Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

To determine whether you are getting a good deal here or not largely depends on the current condition of your existing Eagles vinyl or CDs and whether they are in need of cheap replacement. In fulfilling such a purpose this new box set has significant merit, not least its price. Alternatively if your Eagles music collection is already in pristine condition then save your dollars. This is another no frills Rhino "lob them altogether in a box collection". The details that go with it are the grouping of the six most popular Eagles studio albums from 1972-1979. This is not counting any non-LP tracks, either live album, Eagles Live (1980) or Hell Freezes Over (1994), or 2007s studio album "Long Road Out of Eden". As with previous and similar Rhino box sets there is no new mastering to speak of. Indeed they appear to be the same masterings by Ted Jensen at New York's Sterling Sound that were issued on CD in 1999 on the Eagles Selected works that always sounded great. These may also be the same remasters that formed part of the 2005's huge Eagles (Limited Edition Box) but frankly this reviewer is not prepared to mortgage the house to find out! The albums come packaged in generally ok vinyl-replica style wallets, held within a clamshell box and the titles included in this set are as follows: THE EAGLES (1972) - The breezy Glyn Johns produced debut album starts off with the definitive cover of Jackson Browne's "Take it Easy" and also includes staples such as "Witchy Women" and the lovely laid back signature tune "Peaceful Easy Feeling". The Eagles are often rightly critiqued as popularisers of the cosmic Americana pioneered by Gram Parsons and Gene Clark. Yet the presence of Bernie Leadon on the album does give them a direct link to this tradition not least from his time in the Flying Burrito Brothers and the key supporting role that he played on the "Fantastic Journey of Dillard and Clark" where he co wrote the great country rock standard "Train leaves here this morning". The nice version here is not up to Clark's but is far superior to some of the filler present not least the dreadful "Chug all night" and the turgid "Take the devil". Still this is an excellent career starting point DESPERADO (1973) - This is the Western concept album that really started the Eagles ascent to the stratosphere. By the time the Old Grey Whistle Test played "Doolin Dalton" the buzz around the Eagles was huge and the flawless harmonies and vocals of Glenn Frey and Don Henley ("the Gods") really come to the forefront (and also their control freakery). This reviewer actually prefers the fragile Johnny Cash cover of "Desperado" to the original but whatever case it is a brilliant song with harmonies to die for and a great Henley lead vocal. Other standouts include the excellent Leadon composed "Bitter Creek", the equally strong Randy Meisner vehicle "Certain kind of fool" and the standout "Tequila sunrise". With "Desperado" the authenticity of the group's country underpinnings were never stronger and the album is a high water mark. ON THE BORDER (1974) - This is a good Eagles album although it marks the growing ascendancy of Glenn Frey's push for a more rock orientated approach with Bill Szymczyk taken on production duties and guitar virtuoso Don Felder brought in as the fifth Eagle. By this time the fights and tension in the band were building, the Laurel Canyon ethos was drowning in an avalanche of white powder but superstardom beckoned. The Tom Waits cover "Ol'55" does sadly dilute the rough charm of the original but not surprisingly "Already gone" and "Best of My Love" easily demanded inclusion on the 1975 Greatest Hits album. The Gram Parsons tribute "My Man" and the bluegrass flavoured "Midnight Flyer" are the only other songs that really pushes the brilliance of those compositions while "James Dean" despite its promotion never quite made the Eagles premier division. ONE OF THESE NIGHTS (1975) - The superb title track, Meisner's soaring ballad "Take it to the Limit" and what is probably the greatest Eagles song namely the brilliant "Lyin Eyes" are the centrepieces of the album and the start of the true era of cocaine cowboys. It is the album that saw Bernie Leadon part company because of the bands directional shift towards a country tinged version of stadium rock and with him went the authentic heart of the band. Success also bred conflict and in songs like "After The Thrill Is Gone" they charted the growing disillusionment and disappointment when faced with the realisation of "what can you do when your dreams come true, but it's not quite like you'd planned?" HOTEL CALIFORNIA (1976) - Ex James Gang guitar hero Joe Walsh joins the band and the rest is history. The ubiquitous title track describing the sunshine state as a modern day babylon dominated FM radio in the US for years, as much as "Stairway to heaven"; the Mexican flavoured "New kid in town" is very fine, while Frey also stated that "Last Resort" was Henley's greatest song. This is an album that is revered as the Eagles stone cold classic yet in truth it contains a couple of below par tracks not least Walsh's turgid "Pretty maids in a row" and the sluggish overwrought Henley composition "Victim of Love". Did "Wasted time" also need an orchestral reprise? From hereon however it was inexcusable not to know what "colitas" meant. THE LONG RUN (1979) - A horrible album that emerged after three years of hellish bickering and rows. It contains the three worse Eagles songs "The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks." "Teenage Jail" and "The Disco Strangler". There are a couple of hits here not least the solid "Heartache tonight" and the pleasant Timothy Schdmit lead on the gentle soft rock of "I can't tell you why". The overall impression however is of a poor and over produced Don Henley solo album. It paved the way to the bands long split and the infamous July 31, 1980, concert in Long Beach, California, where Frey and Felder threatened all kinds of lurid violence on each other's person on stage on what has since become known as "Long Night at Wrong Beach". History shows that the Eagles are one of the most popular bands of all time and of course they still tread the boards in what seems like a never ending farewell tour where they air these songs. Today however they are as much remembered for the scale and destructiveness of their creative car crash under the strains of fast living, vicious personal disagreements and contractual obligations. Nonetheless setting aside the tumultuous history and listening intently again to these albums the often levelled accusation that the Eagles represent the summit of bland, overly comfortable and faintly ridiculous middle of the road rock really doesn't stand close examination. For many they were also a starting point for a deeper journey back to the great originators of country rock not only Gram Parsons but also further to founders like Hank Williams for which eternal gratitude should flow. There are some very poor songs on this box set it is true but the many great ones are effortless and timeless, forming a key component of the DNA of rock history. By any standards from this heyday period they deserve the status of a classic American band and the deep respect that flows from this.