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Biography
about|an album by the Eagles|its title track|Hotel California (song)|the film|Hotel California (film)|the Ugly Kid Joe album|Motel CaliforniaRefimprove|date=April 2008Infobox album | Name = Hotel California| Type = Studio| Artist = Eagles (band)|Eagles | Cover = Hotelcalifornia.jpg| Released = December 8, 1976| Recorded = March - October 1976 at Criteria Studios , Miami|Miami, FL and Record Plant Studios , Los Angeles|Los Angeles, CA | Genre = Country rock , hard rock #Scaruffi2003|Scaruffi 2003 , pg. 118, " , from the melancholy western vignettes of Desperado (1972) to the robust hard-rock of Hotel California (1976). "| Length = 43:28| Label = Asylum Records|Asylum | Producer = Bill Szymczyk | Reviews =| Last album = Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) (1976)| This album = Hotel California (1976)| Next album = The Long Run (album)|The Long Run (1979)Album ratings| rev1 = Allmusic Allmusic|class=album|id=r6479|pure_url=yes link| rev1Score = Rating|5|5| rev2 = Robert Christgau | rev2Score = Rating-Christgau|Bcite web|url= http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php? id=3589|first=Robert|last=Christgau|title=Hotel California|date=|accessdate=|publisher=Robert Christgau| rev3 = Rolling Stone http://web.archive.org/web/20070428172819/ http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6598253/37_hotel_california 37) Hotel California The Eagles RS 233| rev3Score = (favorable)| rev4 = Sputnik Music http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php? albumid=1313 link| rev4Score = Rating|5|5 Hotel California is the fifth studio album released by the United States|American rock music|rock band the Eagles (band)|Eagles , in late 1976 in music|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 (song)|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 #11 on the charts. The album was ranked #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 #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 (song)|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 #1 for eight weeks in early 1977 (non-consecutively), and included two tracks which became #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 #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 .cite web|url= http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6598253/37_hotel_california |title=News |publisher=Rolling Stone |date=2011-12-23 |accessdate=2011-12-27
Following its original release on standard LP, cassette and 8-track cartridge formats, the album was slated for Quadraphonic release in early 1977; this idea was ultimately dropped following the demise of the Quadraphonic format. However, in 2001, that is, 25 years later, the album was released in a Multichannel 5.1 DVD-Audio disc. On August 17, 2011, the album was also released on a hybrid Super Audio CD|SACD in Japan in The Warner Premium Sound series , containing both a stereo and a 5.1 mix. http://wmg.jp/sacdcd/? icid=top110810 Warner Premium Sound series website (in Japanese language|Japanese ). Retrieved 2011-09-17 .
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 (magazine)|ZigZag shortly before the album's release, Don Henley said: cquote|This is a concept album, there’s no way to hide it, but 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 United States Bicentennial|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 demise of society. Glenn Frey on the Hotel California episode of In the Studio with Redbeard explained about the track: cquote|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 cover image is of the Beverly Hills Hotel . It was photographed by David Alexander with design and art direction by Kosh (art director)|Kosh .cite book |last=Ochs |first=Micheael |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor= |others= |title=1000 Record Covers |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= |accessdate=|edition= |series= |volume= |date= |year= |month= |publisher=Taschen |location= |isbn=3-8228-4085-8 |oclc= |doi= |pages= |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= The rear album cover was shot at the Lido in Hollywood.
Track listing
;Side one #” Hotel California (song)|Hotel California ” ( Don Felder , Don Henley , Glenn Frey ) – 6:30 #*Lead vocal by Don Henley, percussion by Don Henley, guitar solos by Don Felder and Joe Walsh #” New Kid in Town ” ( J.D. Souther , Henley, Frey) – 5:03 #*Lead vocal by Glenn Frey, guitarron by Randy Meisner , electric piano and organ (music)|organ by Joe Walsh, lead guitar by Don Felder #” Life in the Fast Lane ” ( Joe Walsh , Henley, Frey) – 4:46 #*Lead vocal by Don Henley, lead guitar by Joe Walsh, clavinet by Glenn Frey #”Wasted Time” (Henley, Frey) – 4:55 #*Lead vocal by Don Henley, piano by Glenn Frey, organ by Joe Walsh, lead guitar by Don Felder
;Side two #”Wasted Time (Reprise)” (instrumental) (Henley, Frey, Jim Ed Norman ) – 1:22 #*Strings arranged and conducted by Jim Ed Norman #”Victim of Love” (Felder, Souther, Henley, Frey) – 4:11 #*Lead vocal by Don Henley, first guitar solo by Don Felder, slide guitar by Joe Walsh #”Pretty Maids All in a Row” (Walsh, Joe Vitale (musician)|Joe Vitale ) – 3:58 #*Lead vocal and piano by Joe Walsh, slide guitar by Don Felder, synthesizers by Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh #”Try and Love Again” ( Randy Meisner ) – 5:10 #*Lead vocal by Randy Meisner, lead guitar by Glenn Frey, Gretsch guitar by Joe Walsh #” The Last Resort (song)|The Last Resort ” (Henley, Frey) – 7:28 #*Lead vocal by Don Henley, piano by Glenn Frey, synthesizers by Joe Walsh and Don Henley, pedal steel guitar by Don Felder
Album pressing
The vinyl record pressings had custom picture labels of a blue Hotel California logo with a yellow background. They also had text engraved in the carry-out groove on each side: #“Is It 6 O'Clock Yet? " #“V.O.L. Is Five-Piece Live” to indicate 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 The Eagles”.
Randy Meisner – bass guitar, guitar, guitarron, 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
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
Album
Year
Chart
Position
1977
Country Albums
10
1977
Billboard 200
1
1977
Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart
1
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
Certifications
Country
Quantity
Certification
Canada
France
Germany
United Kingdom
United States
Grammys
;Awards
Year
Winner
Category
1978
"Hotel California"
Record of the Year
1977
"New Kid in Town"
Best Arrangement For Voices
;Nominations
Year
Nominee
Category
1978
"Hotel California"
Song of the Year
1978
Hotel California
Album of the Year
1977
Bill Szymczyk
Producer of the Year
s-startsuccession box| before = Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder | title = Billboard 200| Billboard 200 Number-one albums of 1977 (USA)|number-one album | years = January 15–21, 1977 February 5–11, 1977 March 26 - April 1, 1977 April 16 - May 20, 1977 | after = Wings over America by Wings (band)|Wings succession box| before = Arrival (ABBA album)|Arrival by ABBA | title = Kent Music Report|Australian Kent Music Report Number-one albums of 1977 (Australia)|number-one album | years = January 17 - April 10, 1977 | after = Rumours (album)|Rumours by Fleetwood Mac end
See also
List of best-selling albums in the United States
List of diamond-certified albums in Canada
References
Reflist;Bibliography
Cite book | last=Scaruffi |first=Piero |title=A History of Rock Music:1951-2000 |publisher=¡Universe, Inc. |year=2003 |isbn=0-595-29565-7
External links
http://www.radio3net.ro/dbartists/supersearch/ZWFnbGVz/eagles Album online at radio3net.ro
Eagles Category:Eagles (band) albums Category:1976 albums Category:Elektra Records albums Category:Asylum Records albums Category:Fictional hotels Category:Albums produced by Bill Szymczyk Category:Albums released on DVD-Audio Category:Albums released in Super Audio Category:Recording Industry Association of America Diamond Award albums
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