History Made: The Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) Becomes First Quadruple Diamond Album
Photo by Distributed by Asylum Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Sales
The Eagles have reached a new sales mark in the United States, as Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) has become the first album ever certified 40 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The milestone gives the band another record in a long career built on steady radio play and strong catalog sales. The collection, first issued in 1976, continues to draw listeners nearly five decades after its release.
It now stands six million units ahead of Michael Jackson’s Thriller on the U.S. best-seller list, widening a lead it has held for years. The album pulls together ten songs from the group’s first four studio records, all recorded before Joe Walsh joined. These tracks helped define the band’s early sound and built the base that later supported even bigger commercial peaks across the country.
Songs
The record includes several of the Eagles’ best-known songs. “Best of My Love” and “One of These Nights” both reached No. 1 in the United States. “Lyin’ Eyes” climbed to No. 2, while “Take It to the Limit” hit No. 4. Other steady radio titles such as “Take It Easy,” “Witchy Woman,” “Already Gone,” and “Desperado” helped the set remain popular long after its first chart run.
The compilation spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart during 1976 and later became the first album ever certified Platinum by the RIAA. It has logged more than 500 nonconsecutive weeks on the Billboard 200. In 1999, it was named the top-selling album of the 20th century, and in 2017 the Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry.
Legacy
The Eagles formed in 1971 after Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner worked with Linda Ronstadt. Don Felder joined in 1974. Joe Walsh replaced Leadon the next year, and Timothy B. Schmit took Meisner’s place in 1977. The first album with Walsh was Hotel California, now the third-best-selling album in U.S. history with 28 million units sold in total sales to date.
Often called The Eagles in conversation, the band prints only Eagles on its covers. The group has earned 14 Platinum albums and about 126.5 million units sold in the United States. It still tours with Henley, Walsh, Schmit, Vince Gill, and Deacon Frey, the son of Glenn Frey, who died in 2016 at age 67. The lineup blends past and present members on major stages.
