The One of These Nights Eagles album was their 4th studio album, and it was released June 10, 1975 by Asylum. A month later it became the Eagles’ first number one album on Billboard’s album chart. Bill Szymczyk produced it at both Criteria Studios in Miami and the Record Plant in Los Angeles. One of These Nights was the last album Bernie Leadon participated on, and he left the band after the One of These Nights tour. Lyin’ Eyes from the album won the Eagles their first Grammy. Their next album would be Hotel California.
While at the Pine Knob Music Theater in Michigan for two days of sold-out shows, the Eagles were presented with the gold album award by Asylum Records.
Cameron Crowe interviewed Don Henley and Glenn Frey in 2003 about the origins of some of the songs on this album and their other albums. The part of the interview specifically about songs on One of These Nights is below. There were three Top 10 singles from the One of These Nights album:
- Lyin’ Eyes
- One of These Nights
- Take It To the Limit
There was an exhibition at a gallery in Santa Rosa, California, which featured many signed manuscripts of original lyrics. Take It To the Limit was included in that gallery exhibition in 1995.
The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA) – Aug. 13, 1995
The Eagles publicity photo on the cover of Phonograph Record Magazine was taken by Henry Diltz. That magazine cover, articles, and more photos from that shoot with Don Henley’s vintage Ford car are below.
The skull art on the cover of the One of These Nights album is the work of Boyd Elder. The skull hangs above Glenn Frey’s fireplace in the 1975 photo by Barry Schultz below. There is also a 15-minute video about Boyd and his art below.
Home at Last:
When the Eagles were at Criteria Studios recording the Hotel California album, they rented a house in Miami from “Home At Last“. Renting very nice beachfront mansions had become popular and well known among bands staying in Miami. Rather than staying in hotels, many bands preferred renting a large house from “Home at Last”. For the recording of the One of These Nights album the Eagles rented the 461 Ocean Boulevard house that Eric Clapton featured on one of his album covers. In fact, there is a story below of a fan from Japan who traveled to Miami and actually got to meet the Eagles at the Ocean Boulevard house.
One of These Nights Eagles album cover
(front and back)
Album sleeve front and back
Norman Seeff, photographer
Cameron Crowe interviewed Don Henley and Glenn Frey about the history of some of the One of These Nights album songs – Aug. 2003
“Meisner hit some notes that only dogs could hear.”
Take It To the Hilt
This LA Free Press notice has some errors. The song was not co-authored by Bernie and, of course, the song title is incorrect. The LA Free Press was the newspaper Randy sold on Sunset Blvd. when he first moved to Los Angeles.
LA Free Press (Los Angeles, CA) – Dec. 26, 1975
An excerpt taken from the Music page of the LA Free Press
Boyd Elder’s album cover art
Excerpt from book “California Rock California Sound” – 1978
According to an article written by Stephen K. Peeples:
“Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Randy Meisner, and Bernie Leadon, billing themselves as ‘Eagles,’ played their first performance for an L.A. audience of their peers at the ‘Chingadero Show’.”
An excerpt from the Under the Covers video – The Eagles played at the opening of Boyd Elder’s art show in Venice, CA on Apr. 2, 1972.
This is a short film about the Eagles’ skull artist Boyd Elder. Boyd died Oct. 6, 2018. He was a colorful character, so be prepared for some questionable language in a few places.
Boyd first mentions the Eagles at about 6:25.
Boyd Elder
(Gary Burden in the shadows to the right)
Henry Diltz, photographer
Boyd Elder’s One of These Nights skull art hangs above Glenn Frey’s fireplace in this 1975 photo by Barry Schultz – full photo (and other photos taken at Glenn’s house same day) can be seen on the Constant Meijers Interviews page.
“His artwork and designs have been featured in Texas Monthly, Vogue and Art Form. In 1975 he was honored with a Grammy nomination for best album cover art for the Eagles’ One of These Nights.”
The Odessa American (Odessa, TX) – Aug. 2, 1987
Boyd Elder’s Album Skull Art
One of These Nights
Released June 10, 1975
Their Greatest Hits
(1971-1975)
Released Feb. 17, 1976
The Very Best of the Eagles
Released May 10, 1985
Gary Burden designed the album cover using Boyd Elder’s skull art.
garyburdenforrtwerk.com
Billboard magazine full-page ad – July 19, 1975
One of These Nights gold album presentation made after the Pine Knob concert in Clarkston, Michigan on June 27, 1975
Record World magazine – Aug. 2, 1975
London contest to win free Eagles albums
Disc Magazine (London, England) – July 5, 1975
Full-page ad/order form in Crawdaddy magazine to purchase songbooks
Crawdaddy magazine – April 1976
“One of These Nights”
from the album
“Too Many Hands”
from the album
“One of These Nights also boasts gorgeous, soul-influenced falsetto vocals by Meisner, who often does this sort of thing, and by Henley, who doesn’t. Start to finish, top to bottom, it’s an altogether irresistible track. Just as unusual is Take It To the Limit, built around the best lead vocal Meisner’s ever recorded, and based on the theme and orchestrated texture of Jackson Browne’s innovative The Late Show.”
Phonograph Record Magazine (Hollywood, CA) – June 1975
Scroll down for more photos from the magazine cover photo shoot with Don Henley’s 1936 Ford car.
