This came out in 2005 — or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Sometimes it’s all about the packaging. And that’s OK — at least in the case of Eagles’ eponymous box set.
Squarely aimed at the completists and collectors in the house, this limited-edition nine-disc set contains scaled-down reproductions of the California country-rock icons’ first seven albums, from their self-titled ’72 debut to the ’80 live set. Each comes in a separate digipak featuring the original LP cover art, with all the assorted inner sleeves and posters and whatnot included (in reduced form, natch). They even used different paper stocks to duplicate the matte packaging of On The Border and Desperado, and remembered to emboss the cow-skull cover of One Of These Nights and the road case on Eagles Live.
Even the box itself — a solid black brick that simply has the band’s name and the album titles a la The Long Run — is tastefully done. Plus each of the 20,000 units is numbered. You don’t have to be an Eagles fan to appreciate the dedication, craftsmanship and attention to detail in the set. And to realize that it only mirrors the same level of quality that the band brought to their music. So how come there’s no damn booklet?
FIRST RELEASED: 1972 – 1980.
HIGHLIGHTS: If you need me to remind you of Eagles’ greatest hits, you don’t need this.
EXTRAS! EXTRAS! Bonus tracks from these guys are almost non-existent. You can blame that on their well-earned reputation for aggressively policing their music and controlling their copyrights. But as a token, you get the 1978 holiday single Please Come Home for Christmas / Funky New Year on a separate disc.
