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TL;DR:

  • Mike Nesmith liked The Eagles a lot.
  • He said the band was “nearly perfect” in its first iteration.
  • Despite this, the success of the band made him very sad.
The Eagles with a blue background
The Eagles | RB/Redferns

The Monkees‘ Mike Nesmith was a big fan of The Eagles’ Hotel California. Despite this, he was heartbroken by the band’s success. He had similar feelings about The Byrds.

The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith liked The Eagles, but he stopped listening to them

Nesmith founded The First National Band, a country-rock band with a sound similar to The Eagles. During a 2018 interview with The Arizona Republic, Nesmith discussed hearing The Eagles for the first time. “It was naturally thrilling,” he recalled.

“I loved The Eagles from the first time I heard them — but as with many things that are nearly perfect in their first iteration, The Eagles had some growing to do — and how they finally wound up their run was a spectacular show of talent and intelligence,” he continued. “They were and are one of my favorite bands — but I don’t listen to them anymore.”

What Mike Nesmith said about The Flying Burrito Brothers and The Byrds

In a 2018 Rolling Stone interview, Nesmith expressed negative feelings about the success of The Eagles and similar country-rock artists. “I was heartbroken beyond speech,” Nesmith said. “I couldn’t even utter the words ‘The Eagles,’ and I loved Hotel California, and I love The Eagles, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo, all that stuff.” 

Nesmith compared his feelings to those of a famous painter. “That was right in my wheelhouse, and I was agonized, Van Gogh–agonized, not to compare myself to him, but I wanted to cut something off because I was like, ‘Why is this happening?'” he recalled. “The Eagles now have the biggest-selling album of all time, and mine is sitting in the closet of a closed record company?”

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How The Eagles and The Monkees performed on the charts in the United States

The Eagles became a massive success in the United States. Five of the band’s singles topped the Billboard Hot 100: “Hotel California,” “Best of My Love,” “One of These Nights,” “Heartache Tonight,” and “New Kid in Town.” In addition, Six of the group’s albums topped the Billboard 200: Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975), Hotel California, Hell Freezes Over, Long Road Out of Eden, The Long Run, and One of These Nights.

The First National Band was nowhere near as popular as The Eagles. Three of their singles hit the Billboard Hot 100: “Joanne,” “Nevada Fighter,” and “Silver Moon.” None of those songs reached the top 20. None of their albums hit the top 100 of the Billboard 200.

Nesmith wasn’t happy when The Eagles became popular, but he still thought they were a great band.

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