Eagles chart with debut album

First posted 3/26/2008; updated 10/17/2020.

Eagles Eagles

Charted: June 24, 1972 Peak: 22 US, -- UK, 13 CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): 1.92 US, 0.06 UK, 3.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: country rock

Tracks: Click for codes to singles charts. Take It Easy (6/3/72, 12 US, 1 CL, 12 AC, 8 CN, 49 AU) Witchy Woman (9/9/72, 9 US, 5 CL, 8 CN, 81 AU) Chug All Night Most of Us Are Sad Nightingale Train Leaves Here This Morning Take the Devil Early Bird Peaceful, Easy Feeling (12/30/72, 22 US, 5 CL, 20 AC, 35 CN) Tryin’ Total Running Time: 36:43 The Players: Glenn Frey (vocals, guitar) Don Henley (vocals, drums) Bernie Leadon (guitar, vocals, banjo) Randy Meisner (bass, vocals)

Rating: 3.681 out of 5.00 (average of 19 ratings) Awards:

About the Album: “Balance is the key element of the Eagles’ self-titled debut album, a collection that contains elements of rock & roll, folk, and country, overlaid by vocal harmonies alternately suggestive of doo wop, the Beach Boys, and the Everly Brothers.” AMG “If the group kicks up its heels on rockers like Chug All Night, Nightingale, and Tryin’, it is equally convincing on ballads like Most of Us Are Sad and Train Leaves Here This Morning.” AMG “The album is also balanced among its members, who trade off on lead vocal chores and divide the songwriting such that Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner all get three writing or co-writing credits. Fourth member Don Henley, with only one co-writing credit and two lead vocals, falls a little behind, while Jackson Browne, Gene Clark, and Jack Tempchin also figure in the writing credits.” AMG “The album’s overall balance is worth keeping in mind because it produced three Top 40 hit singles…that do not reflect that balance. Take It Easy and Peaceful Easy Feeling are similar-sounding mid-tempo folk-rock tunes sung by Frey that express the same sort of laid-back philosophy, as indicated by the word ‘easy’ in both titles, while Witchy Woman, a Henley vocal and co-composition, initiates the band’s career-long examination of supernaturally evil females.” AMG “These are the songs one remembers from Eagles, and they look forward to the eventual dominance of the band by Frey and Henley. But the complete album from which they come belongs as much to Leadon’s country-steeped playing and singing and to Meisner’s melodic rock & roll feel, which, on the release date, made it seem a more varied and consistent effort than it did later, when the singles had become overly familiar.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: Eagles’ DMDB Encyclopedia entry AMG William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide