Under-The-Radar Eagles Tracks We Wish Were Bigger Hits

Throughout the 1970s and then after an unlikely mid-'90s reunion, the Eagles recorded a lot of great music, and many of those songs became huge hits — but not all of them. The Eagles combined country, folk, and Americana with rock and influenced the music of the decade with a sound all its own, with a laid-back West Coast-meets-Western vibe. Even today, if one tunes in to a classic rock or soft rock radio station, they won't go long without hearing some Eagles smash from the '70s, like "Take It Easy," "Witchy Woman," "One of These Nights," "Hotel California," or "Heartache Tonight," for example.

The Eagles were essentially a supergroup, and all of its members contributed to the songwriting process. While that led to the creative tension that would fuel the band's split in 1980, it also made for an abundance of music. Here are some lesser-known Eagles songs that we think perfectly nail the band's country-rock vibe and sound like they belong on one of those greatest hits compilations, even though they flopped upon release or were never even serviced to radio. These obscure Eagles songs never climbed the charts but still rate among the group's best material.

The second Eagles album was 1973's "Desperado," a concept album about the Wild West and the psyche of the outlaws who lived there. Its now-famous and beloved title track was never a single, unlike the enduring "Tequila Sunrise" and the flop "Outlaw Man," which peaked at a middling No. 59 on the pop chart.

Perhaps Eagles fans weren't ready for something so comparatively edgy. On its releases up to this point, and throughout the "Desperado" LP, the Eagles positioned itself as a gentle, twangy pop-rock band. "Outlaw Man" explicitly follows the concept of the album, and also rocks pretty hard with some crunchy electric guitars high in the mix and some confident and ominous first-person vocals from Glenn Frey. Falling somewhere between the sensibility of Led Zeppelin and America, "Outlaw Man" wouldn't feel out of place on a late-'70s Eagles album recorded after the bluesy guitar genius Joe Walsh joined the band.

While "Desperado" was essentially a concept album, the Eagles lost the thread, at least lyrically, on "Saturday Night." Most of the LP reflects on life in the Great American West almost a century in the past, but "Saturday Night" looks back bittersweetly on the 1950s and '60s, when the Eagles were all carefree teenagers. Musically, "Saturday Night" still fits, as it's powered by a mandolin that sounds like old-timey Spanish guitar or saloon music, but the lyrics are all boomer nostalgia.

The Eagles are closely associated with the unofficial genre of "dad rock," which is pretty much chill '70s classic rock enjoyed by members of the boomer generation. "Saturday Night" might resonate with that audience now more than it did even in 1973. The reportedly shady Don Henley, backed up by a truly haunting harmony section, wonders where the time went, asking how he grew into adulthood so fast when his memories of youthful evenings spent with friends and girlfriends still feel so palpable and electric.

In 1994, the Eagles reunited after 14 years apart for the "Hell Freezes Over" tour and live album, in which the band played mostly old material. It took until 2007 for the reconstituted Eagles to record a proper studio album, "Long Road Out of Eden." Sales figures were huge — it sold 7 million copies — but still comparatively modest, considering this was a new record by one of the most popular bands ever. Perhaps that was to be expected, as Walmart was the only retail outlet where one could purchase "Long Road Out of Eden." There's no telling how many Eagles fans didn't even know about a new record, a problem made worse by "How Long" not receiving much mainstream radio airplay and missing the Hot 100 altogether.

That's unfortunate, because "How Long" was a quintessential Eagles gem hiding in plain sight. It certainly bears no signs of a group of musicians who had grown rusty after not being in the studio together in almost three decades. "How Long" sounds like a bunch of seasoned pros having fun together and being pleased with themselves for still having what it takes. Glenn Frey and Don Henley alternate lead vocals; the former remains soulful and crispy, and the latter can still hit those plaintive high notes. The whole-band harmonies are tight, and Joe Walsh effortlessly rolls into a guitar solo. The final product harkens back to "Take It Easy," the band's first hit from 1972.