Eagles back @ No. 1

[rick]

www.cbc.ca/radio/q/blog/the-eagles-overtake-michael-jackson-s-thriller-for-best-selling-album-of-all-time-1.4791913

[sliderocker]

I have a problem with the Eagles recording being certified 38x platinum. That problem being it is not the "Best of" album that was released in 1976, but a later reissue of the album that was expanded by combining a second volume of greatest hits in 2003. That makes the claim that the album has sold 38x platinum dubious and dishonest. The original single album up to 2003 had sold 28 million and that is where its' true status should be considered. The expanded two disc edition has sold 10 million copies and it should be treated as a separate entry. That is not the RIAA's way however, though if I was running that organization it would be.

[erik]

Part of the reason that I think Linda's favorite desperados overtook The Gloved One is that not only did the Eagles mount "comebacks" that were riotously successful (monetarily, of course, as well as anything else), but Jackson's weird, outlandish, and arguably illicit behavior with kids, up to and including dangling his child from a balcony in Berlin, soured a lot of people on him, up until his death in June 2009. Even after the group lost Glenn Frey (his son, thankfully, has stepped into his place with very good results), they are still out there. Jackson isn't.

And at the risk of appearing cold-blooded towards Jackson, long before his death, long before even the scandals, largely because of the media but also because of his hyping himself up as the "King Of Pop", I got bored stiff by him. Michael Jackson just bored me to tears after a while. This is something I couldn't say about the Eagles, nor certainly about Linda. A lot of people think that the huge success of Hotel California caused the Eagles to slowly but surely collapse the first time around; and that's entirely possible. But one can also argue that Thriller, being as hugely successful as it was, slowly but surely began to destroy Jackson.

[the Scribe]

What isn't mentioned is that Eagles Hotel California comes in at #3 right behind Michael Jackson.

[the Scribe]

I head this on NPR earlier today. Here it is from the horses/eagles mouth:

www.eagles.com/news/297676

RIAA AWARDS THE EAGLES WITH THE #1 AND #3 TOP-CERTIFIED ALBUMS OF ALL TIME
Aug 20, 2018
THEIR GREATEST HITS 1971-1975 IS THE BEST-SELLING ALBUM OF ALL-TIME, CERTIFIED 38x PLATINUM

Hotel California is Third Best-Selling Album Of All-Time, Certified 26x Platinum

Eagles Tour Dates Continue Through October 2018



The Eagles can now add another accolade to their unparalleled resume - Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 is the best-selling album of all time, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which recently certified the album 38x Platinum, accounting for sales and streams of more than 38 million copies since its release in February of 1976. Later that same year, in December, the band followed up with Hotel California, which is now the third best-selling album of all time, certified 26x Platinum by the RIAA for sales and streams of more than 26 million copies.

“Congratulations to the Eagles, who now claim the jaw-dropping feat of writing and recording two of the top three albums in music history,” said Cary Sherman, Chairman and CEO, RIAA. “Both of these transcendent albums have impressively stood the test of time, only gaining more currency and popularity as the years have passed, much like the Eagles themselves. As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the RIAA’s Gold & Platinum Program this year, it is only fitting that we can recognize the Eagles for their singular contribution to the history of American music.”

In today’s faddish, fractured, rock landscape, the Eagles retain an appeal that transcends both generation and genre, cementing the band’s role as enduring musical icons. As the best-selling American band of the ’70s, and one of the top-selling acts of all time, the Eagles have sold more than 150 million albums worldwide, scored six #1 albums and topped the singles charts five times. They have won six GRAMMY® Awards, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, in their first year of eligibility, and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2016.

The Eagles - Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, with Deacon Frey and Vince Gill - are currently on tour through October 2018. The band has performed for more than half a million fans since the latest tour began on March 12.

