What is Record Store Day? 

In 2007, Chris Brown and Eric Levin joined forces to pitch the concept of a day to celebrate the importance of independent record stores. Inspired by the movement of Free Comic Book Day, it was an idea for music fans to come together and unite over their interests in a similar fashion. 

Eric Levin worked with Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Brian Poehner and Don Van Cleave to make the concept a reality all the way back in 2007 and the day has gone forward every single year since. 

Record Store Day sees stores hosting their own events, sometimes even joined by the artists themselves! Huge names like Metallica have made appearances at Record Store Day events. These artists appear to promote their work as well as to meet and greet their fans and hold a special performance, in some cases even raising money for charity and non-profit organizations. 

Another very special part of Record Store Day is special edition releases that come with it. These releases are often produced only in their thousands, often on coloured vinyl and have been known to restore previously lost or unreleased songs.

This year is no exception! 2022 marks the 15th anniversary of Record Store Day and we have a great selection of this year?s exclusive releases for you to have a look at. 

Escape From New York - John Carpenter

John Carpenter?s Escape From New York is an action packed movie that envisions a future where Manhattan has become a high security prison. It forces Snake Plissken, a dangerous loner, to save the president and himself from this newly dangerous New York. The movie is full of violence, guns, blood and of course, an epic soundtrack.

This special Record Store Day release is a 7? single featuring the movie?s main theme on its A Side and a newly available version of ?The Bank Robbery? on its B Side. As well as this, the record has been released in a limited quantity of 2200 individually numbered copies and is pressed on red vinyl with a black splatter pattern. 

The Gun / Jah Jah Style - Mikey Dread

In the 70?s, reggae began finding a voice through several artists, between the legendary Bob Marley and the iconic Mikey Dread. Dread has collaborated with so many reggae artists to produce tracks and records to lure the west into the charms of the genre as well as their original listeners. Familiar names of some of his collaborators include Edi Fitzroy and DATC Dubcrew, who feature in this excellent Record Store Day release. 

Coming in a special disco sleeve, this pressing has been released with a very special twist that will certainly interest collectors. With just 1500 records pressed, they are also pressed in 3 different categories. 500 have been pressed on red vinyl, 500 on green vinyl and 500 on gold vinyl. The record?s colour will be a complete mystery until you open it up! Each variant having just 500 copies makes any of them an immensely rare find for a collector. 

At Home (The Singles) - Shocking Blue

Shocking Blue emerged in 1967 and while they weren?t the longest running band, they left a massive impact before they disbanded in 1974. They were the first Dutch band to ever top American charts. They made hit songs that were so special, so iconic, that their songs would still be used in programmes and TV shows decades after the band had dissipated. 

?At Home - The Singles? was delicately overseen by the band?s own Robbie van Leeuwen, who remastered all featured tracks. Amongst the remastered songs is the band?s very first hit single ?Venus? as well as ?Mighty Joe?, ?Send Me A Postcard? and the incredible release of 4 bonus tracks that had previously been lost to time, only available on B Sides of out of print records. As well as this excellent restoration of the band?s history, this Record Store Day release has been pressed on pink vinyl with a limited 3000 copies.

Alien Talk (That?s What It?s All About) - Wild Willy Barrett

The weird and wonderful Wild Willy Barrett made his name with his outlandish sense of humour paired with his experimental musical genius. He has tackled a plethora of music genres, from folk and blues right up to punk rock, and has made use of homemade instruments such as the famous Wah Wah Wheelie Bin, the Electric Thumbless Guitar, and plenty more. 

?Alien Talk? is a brand new LP, recorded in Barrett?s own home studio. This special, one-off LP was recorded in celebration of Record Store Day this year, and features the aforementioned homemade instruments. The experimental, whacky style of Barrett?s music returns in full swing, with two sides of long and fun tracks. This release was pressed on green vinyl and is another limited edition release in the name of Record Store Day. 

The Hitcher Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Mark Isham

Record Store Day has made rare and sometimes completely unavailable releases more accessible on numerous occasions, this is one such case. The Hitcher?s soundtrack had been unavailable since its 1986 release up until this Record Store Day. Now the soundtrack for this chilling thriller movie is completely available on high quality vinyl. The Hitcher follows the story of a hitchhiker?s violent murders and his failure to kill one young motorist entwines their fates, and sees the young motorist framed for some of these murders. 

