#118 The Eagles, 'Hotel California' (1976)
Previously #37
Exit Bernie Leadon, enter Joe Walsh. If Bernie Leadon was the member that brought the Country sound to The Eagles, Joe Walsh was the member that brought the big, dirty riffs. Walsh had enjoyed a successful career with James Gang, as well as a solo career after leaving that band. His presence within the band was immediately felt, giving a new lease on life to The Eagles on this, their fifth record. Co-band leader, Glenn Frey took a backseat vocally, on this album, singing lead vocals on just one of the nine tracks, although he did co-write seven of them. His vocal harmonies are all over the record too. But this record belongs to Don Henley. The album explores themes of the dark underbelly of the American Dream; difficulites in work/life balance, relationship between business and art, corruption in politics and the shattering of illusions. The peace and love of the ‘60s was well and truly over, and this record was here to confirm it.
‘Hotel California’ opens its namesake album, and is unanimously one of the greatest guitar songs of all time. The interplay between Walsh and Don Felder is iconic. I spent many hours myself trying to learn this one in my teens. ‘New Kid In Town’ typically Frey, is a sweet song about “the fleeting, fickle nature of love and romance. It's also about the fleeting nature of fame, especially in the music business,” according to Henley. ‘Life In The Fast Lane’ well and truly announces Walsh’s arrival with his funky, filthy opening guitar riff reminiscent of James Gang’s ‘Funk #49.’ ‘Wasted Time’ closes Side A of the record, a song with the sweet vocals of Henley, typical of his later solo work and even songs with The Eagles such as ‘Desperado.’ Side B opens with a reprise of the song before another hard rocking song, ‘Victim Of Love.’ The song was recorded live in studio, apart from the vocals, and you can hear it. The band truly plays it as a unit. ‘Pretty Maids In A Row’ is the sole song written and sung by Joe Walsh and is one of the softer moments on the record. The album took 4 weeks to reach #1 where it would peak another 8 times. The album has sold a staggering 32 million copies worldwide making it the 10th best-selling album of all time (roughly equal with ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,’ MJ’s ‘Dangerous,’ Celine Dion’s ‘Falling Into You’ and the soundtrack to ‘Dirty Dancing.’ This album saw the peak of The Eagles who would subsequently implode a few years later due to in-fighting. The band famously said that they’d only get back together when “hell freezes over.” The ‘Hell Freezes Over’ tour began in 1994.
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