One of These Nights | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 10, 1975 | |||
Recorded | 1974–1975 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 43:15 | |||
Label | Asylum | |||
Producer | Bill Szymczyk | |||
the Eagles chronology | ||||
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Singles from One of These Nights | ||||
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One of These Nights is the fourth studio album by American rock band the Eagles, released on June 10, 1975. The album was the band's commercial breakthrough, transforming them into international superstars. In July that year, the record became the Eagles' first number one album on Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, yielding three Top 10 singles: "One of These Nights", "Lyin' Eyes" and "Take It to the Limit". Its title song is the group's second number one single on the Billboard Hot 100. The album sold four million copies and received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. A single from the album, "Lyin' Eyes", was also nominated for Record of the Year, and won the Eagles' first Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 18th Annual Grammy Awards in 1976. The band embarked on the worldwide One of These Nights tour to promote the album.
One of These Nights is the last Eagles album to feature the original lineup of Randy Meisner, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and Bernie Leadon (along with then-new member Don Felder). Leadon left the band after the album's tour due to his dissatisfaction with the band's shift from country towards a more mainstream rock sound and was replaced by Joe Walsh. The seventh track, "Visions", is the only Eagles song on which lead guitarist Don Felder sang the lead vocals, despite his desire to write and sing more songs. [3]
The Eagles began working on their fourth album in late 1974. Glenn Frey and Don Henley wrote four of the nine songs by themselves, and they also collaborated with other members of the band on three other songs. Many of the songs were written while Frey and Henley were sharing a house in Beverly Hills, including "One of These Nights", "Lyin' Eyes", "Take It to the Limit" and "After the Thrill Is Gone". In an interview with Cameron Crowe, Henley joked that it was their "satanic country-rock period" because "it was a dark time, both politically and musically" in America, referring to the turmoil in Washington and disco music starting to take off. He added: "We thought, 'Well, how can we write something with that flavor, with that kind of beat, and still have the dangerous guitars?' We wanted to capture the spirit of the times." [4]
Frey said that "One of These Nights was the most fluid and 'painless' album [they] ever made", and thought that the quality of the songs he wrote with Henley had improved dramatically. [4] However, Leadon was becoming increasingly unhappy during the making of the album. He wrote three of the nine songs, none of which was released as a single. [5] He was unhappy with the more rock direction of the band that Frey preferred, at one time walking out of a meeting to discuss which take to use after the recording of a rock track. [6] Leadon would leave the band in late 1975, after the album was released.
Frey also began to sing less as a lead singer starting with this album, singing solo lead on only one song ("Lyin' Eyes") and sharing lead vocals with Henley on another ("After the Thrill Is Gone"). Henley later said: "[Glenn] was generous in that respect ... If I began to do more than he did, it was because if someone had a strong suit he would play that card. 'You sing this, you sing it better,' that kind of thing." [7] Randy Meisner sings lead on two songs, one of which, "Take it to the Limit", a composition he co-wrote with Frey and Henley, was released as the third single from the album. Of the nine Eagles songs to feature Randy Meisner singing solo, this is the only song of his to be released as a single.
"One of These Nights", "Lyin' Eyes", and "Take It to the Limit" were released as singles.
"Journey of the Sorcerer" was used as the theme music for Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series produced by the BBC in 1978 and 1979. Adams said he had wanted something that sounded "sci-fi" while at the same time suggestive of a traveller, so this banjo-based instrumental struck him as ideal. [8] "Journey of the Sorcerer" was used subsequently for the television series in 1981 (albeit re-recorded), the sequel radio series produced by Above the Title Productions for the BBC in 2003 and 2004, and (re-recorded once again) for the film produced by Disney/Touchstone in 2005. The original version from One of These Nights was used for all original transmissions of all five radio series, and a further version was used for the sixth. The TV adaptation of the series, and also an additional version released on LP record, used an arrangement by Tim Souster. The CD releases of radio series transmitted in 2004 and 2005 used another version arranged by Philip Pope, and recorded by a tribute band The Illegal Eagles, [9] and the 2005 film used a version by Joby Talbot.
