Hotel California is the fifth studio album released by the American rock band the Eagles, in late 1976. It is the first Eagles album without founding member Bernie Leadon and the first album with Joe Walsh. It is also the last album featuring original bass player and singer Randy Meisner. The album became the band's highest selling studio album with over 16 million copies sold in the U.S. alone. The album topped the charts and won the band two Grammy awards for "Hotel California" and "New Kid in Town". The album was nominated for album of the year but lost to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.
The album yielded three Top 20 singles, "New Kid in Town", "Hotel California", and "Life in the Fast Lane". "New Kid in Town" and "Hotel California" both topped the Billboard Hot 100, and "Life in the Fast Lane" reached number 11 on the charts. The album was ranked number 37 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". The album further established the group as the most successful American band of the decade, making the Eagles household names. The song "Hotel California" is considered by many to be one of the greatest rock songs of all time; it was ranked number 49 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". The guitar duet at the end of the song was performed by Don Felder and Joe Walsh. The album also features "Wasted Time", "Victim of Love", and "The Last Resort".
History
Hotel California was the Eagles' fifth album of original material and became a critical success and a major commercial hit; since its release in late 1976, it has sold over 16 million copies in the U.S. alone. The album was at number 1 for eight weeks in early 1977 (non-consecutively), and included two tracks which became number 1 hits as singles on the Billboard Hot 100: "New Kid in Town", on February 26, 1977, and "Hotel California" on May 7, 1977.
In 2001, the TV network VH1 named Hotel California number 38 on 100 Greatest Albums of All Time. Hotel California was ranked 13th in a 2005 survey held by British television's Channel 4 to determine the 100 greatest albums of all time. In 2003, the album was ranked number 37 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[6]
Following its original release on standard LP, cassette and 8-track cartridge formats, the album was considered for Quadraphonic release in early 1977; this idea was dropped following the demise of the Quadraphonic format. However, 25 years later, the album was released in a Multichannel 5.1 DVD-Audio disc. On August 17, 2011, the album was released on a hybrid SACD in Japan in The Warner Premium Sound series, containing both a stereo and a 5.1 mix.[7]
Members of the Eagles have described the album as a metaphor for the perceived decline of America into materialism and decadence. In an interview with Dutch magazine ZigZag shortly before the album's release, Don Henley said:
This is a concept album, there's no way to hide it, but [unlike the Eagles' earlier concept album, 1973's Desperado] it's not set in the old West, the cowboy thing, you know. It's more urban this time (…) It's our bicentennial year, you know, the country is 200 years old, so we figured since we are the Eagles and the Eagle is our national symbol, that we were obliged to make some kind of a little bicentennial statement using California as a microcosm of the whole United States, or the whole world, if you will, and to try to wake people up and say 'We've been okay so far, for 200 years, but we're gonna have to change if we're gonna continue to be around.’
The album's final track, the epic "The Last Resort", was about the decline of society. Glenn Frey on the Hotel California episode of In the Studio with Redbeard explained about the track:
It was the first time that Don took it upon himself to write an epic story and we were already starting to worry about the environment… we're constantly screwing up paradise and that was the point of the song and that at some point there is going to be no more new frontiers. I mean we're putting junk, er, garbage into space now.
Album cover
The front cover art work is a photograph of the Beverly Hills Hotel by David Alexander with design and art direction by Kosh.[8] The rear album cover was shot at the Lido in Hollywood.
Track listing
|
1. |
"Hotel California" |
Don Felder, Don Henley, Glenn Frey |
Don Henley |
6:30 |
2. |
"New Kid in Town" |
Henley, Frey, J. D. Souther |
Glenn Frey |
5:03 |
3. |
"Life in the Fast Lane" |
Henley, Frey, Joe Walsh |
Don Henley |
4:46 |
4. |
"Wasted Time" |
Henley, Frey |
Don Henley |
4:55 |
5. |
"Wasted Time (Reprise)" |
Henley, Frey, Jim Ed Norman |
instrumental |
1:22 |
6. |
"Victim of Love" |
Henley, Frey, Felder, Souther |
Don Henley |
4:11 |
7. |
"Pretty Maids All in a Row" |
Walsh, Joe Vitale |
Joe Walsh |
3:58 |
8. |
"Try and Love Again" |
Randy Meisner |
Randy Meisner |
5:10 |
9. |
"The Last Resort" |
Henley, Frey |
Don Henley |
7:28 |
Album pressing
Original vinyl record pressings of Hotel California (Elektra/Asylum catalog no. 7E-1084) had custom picture labels of a blue Hotel California logo with a yellow background. These also had text engraved in the run-out groove of each side, continuing an in-joke trend the band had started with their previous album One of These Nights:
-
Side one: "Is It 6 O'Clock Yet?"
