1001 Albums Summary

Eagles debut album, just titled *Eagles*, it a huge statement for the band and shows how they helped mold rock and roll into the top genre of the 70s and 80s. The album establishes the country-rock/folk blend that would be popular throughout the 70s, as well as establishing the hard rock (see Tryin’) that would be popular in the 80s. *Eagles* shows it’s folk/bluegrass roots till the end, showcasing beautiful guitar solos and satisfying harmonies. Eagles is very experimental, which is both it’s greatest strength and it’s killer weakness. Some of the songs present were groundbreaking, but did not set any trends for the future like other songs on the album did (seriously wtf is Earlybird). Despite this, *Eagles* shows why the band was as influential and popular as it was, and it shows why the bands own *Hotel California* album would become one of the best selling albums of all time years later. A band that had the confidence to push out something so new and exciting was built for success.

Well boys, we were due for a stinker after many wonderful pieces of music. *My Generation* is retroactively plastered as a piece of musical art by critics, noting how the harder sound uncommon at the time would be a precursor to genres like punk and heavy metal. Whenever it was released however it did not do well, which I can totally see why. *My Generation* features many antiquated practices very common for the time it was released, including long, unimpressive instrumental sections of songs that ruin the song’s flow and relying way too heavily on harmonization to cover up bad singing. The hard sound that critics rave about is present in only one song on the entire album, *The Ox*, which is very fitting name considering it does most of the heavy work here. It’s not even a song fitting for the album, it’s an instrumental piece The Who tacked on at the end of recording because it sounded good. Overall, *My Generation* does not bring many new concepts to the table and shows why some common practices for bands of the 60s needed to be shown the door.