Desperado was the 1973 Eagles album built around a concept inspired by Old West outlaws. Released on April 17, 1973, it transformed the band's interest in anti-heroes into a Western-themed collection of songs, characters, and imagery.
The concept grew from conversations involving Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, and J.D. Souther, along with inspiration from stories about Wild West gunfighters and outlaw gangs. Songs such as “Doolin-Dalton,” “Outlaw Man,” “Twenty-One,” and the title track evoke that world, while the band viewed the outlaw metaphor as a parallel for rock musicians living outside conventional rules.
The cover reinforced the idea: the Eagles and several friends appear as a captured or fallen outlaw gang. Desperado was recorded at Island Studios in London with producer Glyn Johns. It initially sold less strongly than the debut, but later gained recognition as a key country-rock album. The title song was never released as a single, yet it became one of the Eagles' most enduring performances.