Hotel California

by Eagles

Overview

Those who call Hotel California an example of Southern California decadence are getting it wrong. It's about decadence, a much different thing. For all the excesses detailed by the band's biographers, it's a fact that leaders Don Henley and Glenn Frey ran a tight ship, crafting songs, albums, and the band's stage show for maximum sonic and emotional impact. In 1976, following four increasingly sophisticated and successful albums of unassailable country rock, Henley and Frey crafted Hotel California, the album of their career. They put to good use both the band's plangent lead guitarist, Don Felder, and rock vet Joe Walsh to give the Eagles a new, harder-rocking authority ("Life in the Fast Lane"), without giving up a certain chamber-rock classicism ("Wasted Time"). And then there's the celebrated title song, the hit "New Kid in Town," and Henley and Frey's ambitious summation, "The Last Resort."

Product Details

Release Date:	02/24/2015
Label:	Rhino
UPC:	0081227961619
catalogNumber:	1084
Rank:	315

Tracks

1. Hotel California
2. New Kid in Town
3. Life In The Fast Lane
4. Wasted Time
5. Wasted Time (Reprise)
6. Victim of Love
7. Pretty Maids All in a Row
8. Try and Love Again
9. The Last Resort

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Eagles   Primary Artist
Don Henley   Synthesizer,Percussion,Drums,Vocals,Group Member
Randy Meisner   Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Guitarron,Group Member
Joe Walsh   Organ,Synthesizer,Guitar,Piano,Keyboards,Electric Piano,Vocals,Slide Guitar,Soloist,Group Member
Don Felder   Guitar,Pedal Steel Guitar,Electric Guitar,Vocals,Slide Guitar,Soloist,Group Member
Glenn Frey   Synthesizer,Guitar,Piano,Keyboards,Vocals,Clavinet,Group Member
Jim Ed Norman   Conductor
Sid Sharp   Concert Master

Technical Credits

Don Henley   Art Direction
Allan Blazek   Engineer
Bruce Hensal   Engineer
Ed Mashal   Engineer
Jim Ed Norman   String Arrangements,String Conductor
J.D. Souther   Composer
Bill Szymczyk   Producer,Engineer
Norman Seeff   Poster Design
Kosh   Artwork,Graphic Design,Art Direction
Ed Marshall   Engineer

Editorial Reviews

The Eagles took 18 months between their fourth and fifth albums, reportedly spending eight months in the studio recording Hotel California. The album was also their first to be made without Bernie Leadon, who had given the band much of its country flavor, and with rock guitarist Joe Walsh. As a result, the album marks a major leap for the Eagles from their earlier work, as well as a stylistic shift toward mainstream rock. An even more important aspect, however, is the emergence of Don Henley as the band's dominant voice, both as a singer and a lyricist. On the six songs to which he contributes, Henley sketches a thematic statement that begins by using California as a metaphor for a dark, surreal world of dissipation; comments on the ephemeral nature of success and the attraction of excess; branches out into romantic disappointment; and finally sketches a broad, pessimistic history of America that borders on nihilism. Of course, the lyrics kick in some time after one has appreciated the album's music, which marks a peak in the Eagles' playing. Early on, the group couldn't rock convincingly, but the rhythm section of Henley and Meisner has finally solidified, and the electric guitar work of Don Felder and Joe Walsh has arena-rock heft. In the early part of their career, the Eagles never seemed to get a sound big enough for their ambitions; after changes in producer and personnel, as well as a noticeable growth in creativity, Hotel California unveiled what seemed almost like a whole new band. It was a band that could be bombastic, but also one that made music worthy of the later tag of "classic rock," music appropriate for the arenas and stadiums the band was playing. The result was the Eagles' biggest-selling regular album release, and one of the most successful rock albums ever.

All Music Guide - William Ruhlmann