Are the Eagles the greatest band of all time?

[YoungEaglesFan]

We all come on here to talk about the band we obviously love but how many people on here consider the Eagles to be the best band of all time and if so what argument do you have for them being the greatest?

[buffyfan145]

Maybe for the US, but to me it will always be the Beatles. Nothing will be like how the Beatles changed music and influenced a whole culture, and still have multigenerational fans.

[New Kid In Town]

Buffy - I agree. Without doubt in MHO the Beatles are the greatest group of all time. They changed everything in music/R & R. There is before the Beatles and after the Beatles.

I think the Eagles are the greatest American band.

[chaim]

I think Zeppelin was probably the greatest band of all time. They're not my favorite band (although pretty high on my list), but I just have this...tremendous respect for their versatility and great music. Masters of light and shade and it irritates me when people think they only have loud rock songs. Great players too. I consider John Paul Jones their "secret weapon" in many ways. Very much so.

I think my dad considers Eagles the greatest band of all time.

[Pippinwhite]

NKIT -- Yes. I think that's a fair analysis. Nothing was the same after the Beatles came on the scene.

But I think a strong case could certainly be made for the Eagles being the greatest American band. I can't think of another US band that's really come close in terms of ongoing popularity, cultural influences, album sales -- everything. There are some solo artists who have come close, but as far as a band goes, for sheer musical integrity, has to be the Eagles.

[Brooke]

I would sure vote for the Eagles as greatest American band of all time. Their sound was just more pleasing to more people than say Aerosmith. And I love Aerosmith!

I would pick the Beatles or maybe even the Rolling Stones as being the greatest over all. And the Stones are still hanging in there, so you've got to consider that. Led Zeppelin just has never had the appeal to me. I've tried, but sometimes that screaming just does me in! lol

[New Kid In Town]

I think in terms is records sales, success, popularity, and staying power the Eagles should be considered the greatest American Band. Some might argue foe Bruce and the E St. Band, Bon Jovi, or Arerosmith, but I go with the Eagles.

[thelastresort]

Best American band, yes; the greatest (although I care for neither) would probably have to be the Beatles or the Stones, maybe Zeppelin at a push, though I would place the Eagles around the top 5 or so.

What I will say next is why questions like this are hard: I would also put Black Sabbath somewhere near the top of that list. They are to heavy metal what the Bible is to Christianity. However, they are the polar opposite end of the rock scale to the Eagles, yet both arguably contributed to the same wider topic: how do you critique and contrast?!

[Freypower]

Even if there wasn't such heavyweight competition from certain bands mentioned above, the relatively small size of the Eagles' catalogue would make it very hard for them to be considered in a 'greatest band of all time' category. It could be argued they only qualify as the gretest American band through lack of meaningful competition. If you are only looking at in terms of popularity & record sales, perhaps, but that is not what the question is about.

It could also be argued that they were primarily a singles band & that their albums contained too much filler material. I know that statement will horrify some. For me PERSONALLY, the older I get, the less I like some of the Eagles' album tracks. A lot of them just do not stand comparison with the almighty three, which, for the record, are the Beatles, the Rolling Stones & Led Zeppelin. I am also bored with some of the Eagles' big hits as well, but I stress again, that is ME.

After that you get to personal preference, which for me is Dire Straits & Genesis, and I would never claim either of those to be the 'greatest'.

[Annoying Twit]

It's very hard to compare bands as there are different ways of measuring. I wouldn't want to define bands based on sales, which is the only objective way of comparing bands that I can think of.

Clearly in terms of making a big splash, influencing other bands, being talked about, having a large and enduring fanbase, and being remembered long after their heyday, Eagles are up there with the best of them. I'm not sure Eagles are as innovative as other bands. I can't think of an Eagles album where you can say 'This album changed music'. It's more that they wanted to aim for maximum quality over doing something truly new.