In creating this soundtrack, Mark Isham was tasked to compete with John Williams? score on the iconic thriller, Jaws. Isham went about his own work with a much more electronic soundtrack than his competition, with clever use of samples to create a cold sound behind the dark and twisted horrors of the movie and its terrific antagonist. This excellent Record Store Day release has been pressed on turquoise vinyl and in just 2000 copies. 

The Tamarind Seed Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - John Barry

Another movie soundtrack finds its debut release on vinyl this Record Store Day. The Tamarind Seed is a slow burn story of love unfolding during the bitterness of a cold war. The spy movie follows Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif in their dangerous mission of love. Much like The Hitcher, this soundtrack never had a release until now. John Barry?s work often found its way onto soundtrack releases, so this one finally making it is a very welcome addition. 

Featuring the only commercially released song from the soundtrack, Wilma Reading?s ?Play It Again?, amongst ?The End? as written by Don Black and performed by Danny Street, this record features every single major cue from the movie. The soundtrack that beautifully brought every little moment to life, whether it be dramatic or romantic, is finally fully available on vinyl. This release is of 2000 copies and has been pressed on red vinyl for one disc and blue for the other. 

Record Store Day is a Celebration of Music and Records

While the day revolves around the shows some artists put on at stores and the new limited edition records they may release for the day, this day was put together for the love of music. To unite people in supporting local, independent record stores. To create and expand a community around such a special part of our lives and cultures.

Marc Fayd?Herbe, Universal Music?s sales manager, has stated that Record Store Day is the absolute best thing that has ever happened for independent record shops. From 2013 onwards to now, Record Store Day has had a rippling effect on the sales of vinyl records, seeing sales of the records reach all time highs several times! 

Now, 15 years into the tradition, it?s become a time to release some fun records, to restore music that had previously been lost to out of print records and time, and most importantly, to bring everyone that makes a record store together. 

Coldplay.

That?s a name nearly everyone knows, especially anyone with an interest in music. They have sold millions of records in their name, not just coining them amongst the best-selling artists of all time, but 100 million records making them the absolute most successful band of the 21st century. 

Such a marvelous success story starts somewhere- Where did this legendary group get their start? How did the timeline of their records look? Let?s find out! 

?Coldplay? wasn?t always the band?s name. Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland joined forces at University College London during their orientation week. They knew they wanted to start a band together. 

Pectoralz became the name of their first musical endeavor. Their first songwriting sessions and practise sessions started in 1997. Over the course of the year as well as 1998, Guy Berryman joined the group as well as Will Champion. 

As well as additional members, the band also had two name changes again, from ?Big Fat Noises? to ?Starfish?. 

Only weeks later though, they settled on the name Coldplay. The iconic name was actually offered to them by a fellow student who had originally been using it for his own group, Tim Crompton. In the same year of 1998, Coldplay released the first record under their name, ?Safety EP?. 

Phil Harvey, the band?s manager-to-be at the time, funded the record?s release for ?1500 to press 500 copies. Most of these were given to either record labels or friends and family, but a concert the group held helped them sell off their first number of copies for profit. 

They shortly signed a short-term contract with Fierce Panda Records which released their debut single, ?Brothers and Sisters? in 1999. It wasn?t their leap into fame, but it did still find a place in the charts. It also featured a limited edition release on vinyl, 1500 copies were issued with a special picture sleeve. 

All this while they were still students at University. 

When they finished their studies, the four of them remained together as Coldplay and signed a five-album contract with Parlophone. ?The Blue Room?, Coldplay?s second EP and first record under Parlophone, released in 1999. This EP has different versions of songs that would appear on their first LP. This record came with another limited edition vinyl release, a 12 inch record individually numbered on the front picture sleeve. 

However, no band is without its troubles. 

Champion was for a short time, fired from the band down to differences and difficulties regarding drugs and alcohol. Martin found himself begging for Champion to return, and drowned his sorrows in a huge binge of alcohol. 

Most bands would lose a member or two in an event like this, but Coldplay survived such a fate. 

The two of them were able to work out their differences and the band were able to come to an agreement between each other. They decided to operate as an open democracy, they pledged that none of them would go hard on drugs or drinking again, or they?d be fired from the band. 

