Eagles

One Of These Nights

Over Rated

Review Score:

(6/10)
Riding on the success of the number one hit ï¿½Best Of My Loveï¿½, the album ï¿½One Of These Nightsï¿½ was very warmly received by record buyers all over the world. Itï¿½s considered to be the album that broke them through to commercial success (as if their string of previous hit singles didnï¿½t exist). Unfortunately, for an album that is supposedly a breakthrough for the band, it comes off as fairly spotty and mediocre. Sure it spawned three top ten hit singles, but it also contains some filler.
The best track by far on this album is the hit title track. ï¿½One Of These Nightsï¿½ is a funky R & B induced rocker about the perils of trying to find the perfect woman. The song is propelled by a fluid rubber band bass-line that would induce any anti-disco freak to dance and features some killer guitar licks.
ï¿½Journey Of the Sorcererï¿½ where they enter into a little Led Zeppelin mysticism with help from Bernie Leadonï¿½s psychedelic banjo. Itï¿½s a highly imaginative piece.
The stately ballad ï¿½Take It To the Limitï¿½ is also a plus for the album. It reaches a little into Philadelphia International soul territory. Compare ï¿½Take It To the Limitï¿½ to Harold Melvin & the Bluenotesï¿½ ï¿½If You Donï¿½t Know Me By Now.ï¿½
The cynical ï¿½Lyinï¿½ Eyesï¿½ is where the album seriously lags and nothing after it lifts it up to a substantial degree. Many hail this song as a tour de force in country rock. True the instrumentation is tasteful and nicely arranged and the melody is strong. However, the melody is also highly repetitive which wouldnï¿½t be bad if the lyrics told an interesting story (i.e. ï¿½Wreck Of the Edmund Fitzgeraldï¿½).
However, the words, the story they tell and general attitude towards women are the worst aspects of this song. From the beginning it says ï¿½City girls just seem to find out early, how to open doors with just a smile.ï¿½ That sets the tone and the attitude that ï¿½city women are nothing but manipulative whoresï¿½ through the whole song. And this particular woman gets her just desserts when she finds her life is so empty after marrying a man for money and then two-timing him.
For over six minutes ï¿½Lyinï¿½ Eyesï¿½ drags on in classic soap opera style (hey! we got the point after the first three verses). At best, ï¿½Lyinï¿½ Eyesï¿½ is an inferior retread of ï¿½Tequila Sunriseï¿½ (at least that one is less than three minutes long): at worst itï¿½s so extremely misogynistic that Iï¿½m surprised that womenï¿½s groups havenï¿½t stood up and bitched about it.
No matter what anyone does, it is hard to pull any album out of that pit.

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