Country & Country Rock

Ranking The First Seven Albums by The Eagles

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Reviews and Commentaries for the Music of The Eagles

Without question the first Eagles album is still their best sounding release.

Hotel California is a classic, no argument there, but even the best sounding copies are a little “modern” for our tastes. I prefer both the music and the sound of On The Border to Hotel CA, but that should clearly be seen as a minority opinion. De gustibus and all that.

Let’s call them their second and third best, we’ll leave the order to you.

The third tier would have One of These Nights, followed by Desperado, The Long Run and Eagles Live.

The less said about any of their albums after 1980 the better.

You know the first album. You know Hotel California. The best Eagles album you don’t know is On The Border.

We’ve recently compiled a list of records we think every audiophile should get to know better, along the lines of “the 1001 records you need to hear before you die,” but with less accent on morbidity and more on the joy these amazing audiophile-quality recordings can bring to your life. On the Border is a good example of a record most audiophiles don’t know well but would most likely benefit from getting to know it better.

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Gregg Allman – Laid Back

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  • A stunning 2-pack copy with Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) sound on side one of the first disc and Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) sound on side two of the second disc – just shy of our Shootout Winner
  • Here are just a few of our notes for these incredible pressings: “tubey guitars” “very full bodied vox,” “very rich and relaxed.”
  • We were surprised at how well recorded the album is – dramatically better than the Allmans’ album from the same year, Brothers and Sisters
  • Full-bodied and Tubey Magical, with especially smooth, present vocals – this is the sound we love at Better Records
  • 4 1/2 stars: “Recorded in the same year as the Brothers and Sisters album, this solo debut release is a beautiful amalgam of R&B, folk, and gospel sounds, with the best singing on any of Gregg Allman’s solo releases.”
  • This is our pick for Gregg Allman’s best sounding album. Roughly 150 other listings for the best recording by an artist or group can be found here on the blog.

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Bob Dylan – New Morning

  • New Morning is back on the site for only the second time in three years, here with a Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) side two mated to a solid Double Plus (A++) side one
  • “If Not For You” was the big hit on this one, and we guarantee you have never heard it sound better than it does on this very copy
  • During our shootout we were reminded how surprisingly enjoyable this album is – it fits in nicely between Dylan’s country era and his later 70s works such as Blood On The Tracks
  • He’s also singing in his familiar Bob Dylan “nasally” voice, not the country croon he developed for Nashville Skyline
  • 4 1/2 stars: “… the overall quality is quite high, and many of the songs explore idiosyncratic routes Dylan had previously left untouched… Such offbeat songs make New Morning a charming, endearing record.”

There are some great songs here like “If Not For You” and “The Man In Me,” and when you find a copy that cuts through the murk and veil of the typical pressing it’s a lot of fun. Big Lebowski fans will be happy to hear “The Man In Me” on side two, one of Dylan’s under-appreciated gems.

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The Eagles – Self-Titled

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  • The Eagles’ debut album returns site for only the second time in fifteen months, here with solid Double Plus (A++) grades or BETTER on both sides of this early Asylum pressing
  • You will be floored by the huge, rich, Tubey Magical guitars exploding out from your speakers on “Take It Easy” on this Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) side one – it’s just shy of our Shootout Winner and will make a fantastic Demo Disc to blow your audiophile friends’ minds
  • These early pressings are extremely hard to find in audiophile playing condition, and one that sounds as good as this one does might take you years to track down
  • This is exactly the kind of record that makes virtually any audiophile pressing pale in comparison – just about everything you could ask for as an audiophile is here, and more
  • One of the best sounding rock records ever made, a member of our Top Ten and without a doubt Glyn Johns‘s engineering (and producing) masterpiece
  • A Top 100 Tubey Magical Demo Disc that is guaranteed to blow your mind on a pressing that sounds as good as this one does

Vintage covers for this album are hard to find in clean shape. Most of them will have at least some amount of ringwear, seam wear and edge wear. We guarantee that the cover we supply with this Hot Stamper is at least VG, and it will probably be VG+. If you are picky about your covers please let us know in advance so that we can be sure we have a nice cover for you.

It will not take the lucky owner of this record long to recognize what we’ve known for years: the Eagles first album is clearly and inarguably one of the best sounding rock records ever made. Almost all the qualities we look for on this album can be found on this very copy.

We’ve been up on our soapbox for years telling people how amazing this record can be, and here’s a copy that backs up our position from start to finish. (more…)

Willie Nelson and Leon Russell – One for the Road

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  • The sound is big and rich, the vocals breathy and immediate, and you will not believe all the space and ambience
  • This is an exceptionally good (studio) recording, and this pressing really nails the smooth, rich analog sound of what must be an awesome master tape
  • Our notes for sides one and two on our shootout winning copy read: big/rich/no smear/not bright/breathy vox/big bass/3D/huge vox — that’s our kind of sound!
  • 4 stars: “…it’s a small, priceless gem for any serious fan of either singer.”

