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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Stuff - But the original albums are better, December 31, 2002
Here is an interesting situation. The Eagles released their first greatest hits album after releasing four albums. They then release two more albums and then release a second greatest hits collection. Let me give you the end of this review. I like this collection. However, the two albums from which eight of the songs derive, "Hotel California" and "The Long Run", are better. Of the other two songs, "After the Thrill Is Gone" is from the 1975 release "One of These Nights". The other song is the wonderful "Seven Bridges Road", which only appears on 1980's "Eagles Live". I think the only reason I bought this CD was because of "Seven Bridges Road", otherwise owning the aforementioned albums covers the rest.These songs show a change in musical styles, from the country rock of the first four albums to rock and pop/rock, likely a result of Joe Walsh' influence on Don Henley and Glen Frey. In the process The Eagles created one of the best story songs ever, "Hotel California", a surreal vision combining elements of the desert, the loss of innocence of all of us in the transition from the 60s to the 70s, and a longing for those things that never seem quite achievable. The other songs on this collection range from very good to great. The Eagles hit a peak on "The Long Run" and "Hotel California" that was reflected in the sales of both albums, and the extensive list of singles released from both. While the early Eagles albums were influential in country-rock, the last two albums are what cemented their place in rock music. As great as the music is, as I stated at the beginning, I find it difficult to recommend this CD as a must have. "The Long Run" and "Hotel California" albums are worth buying. Once you have those, there are only two songs you are missing from this CD. You have to decide whether owning "Seven Bridges Road" is worth the expense of buying this CD. I personally think that a new greatest hits collection should be released that includes "Seven Bridges Road". However, I do not get to make those choices. In the meantime, I decided this was the best way to get that particular song, which is one of my favorite Eagle songs. For the casual Eagles fan, if you do not plan to buy "The Long Run" and "Hotel California", then definitely buy this CD.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended for beginners, December 24, 1999
This album contains all the radio-friendly hits from the Eagles' last two studio albums of the 1970s. If you do not own "Hotel California" and "The Long Run," get this cd. I would recommend "The Long Run" only to die hard fans because the second half of the album sounds like a half-hearted effort of the boys to be creative. "After the Thrill is Gone" is included on this album even though it was a 1974 hit. The album closes out with an unexplained bizarre, dissonant honkytonk piano track. "Seven Bridges Road" is a great live tune the Eagles often performed during their last few years of performing. As for "Heartache Tonight, " I think the live version would have been stronger for this compilation. All in all a very decent collection with all the familiar songs of their harder rock phase.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great! But..., February 18, 2001
If you are a casual Eagles fan then you would do well by purchasing this album and the Eagles first Greatest Hits album. The differences between the two are interesting. As everyone knows, the Eagles were more or less a country rock band on their early albums (up to One of These Nights) and their first Greatest Hits album reflects that. This album, however, is different. With the addition of Joe Walsh to the band and the switch away from a country-rock sound (for the most part, anyway) what we get here are equally good (arguably better) songs in a different vein. The songs for the most part are more "rock 'n' roll-esque" than were the songs on the first set. Absolute classics like Life In The Fast Lane, The Long Run, and Victim of Love are excellent examples of the Eagles harsher sound towards the latter part of their career. And of course, you get Hotel California, which is unarguably one of the greatest songs of all-time in anybody's book. However, there are also songs that are more of a throwback to their earlier albums. New Kid In Town, Heartache Tonight, I Can't Tell You Why, etc. After The Thrill Is Gone from One of These Nights is also included. So is the live cover of Steve Young's Seven Bridges Road and the closing album track from The Long Run, The Sad Cafe. All are good songs. This is a worthy purchase for the new Eagles fan, along with the first volume, and perhaps Hotel California.However, all of that said, there are some negative things that need to be pointed out about this collection. First off, there are some great songs missing. Notably, Wasted Time (one of my favorite Eagles songs) and The Last Resort from Hotel California, and Those Shoes (a very underrated song) from The Long Run. Granted, these songs were not necessarily "hits", but they are missed. So if you want these tracks, you might be better off just getting the original albums instead. Hotel California is one of the greatest albums of all-time and belongs in everyone's collection, anyway. Also, there is nothing new here for the Eagles fan who already has all of the original albums. Thus, I will not recommend this album unceasingly (though granted it does contain a lot of great music), whether you should purchase it or not rather depends on your position.
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