Today we have the 4th album from the Eagles, “One of These Nights”. I consider this to be the best of the four I have heard so far, as they continue to evolve as an act and refine their sound. The original members are all still in place here, with Don Felder again added as another guitarist to build out their rock sound.
This album is clearly Randy Meisner’s high point with the band, literally and figuratively. Not only does he co-write and sing lead on one of the best songs, “Take It to the Limit”, he also hits some ridiculously high harmony notes as he riffs in falsetto at the end of the title track, “One of These Nights”. The rest of the album is their furthest step away from their country-rock roots, although you can still hear traces of that sound on songs like “Too Many Hands”, yet another Meisner song, and a nice ballad from Don Henley, “Hollywood Waltz”.
My other favorite song on this album is another strong Glenn Frey on the sad, but sometimes true ballad “Lyin’ Eyes”. Ironically, the last song is titled “I Wish You Peace”, written and sung by Bernie Leadon. Another melancholy ballad, this actually served as Leadon’s farewell as he left the band following this album.
Overall, like I said above, I think this is the most polished, complete, and authentic record to date from the Eagles. It has that very mid-1970s sound, and was their biggest commercial success so far as they continued to reinforce their place as one of the most consistently successful acts of the 1970s.
A Lifetime-Plus of Music 