With their issues resolved, the band got back to work. Between tours and live performances, Coldplay?s first LP was brought to life. ?Parachutes? was released in 2000. Its singles performed well in charts, ?Yellow? specifically hit an impressive number 4 in UK charts. The album itself dominated the UK Album Charts at number one on debut. It found slower, but just as fulfilling success in the US and would eventually earn double platinum status. 

Despite the band?s success, Harvey was severely strained and tested as a manager. He managed the duties of a team as a single person, and stepped away from role as manager to instead wear the helm of creative director. He is often referenced and considered the band?s fifth member. Dave Holmes became the band?s new manager. 

The band rushed back to work in the studio following the success of ?Parachutes?. 

?A Rush of Blood to the Head? released in the summer of 2002. They teased a few of the new album?s releases while touring to promote ?Parachutes?. The 2002 release came with a number of successful hit singles, being ?Clocks?, ?In My Place? and the immensely popular ?The Scientist?. Over the next few years, they found immense success and even earned an award for Record of the Year for ?Clocks?. 

However after all the hustle and bustle of touring and awards, 2004 became an overall quiet year for the band. 

The only thing they put out during the year was a satirical music video by the non-existent band, ?The Nappies?. 

This seemingly silly stunt was in fact, a great way to get everyone excited for what the REAL band, Coldplay, had in the works. 

?X&Y? released in 2005. It quickly became the best selling album of its year, selling 8.3 million copies. As well as releasing two popular singles in ?Fix You? and ?Talk?, ?X&Y? also solidified Coldplay?s place in the music industry as quite possibly the biggest band of their time not just by the units it sold, but its astronomical success in around 20 countries, reaching the top of the charts in each one. 

From summer 2005 to spring of 2007, Coldplay were occupied by their Twisted Logic Tour, which also consisted of several festival appearances, one of which being yet another of their appearances at Glastonbury. Three more singles spawned during this gap in studio activity, and work on the next studio album started in 2006 while the tour continued, and also became the band?s focus when the tour ended. 

The next album would be much more experimental than the previous three. With traveling and recording in Latin America as well as Spain, the album took on a healthy amount of Hispanic influence. The album would feature songs that dipped their feet into more genres, such as blues being played around within the first released single for the record, ?Violet Hill?.

?Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends? released in 2008. The album conquered album charts worldwide, quickly climbing to become the best-selling album of 2008. It was recorded as one of the fastest selling albums in the UK?s chart history. It changed Coldplay?s sound, bringing in many different sub-genres and influences, such as ?Love in Japan??s use of orchestra, ?Lost!? featuring tribal themes and more. 

The album also moved away from close, personal themes and instead dived more into the deeper and wider issues of humanity as a whole. War, revolution, the album found more political footing than Coldplay had ever had before. 

?Prospekt?s March?, an EP, also released along with ?Viva la Vida?. It featured a few more songs that were recorded during the same sessions as the album it released with. 

Following more busy years of immensely successful tours, Coldplay were out of the studio for a few years, but not deprived of records to release. The ?Viva la Vida Tour? produced the live album, ?LeftRightLeftRightLeftRight?, which was recorded across several shows during the tour. Released in 2009, it was also given away at remaining shows on the tour and released as a free download on their official website. 

After these busy touring years, 2011 came and during the summer, ?Mylo Xyloto? was released. Months before its release were the teaser singles ?Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall? and what would become their next massive hit, ?Paradise?. The album topped the charts in over 30 countries, once again reining Coldplay as one of the most impressively-selling bands in the world. 

Again, ?Mylo Xyloto? would visit new themes from previous albums. While it held the consistent theme of love, it also took on themes of OCD, addiction and an escape. 

?Paradise? would go on to become the best-selling rock single in the UK, as well as winning the award for Best Rock Video in the year of its release. They also announced their next tour months before the album was released, which sold out entire venues in seconds. 

Despite continuously touring, and Chris Martin adamantly denying the idea of any sort of break, Coldplay continued recording their next album during. 

Come September of 2013, Coldplay released the first single of their new album-in-progress, ?Atlas?. The song was featured in the soundtrack of the movie ?The Hunger Games: Catching Fire?. In early 2014, the band also revealed ?Midnight?, another track from the album. 

