The Eagles ended a 14-year hiatus to deliver this iconic cut of “Take It Easy” live for MTV, so get ready to melt when you hear the greatest vocal quintet in rock back in the saddle once more

After 14 years apart and considerable acrimony, the Eagles reunited for an MTV concert in April 1994. Their 1980 split had seemed permanent throughout the following decade, making the return an unexpected one. The performance put Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Don Felder and Timothy B. Schmit together again in an intimate room. Footage from the special was later uploaded by the band and made available in remastered HD.

A central selection from the MTV appearance was “Take It Easy.” The Eagles’ upload of the 1994 performance subsequently reached 57 million views on YouTube. Along with the five members singing in harmony, the recording brought Walsh and Felder back together as the lead-guitar pairing associated with the Hotel California period. It was their first return to that partnership after the group’s long hiatus.

The personnel matched the lineup from The Long Run, the Eagles’ 1979 studio album and their most recent studio release at the time of the reunion. Frey performed lead vocals and guitar, while Henley contributed vocals and played drums. Walsh and Felder each handled guitar and vocals, and Schmit supplied bass and vocals. The concert therefore reassembled the incarnation that had recorded the band’s final studio project before the breakup.

The 1994 footage was not the only high-quality film documenting an important Eagles lineup. Performances from the 1970s were also preserved, including a 1977 rendition of “Take It to the Limit.” That slower number focused on the group’s five-voice blend while placing bassist Randy Meisner at the center of the performance.

Watch the full performance on page two