Remaining 2018 Tour Dates:

9/08/18 - Phoenix, AZ, United States @ Talking Stick Resort Arena
9/12/18 - Los Angeles, CA, United States @ The Forum
9/14/18 - Los Angeles, CA, United States @ The Forum
9/15/18 - Los Angeles, CA, United States @ The Forum
9/18/18 - Sacramento, CA, United States @ Golden 1 Center
9/20/18 - San Francisco, CA, United States @ AT&T Park
9/22/18 - San Diego, CA, United States @ PETCO Park
10/06/18 - Hartford, CT, United States @ XL Center
10/09/18 - New York, NY, United States @ Madison Square Garden
10/10/18 - New York, NY, United States @ Madison Square Garden
10/12/18 - Newark, NJ, United States @ Prudential Center
10/14/18 - Detroit, MI, United States @ Little Caesars Arena
10/15/18 - Chicago, IL, United States @ United Center
10/18/18 - Milwaukee, WI, United States @ Wisconsin Ent. & Sports Center
10/20/18 - Cleveland, OH, United States @ Quicken Loans Arena

EVENTS

[Dublin]

Aug 20, 2018 21:31:37 GMT -5 sliderocker said:

I have a problem with the Eagles recording being certified 38x platinum. That problem being it is not the "Best of" album that was released in 1976, but a later reissue of the album that was expanded by combining a second volume of greatest hits in 2003. That makes the claim that the album has sold 38x platinum dubious and dishonest. The original single album up to 2003 had sold 28 million and that is where its' true status should be considered. The expanded two disc edition has sold 10 million copies and it should be treated as a separate entry. That is not the RIAA's way however, though if I was running that organization it would be.

Are you absolutely certain?

The RIAA website has the 2-disc compilation with its own certification, as well as Greatest Hits V2.  They show Greatest Hits 1971-1975 at 38 million.

[the Scribe]

My impression is that it was their original Greatest Hits (only) album which included the original 4 members plus Don Felder.

Background
Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) comprises nine singles released between 1972 and 1975, plus the album track "Desperado." All of these singles except "Tequila Sunrise" charted in the top 40, with five in the top ten, and "One of These Nights" and "Best of My Love" both topping the singles chart.

The manager of Eagles, Irving Azoff, said: "We decided it was time to put out the first greatest-hits because we had enough hits."[7] However, according to Don Felder, none of the band members had any say in the decision to release the compilation album.[8] The band complained that the album was "nothing more than a ploy by the record company to sell product without having to pay additional production costs".[9] Don Henley was unhappy that songs like "Tequila Sunrise" and "Desperado" were lifted out of the context of the original album in a way that he thought detrimental to the nature, quality and meaning of the music. He said: "All the record company was worried about were their quarterly reports. They didn't give a shit whether the greatest hits album was good or not, they just wanted product."[9] Despite being unhappy with the album's release, the band nevertheless reasoned that it gave them more time to work on the Hotel California album.[10]

Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 album chart on its first week of release,[17] and reached number one in the following week, where it stayed for five weeks.[18][19] It was ranked number four on the Billboard year-end album chart of 1976,[20] but it continued to sell, and would eventually become the best-selling album of the 20th century in the United States.[21]

The album has the distinction of being the first album to receive the RIAA platinum award, which was introduced in 1976 to honor album that shipped one million copies in the United States.[4][22] It received its certification on February 24, 1976, a week after its release. In August 1990 it was certified 12×platinum, and on November 10, 1999. The next certification established the album at 14 times platinum in December 1993, and then 22 times in June 1995, with sales of 919,000 in the U.S. during that period.[23] It became the all-time best-selling album in the United States when it was certified 26× multi-platinum. In a 2001 radio interview, Randy Meisner revealed neither he nor Bernie Leadon were even notified of the record-breaking award presented to them in 1999, and "...had to call and we finally received it."[24] It was certified at 29x platinum on 30 January 2006, signifying shipment of 29 million copies in the US.[25] Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) is listed at number 1 on the RIAA's "Top 100 Albums", surpassing Michael Jackson's Thriller which is certified 33x multi-platinum.[5] Worldwide, the album has sold over 42 million copies as of 2011.

