The Eagles albums rated by 'Ultimate Classic Rock'. Not too sure about the order myself, but here they are -
Eagles Worst to Best
The Eagles have been rightly praised for their canny combining of Glenn Frey’s city-slicker R&B with Don Henley’s country-fried rockabilly. Along the way, every one of their albums reached platinum status, including the 16-times smash ‘Hotel California’ and its seven-times platinum follow-ups ‘The Long Run’ and ‘Long Road Out of Eden.’ But it took some doing for this legend to be constructed, giving fans plenty to chew over as the band evolved — and making our list that much more difficult to construct. Which sound do you favor? Peaceful and easy? Or life in the fast lane? Here’s our take: Eagles Albums, Ranked Worst to Best:
7'The Eagles' (1972)
At its best -- including the trio of hits 'Take It Easy,' 'Witchy Woman' and "Peaceful Easy Feeling' -- this is a debut that solidifies the then-emerging California country-rock sound. Dig deeper, though, and the Eagles were still rounding into shape. Tracks like 'Chug All Night' aren't on par with their later work, and there's a consistency of tone, an almost blissed-out hush, that can border on blandness. As future triumphs would make clear, there was, at this point, too much country and not enough rock.
6'Long Road Out of Eden' (2007)
Even though it spawned five adult-contemporary hits and two Top 20 country songs, this long-awaited, four-man and Don Felder-less comeback album often shifts between bleak acceptance and schoolmarm scolding. And at 20 songs, it's simply too long. (Even Joe Walsh's 'Last Good Time in Town,' an admittedly fun update of 'Life in the Fast Lane,' somehow stretches out past seven minutes.) That said, its far-flung highlights -- like that momentous title track -- stand side by side with the Eagles' most celebrated work.
5'The Long Run' (1979)
'The Long Run' is just as uneven as their debut album, though its high points are far higher. Glenn Frey's galloping 'Heartache Tonight,' in fact, may be the Eagles' best single. Meanwhile, the album's sadly prophetic title track, Timothy B. Schmit's 'I Can't Tell You Why,' 'Those Shoes' and 'In the City' remain radio staples. But cracks in the band's often tempestuous partnership had become impossible to ignore. ('Heartache' was Frey's only lead vocal; 'In the City' was a soundtrack remake from Joe Walsh.) Worse still, dated filler like 'Disco Strangler' confirmed they were in serious need of a break.
4'On the Border' (1974)
As the Eagles struggled to free themselves of a country-rock trap of their own devising, they ditched their producer and brought in soon-to-be-member Don Felder for a turn on one song. The results are predictably transitional, but they point to everything that would soon make the Eagles superstars: 'Already Gone' rumbled with a jaundiced grit, while 'Best of My Love' -- the first of the group's five No. 1 singles -- was a masterpiece of world-weary ardor.
3'One of These Nights' (1975)
For any other band, this would be a career-defining moment. There was another chart-topping song in the title track, one of the LP's three Top 5 singles; a Grammy win for 'Lyin' Eyes'; and four million in U.S. sales alone. But the Eagles' shift away from their rootsy beginnings -- confirmed here, but still incomplete -- led to the departure of founding member Bernie Leadon. Randy Meisner, who voiced 'Take It to the Limit,' would soon depart, too. All of that too often relegates 'One of These Nights' to a sort of preamble status. But that's only because we now know what came next in 'Hotel California.' It's a shame, because these remain some of the Eagles' best-realized songs.
2'Desperado' (1973)
A one-topic expansion of everything they tried to do on their eponymous debut, the Old West-themed 'Desperado' is an often-overlooked project that just gets better with age. Of course, such an ambitious concept didn't exactly equal chart success. In fact, this album had no hits, despite later radio play for its title track (which was never released as a single) and 'Tequila Sunrise' (which limped to No. 64). Then there's the back cover, which shows producer Glyn Johns towering over our tied-up outlaws. That image would prove to be all too metaphorical. As satisfying as 'Desperado' no doubt was, the band quickly came to feel trapped in its cowboy clothes.
1'Hotel California' (1976)
The familiar title track heralds an epic meditation on gluttony and greed, one that's eventually underscored on devastatingly frank deep cuts like 'Wasted Time' and 'The Last Resort.' The result is a concept album every bit as complete as 'Desperado,' but with a distinctly modern edge. Credit in part goes to the addition of Joe Walsh -- who acted like a final ingredient in what was becoming a combustible new era for the Eagles. He tangled brilliantly with Don Felder, while adding an every-man sensibility to Don Henley's meditations on post-modern decline amid the coke-addled hellscape that Los Angeles had become for these guys. In the end, Walsh's 'Life in the Fast Lane' would serve as the kind of winking summation they'd never been capable of before.
