For a band that takes almost 30 years to record a new album, seven doesn't seem too long. When the Eagles touch down on March 18 at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, it will be the first time since 2004 that the legendary rockers have performed here. For most fans any Eagles event is worth the wait, even if it takes until 'Hell Freezes Over,' as the name of their 1994 world tour put it.
By the time they arrive, the Eagles will be celebrating their 40th anniversary. When they formed in 1971, the burgeoning country-rock scene, that included Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt and the Flying Burrito Brothers, was just lifting off. Their debut, released the following year, produced the top-10 hits Take It Easy, co-written by Jackson Browne, and Witchy Woman. From there the hits came fast and plenty: Peaceful Easy Feeling, Tequila Sunrise, Desperado, The Best of My Love, Lyin' Eyes, One Of These Nights, Take It To The Limit, Hotel California, New Kid In Town, Heartache Tonight and, most recently, 2007's How Long from their first studio album in 28 years, Long Road Out Of Eden. Their influence on mainstream pop has been huge with contemporary stars such as Taylor Swift and Keith Urban direct inheritors of their legacy.
The Eagles have sold more than 120 million albums, earning five No 1 US singles and six Grammy Awards. Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 has exceeded sales of 29 million units and vies with Michael Jackson's Thriller as the best-selling album of all time. Hotel California and Greatest Hits Volume 2 have sold more than 16 and 11 million albums respectively. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
The Eagles sprang from the same southern Californian scene that included two bands - the Beach Boys and the Doors - that seem diametrically opposed. By melding the rich harmonies and sunny pop of the Beach Boys with the jaded hedonism of the Doors, the Eagles created their own sound on songs such as Lyin' Eyes and Hotel California.
The core of the group is the songwriting partnership of Glenn Frey and Don Henley. They fashioned a sound that has become synonymous with the laid-back excess of the mid-1970s. While Henley and Frey would later pursue successful solo careers and address social issues in their songs, such as Henley's The End of the Innocence, the Eagles indulged in hedonistic pleasures along with Fleetwood Mac.
They released Desperado in 1973 then On The Border the next year before the smash hit One Of These Nights appeared in 1975.