[rick]

Slide, I understand your point. I wonder if the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has a rule about. For example, I believe when “Thriller” had been out 25 years etc., they released a special edition. Does that count?
What about nowadays with “exclusive” editions being released by Target or such? I am guessing those are all counted as the same unit, not as individual titles.

[Tony]

I never knew that Tequila Sunrise did not make the Top 40, altho I knew Desperado was an album cut only. They work okay out of context of the LP. Two of my favorites. In retrospect, I wonder if the Eagles are so bent out of shape about this greatest hits album. It has been a great source of income for them. I seem to recall Henley was also bent out of shape about the 2-disc best of set.

[erik]

Quote by Tony:

I never knew that Tequila Sunrise did not make the Top 40, altho I knew Desperado was an album cut only. They work okay out of context of the LP. Two of my favorites. In retrospect, I wonder if the Eagles are so bent out of shape about this greatest hits album. It has been a great source of income for them. I seem to recall Henley was also bent out of shape about the 2-disc best of set.

I believe that both Henley and Frey, at different times, remarked that, with respect to Desperado, Asylum execs thought to themselves, "Oh God, they've made a f***ing cowboy record."

As for Their Greatest Hits, I believe that the group was fairly chagrined about that album when it came out, Henley especially, who thought it was a move of typical corporate thinking, even as Asylum (and Joe Smith in this case; he was the label chief) said that it was a moneymaker for the group as well.

[the Scribe]

Weren't there similar reactions when Linda Ronstadt's Greatest Hits was released by all involved?

Greatest Hits was Linda Ronstadt's first major compilation album, released at the end of 1976 for the holiday shopping season. It included material from both her Capitol Records and Asylum Records output, and went back to 1967 for The Stone Poneys' hit "Different Drum".

It remains the biggest-selling album of Ronstadt's career, being certified seven times Platinum (over 7 million US copies sold) by the Recording Industry Association of America[4] in America alone. As of 2016 - 40 years after its initial release - it has never been out of print and has reportedly sold nearly 20 million worldwide. It peaked at #6 on the main Billboard album chart and also reached #2 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, where it remained for over three years.

The album was criticized by the Rolling Stone Record Guide for being "premature", as Ronstadt continued to have record-breaking mainstream successes for many years following this release, however by the time this collection came out Ronstadt had already been recording hit records (as a solo artist and with the Stone Poneys) for a decade and there were many examples of other artists releasing greatest hits albums much sooner, such as Elvis Presley.

[erik]

Quote by ronstadtfanaz:

Weren't there similar reactions when Linda Ronstadt's Greatest Hits was released by all involved?

Linda may have been more bemused than outraged; she may have thought it was a bit soon to be doing this, given that she had only had seven Top 40 hits on the Hot 100 by that time, all of which were on the album.

[sliderocker]

Aug 21, 2018 0:16:06 GMT -5 Dublin said:

Aug 20, 2018 21:31:37 GMT -5 sliderocker said:

I have a problem with the Eagles recording being certified 38x platinum. That problem being it is not the "Best of" album that was released in 1976, but a later reissue of the album that was expanded by combining a second volume of greatest hits in 2003. That makes the claim that the album has sold 38x platinum dubious and dishonest. The original single album up to 2003 had sold 28 million and that is where its' true status should be considered. The expanded two disc edition has sold 10 million copies and it should be treated as a separate entry. That is not the RIAA's way however, though if I was running that organization it would be.

Are you absolutely certain?

The RIAA website has the 2-disc compilation with its own certification, as well as Greatest Hits V2.  They show Greatest Hits 1971-1975 at 38 million.

