Rank the six studio albums

[Ive always been a dreamer]

With all of our hopes so high for a new studio album this year, it got me thinking about the original six albums. Can you rank them in the order of your favorites? Considering how hard it usually is for me to do these things, I can't believe I'm starting this thread. This is particularly hard since I don't believe any of them are bad!

But, oh well, here is my list:

1. Hotel California - I guess this is an obvious choice. This is a classic conceptual album with 8 exceptional songs. Each song is very different, yet fits perfectly into the theme of the album. The album also does an exceptional job of showcasing the talents of the individual band members, IMO.

2. Desperado - Same as HC comments. This is an exceptional piece of work, but some of the songs are not quite as strong as HC.

3. One of These Nights - I had a hard time deciding whether this or On The Border was No. 3 for me. I chose this one based on the strength of the hit songs. However, I don't consider Journey of the Sorcerer, Visions, or I Wish You Peace to be among their best work.

4. On The Border - Overall a great underrated album. I don't think there is really a bad song on it. It is one of my favorites to listen to from start to finish, and I rarely ever skip any of the songs.

5. The Long Run - The hardest choice of all for me was deciding between these last two. It is probably a virtual tie for me. Both albums had three very strong hits, and I can't decide which are the strongest. Heartache Tonight is probably the best of all of them, although TIE and PEF are hard to snub. WW, TLR, and ICTYW can't be snubbed either though - they are all great. I also think King of Hollywood, Those Shoes, and The Sad Cafe are all very good underrated songs as well, which would seem to give the edge to TLR. However, then there is the matter of Disco Strangler and Teenage Jail, which are probably among my least favorites of all of their songs.

6. Eagles - See TLR comments. After the three strong hits mentioned above, the rest of the album is very pleasant and easy on the ears. However, I don't think there are any real standout tracks, except for one. I'm now ready for you all to throw things at me - BUT - I love Chug All Night. I don't know why, but I love the tempo and the 'visions' it leaves you with. It's not a great song, but it's raw and sexy, and it rocks.

[Maleah]

Hmm good question. Tough, but good

1. Hotel California - pretty much for all the reasons you stated. I think it has the strongest group of songs on it.

2. One of These Nights - The title song is so good that it pretty much makes the album for me. There are other ones I like......but OOTN is fantastic.

3. Desperado - Strong album with one of the greatest Eagles classics

4. The Long Run - It always kind of seems like everyone's let down with this one after the HC album.....but I love it! I love the title song a lot! It's very catchy.

5. On The Border - like you said, an all around great album. I happen to think the title song is probably one of the most underrated Eagles songs (If an eagles song can be underrated lol).

6. Eagles - it feels wrong to put any Eagles album in "last" place. lol But I love all of them so much.......that it just kind of fell in this order. But in all honesty, after "HC"...........they could all be tied or switch spots.

[Z]

1. The Long Run -- the only song on this album that I'm not crazy over is The Sad Cafe. I love everything else, even Teenage Jail.

2. Hotel California -- how can anyone say anything bad about this one?

3. On the Border -- another album where I love every song.

4. Eagles -- only a couple of songs that I really enjoy on this one.

5. One of These Nights -- even fewer songs here.

6. Desperado -- this one just does not do it for me. As beautiful as Desperado is, the rest of the album leaves me cold.

[timfan]

1.The Long Run: I love this album. The fact that it was a struggle to get it done makes it all the more poignant and ICTYW isn't bad either hehehe

2.Desperado: a powerful album with some little known gems like Saturday night and doolin dalton

3.Hotel California: this was the band hitting the big time so how can you not love this album!

4.On the Border: Now it starts to get tougher to choose.... but with On the border having Ol'55 James Dean and Already gone it makes for a solid album

5.Eagles: Has a raw sound to it.... kinda neat; not over produced

6.One of these nights: This album in general I dislike, even tho one of my all time fav eagles songs is on it (Lyin' eyes)..the whole make up of the album just seems blah to me.

[Freypower]

1. It's still Hotel California, although there are far too many lead vocals by Henley, and the over-production on Wasted Time and The Last Resort has not aged well. For NKIT, Glenn's finest hour, and LITFL, probably the best summary of a lifestyle ever, it is beyond essential. There is nothing left to say about the title track and PMAIAR and TALA are two of the band's finest works, which showcase everyone in the band.

