Despite the Eagles having called it quits two years prior, in 1982 Asylum Records decided to share a compilation album on behalf of the defunct group, Greatest Hits Volume 2. It was a natural thing for the label to do, now having lost a major player in their lineup. Plus, it appeased many Eagles fans, evidenced by the album’s multi-platinum status.
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Nevertheless, there were two people who didn’t appreciate the compilation album: Glenn Frey and Don Henley. Both former Eagles members were attempting to put their conflict-ridden pasts behind them. Frey and Henley were primed to release solo albums in the same year as Greatest Hits Volume 2.
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Metaphorically, the two artists already had to compete with the looming shadow of the Eagles’ success. Following the release of their solo albums and Greatest Hits Volume 2, the literally had to compete with themselves–moreover, with a quantifiable outcome.
Both Frey and Henley’s albums fared well. Frey’s No Fun Aloud produced a couple of charting tracks while Henley’s “Dirty Laundry” flew up the Billboard Hot 100. Leaving a successful band and having to forge a new path for yourself will always prove daunting, but from the outside looking in, we’d say the two ex-Eagles members got off to a promising start.
Frey and Henley did not agree. Don Felder once recalled, “Don and Glenn were now competing in the charts against the Eagles Greatest Hits Volume 2. Despite its lack of direct involvement with the band, it far outsold both solo albums. It was a hard act to follow.”
Nevertheless, Frey and Henley did manage to carve out solo careers for themselves. They didn’t consider trying to capitalize off the enduring fervor for the Eagles until the mid-’90s. Revisit the compilation album, below.
