK Chart #12

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Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 has the honour of being the first ever album to be awarded Platinum status! Not bad for a Greatest Hits album! It is currently the second highest certified album behind Michael Jackson's Thriller having gone Platinum 29 times in the USA and certified as Diamond (twice)!

Now, it's worth pointing out a particular truth regarding this Greatest Hits collection: The manager of Eagles, Irving Azoff, said: "We decided it was time to put out the first greatest-hits because we had enough hits." Infact the band had actually had 11 hit singles (some outside of the Top 40). However, according to Don Felder, none of the band members had any say in the decision to release the compilation album. The band complained that the album was "nothing more than a ploy by the record company to sell product without having to pay additional production costs". Don Henley was unhappy that songs like "Tequila Sunrise" and "Desperado" (the only track on the album not to be released as a single) were lifted out of the context of original album in a way that he thought detrimental to the nature, quality and meaning of the music. He said: "All the record company was worried about were their quarterly reports. They didn't give a shit whether the greatest hits album was good or not, they just wanted product."

The album actually sold four times as many copies as the band's first four studio albums. Whilst they might have been unhappy with their record label putting the album out and the choices made for the tracklist, I'm pretty sure that I have not read anywhere that they balked at the royalty payments that would be coming their way as a result of it's success!

Now you maybe wondering why on earth I'm posting an Eagles album. I  do not have to justify my choices to anyone let alone the Music Police who always seem to be lurking in the background ready to pounce upon anything they deem as not worthy listening material.

I actually quite liked a number of these early singles back when I was a kid, yes, remember, I was only twelve years old when this album was released! So Mr Music Policeman, incase you are reading I'd like to ask you what you were listening to at 12 years old?

I particularly loved the Take It To The Limit and One of These Nights singles and the others I kind of knew of through hearing them on the radio but the two singles mentioned were probably the first ones that really stuck with me.

Since this album has come out there have been many other Greatest Hits/Best Of /Very Best Of/Collection/Best of the Best/ The Complete Greatest Hits/ Legend of Eagles albums but none of them has come close to selling the amount this very first one has (the Eagles Greatest Hits Volume 2 released in November 1982 has been certified 11x Platinum. It was released two years after the band had broken up and no doubt a "smart move" by the label to cash in on the solo success of both Henley and Frey who had both released Debut Solo albums the same year!). Like I've said before regarding other Greatest Hits collections it is the always the first one that is the standard and also not to be forgotten is that there's not another album that bears the mantle of The Best Selling Album of the Twentieth Century in the USA.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!