I remember when the Eagles' eponymously-titled debut album came out in 1972, half a century ago. They immediately became one of my favorite bands, especially because of their rendition of Jackson Browne's Take It Easy.
The Eagles reached their apex with their second (Desperado) and third (On the Border) albums, but then entered a period of gradual decline with their fourth album, as their style changed (although that fourth album, One of These Nights, also had some of their best songs on it).
As the Eagles got more and more popular with the general public, I loved them a little less each year. Still, they were one of the all-time best bands, with several iconic, generation-defining songs.
Here are their top twelve:
Desperado
Take It Easy
Already Gone
The Last Resort
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Twenty-One
Outlaw Man
Get Over It
James Dean
Lyin' Eyes
Midnight Flyer
One of These Nights
Here are another sixteen that almost made the cut and would for 99% of other artists:
Doolin-Dalton
Ol' 55
Out of Control
Tequila Sunrise
My Man
I Can't Tell You Why
Wasted Time
On the Border
New Kid in Town
Love Will Keep Us Alive
Certain Kind of Fool
Hole in the World
The Long Run
Seven Bridges Road
Take it to the Limit
Hotel California (this is one of their all-time greats for sure, but I can't put it in the top 12 because if I hear it again I may wildly flap my wings and screechily squawk over the cuckoo's nest)
The Eagles also had a hit song named “Best of My Love,” but I hate that song with a purple passion: It’s plodding, directionless, has no groove, is saccharine, and just plain boring as all get-out. It’s the lullaby from hell. It sounds like it should have been a Barry Manilow song. How such a great band could put out such a terrible song is a mystery for the ages (“Three Times a Lady” by the Commodores provides a similar conundrum and case study).