2. On The Border - Because Glenn is most prominent. I admit that honestly. He shines throughout in GDIH, AG, Ol'55 and James Dean. The title track and BOML are classic Henley and Meisner's contributions are useful, although he did better. Throw in Leadon's beautiful My Man and you have a classic album which is growing better with age.

3. The Long Run - I still think this album is a more gritty, realistic portrayal of life in late 70s LA than anyone else except perhaps Warren Zevon managed, but only a handful of tracks stand out - Heartache Tonight, The Sad Cafe, King Of Hollywood and Those Shoes. I find most of it quirky and challenging, including the songs we're not supposed to like, but I think the title track has not aged well.

4. Desperado - This is perfect, for the most part and has the best songs by Leadon and Meisner. Glenn and Don really come into their own as a singing and songwriting team here. The only song which to me doesn't stand up to close scrutiny is Saturday Night (too schmaltzy for me).

5. Eagles - standard country rock, but take away the three 'big' songs and Train Leaves Here This Morning, and it's not that good, frankly. If it has a 'sleeper' it's probably Take The Devil. Chug All Night is not politically correct but it's fun. They weren't like that for long.

6. One Of These Nights - three massive, memorable classics and the rest of it is frankly extremely ordinary. I am not one of those who sighs over After The Thrill Is Gone, and Too Many Hands is not quite right (I've never worked out why it's not right, perhaps it's the title I don't like). The least said about Felder and Leadon's tracks, the better.

[sodascouts]

1. Desperado - it's the only Eagles album where I thoroughly enjoy every single song. The songs are stupendous, but none of them are my absolute favorites. However, in terms of ranking albums, the combined strength of the songs as a cohesive unit both thematically and sonically puts this at the top for me. It has a great range of emotion - compare Out of Control and Saturday Night, for instance - but it all works together seamlessly. It really is almost cinematic in the way it unfolds and I never feel the urge to hit the button to go to the next song. I especially love the way they merged Desperado and Doolin-Dalton in the Reprise. Genius.

2. On the Border - I like every song on this one, too, except for You Never Cry Like a Lover which annoys me as a woman. "If she's not crying like a lover maybe YOU need to try a little harder, buddy" I want to say, lol. I love the interplay between the bandmates - Glenn and Don sharing vocals on Good Day in Hell, the way all the band members blend for Midnight Flyer. The Best of My Love is gorgeous and Already Gone is wonderfully defiant, almost anthemic. James Dean is a fun song, and Ol' 55 is absolutely beautiful. I know they didn't write it, but Glenn and Don's vocals work together perfectly to convey the mood of the song. Bernie's My Man is incredibly moving, and while Is It True isn't very deep it's got a nice melody. Ironically, I wasn't initially too fond of the title track - it was obviously a "message" song but I couldn't take it seriously with lyrics like 'foolin' with my baby on the telephone.' However, it's grown on me, and I've come to appreciate the song's lyrics so much that I named the board for it.

3. Hotel California - here's where I start to deviate from popular opinion. For me, this album and its title track is a teeny bit overrated. However, when taken as a whole, like Desperado, the album presents a sophisticated cohesion that I admire. I adore Pretty Maids All in a Row and NKIT, and the rest of the songs are all very strong, although I admit I find The Last Resort off-putting in its self-righteous preachiness. Despite that, it's a pretty melody. I originally had HC as second, but as I was doing the write up for OTB, I realized that it was more fun to listen to OTB than HC, so HC got knocked down a slot. Still, they're very close.

4. Eagles - despite the fact that they were just getting started, I like this better than some of their later works. I think Most of Us Are Sad is one of the Eagles' most underrated songs. Of course, Tequila Sunrise, Take It Easy, and Peaceful Easy Feeling are all magnificent. I also like Witchy Woman, though not as well as most. I always thought it sounded a bit cheesy, although I like it more now than I used to. After hearing live versions, I have also come to appreciate what I once ridiculed, Chug All Night. I also think Train Leaves Hear This Morning is good, although the other tracks are pretty forgettable.

