One of These Nights

The band began work in late 1974, and many of the songs, among them One of These Nights, Lyin' Eyes and Take It to the Limit, were written while Frey and Henley shared a house in Beverly Hills. Henley joked to Cameron Crowe that it was their satanic country-rock period, because it was a dark time politically and musically. Frey called it the most fluid and painless album they ever made. Leadon wrote three of the nine songs, none of them a single, and grew unhappy with the rock direction Frey preferred. Don Felder, the newest member, sings lead on Visions, the only Eagles song he sang. Leadon's banjo instrumental Journey of the Sorcerer became the theme of the BBC radio series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in 1978. Meisner sings lead on Take It to the Limit, the only one of his songs released as a single.

The cover is a painted skull by the artist Boyd Elder, and was the last Eagles design for Gary Burden. It earned a Grammy nomination for Best Album Package. The vinyl run-out grooves carry the messages "Don't worry --" and "-- Nothing will be O.K.!" The album entered the Billboard 200 at 25 and reached number one in its fourth week, staying four weeks, the first of four successive number ones. It was certified quadruple platinum and nominated for Album of the Year. William Ruhlmann of AllMusic called it the band's best-realized and most popular album to that point.