Greatest Hits 1971-1975 vs Greatest Hits Vol. 2

[sodascouts]

Today is the anniversary of the release of Eagles Greatest Hits Volume 2.

I was thinking how this GH never gets any attention. The first Eagles Greatest Hits is the best-selling album of all time (although I believe it may currently be tied with Michael Jackson's Thriller after his death), yet Vol. 2 garners no such accolades.

I think it didn't sell as well because everybody already had Hotel California, songs from which make up about half of Eagles Greatest Hits Volume 2.
Plus, it was released in 1982; the Eagles were no longer even together, much less in the forefront of the music scene.

What do you think - and which do you like better?

To remind you, here are the track listings for the two albums:

Eagles Greatest Hits 1971-1975

Take It Easy (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/eagleslp/takeiteasy.htm)
Witchy Woman (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/eagleslp/witchywoman.htm)
Lyin' Eyes (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/ootn/lyineyes.htm)
Already Gone (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/border/alreadygone.htm)
Desperado (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/desperado/desperado.htm)
One of These Nights (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/ootn/oneofthesenights.htm)
Tequila Sunrise (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/desperado/tequilasunrise.htm)
Take It to the Limit (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/ootn/takeittothelimit.htm)
Peaceful Easy Feeling (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/eagleslp/peacefuleasyfeeling.htm)
The Best of My Love (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/border/bestofmylove.htm)

Eagles Greatest Hits Vol. 2

Hotel California (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/hotelcalifornia/hotelcalifornia.htm)
Heartache Tonight (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/longrun/heartachetonight.htm)
Seven Bridges Road (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/live/sevenbridgesroad.htm)
Victim of Love (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/hotelcalifornia/victimoflove.htm)
The Sad Cafe (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/longrun/sadcafe.htm)
Life in the Fast Lane (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/hotelcalifornia/lifeinthefastlane.htm)
I Can't Tell You Why (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/longrun/icanttellyouwhy.htm)
New Kid in Town (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/hotelcalifornia/newkidintown.htm)
The Long Run (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/longrun/longrun.htm)
After the Thrill Is Gone (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/../eagles/ootn/afterthethrillisgone.htm)
I personally like the first one better, and have even before I knew it was so successful.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Okay - this is toooo weird. I was just getting ready to start a thread exactly like this and we haven't discussed this at all. I had just finished looking up the date that Greatest Hits I was released and was coming here to start the thread when I saw this. Very scary and it's not even Halloween. :lol:

[sodascouts]

Great minds think alike! ;)

Another thing I noticed - "After the Thrill Is Gone" is included on Volume 2 despite the fact that it was released before the prior Greatest Hits album (and thus presumably didn't make the cut for it).

Therefore, its inclusion on Volume 2 - especially as the last track - might be a big hint to the listeners who may or may not have realized the Eagles were over for good that there truly would not be another Eagles album. The thrill is gone, babe.

SO glad that turned out not to be true!!!

[Topkat]

Most people bought GH Volume 1 because most people (I think, like myself) had these songs on records, because they were made before CD's were even invented.
GH Volume 2, most of these songs were already on CD, so I believe that's why Volume 1 sold much more than Volume 2.......That's my theory & I'm sticking to it.
For example, I Can't Tell You Why is on HFO, The Long Run & GH Vol2

[Freypower]

Despite the presence of HC, HT & NKIT on Volume 2, I would have to say that my preference is for Volume 1, and it doesn't have the 'crappy cover' as Don Henley called it before the Millennium Shows.

[Freypower]

Most people bought GH Volume 1 because most people (I think, like myself) had these songs on records, because they were made before CD's were even invented.
GH Volume 2, most of these songs were already on CD, so I believe that's why Volume 1 sold much more than Volume 2.......That's my theory & I'm sticking to it.
For example, I Can't Tell You Why is on HFO, The Long Run & GH Vol2

GH Vol 2 was originally released on vinyl. I have a copy of it.

[sodascouts]

Despite the presence of HC, HT & NKIT on Volume 2, I would have to say that my preference is for Volume 1, and it doesn't have the 'crappy cover' as Don Henley called it before the Millennium Shows.

Yeah, that cover is pretty lame!

https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/images/greatesthits2.jpg

[Topkat]

Ok, so that theory goes out the window!

