Album Review: The Eagles - One of These Nights (1975)

I was rather disappointed when I heard the much lauded Hotel California for the very first time.  Yes, there were very good, even great songs on the album - but nothing you won't find on any of their hits compilations.  That was the first half of the album - the second half was nothing but fillers, and rather boring ones at that.  Now that I have gotten around to listening to their commercial breakthrough, One of These Nights, the band has well and truly redeemed themselves in my eyes, or perhaps more accurately, my ears.  Not only does it have great hits on it - "One of These Nights", "Take it to the Limit" and "Lyin' Eyes", everything in between is pretty damn impressive too.  "Too Many Hands" and "Hollywood Waltz" are the biggest surprises here, and provide a welcome listening experience in between biggies "One of These Nights" and "Lyin' Eyes."  But it doesn't stop at the latter, and "Visions" carries on the run of great filler tracks, let down slightly only by the following "After the Thrill is Gone", but even that isn't too bad, either, and for the weakest link on the album it still has some charm to it.  Damn, I think I'll be adding this album to my ever growing CD wishlist.  Yet another pleasant surprise!  A

Album Review: The Eagles - Hotel California (1976)

The Eagles' greatest hits were just that - greatest hits.  I've lost count of just how many different "best of" or "greatest hits" compilations I've seen from the band - for the most part, bar one or two songs, all the songs were the same, from "Hotel California", "Take It Easy", "Lyin' Eyes", and so on.  Even the track listings were nearly identical, but that of course could be explained by the chronological ordering of them.  Listening to 1976's acclaimed "Hotel California", frankly I would be much better off myself sticking to the compilations.  It's not a terrible album as such - you've got the staple hits, "Hotel California", "New Kid in Town" and "Life in the Fast Lane" to back it up, but the rest of the album is replete with slow, mellowed out ditties that motivate nothing and otherwise live out their lives as better-built fillers, not quite outright boring but then again, unlikely to pick you up and invigorate you when the Sandman starts pulling violently at your eyelids.  Apart from the staples I would probably recommend listening to "Victim of Love", and that's about it.  Otherwise, you're not really missing out on much.  Worth listening to now and again, but it won't compel you to get up and start running in any direction, be it for the best or the worst reasons.  Meh.  B