Stereogum Home

 

November 8, 2007

Eagles's Wild Week

Folks scoffed when we noticed Eagles wandering the desert and suggested Baby Boomers unite and ready themselves for Don Henley and Co.'s second amble. Looks like the Eagles of soft rock were even more desirable than we suspected: Long Road Out Of Eden kicked Britney's inadequate mom butt, selling 711,000 copies in its first week. Those are Kanye numbers! (Actually, they're more like 50 Cent numbers.) Remember all that for-sale-only-in-Wal-Mart hubbub? Although according to Eagles website they share that beacon of bad business's "commitment to environmental sustainability," looks like they aren't actually seeing each other exclusively. Via Rock Daily:

We called eight Virgin Megastores in five different states, and discovered seven had Long Road in stock, although none of them had the album prominently listed in their in-store inventory directories. Of the Virgins carrying the album, most started selling it today, one week after the album’s release, while two said they started selling the CDs on October 30th, the same day as the “exclusive” Wal-Mart on-sale date, with one store even “selling out” their fairly large stock. The fact that the albums were selling out came as a surprise, considering the CD at Virgin came with price tags ranging from $18.99 to $24.99. While it is a double CD, the price is strikingly higher than Wal-Mart’s tag of $11.88. When we asked one clerk why the album was so expensive at Virgin, and whether the discs might be imports, he whispered into the phone that he “thinks they were hard to get.” A small record store in Nebraska told us they were re-selling discs that were purchased at Wal-Mart. The question now is, how did Virgin Megastore get their hands on the album, and did these sales contribute to the Eagles’ Billboard chart-topping 711,000 copies?
After visiting FreySpace and reading some of the comments, we think the bigger question is when did so many middle-aged people get MySpace accounts?

Oh, one more question: Did anyone catch the guys doing "How Long" on last night's CMAs? We were busy watching folks cover Dylan (more on that later) and missed it.

Posted at 10:02 AM
Tags:




18 Comments

alright, enough's enough. what the fuck happened to this website? it seems like you guys are just an extention of rolling stone sometime. enough with the eagles. nobody ever gave a flying fuck. wal-mart? give me a break. washed up sold out narcissists. atleast band of horses aren't washed up. or narcissists. yet.

Posted by: joey at 11/08/07 11:18 AM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

I'm just glad Britney didn't top the charts. She had nothing to do with that album, just went in the studio for 2 hours and breathed into a mic. At least the Eagles are real musicians.

Posted by: James at 11/08/07 11:27 AM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

I hate the fuckin Eagles man!

Posted by: Meat at 11/08/07 11:31 AM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

it's sad that most of your readers don't have the ability to respect a band that most likely influenced a great deal of the bands they listen to today.

the only reason they swallow your lindsey buckingham posts is because they arent about fleetwood mac. im sure in that context he'd suddenly become some no talent washed up has been.

maybe if you title the next eagles post "steroegum hearts joe walsh" things will run smoother.

Posted by: leighann at 11/08/07 11:52 AM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Fuck off. The Eagles have written more great, timeless songs, and sold more records then 1,000 hipster band-o-the-moments combined.

And in another 20 years, when all those hipster bands are long, long forgotten, people will still be buying and listening to Eagles.

So get over it.

Posted by: Cole at 11/08/07 11:56 AM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

i kind of like the eagles. they have catchy songs

Posted by: bob at 11/08/07 12:19 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Timeless classics? Highly influential? Deserving of my respect? Jesus Christ... Who ARE you people and where the hell did you come from?

Your love for this band will forever indicate your shitty taste in music.

Posted by: Buffalo Bill at 11/08/07 1:00 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Everyone knows the Eagles sort of picked up the later Byrds influence, and ran with it to great commercial success. With that said, Don Henley & Co. are a bunch of arrogant bores. Good musicians? Yes. Any hipster band out there today would have a hard time doing harmonies like that. But do I want to read/hear about the Eagles? Hells no. They were bloated & obnoxious in the 70's and little has changed.

Posted by: deb at 11/08/07 1:07 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

hey, buffalo bill, check this out ... "I HATE THE FUCKIN EAGLES, MAANNN!!!" HAHAHAHA!!! That was hilarious, wasn't it?!

Like...."I HATE THE FUCKIN EAGLES, MAANNN!!!!" LOLOLOLOLOL
fuckin excellent. I HAAAATEE the fuckin eagles manaaanana!!! lolol1l1ol1o1!11!!

hey..joey?? great comment, but listen to this...I know your gonna love it...

"I HATE THE FUCKIN EAGLES, MAAAANN!!!" LOLOOLOoLlo!!1!!

I dont know how those lebowski writers came up with it! it's THAT fuckin inventive and original!!

hey, anyone who hasnt heard...check this...
"I HAATE THE FUCKIN EAGLES MAN!!!!" YEAH!! tell your friends how fuckin funny some of the comments are gonna be on here.

