On This Day in 2007, the Eagles Reached the Top of the Chart with a Landmark Album Following an Extended Hiatus

On this day (November 17) in 2007, the Eagles topped the Billboard 200 with Long Road Out of Eden. The album retained the top spot for a week. However, it was still a career milestone for the band. It was their first studio album since releasing The Long Run in 1979. The band went on an extended hiatus shortly after releasing their 1979 LP, making Long Road Out of Eden a major milestone for the band and their fans.

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Long Road Out of Eden wasn’t the first release from the newly reformed Eagles. First, they released Hell Freezes Over, a live album, in 1994, which also went to No. 1. The band hadn’t been back together long, and the album captures performances from their first tour since the late 1970s. It also contained a few studio tracks. Fans would have to wait another 13 years for a new studio record.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1979, the Eagles Hit No. 1 for the Fifth and Final Time With a Song Co-Penned by a Classic Rock Legend]

The album wasn’t just a landmark in that it was their first studio release in nearly three decades. It was also the band’s first album without Don Felder, who had been dismissed from the band in 2001. Additionally, it was their final album to feature Glenn Frey, who died in 2016 at the age of 67.

The Eagles Made a Controversial Deal to Release the Album

With fans of The Eagles across the country eager to get their hands on a new album, the band made an interesting release choice. Instead of shipping the album to music retailers across the country, they chose to make it a Walmart exclusive.

Many criticized the decision because the retail giant refused to stock any music it deemed controversial and would only sell heavily edited music. These perceived free-speech violations, along with the corporation’s labor and environmental practices, made many fans and fellow artists question the Eagles’ judgment.

Money was a deciding factor in the deal. “I am in the business of selling records, and I want to be in a place where we have the opportunity to sell the most records,” Glenn Frey said at the time. “It’s also nice that Walmart pays us a very lucrative royalty, a royalty that no record company could come close to matching.”

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