Sometimes you just need a win.

I had recently returned from a week long road trip to Southern California that included multiple days of sitting in the car, sleeping in a different bed nearly every night, a challenging visit with my in laws and an Airbnb disaster, along the way visiting as many record stores as I could get away with while traveling with my wife (who finds record stores insufferable). I was flipping through a substantial pile of titles I’d bought on the trip wishing I’d done a better job of culling before reaching the cash register.

As I began to clean up some of these records and I found some free time to sit down and give them a listen, I was experiencing a familiar mix of hope and dread while dropping the needle on each. Had I misjudged the condition? Did I pay WAY too much for this one? Have I blown $30 on another sonic flop? In several cases the answers were “yes, yes and DAMNIT YES!”

Then, not really expecting too much…really just trying to satisfy a minor curiosity about it, I put on a $5 copy of The Eagles debut album and sat down to listen. “Hey wait a minute!” I thought. “Are my ears deceiving me or does this record really sound this good?” “Take It Easy” was blowing my mind! Every one of the vocal parts was sweet, smooth and distinct. The bass was deep and full. The guitars were clear, clean and free of distortion.

Then came the intro to “Witchy Woman” and my jaw dropped. Wow! The drums sounded so big and solid, and Don Henley’s vocals so smooth and present. The guitar was living in the recording! I started to realize that I’d landed a winner.

I had intended to play maybe one or two tracks on the album. Before I knew it side 1 was over. There was not a single clunker. Even Glen Frey’s saccharine “Most Of Us Are Sad” had won me over in the span of a single listen. I flipped the record over and side 2 sounded even better than side one! I had my win. This copy of The Eagles was stunning.

Aside from the fact that I’d managed to land a great sounding copy on my first try and that the material on the album was much better that I ever realized, much of the credit for this experience goes to one man – Glyn Johns. Johns served as producer and recording engineer on Eagles and the sound he brings to the material is beyond impressive.

Not only is the recording of each part from the vocals to the bass to the drums to the guitars near perfection, Johns creates an atmosphere on the recording that is simultaneously dark and alive, cool and warm, intense and relaxed. It’s an atmosphere that, as a listener, I find deliciously appealing and endlessly satisfying.

This will surprise no one familiar with Glyn Johns’ work. He is the man behind some of the most electrifying and iconic rock records of the 20th century. Apart from Eagles, he produced/engineered many of The Rolling Stones best and best sounding albums, including Let It Bleed (my personal favorite) and Sticky Fingers, and he delivered arguably The Who’s best album, Who’s Next. Johns produced The Beatles’ Let It Be as well as early work by Humble Pie and Leon Russel. AND he was recording engineer on Led Zeppelin’s debut album. Need we say more?

But what he accomplishes on Eagles is nothing short of incredible. Every instrument and vocal part is so well recorded that each musician lives and breathes on each and every track. It’s hard to name a stand out because every song is perfection, but if I really had to choose, “Take the Devil” might be my pick. This is in spite of the fact that Randy Meisner is not my favorite singer, but he has an edge to his voice that cuts clearly through soundstage and marries perfectly with the weighty, relaxed drums, tight, lively bass and the guitar parts that, as the track goes on, edge ever closer to breaking loose into a full on monster rock song.

Another track I find remarkable is “Earlybird.” The chirping sound, taken and used to great effect from a sound effect library, strikes me as both a genius and an incredibly risky production choice. It’s easy to see how the sound could be terribly annoying to listen to, and it wouldn’t surprise me if on many other copies of this album it is. But on this copy it works beautifully in Johns’ arrangement, adding a unique flavor to the song that complements Bernie Leadon’s lively banjo playing and lends the track a quaint folksiness that is both charming and exciting to listen to.

I’ve never been a big Eagles fan, or frankly, even a small one. Decades ago I owned a copy of Hotel California that I’ve long since parted with, and I’ve never felt compelled to pick up another. But I’d read recently how great an album Eagles was and how wonderful it can sound, and I was intrigued. Now that I own this particular copy, I am enamored, and I anxiously look forward to hearing more of their albums, perhaps even to revisiting Hotel California. Glyn Johns also went on to produce and engineer the band’s second album, Desperado, so that also seems like an obvious next choice.

If you’re a fan of the band and don’t own an early pressing of their debut, get one immediately! If you’re not a fan of the band but you love to hear fabulous sounding 70’s rock records, get one immediately! First pressings in good condition appear to be affordable but not always easy to find.

The copy I reviewed here is a 1975 reissue mastered by Terry Dunavan at Masterdisk. These reissues are not expensive at all. If you’re reading this and are genuinely interested, I’d be happy to post the matrix information. Just leave a comment. I know if it were me reading this, I’d be willing to take a shot at finding a great copy of Eagles. I’ve honestly never heard a record sound better than this one. THANK YOU MR. JOHNS!

UPDATE! – I’m not longer a fan of this reissue, although the first side is still very good. I’d recommend an earlier pressing done at Richmond pressing plant.