The United States may feel like it’s on the brink of a civil war led by its own government, but one thing Americans seem to agree on in our nation’s bisesquicentennial year is the peaceful, easy feeling we all get from the Eagles‘ early years. The RIAA announced on Thursday that the group’s first compilation, Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) (1976), had become the first LP in history to be christened quadruple diamond by the RIAA. The certification signifies that the band has sold more than 40 million copies of the LP, officially making it the bestselling album of all time.
Runner-up to the Eagles, of course, remains Michael Jackson‘s Thriller (1982), which retains its 34x platinum status, certified in 2021. And in third place? Well, gee … (blushes, adjusts tie), it’s the Eagles again, this time with Hotel California, which, as of Thursday, is now freshly certified 28x platinum. That achievement, of course, is due to the Eagles’ greatest hits capping things off in 1975, a year before Hotel California came out, making it so you need both if you’re a real Eagles fan.
For Eagles singer-songwriter Don Henley, who recognized another milestone (Greatest Hits came out nearly half a century ago on Feb. 17, 1976), quadruple diamond status is a cultural victory. “In an age, in a culture, where everything seems to become more ephemeral, by the day, it is gratifying to have been part of something that endures, even for 50 years,” he said in a statement to The Associated Press. “We are amazed and grateful.”
The band is celebrating by re-releasing Greatest Hits on clear, heavyweight vinyl and performing another 12 gigs at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The residency begins Friday and features four dates this month, another four each in February and March.
The AP notes that while RIAA diamond certifications once represented the sale of 10 million physical albums, the company has since changed its thresholds for the streaming era. Beginning in 2013, certifications now recognize streaming equivalents, drawing from plays on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music. If you stream an album 1,500 times, and Eagles fans apparently have, that is now equal to one album sale.
