After the surprising success of the self-titled Eagles album released in 1972, the band decided to continue their musical streak as a band in a sensible way. This album is a pseudo-concept album about the Wild West in the USA, and both the songs and the artwork on this album clearly reflect this. The songwriting became more of a team effort on this album as well. Despite the fact that this album did not do as well commercially as other albums by the Eagles, the title track and album are held in high regard in any case. Going back to Glyn Johns as a producer, the group made an underrated statement with this release. Let’s hear it.

Doolin-Dalton begins with strummed acoustic guitar and harmonica. It does sound gentle and beautiful. This perfectly paints the picture of the theme of this song. Both Don Henley and Glenn Frey sing this tune, and this song will take you places. Eventually, drums kick in, along with guitars and dual harmony based singing. A really good tune to begin this album with, and it sounds pleasant and enjoyable. Fresh and gorgeous Country Rock music. In the second half, there is a lone vocal along with acoustic guitars, harmonica and harmonies to articulate this pleasant and amazing song. A joyous tune about the Wild West duo, this music is very lovely sounding. It ends in a sweet way, an excellent start to the album.

Twenty-One begins with some crisp acoustic guitar playing, quickly launching into a really Country tune with banjos galore and gorgeous singing present. This is the group’s most Country music based tune so far in their career. Although this tune is not a standout from the album, it is an interesting listen, complete with slide guitar galore. Pleasant to hear, although this is really not a tune that Rock, Metal or EDM fans could dig. Another great Wild West styled tune, this ends with banjos galore and slide guitar to conclude, before segueing into the next song.

Out Of Control begins with some loud and Hard Rock styled guitars. To be fair, this does not sound at all like the Eagles should do. It’s a poor attempt of the group doing Hard Rock, 1970s-style. This is a low point of the album, and it can easily be skipped over to the next track. This sounds a lot like Montrose or something musically along the lines of it. A slide guitar solo again is present in this tune. Fortunately, this song is short enough not to be overly dreadful but even so, it could have been scrapped. Weird and ordinary sounding. This tune sounds incredibly awful towards the end with weird guitars and screaming, along with a million drum rolls. Not good, to be fair.

Tequila Sunrise begins with a super nice strummed acoustic guitar in the right channel, followed by slide guitar and pleasant singing from Glenn Frey. This is a much better song than what was before it and sounds exactly like what the Eagles could deliver when on fire. An awesome listen about love and romance troubles, this still conveys Country based emotional themes and playing throughout. Still, this works exceptionally well. Some gorgeous guitar soloing is present in this tune, and it sure sounds amazing, to this very day. Singing about drinking to deal with one’s relationship issues, this is a fantastic listen. A classic cut by the Eagles, and one which sounds deeply emotional. A short and sweet song to listen to.

Desperado begins with some lovely grand piano melodic playing that sounds super sweet. It has Don Henley singing sweetly and in a superb fashion. This is a gorgeous piano ballad that sounds quite timeless, to this very day. It is accompanied by a pleasant string section and is a moving and emotion provoking tune. A great listen from this album, and this proves that the Eagles certainly made inspired music, even before the Hotel California album. Drum rolls eventually enter in the second half and Don Henley’s singing is melodic, clean, clear and amazing sounding. A really sweet tune to listen to, and something that is a highlight of early Eagles. Towards the end, the piece concludes with gorgeous vocals and a grand conclusion. This is beautiful and totally worth hearing.

Certain Kind Of Fool begins with more acoustic guitar strumming and gentle electric guitar playing. Randy Meisner sings this tune and is a song about a man who does foolish things in general. This is a good tune to listen to musically, once again, and is another worthy addition to this album. Lyrically, it is about a guy who runs off and does silly things as an outlaw. There is a fuzz-laden slide guitar solo here, and it sure sounds awesome. A really cool listen, keeping with the theme of the album, and something worth hearing from time to time. It ends after three minutes in length.