“I Wish You Peace” was written by Bernie Leadon and his then-girlfriend Patti Davis, daughter of Republican then-Governor of California Ronald Reagan. Nancy Reagan had already disowned Patti during this period, ostensibly because of her choice to live together with Leadon as an "unmarried couple". [10] Years later Don Henley would disparage this song as an Eagles release, describing it as “smarmy cocktail music and certainly not something the Eagles are proud of”. [11] Henley was also annoyed that Davis was given cowriting credit, and told a reporter: "Nobody else wanted [the song]. We didn't feel it was up to the band's standards, but we put it on anyway as a gesture to keep the band together." [12]
According to Henley, he and Frey were aware of B.B. King's song "The Thrill Is Gone", and wrote the song to explore the aftermath: "We know that the thrill is gone – so, now what?" [13] On the studio recording (and live performances during Frey's lifetime), Frey sings lead on the verses and choruses, while Henley sings lead on the bridge.
The cover for the album is an image of an artwork by Boyd Elder, also known as "El Chingadero". [14] Elder knew the Eagles in 1972 when pieces of his work were exhibited in an art gallery in Venice, California; among those who attended the opening were members of the Eagles who performed "Witchy Woman" at the show, an early appearance by the band as the Eagles. [14] [15] In 1973, Elder started to create artwork of painted skulls with wings and feathers. [16] Elder was a friend of the album cover designer Gary Burden, who was responsible for the Eagles' three previous albums and was interested in using one of Elder's pieces for this cover. [17] Elder presented two of his works to the Eagles in Dallas in late 1974, one of which was then chosen for the cover of One of These Nights. [18] Later another work of Elder, an image of an eagle's skull, would be used for the cover of Their Greatest Hits album. The painted animal skull motif was also used in the cover for their compilation album The Very Best of , [16] and the skull of One of These Nights was used for the cover of the documentary History of the Eagles .
The album cover for One of These Nights is the last Eagles album design on which Burden was involved. He made the skull stand up off the page by debossing large areas together with detailed and elaborate embossing in the wings and feathers. According to Burden, the cover image represents where the band was coming from and where they were going – "The cow skull is pure cowboy, folk, the decorations are American Indian inspired and the future is represented by the more polished reflective glass beaded surfaces covering the skull. All set against the dark eagle feather wings that speak of mysterious powers." [17] The album artwork received a Grammy nomination for Best Album Package. [19]
Original vinyl record pressings of One of These Nights (Elektra/Asylum catalog no. 7E-1039) had the following text engraved in the run-out grooves of each album side:
The Eagles and their producer Bill Szymczyk would continue the trend of including such "hidden messages" in the run-out grooves on several subsequent albums.
This is the second album by the Eagles to have a Quadraphonic surround sound pressing. It was released on Quadraphonic 8-track tape and CD-4 LP.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Christgau's Record Guide | C+ [20] |
Rolling Stone | [21] |
Stephen Holden of Rolling Stone , in an early review of the album, expressed a liking for the album but did not consider it a great album. He thought the band's ensemble playing "unprecedentedly excellent" but they "lack an outstanding singer", and that while "many of their tunes are pretty, none are eloquent." He added: "And for all their worldly perceptiveness, the Eagles' lyrics never transcend Hollywood slickness. Their hard rock has always seemed a bit forced, constructed more from commercial considerations than from any urgent impulse to boogie. And when the Eagles attempt to communicate wild sexuality, they sound only boyishly enthused. These limitations, however, seem built into the latter-day concept of Southern California rock, of which the Eagles remain the unrivaled exponents." [22] The Rolling Stone Album Guide judged the album to be the band's "most musically adventurous outing yet, flirting with disco on the title song, a waltz on "Take It to the Limit", and bluegrass psychedelia on Leadon's "Journey of the Sorcerer". [21]
In a retrospective review, William Ruhlmann of AllMusic was more favorable. He thought that it had more original material and that the material was more polished, writing: "One of These Nights was the culmination of the blend of rock, country, and folk styles the Eagles had been making since their start; there wasn't much that was new, just the same sorts of things done better than they had been before. In particular, a lyrical stance—knowing and disillusioned, but desperately hopeful—had evolved, and the musical arrangements were tighter and more purposeful. The result was the Eagles' best-realized and most popular album so far." [1]