I'm certain. The certification is for the two-disc version of the single disc version that came out in 1976. The two-disc version was released in 2003; the single disc version hasn't been available in a while. This is the info listed on the RIAA's website:

se Date
Previous Certification(s)|Date(s)
Category
Type
Genre
Release Date February 1, 1976


38X Multi-Platinum | August 20, 2018
GROUP
Standard
ROCK

37X Multi-Platinum | August 20, 2018

36X Multi-Platinum | August 20, 2018

35X Multi-Platinum | August 20, 2018

34X Multi-Platinum | August 20, 2018

33X Multi-Platinum | August 20, 2018

32X Multi-Platinum | August 20, 2018

31X Multi-Platinum | August 20, 2018

30X Multi-Platinum | August 20, 2018

29X Multi-Platinum | January 30, 2006

28X Multi-Platinum | November 7, 2002

27X Multi-Platinum | November 8, 2000

26X Multi-Platinum | November 10, 1999

25X Multi-Platinum | January 8, 1999

24X Multi-Platinum | March 3, 1997

22X Multi-Platinum | June 5, 1995

14X Multi-Platinum | December 14, 1993

12X Multi-Platinum | August 21, 1990

Platinum | February 24, 1976

Gold | February 24, 1976


So, this isn't or shouldn't be later editions of the album but the version that was released in February 1976. But, in fact, it includes the two-disc later edition of the album because the single edition is no longer available. And once can see between the certifications for 28 million copies and 29 million, a little over three years passed between the certifications. The single disc was replaced by the two-disc set in that time. And one should also note the more than 12.5 year interval between the certification for 29 million copies and the 30th through 38th certifications on August 20th of this year. That's a little ridiculous, don't you think? Was it really necessary to certify the same album for all the sales between 30 and 38 million? That's like spiking the ball, in my opinion. All those extra certifications were not needed because all that was needed was a press announcement that the Eagles' 1976 album, Their Greatest Hits had sold an additional nine million copies in 12.5 years.

There are other compilation albums out there on the Eagles and yes, they have their own certifications where applicable. But, the certification for 38 million is for none of those albums but for the original greatest hits compilation album from 1976 and the upgraded two disc set, which again, are two separate albums and should be treated as such and not as one unit.

[sliderocker]

Aug 21, 2018 0:44:45 GMT -5 rick said:

Slide, I understand your point. I wonder if the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has a rule about. For example, I believe when “Thriller” had been out 25 years etc., they released a special edition. Does that count?
What about nowadays with “exclusive” editions being released by Target or such? I am guessing those are all counted as the same unit, not as individual titles.

I think the RIAA tries to accommodate wherever possible when it comes to the artists and their albums. Under the RIAA rules, the special edition of Michael Jackson's Thriller would count in the official sales of the original album. So would the Target, Wal Mart, Barnes and Noble and Amazon special editions of any albums with something not found on the otherwise widely available general public release. But, again, if it differs from the main release, it needs to be treated separately. The Target, Wal Mart, Barnes and Noble and Amazon special editions may be higher priced than the general public release, so they should be counted separately rather than as being part of the same release. Before the Eagles Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 was updated as a two disc CD set, its price in the shops was around ten dollars. The upgrade moved the price to the price of a new album, although it was discounted and offered no new material.

[sliderocker]

Aug 21, 2018 11:24:17 GMT -5 erik said:

Quote by ronstadtfanaz:

Weren't there similar reactions when Linda Ronstadt's Greatest Hits was released by all involved?

Linda may have been more bemused than outraged; she may have thought it was a bit soon to be doing this, given that she had only had seven Top 40 hits on the Hot 100 by that time, all of which were on the album.

It was normal in the 50s, 60s and 70s for record companies to release "greatest hits"-styled albums every three or four years. Record companies had fears an artist or band that had several hits were coming to the end of their run as hitmakers. The purpose of the greatest hits album was to repackage all the original hits and hopefully get the fans to buy the same material in new packaging. Course, that was back in the day when albums might only have one or two songs that were actually hits and may have had hits that were independent of albums.

[Dublin]

I can not find independent confirmation at any news site that the 38X certification includes the Tupac album. But the single disc release is still available I know this much is True.