There have been many justifiably celebrated Eagles solo moments. Most arrived during the decade and a half between the release of 1979’s The Long Run and 1994’s Hell Freezes Over when the group was split.
This was a period of intriguing experimentation for band anchors Glenn Frey and Don Henley. One displayed a surprising penchant for saxophones while the other made a similarly surprising foray into synthesizers. They’d found a new audience in a new era, at least for a little while.
Other members arrived with their own impressive resumes, including Joe Walsh, Bernie Leadon and Timothy B. Schmit. Yet all of them ended up releasing an LP (or two) that either slipped through the cracks at the time or lost cultural resonance over the years. So, we’re looking back at the most underrated Eagles solo albums.
Why Are Some Eagles Solo Albums Overlooked?
Several of these studio projects arrived at an inopportune time. Frey’s most underrated LP followed three straight gold-selling Top 40 hits. This time, amid big changes in the music industry, he didn’t even chart.
Then there were members of the Eagles who struggled to get their solo careers on track. Don Felder enjoyed a quick start with the 1981 radio favorite “Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride)” but didn’t really begin focusing on his own career until the ’10s, long past the Eagles’ heyday.
READ MORE: Ranking Every Eagles Album
He wasn’t the only one. Leadon, a Flying Burrito Brothers Band alum, became heart-and-soul of the Eagles’ early rootsy era. But Leadon wouldn’t release his most complete solo project until 2025’s well-received Too Late To Be Cool.
Schmit had already been a key contributor with the country-rock pioneers in Poco before joining the Eagles. Yet his most underrated solo album didn’t chart. Then again it’s one of five Schmit releases that met the same sad commercial fate. Schmit’s best-seller remains 1987’s strangely synth-driven Timothy B, which only reached No. 106.
Early Chart Success Can Sometimes Be Forgotten
The term underrated doesn’t necessarily mean these LPs were commercial failures. Other albums were just quickly overshadowed by far greater successes.
How does a gold-selling Top 25 Don Henley release featuring his No. 3 breakthrough solo single become somehow underrated? When Henley’s next two LPs combine for almost 10 million sales in the U.S. alone. Henley’s original hit song, “Dirty Laundry,” has become just about all anyone remembers aside from 1984’s Building the Perfect Beast and 1989’s End of the Innocence.
READ MORE: How the Eagles Became the First Band to Go Platinum
Randy Meisner followed his undistinguished solo debut with an underrated album that boasted a No. 19 hit single and another that just missed the Top 20. Yet it remains criminally forgotten, as well. Eventually, Meisner simply gave up. He only released two more solo LPs before his death in 2023 with the most recent dating back to 2001.
Joe Walsh’s most underrated album made a respectable run up the charts, also going gold while besting Henley with a No. 11 finish. But its top-charting single stalled out at No. 93. Walsh later reached his best-selling platinum peak with 1978’s But Seriously, Folks ….
Along the way, some terrific music was left unheard. UCR returned to it all and compiled the following look back at the most underrated Eagles solo albums:
The Most Underrated Eagles Solo Albums
Here’s a look back at the most underrated solo album released by all seven key members of the Eagles.
Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso
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