Ultimate Classic Rock critic Sterling Whitaker rated both "One of These Nights" and "After the Thrill Has Gone" as being among the Eagles' 10 most underrated songs. [23]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
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1976 | "Lyin' Eyes" | Record of the Year | Nominated | [19] |
Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal | Won | |||
One of These Nights (Gary Burden) | Best Album Package | Nominated | ||
One of These Nights | Album of the Year | Nominated |
The album debuted on the US Billboard 200 chart at number 25 the week of its release, [24] and climbed to number one in its fourth week on the chart, [25] where it then stayed the next four weeks. It was the first of four consecutive number one albums for the Eagles. The album was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), signifying shipment of over four million copies in the United States. [26]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
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1. | "One of These Nights" | Henley | 4:51 | |
2. | "Too Many Hands" | Meisner | 4:43 | |
3. | "Hollywood Waltz" |
| Henley | 4:04 |
4. | "Journey of the Sorcerer" | B. Leadon | instrumental | 6:40 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
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1. | "Lyin' Eyes" |
| Frey | 6:22 |
2. | "Take It to the Limit" |
| Meisner | 4:48 |
3. | "Visions" |
| Felder with Henley, B. Leadon, and Frey | 3:58 |
4. | "After the Thrill Is Gone" |
| Frey and Henley | 3:56 |
5. | "I Wish You Peace" |
| Leadon | 3:45 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes. [27]
Eagles
Additional personnel
| Production
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Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [41] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [42] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [43] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [26] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles and six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s in North America and are one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold more than 200 million records worldwide, including 100 million sold in the US alone. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and were ranked number 75 on Rolling Stone's 2004 list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Founding members Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner were recruited by Linda Ronstadt as band members, some touring with her, and all playing on her third solo studio album, before venturing out on their own on David Geffen's new Asylum Records label.
Donald Hugh Henley is an American musician who is a founding member of the rock band Eagles, for whom he is the drummer and co-lead vocalist, as well as the sole continuous member of the band. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles songs such as "Witchy Woman", "Desperado", "Best of My Love", "One of These Nights", "Hotel California", "Life in the Fast Lane", "Victim of Love", "The Last Resort", "The Long Run", and "Get Over It".
Glenn Lewis Frey was an American musician. He was a founding member of the rock band Eagles. Frey was the co-lead singer and frontman for Eagles, roles he came to share with fellow member Don Henley, with whom he wrote most of Eagles' material. Frey played guitar and keyboards as well as singing lead vocals on songs such as "Take It Easy", "Peaceful Easy Feeling", "Tequila Sunrise", "Already Gone", "James Dean", "Lyin' Eyes", "New Kid in Town", and "Heartache Tonight".
Desperado is the second studio album by the American rock band the Eagles, released on April 17, 1973, by Asylum Records. The album was produced by Glyn Johns and was recorded at Island Studios in London, England. The songs on Desperado are based on the themes of the Old West. The band members are featured on the album's cover dressed like an outlaw gang; Desperado remains the only Eagles album where the band members appear on the front cover.
Eagles is the debut studio album by American rock band the Eagles. The album was recorded at London's Olympic Studios with producer Glyn Johns and released on June 1, 1972, by Asylum Records. It was an immediate success for the then-new band, reaching No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and achieving a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Three singles were released from the album, each reaching the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100: "Take It Easy", "Witchy Woman", and "Peaceful Easy Feeling". The band, starting with this album, played a major role in popularizing the country rock sound.
On the Border is the third studio album by American rock band the Eagles, released on March 22, 1974. Apart from two songs produced by Glyn Johns, it was produced by Bill Szymczyk because the group wanted a more rock‑oriented sound instead of the country-rock feel of the first two albums. It is the first Eagles album to feature guitarist Don Felder. On the Border reached number 17 on the Billboard album chart and has sold two million copies.
Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) is the first compilation album by the American rock band the Eagles, released by Asylum Records on February 17, 1976. It contains a selection of songs from the band's first four albums, which were released from 1972 to 1975. On the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, the album reached number one, where it stayed for five weeks.
Bernard Matthew Leadon III is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Eagles, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Prior to the Eagles, he was a member of three country rock bands: Hearts & Flowers, Dillard & Clark, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. He is a multi-instrumentalist coming from a bluegrass background. He introduced elements of this music to a mainstream audience during his tenure with the Eagles.
Donald William Felder is an American musician who was the lead guitarist of the rock band Eagles from 1974 to 2001. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 with the Eagles. Felder was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2016.
Randall Herman Meisner was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and founding member of the Eagles. Throughout his professional musical career, Meisner's main role was that of bassist and backing high-harmony vocalist as a group member and session musician. He co-wrote and provided lead vocals on the Eagles hit song "Take It to the Limit".
"One of These Nights" is a song by the American rock band Eagles, written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey. The title track from their 1975 One of These Nights album, the song became their second single to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart after "Best of My Love" and also helped propel the album to number one. The single version was shortened from the album version of the song, removing most of the song's intro and most of its fade-out, as well. Henley is lead vocalist on the verses, while Randy Meisner sings high harmony on the refrain. The song features a guitar solo by Don Felder that is "composed of blues-based licks and sustained string bends using an unusually meaty distortion tone."
"Take It Easy" is the debut single by the American rock band Eagles, written by Jackson Browne and Eagles band member Glenn Frey, who also provides lead vocals. It was released on May 1, 1972, and peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on July 22, 1972. It was also the opening track of the band's eponymous debut album and has become one of their signature songs, included on all of their live and compilation albums. It is listed as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
"Lyin' Eyes" is a song written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey and recorded in 1975 by the American rock band Eagles, with Frey singing lead vocals. It was the second single from their album One of These Nights, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 8 on the Billboard Country chart. It remained their only top 40 country hit until "How Long" in 2007–2008.
"James Dean" is a song written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Jackson Browne, and J. D. Souther, and recorded by the American rock band Eagles for their 1974 album On the Border. It was the second single released from this album, reaching number 77 on the U.S. pop singles chart.
"Take It to the Limit" is a song by Eagles from their fourth album One of These Nights from which it was issued as the last third single on November 15, 1975. It reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and was also Eagles' greatest success to that point in the United Kingdom, going to No. 12 on the charts. Billboard ranked it as the No. 25 song for 1976.
"Outlaw Man" is a song written by David Blue and recorded by the American rock band Eagles. The song was chosen by the Eagles for their second album Desperado as the song fits the theme of a Western outlaw gang of the album. It is the second single released from Desperado after "Tequila Sunrise", and the eighth track on the album.
"Tequila Sunrise" is a song from 1973, written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey, and recorded by the Eagles. It was the first single from the band's second album, Desperado. It peaked at number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Peaceful Easy Feeling" is a song written by Jack Tempchin and recorded by the Eagles. It was the third single from the band's 1972 debut album Eagles. The single reached No. 22 on the charts and is one of the band's most popular songs. Glenn Frey sings the lead vocal, with Bernie Leadon providing the main harmony vocal and Randy Meisner completing this three-part harmony.
"Witchy Woman" is a song written by Don Henley and Bernie Leadon, and recorded by the American rock band Eagles. Released as the second single from the band's debut studio album, Eagles (1972), it reached No. 9 on the Billboard pop singles chart.
Live from the Forum MMXVIII is the third live album and a concert film from the Eagles. It records the concerts at the Forum in Inglewood, California that took place over three nights in September 2018. It is the first release to feature new band members Deacon Frey and Vince Gill alongside Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit. Deacon, son of the late former band member Glenn Frey, and Gill joined the band following the death of the elder Frey in 2016. It was released on October 16, 2020, in a variety of formats, including CD, DVD and Blu-ray.
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