Eagles Live (2LP)

By the time Eagles saddled up to the band’s first live album in 1980, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Don Felder, Randy Meisner and Timothy B. Schmit were already rock stars of the highest order. The group’s two previous studio albums Hotel California (1976) and The Long Run (1980) both peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for multiple weeks, producing massive chart and radio hits.

Eagles Live, released on November 7, 1980, was the last show until they reconvened in 1994 for the aptly titled “Hell Freezes Over” tour.

Some of the tense energy within the group spilled over onto Eagles Live, with the group’s performance of “Life in the Fast Lane” appearing on the record. The other live recordings were captured at shows in Los Angeles at the Forum (October 1976), and Santa Monica at the Civic Center (July 1980). Between 1976 and 1980, the group's lineup changed. So the tracks from '76 feature original bassist, Randy Meisner. Songs recorded in the 1980 featured his replacement, Timothy B. Schmit.

There was just one single released from Eagles Live: "Seven Bridges Road," a cover of the 1969 outlaw country classic written and recorded by Steve Young. The Eagles' version made a strong chart run, peaking right on the edge of the top 20 at No. 21 over the week of February 7, 1981. The No. 1 song in America that week: Kool & the Gang's "Celebration."

The double-LP Eagles Live release was a hit, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 over the week of December 21, 1980.