So, folks…here it is, another of my “discussion” threads.
IMHO, I thing The Eagles are fantastic, and had something to say to everyone at some level, crossing at least two musical genres very successfully…
So, your thoughts, accolades, diatribes, attacks…put 'em here!!
Have you ever tried driving a long way without CDs, in areas with a high number of “classic rock” stations? There is NOTHING that compares with the feeling of lobotomisation you get from hearing “Hotel California” for the nineteenth time in three hours…
Hah! dutchboy, I think that song’s long enough that 3 hours is just enough time to hear it only 19 times…
Yeah…“Easy Listening” AND “Adult Contemporary”
Mojo Nixon said it best when he sang “Don Henley Must Die”. 
Jon
Yeah! And McDonald’s is the pinnacle of haute cuisine.
I’m a huge Eagles fan. I’ve got a number of their CD’s, have transferred their music to tape for use in cars, etc.
Still, “Greatest Group of All Time” may be stretching it a bit.
“Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.” 
I loathe Hotel California. It truly is the song that created “Classic Rock” stations. The Eagles must pay!
I’d say they’re in the top 10, definitely. They’ve been around forever and put out a lot of great songs.
I like them, but they are by no means the greatest group of all time. One listen to The Long Run will re-assure you of that. I’ve always thought that Hotel California was overrated.
Good group, but their early work is pretty mediocre – sub-par John Denver. They only hit their stride when they added Joe Walsh. Hotel California is a great album and song (yes, it’s played way too much, but that’s hardly a fault of the group) and The Long Run is also very good.
But not the best of all time. They’re hardly in the class of the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, the Dead, etc.
The Eagles are certainly a great band, but they have to be appreciated for what they are. They’re not the greatest band of all time. They weren’t particularly innovative. They didn’t break new ground in musical stylings or complex musicianship.
What they did was make beautiful music replete with catchy hooks. They also told some great story songs, and are absolutely impeccable musicians. No one did harmony better. Just listen to Seven Bridges Road from their live album - I’ve heard it a zillion times, and it still sends shivers down my back when I hear it.
A lot of people judge them against the overplay of Hotel California, but some of their best music wasn’t that popular. For example, the two worst tracks on The Long Run are the two biggest hits - “Heartache Tonight” and “The Long Run”. But listen to chilling tales like “King of Hollywood”, or the complex rhythmns of “The Disco Strangler” and the beauty of “The Sad Cafe”. Those are much better songs.
I have a soft spot for the album “Desperado”. It’s a ‘concept’ album that works better than most did. The “Rock singer as country outlaw” notion isn’t new, but the Eagles did it better than anyone else on that album.
And sheer numbers are important here as well. The Eagles still have the #1 selling record of all time, and they were the most popular act in the 1970’s, outselling everyone else. Their concert tours are still the most profitable around, at a time when they’d only put out one album in the last 20 years. That kind of staying power is amazing.
So yeah, The Eagles are a great band. One of the biggest acts of the 20th century. I just wouldn’t call them geniuses in the same league as the Beatles. The Beatles blazed new trails. The Eagles were masters of refinement of existing genres.
I’ve always thought of the Eagles as country music with better chops and more creative arrangements. Country music for people who thought of themselves as too hip to listen to conventional country. Victim of Love? Deperado? I Can’t Tell You Why? Life in the Fast Lane? Heartache Tonight? Wasted Time?
You can’t tell me this isn’t country music. Really, really good country music, with impeccable musicianship and vocals.
So I’d vote for the Eagles as the greates country band.
What he said. Seriously, I love the Eagles and I love Henley’s solo work.
However, they’re nowhere near the “Greatest Group of All Time.”
Hotel California is a good album, mostly because of the other songs, like Wasted Time, or The Last Resort.
Yes, I can. It isn’t country music.
Of course, I’d be lying somewhat. 
The Eagles are among the best in their field. Calling the Eagles the best group ever would be like saying The Rolling Stones is the best group ever or The Beatles are or The Dave Brubeck Quartet is. There are far too many categories to make such a statement.
However, in their field, The Eagles aren’t the best ever IMHO. The sound quality on their recordings has been surpassed time and time again by both conteporary and releases of the time, the harmonies lack bass, and the drum sounds do credit to cardboard boxes. Despite all this, I think they are a good group.
I never understood the amount of flac that they get on this board (Sting is another exmaple). They have made some marvellous songs (my favourites are Desperado, Tequila sunrise, Lyin’ eyes and, yes, Hotel California). Best group ever? Not by a long shot though.
I only opened this thread because I could not believe there really could be a human being who thought the Eagles were the greatest group ever.
Evidently, there is.
A testament to the bredth of humanity that comprise the SDMB. (This is a good thing, BTW.)
I don’t hate the Eagles as much as some people here do but they wouldn’t make my top 100.
Hell, even I wouldn’t say I hate them (like I do, say, Billy Joel), but they wouldn’t even make my Top 1,000.
Dirk,
You misspelled ‘The Clash’ in your Subject. You may want to get an admin to change that.
I remember reading the review of The Long Run in the local paper years ago and the reviewer commented the song “The Long Run” was obviously plagiarized from some lesser-known, more talented band with whose music she was well-acquainted. All of lesser mortals would have to take her word for it. Now, I was just a kid when that record came out so maybe I’m making it all up, but can anyone offer any comments on this, well, memory?
Heh, heh.
Jon