5. One of These Nights - good, but uneven. I know Glenn considers this the Eagles' best album, but I just can't agree with him. It contains my all-time favorite Eagles song, Take It to the Limit, and other terrific tracks like Lyin' Eyes, Too Many Hands, and After the Thrill is Gone. Unlike many, I find Journey of the Sorcerer, Visions, and I Wish You Peace listenable and in fact, I admire Bernie for trying something different with JOTS. Still, they're not going to find my way onto any "Best of Eagles" mix CD I make for myself. I am also one of the few who was never overly impressed with the title track (which Glenn has said is one of his best songs - makes me feel guilty but oh well!) I used to think it was really dated-sounding. Seeing it live made me appreciate it, but it will never be a favorite. Hollywood Waltz is OK, but a little boring.

6. The Long Run - even more uneven and containing some of the worst Eagles music ever released, IMHO. (Here's where I get REALLY controversial! lol) It has moments of brilliance: Heartache Tonight, Those Shoes, I Can't Tell You Why. Unfortunately, those are outweighed by moments that make me cringe. To me, Disco Strangler and Teenage Jail are so awful that they make my ears bleed. The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks and King of Hollywood also don't appeal to me. I do enjoy The Long Run, In the City, and The Sad Cafe, but I've never considered them standout Eagles tracks, and they can't save the album for me. Of course, it's all subjective.


Whew! That took a while. Good question, dreamer!

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Eagles - it feels wrong to put any Eagles album in "last" place. lol But I love all of them so much.......that it just kind of fell in this order.

I totally agree Maleah. I really don’t think any of the albums are bad. I just like some a bit more than others. But, even the ones I like the least, I still like them a lot. The same goes with individual songs. Unlike Soda, I like Disco Strangler and Teenage Jail, but they are probably my least favorite songs.

FP – I agree that I would have like to have seen Glenn have at least one more lead song on HC. HC and VOL have an ‘edge’ to them that is so well suited for Don’s voice that I can’t imagine anyone doing those better than Don. Glenn probably could have done justice to WT or TLR, although I think the songs are probably more suited to Don’s voice. However, I can definitely envision that Glenn could have sang lead on LITF equally as well and I’ve always thought Glenn’s voice would’ve been perfectly suited for The Sad Café on TLR. Glenn and Joe do LITF in some of their Party of Two shows, and I think Glenn does a great job with it.

This is interesting to see how “all over the place” we are in what we like and dislike, even with just 6 albums. I was particularly amused when I compared Z’s and Soda’s list. Their first and last albums are totally reversed, but other than that there’s not much difference.

[Maleah]

I'm kind of pathetic, lol, I really can't imagine any of the eagles singing one of the other guys' lead vocals. I can't imagine anyone doing better on VOL or LITFL than Don, can't imagine anyone doing better on HT or TIE than Glenn, ICTYW than Timmy, or ODAAT/ITC than Joe. I love Glenn to death, but it still doesn't seem right not hearing Randy sing TITL. I know, he's not there anymore to sing it....but you know what I mean. I think they definently knew what they were doing when they chose who would sing each song.....because each song fits the singers voice perfectly. I've always thought that's one thing that the Eagles were really excellent at doing.......choosing the right vocalist for the right song. And they had great choices because they are ALL great singers!

[Freypower]

Just on Soda's comment about Glenn saying OOTN is their best album - the song is his favourite Eagles song, but I've never heard him actually say the album is their best. One thing in its favour is its diversity. It's probably the most adventurous album they made musically and yet the lyrics and arrangements on some songs aren't up to scratch (the mention of Hollywood Waltz made me realise that Saturday Night, which I don't like that much, is much better than HW).

Re the lead vocals on HC I agree that Don's voice is perfect for the songs he sings and because he probably wrote most of the lyrics he was always going to sing them. But while I admire Glenn's generosity in allowing this to happen in my opinion he went too far, so that we find on the next album he didn't even sing Teenage Jail alone but felt he had to give Don a part (the bridge which Don sings is wonderful, but the second vocal in the last verse doesn't add anything).

I will now dodge the brickbats when I say that I think Glenn would do wonders with ICTYW as he does (IMO) with TITTL and I think he could probably do a good job with The Sad Cafe as well.

[sodascouts]

I agree Glenn should have had at least one more vocal on HC, but I'm fine with him sharing the pain on Teenage Jail. Don does such a magnificent job on all of his vocals that it's very hard to imagine anyone else do them in most cases - he makes the songs his own - but having heard Glenn do Life in the Fast Lane live, I realize he could have done that one just as well. Wasted Time... I don't know. Maybe I'm just too used to Don doing it, but his voice really is perfect for that, I think. I agree that Glenn on The Sad Cafe could have worked, too.