I think I remember something in the book "To the Limit" by Marc Eliot about them releasing this to get something out for the Christmas buying season. Released on Dec 1, 1982, because it was indeed OVER for the Eagles!

[VAisForEagleLovers]

Ha, I bought GH1 on vinyl. Then 8 track. Then cassette. Then CD.

[Victim of Love]

I can't choose one over the other but maybe it's because I've got everything ever put out by these guys so it isn't a question of content for me. I've got multiples of many (vinyl/cassette/CD formats) and in the case of LROOE I've got three CD sets (two were gifts and I couldn't make myself return them!).

I've got to say that my favorite 'travelling CD' is 'The Very Best Of' because it covers every incarnate of the band. But I never leave home without my complete collection. I've got all of their work -- band and solo -- on my MP3.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

I'm one who actually loves both of them, although I agree that Greatest Hits Volume 2 does tend to get overshadowed by Volume 1. I do think this may be partly because most every fan bought the Hotel California and The Long Run albums, whereas the earlier albums didn't sell quite as well so fans just bought the compilation instead. I know I had Volume 1 on vinyl, but I can't remember if I bought Volume 2 on vinyl or not. I know that I had them both on 8 track tapes. I never got them on CD until around the time I bought my box set - that's when decided I wanted the band's entire catalog on CD.

As far as After the Thrill Is Gone, if I'm remembering correctly, I don't think it was ever released as a single and wasn't really a hit when OOTN was first released. However, after it was played in live in concerts, I think the song slowly gained notoriety among the fans and it began getting radio play. By then, it was probably too late to put it on Volume 1 so that may be why it was included on Volume 2.

[sodascouts]

Actually, as far as I know, "After the Thrill Is Gone" was only played live once - at the band's last show in 1980. (I doubt that was a coincidence!)

However, it's definitely possible that it benefited from being the B-side to "Take It to the Limit" and gained more attention that way post-1975.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Hmmm - that's very interesting if the band only played this song live once. If that's the case, no wonder the song is so underrated. I guess the radio stations decided to play it since, as you said, it was the B-side of TITTL. I assumed it must have become popular because fans heard it live. I just know that when it appeared on Greatest Hits Volume 2, it was a pretty well-known song for the band.

[WalshFan88]

I put I liked both the same. Both are good. I guess if it came down to it, Vol 2 would get the nod.

But that said I still am always mind boggled by the fact that people could not have Hotel California as their favorite Eagles song, which is on Volume 2, or prefer the earlier stuff, or heaven forbid not like Hotel California or the Joe Walsh era. IMO the best thing they ever did was to get Walsh in there to rock it up. Nothing against Bernie Leadon, but IMO when he left is when the band started to really rise and to me was the peak of their career. I never really connected with his playing or songwriting. It was too bluegrass/country/folk for me. When they brought Felder in as an addition it started to move to country rock from pure country and then when Leadon left and Walsh joined it became a real classic rock band. Again, I'm a rock guy so I gravitate to the Classic Rock years of the Eagles instead of the Country or Country Rock years. If I'm going to listen to Country, I listen to the more modern Country which is much more like rock these days. :hilarious:

The Hotel California lineup is my favorite and that is my favorite era (Henley, Frey, Walsh, Felder, and Meisner). So I guess Volume 2 tends to have more songs that I connect with than 71-75. But I do like about half of the tracks on 71-75 (especially from the OTB/OOTN era).

[EaglesKiwi]

Purely in terms of favourite songs, GH2 has the edge for me.

Maybe another reason it hasn't been as popular is because another compilation was released after it??

As a later comer to Eagles fandom, I didn't have all the albums (in fact the first Eagles music I got was a double cassette containing BOTH of these - GH1 and GH2) - probably around 20 years ago so long before becoming a fan. I certainly listened to it, but not enough to become a big fan of the band (mostly through lack of time to just sit around listening to music!!).

[TimothyBFan]

I can't choose one over the other but maybe it's because I've got everything ever put out by these guys so it isn't a question of content for me. I've got multiples of many (vinyl/cassette/CD formats) and in the case of LROOE I've got three CD sets (two were gifts and I couldn't make myself return them!).

I've got to say that my favorite 'travelling CD' is 'The Very Best Of' because it covers every incarnate of the band. But I never leave home without my complete collection. I've got all of their work -- band and solo -- on my MP3.

I'd be willing to bet you're no different from the rest of us here. And I think you'd be hard pressed to find many of us here on the board that DON'T have everything they've put out, in lots of formats and probably multiple formats!!