Just a month later, May 2014, ?Ghost Stories? was released. This spiritual album followed on with new and interesting themes for Coldplay?s lyrics, the themes of actions of the past rippling into events of the future. It also took a new approach of each member contributing their own material, instead of just building off Martin?s concepts and ideas like before. 

The album topped a plethora of countries? charts once again. It took more awards under its belt, as well as releasing two more singles in ?A Sky Full of Stars? and ?True Love?. 

At the end of 2014, the next album was announced. 

?A Head Full Of Dreams? was revealed by Martin, who also stated that it would be Coldplay?s last album, as their seventh studio album. He also added a little hint of the new theming they?d be working with, as he described, it would be colourful, uplifting and something to shuffle your feet to. 

?Miracles? was first unveiled at the back end of 2014, as it would feature in the World War II based drama ?Unbroken?. 

?Adventure of a Lifetime? premiered on Nick Grimshaw?s Radio 1 Breakfast Show, as well as revealing the release date of the album itself. 

?A Head Full Of Dreams? released on schedule in December of 2015. The album features a plethora of guest appearances, one of which is even Barack Obama, and quickly climbed to number 1 in the UK, however just number 2 throughout other countries. 

Once again, after a successful release into the world, Coldplay ventured back on tour in promotion of the album?s release. This tour finished in 2017, and has been recorded as the third-highest grossing concert tour of all time. 

Despite Martin?s previous claims that the band would finish at seven studio albums, that wasn?t the case. 

Mysterious happenings occurred in 2019. Black and white posters began popping up in a number of countries, which visualized the whole band dressed in vintage clothing and displaying the date 22 November 1919. Coldplay?s social media profile pictures suddenly depicted a sun and moon, and a very short teaser was released shortly after. 

In a very interesting marketing technique, the band sent out a letter to fans directly, to inform them that their next album was in the works and that it was going to be named ?Everyday Life?. 

Just days later, the track list was revealed within public newspapers in a few places, most of which were linked to at least one of the band members. Still sticking to their ever-changing themes, teaser releases revealed ?Arabesque?, which was the very first Coldplay song to feature any profanity. 

The album sky-rocketed to the top of UK charts, giving the band a complete slate of number 1 UK releases. It quickly became one of the fastest selling albums of 2019, firmly clasping Coldplay?s influence on modern music. 

In 2021, Coldplay came with an announcement of ?Higher Power?, a new single which would see the band working with Max Martin and his team both on the track and the new album it was going to be a part of. 

?Music of the Spheres? was scheduled to release in October of 2021, which it did without a hitch. It dominated charts on release, both in the UK, the US, and plenty more. It quickly became the UK?s fastest selling album, beating out even Ed Sheeran in the title. The record overall followed the theme of space this time, which found a little bit of influence from previous album ?Mylo Xyloto?. However, this album completely chased the concept of space, so much as creating a fictional planetary system, ?The Spheres?.

From here, the list only ends temporarily. Coldplay are still going strong, and still remain to be the most successful band of this century. Throughout their successful career they have shaped the alternative music scene for the current generation. 

And even throughout the process of all the recordings and tours we?ve thought back on here, they?ve done so much we didn?t even get to mention. 

They have performed at Glastonbury nearly consecutively, headlining it several times. 

They have countless Grammys and awards under their name. 

They have taken part in raising money for several charity events, such as raising money for ?Future Forests? and ?Stop Handgun Violence? campaigns, as well as a hosting a live performance at the Natural History Museum in London, where they performed beneath ?Hope?, a huge blue whale skeleton of 128 years old. 

They have collaborated with so many artists, such as Rihanna, Beyonce,, Ed Sheeran, Pearl Jam, Noel Gallagher, Gwyneth Parlow, South Korean K-Pop group BTS and even a guest appearance from Simon Pegg on the music video for ?Christmas Lights?.

With such an awe-inspiring band still on the move, there?s no way of knowing what?s over the horizon that will come under the legendary name of Coldplay. 

Legends as we know them tend to start early. They pick up a guitar in their childhood and it all evolves from there. 

No different from this tradition is Noel Gallagher. He picked up his first guitar at the ripe age of 12. Unfortunately though, his childhood wasn?t exactly sunshine and rainbows, as he had a lot of problems within his family.