Posted by: stephen at 11/08/07 1:10 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

when i was growing up my stoner parents listened to the eagles. i just can't do it. i'm sorry. maybe i'll give steely dan and zappe the credit they deserve, but the eagles and supertramp and the like...i'll just leave for my mom. \m/

Posted by: NRRDGRRL at 11/08/07 1:26 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

WAH! THE EAGLES SUCK! THEY'RE A BAND UNCOOL PEOPLE HAVE ACTUALLY HEARD OF THEREFORE THEY SUCK AND HAVE NO BUSINESS BEING MENTIONED ON A COOL MUSIC WEBSITE!

... They do actually suck, though ... They just do.

Posted by: T.S.A. GANGSTAZ at 11/08/07 1:30 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Say what you want about the Eagles: awesome, horrible, influencial, etc. But they offered their album exclusively through Walmart! You know, the chain who doe s not sell albums with explicit lyrics. The chain that would not sell an album that contained the song title, "Rape Me."

I can't say anything good about a band that makes a deal with Walmart.

Posted by: in the balcony at 11/08/07 2:34 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Holy wow! There are some outlandishly retarded comments here in defense of the Eagles. Coincidence?

Posted by: NME at 11/08/07 3:23 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

I hate the fuckin' Eagles, MAN!

By the way, Stephen? You're being very UNDUDE.

Posted by: The Dude at 11/08/07 5:08 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Stephen, you're being VERRRRY UNDUDE.

Posted by: Dude at 11/08/07 5:12 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

The Eagles weren't that bad, actually. Decent southern pop, rocked up a little more with Joe Walsh's inclusion. "Pretty Maids All In A Row" is a beautiful song. That said, "Long Road Out Of Eden" is a tepid mess. I've listened to it bunches of times and nothing grabs me, at least not in a good way.

Even Walsh takes a hit to the groin this time for using a real groaner for a lyric in "Guilty Of The Crime" (as in, guilty of the crime of lovin' you, baby).

But the primary purpose of Stereogum running this story, I believe, is just just to illustrate that people are actually buying the CD and in strong numbers. Are they onto something we, the illuminated, don't know? Are they all retarded, eating lead-based paint chips like they were guacamole Doritos? Is it that this release is marketed to a segment of the audience that still wants "hard copy" music product, as opposed to newer audiences for whom a single digital download is just fine, thank you very much?

And finally, Lindsey Buckingham is the best with or without The Mac. How he wound up in this conversation is a mystery to me, but is probably just my paint chips talking...

DwD

Posted by: Dw. Dunphy at 11/08/07 5:17 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

The Eagles weren't that bad, actually. Decent southern pop, rocked up a little more with Joe Walsh's inclusion. "Pretty Maids All In A Row" is a beautiful song. That said, "Long Road Out Of Eden" is a tepid mess. I've listened to it bunches of times and nothing grabs me, at least not in a good way.

Even Walsh takes a hit to the groin this time for using a real groaner for a lyric in "Guilty Of The Crime" (as in, guilty of the crime of lovin' you, baby).

But the primary purpose of Stereogum running this story, I believe, is just just to illustrate that people are actually buying the CD and in strong numbers. Are they onto something we, the illuminated, don't know? Are they all retarded, eating lead-based paint chips like they were guacamole Doritos? Is it that this release is marketed to a segment of the audience that still wants "hard copy" music product, as opposed to newer audiences for whom a single digital download is just fine, thank you very much?

And finally, Lindsey Buckingham is the best with or without The Mac. How he wound up in this conversation is a mystery to me, but is probably just my paint chips talking...

DwD

Posted by: Dw. Dunphy at 11/08/07 5:23 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

People like Joey need to chill the hell out. This kind of news is interesting, and I'm glad Stereogum reports it. Do you hipsters really need to filter your news with the same exclusivity that you use to decide which bands are "cool" enough to like? Give this website a break and get over yourselves.

Posted by: Andrew Leahey at 11/08/07 10:52 PM | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Leave a comment


Staff

  • Founder/Editor-In-Chief: Scott Lapatine
  • Executive Editor: Amrit Singh
  • Senior Writer: Brandon Stosuy
  • Sales: Angela Williams

Info

Contact

Get Flash to see our mp3 player. Here are our mp3s: Department Of Eagles - In Ear Park (»)
To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie - In Peoples' Homes (»)
Girls - Solitude (»)
The Black Heart Procession - Rats (»)
John Vanderslice - Fetal Horses (»)
Slaraffenland - Meet And Greet (»)
Cold Cave - Life Magazine (»)
Blue Roses - Doubtful Comforts (»)
Lightning Dust - Never Seen (»)
Crocodiles - Summer Of Hate (»)
Fleet Foxes - Blue Spotted Tail (Live On BBC6) (»)
Megafaun - Kaufman's Ballad (»)
The Antlers - Two (»)
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Wind Phoenix (»)
The Octopus Project - Wet Gold (»)
Mew - Repeaterbeater (»)
Rubies - Diamonds On Fire (»)
The Antlers - Two (»)
Spiral Stairs - Maltese Terrier (»)
Sally Shapiro - Miracle (Bogdan Irkuk Remix) (»)

Progress Report logo
Commercial Appeal logo
Premature Evaluation logo
Band to Watch logo
Quit Your Day Job logo
The Outsiders logo
The 'Gum Drop logo