On This Day in 1976, the Eagles Became the First-Ever Band to Reach a Major Industry Milestone

On this day (February 24) in 1976, the Eagles became the first band to receive a Platinum Certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. They received the first-ever Platinum record for Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975). The nine-track collection featured singles from their first four albums.

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The Eagles released four albums with their original lineup–Don Henley, Randy Meisner, Glenn Frey, and Bernie Leadon–between 1972 and 1975. After the release of One of These Nights (1975), guitarist Leadon left the band. As a result, Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) became more than a collection of their biggest singles. It was also a retrospective of the band’s early days. The album topped the Billboard 200 albums chart and stayed at the summit for five weeks.

[RELATED: Why the Eagles Disliked The Compilation Album, ‘Greatest Hits Volume 2’]

The RIAA introduced its Platinum Certification in 1976 to recognize albums that ship at least one million units in the United States. The Eagles released Their Greatest Hits on February 17, 1976. Seven days later, it received the first Platinum Certification. It has since received a total of 38 Platinum Certifications, making it the best-selling album of the 20^th century in the United States.

The Eagles Weren’t Fans of Their Greatest Hits

Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) was the Eagles’ most successful album. However, members of the band weren’t fans of the release. Don Felder (guitar) who joined the band ahead of One of These Nights said that the band had no say in the release of the album. Instead, Asylum Records compiled and released the album without input from the band.

In the book To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles by Marc Eliot, Felder, and Don Henley shared their thoughts on the release. Felder called the greatest hits collection “nothing more than a ploy by the record company to sell product without having to pay additional production costs.”

“All the record company was worried about were their quarterly reports,” Henley said. “They didn’t give a sh*t whether the greatest hits album was got or not, they just wanted product,” he added.

Asylum would release Greatest Hits Volume 2 in 1982, after the band split. Former members of the Eagles weren’t happy about that compilation either.

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