Early Life

The Gallagher family hailed from Manchester. 

Noel found himself as a black sheep of sorts, described by his brother Liam as the ?weirdo in the family? down to his frequent daydreams and his reclusive, lonely nature. Both he and his older brother Paul were often beaten by their father, which Noel has addressed in Oasis: Supersonic, a documentary based on the famous group. 

His mother eventually divorced her husband and took the three brothers to raise them as a single mother, away from their abuser. 

Their troubled past brought problems with them, though. 

Their school life became troubled, they would very frequently truant and even get involved with the police. Gallagher would actually make sure to visit his mother while she worked in the school canteen before going about his usual troublemaking. 

He actually got expelled from school at 15. Just around a year later, he was arrested and put on probation for robbing a corner shop. 

During probation, he was able to explore his musical passion further with a guitar he was gifted by his mother. Gallagher met Graham Lambert of the Inspiral Carpets in May of 1988. Thanks to this meeting, Gallagher would attend the band?s shows more, and even tried to audition as their vocalist when their previous was leaving. While he didn?t get the position, he was brought on as a roadie for the band at age 21.

Creating Oasis

In 1991, Gallagher returned from a tour in America with the Inspiral Carpets. Returning home, he?d see that Liam had become a singer with a small local band, The Rain. However, attending one of their shows, he was massively disappointed by their sound. 

He initially refused Liam?s offer to become the group?s manager, instead proposing that he would join the band and take complete creative control, becoming the one and only songwriter. 

From then, the band became Oasis. 

?Definitely Maybe? released in 1994 and quickly became the fastest selling debut album in the UK?s musical history at the time. However, things didn?t go so smoothly on tour. 

Gallagher had his first leave of Oasis during the 1994 American tour, thanks to having a fight with Liam after a disastrous show in Los Angeles, in which Liam changed some lyrics on the fly to offend both their American audience and specifically, Gallagher. 

This was just a glimpse of the inner conflict that Oasis, specifically the Gallagher brothers, would face. 

The Story of Oasis

Still, Oasis went on to release their second studio album, ?(What?s the Story) Morning Glory??, to more massive success, which included the huge singles ?Wonderwall? and ?Don?t Look Back in Anger?. This was the record that propelled Oasis into stardom. 

With stardom came drug abuse and the rock ?n? roll lifestyle, which led Gallagher into having panic attacks until he dropped the drugs a year or so later.

?Be Here Now? became a very highly anticipated album, thanks to the worldwide success of the previous two albums. It once again broke UK charts to the point of becoming the next best-selling album upon release. 

But, it wouldn?t be Oasis without more issues between a certain two members. 

Liam refused to make two important stage appearances, and heckled Gallagher during the MTV Unplugged performance despite insisting he couldn?t go due to a sore throat. When Liam returned for the MTV Video Music Awards performance, he purposely sang off-key as well as spitting during the performance. 

Gallagher once again left, frustrated with Liam?s attitude again. He told that he didn?t want to be in the band, with the way he was being treated. 

The group united again for the release of ?Standing on the Shoulder of Giants?, which was the first Oasis album that featured a song written by Liam, being ?Little James?. While it still performed very well in the UK, it was the first album in the discography that experienced a slump in sales in the US. 

It was during the tour to support this record that Alan White?s arm seized up due to a bad case of tendinitis, so the band spent the night drinking instead. Drinking never goes well with the Gallagher brothers together, causing them to have another fight and once again, Gallagher left the band until they returned to the UK, when he took part in shows again.

Once again, ?Heathen Chemistry? released to immediate critical success in the UK, and a shortage of sales in the US. The album suffered thanks to being leaked three months before it released, as well as tensions remaining between the Gallaghers when Liam needed to record his vocals after the instrumentation was finished and didn?t lift a finger to it for over 3 months.

?Don?t Believe the Truth? was another much more collaborative Oasis album, in which every band member had their say and involvement in the writing rather than Gallagher taking the lead. As a result, Gallagher really enjoyed the product. It was probably the least problematic Oasis album in terms of tours and recording. 

?Dig Out Your Soul? was the seventh and last record Oasis would release before they split up for good. Gallagher wrote most of the songs, but Liam wrote three of them as well as Gem Archer and Andy Bell contributing one each. 

