The next single was Lyin’ Eyes, a six and a half minute track which was going to be difficult to get airplay play as the radio programmers were reluctant to entertain any over four minutes. The title track was the first release and gave them their first UK hit single where it reached number 23. This new sound continued into their next album, One of These Nights, in 1975. I saw rockers who were dying and screaming to get out and I think I helped them.” I’d like to think I saw through them as far as their acoustic cowboy element went. Eagles were more of a country rock band up to that point and, as their producer, Bill Szymczyk stated in the book, The Long Run, “We were looking to go further and further away from country rock influence and more towards a rock ‘n’ roll influence and we were looking at it being a bit more electric. Each had a musical background with Henley being in a band called Shiloh, Frey had worked with Bob Seger, Leadon was a member of the Flying Burrito Brothers and Meisner had been in Poco and it was because of their friendship with Jackson Browne that they got signed to Asylum records.Įarly songs like Peaceful Easy Feeling, Take It Easy and Witchy Woman all failed to chart in the UK but in the autumn of 1973 they brought in another guitarist Don Felder just in time to record the album On the Border and in doing so he helped develop the group’s sound.
The original Eagles comprised Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner and were effectively assembled by Linda Ronstadt in 1971 as her own touring band. Naturally, that will be an opinion, but for a lot of people, songs with meanings are usually preferred and when it comes to the Eagles, Lyin’ Eyes is likely to fit the bill. Whenever you mention The Eagles so someone, it’s likely that the first song that will spring to mind will be Hotel California, which, although was their biggest UK hit and one of their five American chart-topping singles, is arguably not their best track.