Are the Eagles America’s Best Rock Band?

It’s hard to argue with the legacy of the country-rock pioneers

Call them what you will: purveyors of corporate rock, commercial sell-outs, careerists— but when you break down their catalog and history, it’s had to dismiss the Eagles’ contributions to American music, and while it will likely furrow the brow of any rock and roll purist reading this, upon close examination of their career, one could effectively argue that they are in fact the best rock band to ever come out of the United States, in terms of craftsmanship, longevity, commercial success, and impact.

The group that came together as back-up musicians for Linda Ronstadt in the early 70s not only defined a generation of music, but also introduced a musical genre that resonates today in ways that, on the surface, may not be clear, but when peeling back the layers becomes very obvious.

In Southern California in 1970, country-rock was the thing. A departure from the British rock sound, it combined elements of folk, country and rock into one distinctively American sound, and guys like Don Henley and Glenn Frey wanted a piece of the action. The two post-hippie songwriters, raised on the Beatles and traditional R&B, came to Hollywood from Texas and Detroit, respectively, looking for a break in the city that was, at the time…