It led to another world tour, which went well until September of 2008, where a member of the concert?s audience ran onstage and assaulted Gallagher. It canceled plenty of show dates to come due to Gallagher suffering three broken ribs from the attack. 

But when they picked the tour back up in Manchester, what started as two technical failures ended in a free concert with a massive success and a huge crowd of happy fans.

However, this marked their last successful performance together as a band. 

Liam had contracted laryngitis, forcing Oasis to cancel their V Festival gig in August of 2009. The band were set to perform at Rock en Seine around a week later near Paris, however it was suddenly announced that Oasis were not going to be present for the performance.

Two hours passed.

Noel Gallagher issued a statement, ?It is with some sadness and great relief...I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.?

The remaining Oasis members remained together and continued as Beady Eye for a few more years, while Gallagher would go on to launch a solo career.

Noel Gallagher?s High Flying Birds

After the breakdown of Oasis, Noel Gallagher?s High Flying Birds were formed. In 2011 they released their debut album, the self titled ?Noel Gallagher?s High Flying Birds?. Gallagher recruited former Oasis member Mike Rowe, as well as the producer of the old band, Dave Sardy. He also recruited The Lemon Trees members Jeremy Stacey and Lenny Castro, as well as guest performances from the Crouch End Festival Chorus and The Wired Strings. 

The album features ?Stop the Clocks?, which was an unreleased Oasis track that Gallagher recycled for his solo career. ?The Death of You and Me? acted as the lead single for the album, ?The Good Rebel? being featured on its B-side. 

Gallagher started touring just a week after the release of the debut album. He stated that he was very pleased with the album?s turnout, and was excited to be able to play it for people. 

EP and Chasing Yesterday 

Before the next full album was recorded, Gallagher first released an EP. 

?Songs from the Great White North? released in 2012 as a Record Store Day special release. This release features the B-Sides of the band?s first four singles. ?Shoot a Hole into the Sun? is a nearly 8 minute track and is the last track on the EP. 

Gallagher teased another album for his solo career in the summer of 2013. He told that his previous album had some tracks left over, and that he just needed his band and producers to be ready for the job. 

During production, it was revealed by producer Mark Coyle that Gallagher had written something between 50 and 60 tracks for the new album and they were in the process of picking out what would appear on the album.

The lead single released for the album was ?In the Heat of the Moment?, and ?Ballad of the Mighty I? features a particularly exciting collaboration with guitarist Johnny Marr, which released as the second single. ?Riverman? was the third and final single to release, but this particular album spawned an impressive number of music videos. 

Who Built The Moon? 

Two months before the third album was released, the horrible terrorist attack occured in Manchester Arena during an Ariana Grande performance. Noel Gallagher?s High Flying Birds performed as the headliners of ?We Are Manchester?, a benefit concert that was held to reopen the stadium.

Who Built The Moon? Released in November of 2017, produced by David Holmes. The album held the same sort of sound Gallagher had shown off with the last two albums, however progressed their sound further and experimented with a psychedelic style. It debuted at number 1 in UK charts, and became Gallagher?s 10th consecutive album to reach number 1.

The album was already in production at the same time as Chasing Yesterday, and even throughout the Chasing Yesterday World Tour. Singles released from the album included ?Holy Mountain?, ?It?s a Beautiful World?, ?She Taught Me How to Fly? and ?If Love Is the Law?, the second of which featuring the B-Side track ?God Saves Us All?, which was a demo track recorded by Oasis when Oasis were still together. 

And Still Going

Throughout his musical career, Gallagher has made a name as an extremely successful songwriter, being involved in writing around 10 number 1 singles in UK charts, 8 of which being written by him alone. Despite their difficult and strained relationship, Liam praises Noel as ?the greatest songwriter of all time?. 

Gallagher?s career is still going, and still strong. His talented songwriting just makes every hint at a release all the more exciting!

The Eagles. 

In some cases, a majestic avian creature.

But in this case, a legendary rock band. They?ve swapped members, they?ve broken up, they?ve gone on hiatus. In all of this, they have crowned themselves one of the top selling bands of all time.

It all started in 1971. 