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The Eagles / Desperado

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  • A Desperado like you’ve never heard, with a STUNNING Shootout Winning Triple Plus (A+++) side one mated to a seriously good Double Plus (A++) side two
  • This copy has huge amounts of Tubey Magic, a strong bass foundation, and plenty of space around the guitars and voices – man, that is our sound!
  • This is the second-best sounding Eagles record of all time, no doubt thanks to their brilliant engineer and producer, Glyn Johns
  • “A solid country-rock classic… the music stands the test of time, especially when Desperado is heard in its entirety, from start to finish.”

Acoustic guitar reproduction is key to this recording, and on the best copies the harmonic coherency, the richness, the body and simply phenomenal amounts of Tubey Magic can be heard in every strum.

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Sons of the Pioneers – Cool Water

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  • A Cool Water like you’ve never heard, with seriously good Double Plus (A++) Living Stereo sound throughout this vintage pressing
  • These sides have a richness and sweetness that’s disappeared entirely from modern recordings yet they’re still incredibly clean, clear and spacious
  • If you want to know why people love Living Stereo records, playing either side of this record should be all the convincing anyone would ever need
  • Marks in the vinyl are sometimes the nature of the beast with these early pressings – there simply is no way around them if the superior sound of vintage analog is important to you
  • “The original release, issued at the height of the stereophile boom of the late 1950s, was a vivid display of close, intimate presence and discreet channel separation.”

This vintage RCA Black Label Living Stereo LP has two excellent sides, making this without a doubt one of the better sounding pressing we have ever had the distinct pleasure to play! We were as shocked to hear this copy as you will no doubt be (if you end up with it of course).

And the music — sophisticated arrangements of western classics featuring the group’s trademark harmonies — has maintained its charm remarkably well since 1959, more than sixty years after this All Tube recording was made. The orchestra and the male singers sound so natural you’ll wonder what the hell modern recording engineers think they’re up to. Engineers apparently knew how to make good recordings in 1959 — this record is all the proof you need — so what excuse can they possibly have for the dismal dreck they’ve been turning out for the last 30+ years?

The woodwinds here have that lovely airy, breathy quality that they do in real life. The singer’s voices are rich and full. The presentation is relaxed and involving. When’s the last time you heard a modern record with any of those qualities? Do you think the people recording Patricia Barber appreciate qualities such as these in a vocal recording? My ears tells me they don’t.

But there’s no point complaining about the modern world and its manifest shortcomings. Let’s be thankful that these wonderful records, recorded with such skill and care, still exist.

And that Better Records can offer you superb sounding pressings of them like this one.

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Johnny Cash / Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison

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  • At Folsom Prison returns to the site on this early Columbia 360 Stereo pressing with incredible Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) grades throughout – just shy of our Shootout Winner
  • Cash’s vocals sound right here – present, full and natural, with virtually none of the hardness, strain and edge you get on the average copy
  • It literally took us YEARS to find a copy that was worthy enough to put on the site, so don’t miss out on this one if you’re a fan
  • 5 stars: “…At Folsom Prison is the quintessential Johnny Cash album, the place where his legend burns bright and eternal.”

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Lynyrd Skynyrd – Street Survivors

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  • A vintage pressing with the rare “flames” cover boasting excellent Double Plus (A++) sound or BETTER throughout – exceptionally quiet vinyl too
  • Forget whatever dead-on-arrival Heavy Vinyl record they’re making these days – if you want to hear the Tubey Magic, size and Southern Rock Energy of this surprisingly well recorded album from 1977, this is only the way to go
  • 4 1/2 stars: “… it’s a hell of an album. The band springs back to life with the addition of guitarist Steve Gaines, and Van Zant used the time off the road to write a strong set of songs… If the original band was fated to leave after this record, at least they left with a record that serves as a testament to Skynyrd’s unique greatness.”
  • If you’re a Southern Rock fan, this undeniable classic from 1977 is surely a Must Own
  • The complete list of titles from 1977 that we’ve reviewed to date can be found here

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New Riders of the Purple Sage – Self-Titled

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  • Both sides of this original copy have seriously good sound for the group’s debut LP, earning Double Plus (A++) grades
  • These sides are relatively rich, full-bodied and warm, yet clear, lively and dynamic
  • You get lovely extension up top, good weight down low, as well as exceptional transparency in the midrange, all qualities that were much less evident on the average copy we played
  • 4 1/2 stars: “Anyone who enjoyed the Grateful Dead’s Workingman’s Dead or American Beauty and wanted more, then or now, should get the New Riders of the Purple Sage’s eponymous release…”

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