The Eagles haven’t released a new album in 25 years, but they still pac arena, and their Greatest Hits has sold 28 million copies – the most of any recording in history. “It’s almost as if what the band stands for has become more important than what it actually does. Somehow, quietly and gradually, the Eagles became America’s band, representing the nation’s aesthetic and sense of self in ways Bruce Springsteen or Lee Greenwood never could. It’s not patriotism, exactly — you’d be hard-pressed to find the words “America” or “U.S.A.” in their lyrics — but it speaks to the American identity on an almost subliminal level, evoking a psychic landscape far more immediate than the iconic purple mountains and amber waves of grain.”