The one successful album Glenn Frey said “boggles my mind”
When Glenn Frey was starting out, chances are he didn’t place his bets on being in one of the most successful bands that American had ever seen.
Eagles were certainly one of the leading figures in the country-rock movement when they first began, but it took a lot of hard work for them to go from the breezy rock and roll legends to some of the biggest names in rock and roll almost overnight. But even for all of the major tours that they have gone on and the albums that they sold, some accolades almost never seemed tangible to Frey.
There are plenty of times where he was happy to be given his flowers at the Grammys, for instance, but there were also millions of times where he was itching for something more. He always wanted to be in a band that was respected for the work rather than the catchy singles, and given all the work they put in, they never took that magic for granted.
Admittedly, it did get a little bit testy when people like Don Felder began to get blocked out of the room half the time, but it was never done as a personal affront to the guitarist. They simply wanted to have no filler whenever they went in to cut a record, and by the time that Hotel California started, there was already a lingering tension in the air that whatever they did needed to match up to what they had been doing before.
After all, they had already fallen back on Desperado, and since this was another conceptual album, they needed to nail it to have everyone come onboard. It wasn’t a linear story like The Who did, but outside of having thematic elements about the horrors of Hollywood, there was also the added burden on their shoulders about needing to follow up on the momentum of their first greatest hits.
Because, really, what that one compilation album did for their career is astounding considering everyone had already heard their tunes. While it was a big spit in the face to the band’s plans of giving their albums an ebb and flow, it did manage to put all of their biggest hits under one roof, and that momentum was enough for it to become the biggest selling album of the 20th century by the time 2000 rolled around.
It was a distinction to be proud of, but it almost didn’t seem tangible to Frey at the time, saying, “I don’t get up every morning and say, ‘Goddang! Eagles’ Greatest Hits is now past 30 million! It’s unbelievable!’ But it boggles the mind somewhat. You have to adjust when things like this happen. You just have to keep perspective. I don’t get to bask in the afterglow much. … It’s very gratifying to think that we’ve found this place and that we are where we are.””
Then again, there’s also a certain degree that comes from the fact that some of their most celebrated material isn’t even on that album. ‘Take It Easy’, ‘The Best of My Love’, and ‘Tequila Sunrise’ are all fantastic songs, but no one would have been prepared for an album that had tunes like ‘Hotel California’, ‘New Kid in Town’ and ‘Life in the Fast Lane’ all under one roof, let alone right next to each other on the track listing.
But no one should really be expecting to have one of the biggest milestones in music history under their belts, either. That only comes from when someone’s doing their job really well, and by the time they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it wasn’t a case of them trying to be the reigning kings of rock and roll. They simply wanted to be acknowledged for doing the work, and given how many people are still singing along, it’s safe to say each record was a job well done.