Doolin-Dalton (Instrumental) begins with banjos galore and acoustic guitar playing. This is less than a minute long but is a really sweet addition to this album. Very redneck musically sounding, but pleasingly so. Nice to hear. It segues into the next track.

Outlaw Man begins with the previous track being faded out, followed by excellent acoustic guitar strumming, Hard Rock electric guitars and organ, with drums. Glenn Frey sings this one, and this perfectly articulates the theme of the album. A good singalong piece that is very decent sounding, it paints the story of an outlaw who travels from town to town, creating mayhem as he goes. A good listen, but the issue with the wannabe Hard Rock songs on this album is that they sound awkward, such as this piece. Another interesting guitar solo is present here. This tune could have been better made, however. A tempo change is present in the second half, and this continues to a good conclusion with harmonies, pacing drums and with Glenn Frey singing with comparisons drawn to oneself. Awesome ending. It ends after three and a half minutes.

Saturday Night begins with some nicely strummed acoustic guitars and playing, alongside some Mandolin. This tune quickly launches into a beautifully sung piece with Don Henley and Randy Meisner taking lead vocals here. This is a lovely tune that has some delicious sounding harmonies and is a great sounding piece of music overall. This is about missing a lover that one holds close to one’s heart. A really awesome and tuneful listening experience, this sounds very lovely and inspired. It is also a fluid, interesting and sweetly melodic tune. There is a Mandolin solo section with a keyboard, which sounds rather different. “Whatever happened to Saturday night?” is sung in the chorus, promoting that time of the week for a male who has a girlfriend. A bit sexist in today’s terms. Good song regardless.

Bitter Creek is the longest track here at over five minutes in length. It begins with some sweet acoustic guitar playing in the right channel, before the rest of the band kicks in, complete with bongos. Bernie Leadon sings this tune, and it sounds slow, interesting and pleasant. A really pretty and lovely listen, this is a tune with a bit of a strange lyrical story to it. Musically, the Eagles sound in fine form here, and this tune is a really uplifting one. With references to Peyote Cactuses (a potent and naturally grown hallucinogenic in the Americas) and other desert based imagery, this is an interesting listening experience. Refreshing, neat and pretty, the Eagles sound very natural on this tune. The singing and musicianship on this tune show that the Eagles were both evolving and improving from their debut album, released in the previous year. Some do-do-do harmonies are in the second half of this track, which is unusual but welcome here. A really sweet and lovely sounding piece of music, even the extended outro does not outstay its welcome. Some acoustic guitar riffing occurs here as well, and it sounds great. This fades out super sweetly.

Doolin-Dalton / Desperado (Reprise) begins with a lone vocal from Don Henley. This is quickly joined by dual-tracked acoustic guitars and is a very pretty and pleasant tune to listen to. A really great piece, this sounds really lovely and pleasant. The tune sounds very pretty and refreshing, and given that it is a reprise suite, it still sounds as good as it could be. It ends suddenly in the first half of the tune, quickly having acoustic slide guitar and banjo enter, which sound beautiful. Acoustic guitar follows, and this song makes a good impression on the listener throughout. The second half of the suite emerges triumphantly, and it moves the listener emotionally. All in all, a great way to finish off a fairly consistent album. String sections predictably enter, along with other interesting sounds throughout. A nice tune, probably ideal for those who dig Country Rock to smoke weed along to. In any case, this sounds great. An excellent song to hear, the banjo reoccurs at the end, and this piece slowly fades out. Excellent.

To be clear, this is not the best album that the Eagles ever made. It is mostly consistent throughout, but there are a few weak tracks that try a Hard Rock template and fail. Still, the group was gradually improving their craft in most other areas and although they weren’t at Hotel California yet, this is still okay to listen to. Should you listen to this album? If you dig Country Rock, then yes. Otherwise, it’s worth checking out some other releases by both the Eagles and other musicians instead.

Good but not quite perfect.

7/10