Linda Rondstadt, American singer, recruited the help of Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon on tour, to promote her upcoming album ?Silk Purse?. This chance gathering of musical talent was the start of a legend. 

During the tour, both Frey and Henley shook hands on the idea of forming their own band. With Rondstadt not only allowing but also supporting them by suggesting Leadon for their prospective band, recruiting Meisner as well. 

The four of them played one live show with Rondstadt and one album, before they signed into Asylum Records within the same year. However, even though they had signed onto the label, they still didn?t have a name for their band. 

While there are several accounts of where the band?s name actually came from, they debuted as the Eagles in 1972. Pleasantly, ?Eagles? was a high flying success for the band and instantly landed them not one, but three singles within the top 40. ?Take It Easy?, ?Witchy Woman? and ?Peaceful Easy Feeling? were the singles to emerge from their first outing as the Eagles. 

The Eagles emerged in 1973 with their second album, ?Desperado?. This album used outlaws from the Old West for its theme, the lyrics cleverly mirroring the lives of these bandits with that of rockstars. ?Tequila Sunrise? which would later become one of the band?s strongest songs produced a single, as did ?Outlaw Man?. 

?On The Border? released in 1974. It saw a transfer from the country, soft rock style that the previous two albums had, to move to a more hard rock sound. Not only did this album see a change in manager, from Glyn Johns to Bill Szymczyk after a few songs, but invited a fifth Eagle into the flock. Leadon?s childhood friend, Don Felder. He found his way into the band thanks to a backstage jam with them in 1972. ?Good Day in Hell? was his debut as an Eagle, and he contributed to the song ?Already Gone?, in which he and Frey share an excellent guitar duet. 

Following their yearly streak, ?One of Those Nights? released in 1975. While previous releases had a decent success, this was the record that launched them into stardom. The first of a string of number 1 releases, it spawned the singles ?One of Those Nights? and ?Lyin? Eyes?, both of which topped charts confidently in the top 5. The band?s commercial success really started here, they arranged a huge worldwide tour to promote the album, even joining the person that brought them together, Linda Ronstadt. 

While this was the album that kickstarted a wave of success, it was the last that would feature Bernie Leadon. He co-wrote just three songs on the album, down to Henley and Frey taking the helm with songwriting. Leadon started to grow more and more disenchanted with the direction the band was taking. They drifted further and further away from their origins of country rock and started finding their feet in rock and roll. After a bit of an argument to say the least, and months of mystery, Leadon officially left the band. 

Early 1976 saw the band?s first compilation album. ?Their Greatest Hits (1971 - 1975)? It quickly became not only a chart topper, but the best-selling album of the 20th century in the USA. It remained this all the way until 2009, where it was overtaken by Michael Jackson?s Thriller after his death. This compilation album made the Eagles the most successful band of the decade and continued their streak of greatness. 

At the back end of the same year of 1976, the Eagles released ?Hotel California?. With Leadon having left the band, this was the first record to feature his replacement and previously a friend of the band, Joe Walsh. Felder and Walsh combined stomped out the old country sound of the Eagles in favor for the hard rock they had been steering towards. 

?New Kid In Town? was the next single to top the charts, followed by ?Hotel California? not only climbing charts in 1977, but also becoming the band?s signature track. ?Life In The Fast Lane? also performed very well, and truly cemented Walsh?s place in the band with his affinity for heavy guitar work. This album?s success went beyond its millions of sales, with it also winning Grammys. 

Despite the roaring success of the album in 1977, this was the year that another member left the band. 

The whole band were feeling the strain and exhaustion of both producing ?Hotel California? and touring right after it, both combined taking up almost two years of nonstop work. 

No one seemed to feel the burn more than Randy Meisner. He left the band after the 1977 tour had wrapped up. During the tour he had trouble hitting his high notes in his own song ?Take It to the Limit?, possibly down to stomach ulcers slamming his health. 

He began refusing to perform the song, which even caused a full-on fight between himself and Frey. Despite the intense confrontation, Meisner finished up the tour before he officially left the band.

Despite all the difficulty of the tour and losing Meisner, the band went back to the recording studio in 1977 to get back to work. Bassist Timothy B. Schmit, another musician the band had previous run-ins with, seemed like the only fitting replacement for his predecessor. 

