Eagles – Their Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2 (2xLP)

The Eagles' Their Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2 brings together the band's two original hit collections, pairing 1976's Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 with 1982's Eagles Greatest Hits Volume 2. That first set mattered historically as the Eagles' first compilation, and this combined edition maps their rise from early 70s California country-rock into the more polished, bigger-arena sound of the later years.

Across these two LPs, you can hear how much ground the band covered without losing their gift for melody. The first half leans on the harmonies and acoustic ease that made songs like “Take It Easy,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” and “Desperado” so enduring; the second moves into the sharper, more hard-edged run that produced “Hotel California,” “Heartache Tonight,” and “New Kid in Town.” Taken together, it is less a random best-of than a tidy summary of the Eagles at their commercial peak.

It also helps that the story behind these records is unusually strong. The Eagles formed in Los Angeles in 1971, went on to score five number one singles, six Grammys, and six number one albums, and this set captures the line-up changes that shaped their sound, with Joe Walsh joining in 1975 and Timothy B. Schmit in 1977. If you want one shelf-friendly Eagles collection that covers both the country-rock glow and the sleek late-70s finish, this does the job neatly.

Features

• 2xLP, 180g
• Combines Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 and Eagles Greatest Hits Volume 2 in one set

Reviews

• This 2017 set pairs the two greatest-hits compilations from Eagles - AllMusic.com