Posted on 01/23/2026 12:38:45 PM PST by nickcarraway
For years, the Eagles have had the bestselling U.S. album of all time. Now, the classic rock legends have made history once more, as Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975 becomes the first album to receive a quadruple diamond certification from the RIAA for U.S. sales exceeding 40 million.
With this new certification, Eagles now lead the second-highest-certified RIAA album, Michael Jackson's 34x platinum Thriller, by 6 million units. The band also claims the third-bestselling album in RIAA history with Hotel California, which has been updated to 28 million certified units.
Eagles' 'Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975' Has Been Making History for Decades
Released in February 1976, Eagles' Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 became the first album to receive an RIAA platinum certification, which was introduced the same year. The album spent five weeks atop the Billboard 200 and was inducted into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry in 2017 for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." A sequel, Eagles Greatest Hits Vol. 2, arrived in 1982 and earned the band another diamond certification, despite their displeasure with the release.
For all the geography enthusiasts reading this: If you laid 40 million vinyl records side by side, they would stretch 7,575 miles — approximately the distance from Eagles' hometown of Los Angeles to Cairo, Egypt.
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Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
I have their CD and love it.
Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening.
I bought it when it came out. Cash poor so good value on Greatest Hits package.
Original issue has an embossed cover. Later reissues the cover is flat/smooth.
Life in the fast lane.
Had the LP album, had it on 8-Track, have it on CD and now as a digital download in my car. Great album.
That wasn’t the original Eagles band.
Yeah, but Joe Walsh was a huge upgrade.
My first thought! That’s funny!
A fun fact about the eagles. All 7 members (’71 to ‘80) had a writing credit on a hit...with Walsh co-writing Life in the Fast lane and Bernie co-writing Witchy woman. Of course Timothy had I can’t tell you why and Randy with Take it to the limit. That’s rare as hell. And of course Don and Glenn had a train load of them. Ps...Felder co wrote Hotel CA.
Don’t get me wrong, Walsh is good, but I have a sentimental spot for the original band.
Felder co wrote Hotel CA.
With an assist from Ian Anderson.
I remember how mail order was then. And the back pages of magazines had advertisements, you could order something like seven records and get one free. That’s when I got this album.
I think Felder also came up with the initial version of Take It to the Limit.
I saw the Eagles live twice. The first time was Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and Loggins and Messina for the US Bicentinnial Concert at Tampa Stadium on July 4, 1976.
GOAT Eagles.
That’s exactly what I was talking about. You could choose 8 track or vinyl.
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