On the Charts 32 Years Ago, the Tribute Album that Reunited the Eagles Went Triple Platinum

On June 27, 1994, Common Threads: The Songs of the Eagles was certified triple Platinum by the RIAA, eight months after its October 1993 release. The album contained some of the Eagles’ biggest hits and most popular songs performed by some of the biggest country stars of the 1990s. Trisha Yearwood, Tanya Tucker, Lorrie Morgan, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill, and several others recorded songs for the collection. However, Travis Tritt’s cover of “Take It Easy” was the most important track on the album. That’s the song that got the band back together.

The Eagles weren’t involved in the making of Common Thread. Don Henley and the band’s longtime manager, Irving Azoff, worked to make the album happen. Some of the royalties from the album were going to fund Henley’s non-profit Walden Woods Project. The rest of the band didn’t come into the picture until the video shoot for Tritt’s “Take It Easy.”

Travis Tritt Reunited the Eagles

Travis Tritt was one of the most successful country stars of the early 1990s. When it came time to record Common Thread, he had already sent “Help Me Hold On,” “Anymore,” and “Can I Trust You With My Heart” to the top of the country chart. He’d also sent seven more singles to the top 10. At the same time, “Take It Easy,” the Eagles’ debut single, is a bona fide classic. As a result, Giant Records knew Tritt’s version of the track would be a hit. They released it as a single and wanted the “Country Club” singer to make a video.

“The only way I’m going to do a video is if we get the Eagles back together,” Tritt said when approached about filming a clip for the single. “Everybody kind of chuckled and got a big kick out of it, because nobody thought it could happen,” he recalled. After all, Hell hadn’t frozen over just yet.

After some lengthy discussions, the band agreed to appear in the “Take It Easy” music video. “I saw a bunch of guys who got together and really seemed to realize that they didn’t hate each other as bad as they thought they did,” Tritt said of the shoot. “I got to be an Eagle for a day.”

“After years passed, you really sort of remember that you were friends first,” Glenn Frey said about getting together with Joe Walsh, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmidt, and Don Felder again. “I just remembered how much we genuinely had liked each other and how much fun we’d had.”

Common Thread Proved Fans Were Hungry for New Music

While some compilations and live albums had been released, the Eagles hadn’t shared any new music since The Long Run in 1979. That, combined with the A-list lineup assembled on Common Thread, made it a guaranteed hit. The band also had a huge fanbase that continued growing after they split. Millions of fans were itching for new music. The speed at which the album sold is proof.

[RELATED: How Travis Tritt Made Hell Freeze Over and Sparked an Eagles Reunion]

It was released on October 12, 1993. It was certified double Platinum by the RIAA on December 17. Then, six months later, on June 27, 1994, it went triple Platinum.

The Eagles’ live album Hell Freezes Over, recorded during their reunion tour, was released in November 1994. It went quadruple Platinum by mid-January, giving the band a warm welcome.

Featured Image by Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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