~ It was the 1976 release of ’Hotel California’ which made the Eagles as well known as they are today. Prior to this time, although well respected within the music industry and regarded highly as artists, they were primarily considered a country group and failed to make a major impact in mainstream music.
~ The release of ’Hotel California’ moved the Eagles to more of a mainstream Pop status, as Country met Rock. The union of two quite contrasting styles somehow blended to perfection and resulted in their music reaching a wider audience, appreciative of talent irrespective of the image it had previously been subject to.
~ Don Henley’s genius with percussion featured more on the tracks than ever before, and combined with his vocal talent, made a platform of stability that journeyed throughout the album. Henley’s continued success to this day is, I feel, testament of his often accredited title as the driving force behind the group.
~ That is not to say Henley alone was the sole factor in the Eagles success, but definitely a major influence in the direction the music took. Lead vocals on this album were performed by four of the five band members, and all apart from Henley featured quite prominently on guitar too.
~ Glenn Frey was superb on guitar but was nonetheless a talented musician in general. Probably his strongest role though was as lyricist, co-writing most of the tracks on the album. Joe Walsh excelled at the keyboard with his skilful handling of organ, electric piano, and synthesizer.
~ Don Felder was primarily a guitarist, performing a solo piece on one track and taking lead guitar on others. Randy Meisner, the lesser known member (eventually replaced by Timothy B. Schmit) featured noticeably in just two tracks, one of which he had himself written and performed lead vocals on, the other in which he played guitarone.
1 ~ Hotel California... title track and probably best known. A haunting melody with beautiful, if somewhat surreal, https://lyrics. Don Henley on lead vocals, and intricate guitar solos by Felder and Walsh.
2 ~ New Kid In Town... Quite a slow song featuring Glenn Frey on lead vocals. A soft country feel, enhanced with vocal harmonies, and the unique guitarone from Meisner.
3 ~ Life In The Fast Lane... Once again vocal lead taken by Don Henley. Upbeat and almost electrifying with Walsh’s focussed guitar input and Frey on clavinet.
4 ~ Wasted Time.... Articulate lyrics from Don Henley in a rather down tempo musical display of pain and upset. Complemented by soft keyboard backing from Walsh and Frey.
5 ~ Wasted Time (reprise)... Orchestral, an instrumental with string arrangement. Maybe the weakest part of the album, more suited as a continuation of the previous song than as a track in its own right.
6 ~ Victim Of Love... Soft rock vocals from Don Henley in this predominantly guitar based track. Strong instrumental beat from Walsh and Felder.
7 ~ Pretty Maids All In A Row... Joe Walsh takes the lead vocals on this track co-written by himself and Joe Vitale. Frey, on synthesizer, complements Walsh’s piano playing to perfection.
8 ~ Try And Love Again... Written and performed by Randy Meisner. Frey and walsh on guitar giving a solid country rhythm over which Meisner’s quite soft voice could subtly be heard.
9 ~ The Last Resort... The longest track at over 7 minutes. With Don Henley on lead vocals, backed by Walsh on synthesizer and Felder on guitar, a peaceful ballad to close the album.
~ Compared to the majority of album releases in the present day, Hotel California is quite lacking in quantity. Just 9 tracks made up this classic album. But, without doubt, the tracks were carefully produced to ensure the one thing not missing from the album was quality. Disregarding best ofs, this was, is, the best Eagles release to date.