-
Side two: "V.O.L. Is Five-Piece Live", indicating that the song "Victim of Love" was recorded live, with no overdubbing. Joe Walsh and Glenn Frey confirm this on the inner booklet of The Very Best Of.
Personnel
-
Eagles
-
Glenn Frey – guitars, keyboards, vocals, piano
-
Don Henley – drums, percussion, vocals, keyboards
-
Randy Meisner – bass guitar, guitar, guitarrón, vocals
-
Don Felder – guitars, vocals
-
Joe Walsh – guitar, slide guitar, keyboards, vocals, organ
-
Production
-
Bill Szymczyk – producer
-
Allan Blazek, Bruce Hensal, Ed Mashal, Bill Szymczyk – engineers
-
Bill Szymczyk – mixing
-
Jim Ed Norman – string arrangements, conductor
-
Sid Sharp – concert master
-
Don Henley, John Kosh – art direction
-
John Kosh – design
-
David Alexander – photography
-
Kosh – artwork
-
Norman Seeff – poster design
-
Kevin Gray – CD preparation
-
Ted Jensen – mastering and remastering
-
Lee Hulko - original LP mastering
Singles
-
"New Kid in Town"/"Victim of Love" - Asylum 45373; released December 7, 1976
-
"Hotel California"/"Pretty Maids All in a Row" - Asylum 45386; released February 22, 1977
-
"Life in the Fast Lane"/"The Last Resort" - Asylum 45403; released May 3, 1977
Charts and certifications
Album
Singles
Year |
Single |
Chart |
Position |
1977 |
"New Kid in Town" |
Adult Contemporary |
2 |
1977 |
"New Kid In Town" |
Country Singles |
43 |
1977 |
"New Kid In Town" |
Pop Singles |
1 |
1977 |
"Hotel California" |
Pop Singles |
1 |
1977 |
"Life In The Fast Lane" |
Pop Singles |
11 |
|
Sales and certifications
|
Grammys
-
Awards
-
Nominations
See also
References
-
^ Scaruffi 2003, pg. 118, ", from the melancholy western vignettes of Desperado (1972) to the robust hard-rock of Hotel California (1976)."
-
^ Ruhlmann, William. "Hotel California - Eagles". Allmusic. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
-
^ Christgau, Robert. "Hotel California". Robert Christgau. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
-
^ "37) Hotel California - The Eagles - RS 233". Rolling Stone. November 1, 2003.
-
^ "Eagles - Hotel California (album review)". Sputnik Music. June 3, 2006.
-
^ "News". Rolling Stone. December 23, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
-
^ Warner Premium Sound series website (in Japanese). Retrieved September 17, 2011.
-
^ Ochs, Micheael. 1000 Record Covers. Taschen. ISBN 3-8228-4085-8.
-
^ "Austrian album certifications – Hotel California – Eagles" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved June 27, 2012. Enter Hotel California in the field Interpret. Enter Eagles in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
-
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
-
^ "Canadian album certifications – Hotel California – Eagles". Music Canada. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
-
^ a b "Finnish album certifications – Hotel California – Eagles" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
-
^ "French album certifications – Hotel California – Eagles" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved June 27, 2012. Select HOTEL CALIFORNIA and click OK
-
^ "Les Albums Diamant :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
-
^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Hotel California; 'Eagles')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
-
^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1978". IFPI Hong Kong.
-
^ "Spanish album certifications – Hotel California – Eagles" (in Spanish) (PDF). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
-
^ "British album certifications – Hotel California – Eagles". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 27, 2012. Enter Eagles in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go
-
^ "American album certifications – Hotel California – Eagles". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 27, 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
-
Bibliography
-
Scaruffi, Piero (2003). A History of Rock Music: 1951-2000. ¡Universe, Inc. ISBN 0-595-29565-7.
-
External links