This boxed set is a monument to greed. The Eagles WERE a class act, until this travesty. The "selected" music, 53 tracks, is spread over 4 CDs, with many notable omissions. This would have very easily made an excellent 2 CD set. Apparently the Holiday "fast buck" mentality prevailed. The remastering is fine, but what you are really paying for is a fancy cardboard box. The CDs themselves aren't even in regular jewel boxes, but open cardboard sleeves that insure maximum exposure to dust. The enclosed booklet is dominated by pictures, with little meaningful information or insight. If you are looking at boxed sets for gifts, there are many others far more worthy of your consideration. If you need prime Eagles, wait for their remastered individual albums. All of them won't cost much more than this turkey. "Selected Works" is only for those with a lot more money than sense.

As a fan of Eagles, I always hope Asylum would released a CD box-set of the band, no matter the set of complication or even the completed recordings. The latest Eagles CD box set of "The Selected Works" would aroused me much more concentration. There is a 4CDs in the box, the first three are a collective greatest hits for their six album, plus "Get Over It" from Hell freezes Over; the forth disc is a Live recordings of the band in 1999 (never before released materials). The arrangment of first three disc is quite disappointed me, it was because the song are published in non-chronicle order. There are also no alternative takes or demo tracks in the box-set. As you knows, the two greatest hits of Eagles are almost 10 years old in CD format. We might needed a brand new complication CD with a newly sonic remastered to replace our existing collection. However, it doesn't mean the old greatest hits CD should be flown away. For instance, the song of "Seven Bridges Road" is not contains in the box; "Victim of Love" is contained live version only in disc 4. Overall, it seems that there would not be another completed recordings box-set like "the Doors" come ground in the future. If you really don't mind the arrangment of contents, "The Selected" box is really a gift for Eagles fan.

I pre-ordered this box set because I wanted to make sure that I received it as soon as it was released (Big Eagles Fan!)...Now I've had it a few days and have listened to it a little bit. The live disc is a treat, the other three discs collect greatest hits on a Ballads CD, The Fast Lane CD, and the Early Years CD. These other three CDs collect the songs in a different order that I may not have selected in my changer, but I could do that with their other CDs I already have. I saw the track list before I bought it, so I can't complain too much about the lack of bonus tracks or alternate cuts (there's only a couple included). Like I said, the Live Disc makes up for that a bit...The sound quality? Certainly not worse than previous releases, but is it better? Maybe a tad, but I'm having a hard time telling much difference. The enclosed booklet is great; I really enjoyed the essays and the photos. My disappointment? The chintzy carboard digipak cases that each of the four CDs comes in. They are stacked in the box 2 on top of 2, with a little thumb indentation so you can get them out. But I see this as a setup that won't leave the packaging in very good shape after some use. I'll probably take the CDs out and place them in jewel boxes or something....So to sum up, great booklet, decent track choice (a few left off, but you can't have everything), great live disc,cheap cardboard CD packaging...I suppose this probably won't matter for the hard-core Eagles fan, but a casual fan may want to invest in the cheaper greatest hits package....Who knows, after I listen for a week or two longer, maybe I'll think more of the collection...

but overall it is good rather than great.

First what is great is the sound quality of the digital remastering (far superior to originally released cds). Some reviewers complained about the non-chronological ordering of the songs but in my opinion this works really well, gives the set a sort of Eagles concert feel, and for long-time fans who are very familiar with the original albums, the sequencing is fresh and sheds new perspective on certain songs. The booklet of essays and photos are wonderful, as is the inclusion of previously unreleased live material on disc four (great versions of Peaceful Easy Feeling, Victim of Love and Best of My Love). And the set wisely ignores the relatively weak debut album, culling just the three "hits" plus Train Left Here This Morning.

However, what is bad about this set is that each disc runs 50-60 minutes (who's brilliant idea was that in an age of 80 minute capacity). This only serves to point out what is NOT included such as Seven Bridges Road, You Never Cry Like A Lover, I Wish You Peace, etc. The Millenium concert disc was particularly disappointing in this regard, since there was room for additional live versions of One of These Nights, Already Gone, Sad Cafe, Witchy Woman (none of which have ever been released whereas Hotel California is on every live release and could have been dropped) and at least one Frey solo song to help balance out the Henley material. Some reviewers complained about the inclusion of Dirty Laundry and other solo numbers, but I personally enjoyed hearing the Eagles play those tunes. Those fans are also forgetting that Walsh and Schmitt both orignally played on Don's first album (and maybe even on Dirty Laundry).

Casual fans should stick to the digitally remastered greatest hits volumes, hardcore fans should pick this up, and those in-between should find a used copy at a cheaper price.

Yawnnnnn.....

Nothing new here.... Selected stuff... We've heard it all before and if you are a fan, you probably have most of this. Forget the Live disc (#4) too. Get Hell Freezes Over and/or Hotel California and the first Greatest Hits....

Henley and Frey must want some easy Christmas money with a few pennies going to Leadon, Felder, Schmidt, Walsh and Meisner. Variations of the notes in the booklet have shown up in print before - ARGH. These guys had a hard time working together because each was a 'genious' and a 'perfectionist'. I guess that's why there are no alternative takes. Come on guys.... Too bad...