“Extensive sales, merchandising and promotional campaigns are being prepared to support not only the new album but the entire Eagles catalog, with advertising and in-store displays to tie-in with the group’s current national tour.”
Cash Box – June 7, 1975
“… Henley and Frey tend to sing what has become standard ‘Eagles harmony.’ Without Meisner’s soaring falsetto, the two voices get rather boring.”
The Scene (Cleveland, OH) – June 12, 1975
Ohio University Post (student newspaper) Athens, OH – June 26, 1975
Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, FL) – July 3, 1975
“With the Band and the Allman Brothers still on the inactive list, the Eagles may just be the best band in America.”
The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) – July 9, 1975
Excerpt from a lengthy article
“All nine songs have their own particular virtues, a change from previous albums that were sometimes terrible, sometimes terrific.”
Sacramento Bee – July 13, 1975
“Too Many Hands has the group using tablas but comes off exceptionally well.”
University of New Mexico Daily Lobo (student newspaper) – July 17, 1975
“Best songs include the title track (with intriguing introduction measures), ‘Hollywood Waltz,’ ‘Lyin’ Eyes’ and ‘Take It to the Limit,’ featuring Meisner’s superb lead vocal.”
Tulsa World (Tulsa, OK) – July 20, 1975
Miami Herald (Miami, FL) – July 20, 1975
A small part of a lengthy Phonograph Record Magazine interview by Tom Nolan mentioned by Don Henley in the beginning of this Miami Herald article is below.
“‘One of These Nights’ features Randy Meisner’s pulsating bass line, which is punctuated by single blasts from Frey’s keyboards.”
“Lest one think the Eagles have neglected the rock and roll side of their musical personality, the album is rounded out by several rockers. Meisner’s ‘Too Many Hands’ is one of the LP’s strongest songs. With Felder and Frey leading the attack, the number becomes a feast for guitar freaks: from high-voltage screaming electrics to the intriguing harmonic variations played on acoustics.”
The Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, NC) – July 24, 1975
Henry Diltz shot the photo used on the June 1975 cover of Phonograph Record Magazine below.
There are more pics from that photo shoot of the Eagles with Don Henley’s car
directly below this magazine cover and interview excerpt.
Phonograph Record Magazine (Hollywood, CA) – June 1975
Excerpt from lengthy Phonograph Record Magazine interview by Tom Nolan – June 1975
Photo shoot with Don Henley’s 1936 Ford
Glenn Frey, Don Felder, Bernie Leadon, Don Henley, and Randy Meisner
Don Henley’s vintage 1936 Ford car
Brandon Sun (Brandon, Manitoba, Canada) – Aug. 2, 1975
“There’s tension among us, admits Meisner, because we give each other second thoughts. But we remember C. S. N. & Y. and the Beatles. Since Lennon and McCartney split, they have never been as productive.”
Time Magazine – Aug. 18, 1975
CM Life – Central Michigan University student newspaper (Mount Pleasant, MI) – Sept. 8, 1975
“The bottom line of the success of the Eagles’ fourth is that they have moved into international visibility, thereby creating an unprecedented record buyer interest in past Eagles catalog.”
Cash Box – Sept. 27, 1975
Montreal Star (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) – Oct. 4, 1975
“Randy Meisner, for example, was an original member of Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band but had played with Eagle-ites Glenn Frey and Don Henley in the Linda Ronstadt group.”
Record Mirror – Apr. 10, 1976
“Warner Bros. Publications, Inc. is making a special ‘two-fer’ offer in the area of sheet music, by offering the words and music to the Eagles’ current hit single, ‘Take It To the Limit,’ with the ‘B’ side of the single, ‘After the Thrill is Gone,’ also included in the same publication for no additional cost to the buyer.”
Cash Box – Jan. 24, 1976
Record World magazine front cover – May 8, 1976
Record World magazine – May 8, 1976
Cash Box – Jan. 8, 1977
“Singer songwriter Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills & Nash will make a personal appearance for the premiere exhibition of manuscript originals at the Greta Peck Gallery in Santa Rosa, at 7 p.m. Aug. 2, 1995. The exhibition features original lyrics to classic songs, handwritten, numbered, signed and often illustrated by the songwriters.”
The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA) – Aug. 13, 1995
The Eagles rented the 461 Ocean Boulevard house from “Home at Last” in Miami during the One of These Nights recording at Criteria Studios.
“So, any demand – by the Eagles or anyone else in the enormous stable of celebrity guests Home at Last hosts in beachfront mansions – is considered no problem at all.”
Fan traveled from Japan and met Eagles at the 461 Ocean Boulevard house – April 1975
Criteria Studios in Miami for the One of These Nights Eagles album recording
Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Randy Meisner, Kazumasa Matsuo, and Don Felder
Kazumasa Matsuo and Randy
Glenn Frey, Kazumasa Matsuo, and Don Felder
Mr. Matsuo got all the Eagles’ autographs
(Kasa is his nickname)
Thank you Diana for your hard work researching and producing another very interesting and informative article.
Thank you! I do enjoy the research. Sometimes it’s difficult because things aren’t always as they seem on the surface, but I’ve found some really good resources to aid in the hunt for info.