Have you even listened to the biggest selling album in US history?
On its 50-year anniversary, I can't seem to find anyone who's ever listened to Eagles' Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975). Join me on another extremely cold take
Subscribers of a certain newsletter vintage might remember that I was once a nob who’d never listened to Pink Moon. Hadn’t even seen a copy. The same goes for Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) by Eagles, which is an admission I’m sure I can more easily walk away from.
It’s not that the world has heard Pink Moon, but the right people have. Their Greatest Hits seems to be opposite. It’s reported to be America’s biggest selling album of all time – and the 5th biggest selling in the world – and yet it appears that no one I know has ever listened to it. Or they’re keeping that to themselves. It might be a British thing: we have our own museum pieces here, cheers, and if one American style of music has never traveled well to our vista-less island it’s country, the base that Eagles built their fortune on in early 1970s California.
Spin celebrated 50 years of Their Greatest Hits with a post on Instagram a couple of weeks ago, and it’s on US music sites where Eagles are kept alive, usually with news of lawsuits, a farewell tour that’s been going on for 3 years so far, the deaths of past members, and a reminder that one of their albums is the biggest selling in US history. Every time I hear that, shortly before I stop thinking about Eagles again, I make a note that I really should listen to the greatest hit. This time I’m going to. Before we press play though (we, yeah?) a few things...
The band’s name is bad…
… but only because even the band can’t decide what it is. Officially they’re called Eagles. No ‘The’. But so many people refer to them as The Eagles (or, more often, the Eagles, with the lowercase t of an utter coward) the band sometimes-but-not-all-the-time call themselves the Eagles too. It does sound better, to be fair, and is nicer to write down. In the spirit of Eagles lore I shall continue this article about the Eagles switching between the two.
The album title is bad
No caveat – it’s just bad. Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975). Their! Err, what??
We will not be hearing ‘Hotel California’
You were going to find out at some point so it might as well be now. When I finally took a pass at Pink Moon I was certain that the music would be familiar to me even if I didn’t know it yet (turns out it wasn’t). With the greatest hits of the Eagles my carrot was to be ‘Hotel California’, but it’s very much not here. I’m sorry. It was released on the band’s album of the same name later in 1976; Their Greatest Hits compiles THEIR hits from the band’s first four albums only.
What are the other biggest selling albums of all time?
This will be a distraction if we don’t talk about it now. Part of the reason Their Greatest Hits sticks out in the conversation of best selling albums of all time is because it doesn’t quite scan with those also in the top 10, which feel like no-brainers. Thriller is the widely known champion on 70 million sales. Back in Black is number 2 with a drop of 20 million, but well done AC/DC, 50m still a lot of records. Next is The Bodyguard (the other movie soundtrack in the top 10 is Saturday Night Fever, in at number 10). Then it’s Dark Side of The Moon, and then Their Greatest Hits, which is the only compilation in the top 10. Some feel that’s a cheat and I’m not saying they’re wrong, but to Eagles’ credit, one place below this record, just 2 million sales behind it, on 42 million, is Hotel California. This tells us 2 things: we really won’t be hearing ‘Hotel California’, in case you ignored my warning, which I’ll still admit is preposterous; and Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) must be really good. The only greatest hits in the top 10!? Surely it should ALL be greatest hits. And Thriller.
It’s time to find out what America has been hiding from us…