I also have them all, in many formats and still have all of my original albums along with all the replacements I've had to buy over the years because I wore them out and couldn't bare to part with them. As I've said in the past, every time we attend an album show, or see them in thrift shops, etc... I still buy them and have been known to send many of them off in the mail to other Eagles lovers that might not have them. There's always extra copies of Eagles and solo works in our collection.

As for GH2---- I stopped and thought about it and I realized that I love them both, probably equally and also realized that when we are playing them, we actually tend to put GH2 on more often than the first one. I don't have a reason why. Hmmm....

[Koala]

I like both albums but I prefer the Greatest Hits 1971-1975!

When I read the poll I had to smile, because I listen in the car the Greatest Hits 1971-1975 album at the moment!

[The Disco Strangler]

I'll take them both. :nod:

[sodascouts]

It looks like most folks prefer the first or like them both the same. Not a surprise but still interesting!

[BBKron]

To be honest, I really don't have any use (or affection) for either one. To me, 'Greatest Hits' packages such as these are primarily for casual and non-fans of bands (those that have heard the songs on the radio, but don't usually buy their albums), or for bands that just don't make very good albums with only scattered songs throughout their careers that are decent. For great bands like the Eagles (and particularly for their fans), I just don't see the point. Sure, sometimes an artist compilation is nice to listen to rather than individual albums, but, again, for great artists like the Eagles, these greatest hits packages just does not do justice to their music. They NEVER include what I would consider their best stuff and what I would want in a compilation. So, these are totally frustrating to me.

In addition, Both these vinyl era compilations may have served their purpose in their day (that is, provide the hits for non-fans), but have been rendered completely obsolete by the much better 2-CD compilation, The Very Best Of (2003). The 2 'Greatest Hits' albums contain 20 songs combined, whereas The Very Best Of (for a comparable price) contains 33 songs, a more complete representation of the music, and some non-album tracks (Please Come Home For Christmas and Hole in the World). So now, there just is no reason to purchase either of the older 'hits' albums anymore.

As for the actual content of each, I would prefer the first one, as it covers their earlier stuff, which I generally like better. However, the track order is pretty poorly conceived (they should have just stayed with chronological), and I especially hate how they mixed together the One of These Nights and Desperado tracks, which have completely different styles and production, and just don't go together well at all. But, it also works better as a collection than volume 2, because it pulls together the hits from their first 4 albums, making it a one-stop hits summation of all their early records. Volume 2, on the other hand, is essentially a compilation from only 2 albums (HC and TLR) (rounded out with a 'live' track and 1 from OOTN), making it much less 'essential' a compilation (just get the 2 albums), plus, in doing so they move away from the pure 'hits' strategy, and include non-hit album tracks (Sad Cafe, Victim of Love, After the Thrill is Gone) that may or may not be anyone's favorites. So, as 'hits' packages go, it's easy to see why Volume 1 was so much more successful than Volume 2. But, as I said, I have no use for either one.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

BBKron - I hear what you are saying about compilation CDs, but I do think they are a good thing for the casual fans. From things I've read and experienced, a few listens to these compilations can often turn a casual fan into a hardcore. For artists that I am a casual fan of or want an introduction to their music, that is usually all I buy. If I like what I hear, then I'm likely to buy more of their catalog.

Now, if you've been reading this board, then you probably know that I'm a lifelong Eagles fan. I owned all of their original music on vinyl and some 8 tracks. I think I may have had both of the greatest hits CDs on cassette, but I honestly can't remember for sure. However, my very first CD I purchased and played in my very first CD player in my car was The Very Best of ... After that, I purchased their CD box set that was released around 2004 -2005. Being the completest that I am, I now have the band's entire catalog on CD. As I said in the Survivor thread, with regard to the Eagles compilation CDs, the only ones I ever listen to now are The Very Best of ..., Eagles Live, and Selected Works occasionally. And I have actually created my own personal favorites CD that I listen to as well. There is no real need for me to listen to either of the Greatest Hits compilations anymore since I have everything on them elsewhere. However, I know that if these others had not been released or I didn't have the technology to make my own customized compilations, then I know for sure that I would still be listening the both of the Greatest Hits albums.

[Scarlet Sun]

I listen to vinyl at least 75% of the time these days, probably more, so 1971-1975 remains essential