Their next album took a struggle of two years to produce. Initially intended as a double album, the band struggled to write enough songs for it. What came of two years of production was yet another album to top the charts and sell millions, as well as producing three top 10 singles, ?The Long Run?. ?Heartache Tonight?, ?I Can?t Tell You Why? and title track ?The Long Run?.

As well as the singles, the record also produced ?In The City?, which along with single ?Heartache Tonight? would become staples of live performances, as well as the latter earning them yet another Grammy. These sessions also produced Holiday songs, being ?Please Come Home For Christmas? and ?Funky New Year?, which were released as singles. 

Despite all the good to come from this record, more difficulties soon followed. 

Frey and Felder had a bad time of each other before performing, and it very quickly bled into their performance. Passive aggressive attitudes to political parties paired with threats of beating each other between and sometimes even during songs. Whether that happened or not is up to interpretation, but the band did have an obligation to craft a live album for Elektra Records. 

?Eagles Live? released in 1980, however the band performed their parts separately from each other. Frey had abandoned the other Eagles at this point and refused to speak to them, as well as firing his manager. 

?Thank you and goodnight.? were the liner notes of this live album. While the album appeared to mark the end of the Eagles, it released ?Seven Bridges Road? as a single, a signature concert song for the band. The single achieved 21 on charts, and would be their last top 40 on the charts until they returned from this unfortunate breakup. 

From 1980, the Eagles faded out into several solo careers. The band was done. 

Or? Were they? 

In 1993, a country tribute album was released in the Eagles name. ?Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles? released, and in the same year, Travis Tritt asked for all the prior Eagles to join him in a video for ?Take It Easy?, and despite their previous altercations with each other, they agreed to appear together. 

Whether it was this or their own accord, the band officially reunited in 1994. The Eagles were back! 

They made their grand return with the live album, ?Hell Freezes Over?. It earned its name by Henley?s repeated claim that the band would reunite ?when Hell freezes over?. The album slammed charts on its debut and even included four new songs that had not previously been released. New songs ?Get Over It? and ?Love Will Keep Us Alive? achieved top 40 positions. As well as this, the record was just about as commercially successful as the tour that promoted it. 

The Eagles were back.

?Mostly. 

After everything seemed to be in order, in 2001, Don Felder didn?t leave the band on his own accord, but was fired. Why? What happened? 

Felder expressed frustration that creative ?leaders? Don Henley and Glenn Frey were taking more of the band?s earnings than they would have prior to the breakup. Upon being fired, Felder bit back with a lawsuit. 

He accused the pair of breaching their contract and wrongly terminating him, as well as feeling pressured to sign their agreement to earn more than the others in the band. Henley and Frey?s legal respondent insisted that it was a decision driven by chemistry, artistry, and it was perfectly legal for them to fire their previous bandmate. 

As well as this, Henley and Frey countersued Felder for the contents of his autobiography breaching his contract. 

Both complaints had been listed for a singular trial date, however the issue was resolved outside of court in 2007. Despite the legalities being resolved, the bitter feelings were not. 

Despite the legal case, in 2003, ?The Very Best Of? released the same year. A double disc compilation album that covered the entirety of the Eagles? career right back from their early years of country all the way to the recent ?Hell Freezes Over?. It flew through the charts and even gained a triple platinum status. As well as compiling the best of the Eagles existing material, the record also featured new single ?Hole In The World?, which was heavily influenced by the tragic events of 9/11. 

In 2007, the Eagles returned with their remaining lineup with their first new studio album in 28 years. ?Long Road Out Of Eden? released, while in the first year of its lifespan it had a relatively limited availability, the long-awaited return of the Eagles dominated the charts in several countries. ?How Long? and ?Busy Being Fabulous? were produced as singles and the album overall performed very well on the Hot Adult Contemporary Track charts. 

With only shrugs and questions about an eighth studio album, it hasn?t happened yet. And unfortunately, Glenn Frey passed away in 2016. At this point even if there is another album under the Eagles? belt, Frey won?t be there to contribute to it. 

Frey?s son, Deacon Frey has stepped in to take his place, joining him is country musician Vince Gill, to rebuild the Eagles back to their prior numbers. 

They?ve been on a long and bumpy road, but if anything is certain, it is that the Eagles have made their mark on history as one of the most legendary rock bands of our time.