Music Review by Bill Rendall

Hotel California - The Eagles

In the last throes of the most decadent period of seventies rock a masterpiece emerged. The Eagles recorded Hotel California at the Record Plant in Los Angeles, the studio that probably best epitomised the debauchery of the rock scene at the time.

Disillusionment with the American west coast lifestyle is a major theme of the album. The lyrics to the title track, 'Life in the Fast Lane' and 'The Last Resort' support this theme. The lyrics on Hotel California achieve the difficult balance between being poetic and meaningful.

A significant contributing factor to the success of Hotel California is the inclusion of Joe Walsh. He adds more bite to the guitar parts and the former country rock sound of the Eagles leans more to rock. Another plus is the increased use of Don Henley as lead vocalist. The Eagles have never been short of good vocalists but I think Don Henley is their best.

The Eagles were not previously known as a riff based band but there are some great riffs introduced on Hotel California. 'Life in the Fast Lane' is a classic example.

The guitar solo on the title track is surely one of rock's greatest. The interplay between the two lead guitarists, Joe Walsh and Don Felder, adds spice to the solo. There are a couple of interesting things about the arrangement of the title track. Most obvious is that the guitar solo replaces the last chorus. Less obvious is an eerie second of silence before the last verse.

When bands become famous the recording studios will indulge them in lengthy recording sessions. There is a risk that the resulting albums will have the life squeezed out of them through over production. Some people cite Hotel California as an example of this. Some people also unfairly dismiss the Eagles and this album simply because they have been so hugely successful.

Sometimes you have to give credit to fine craftsmanship. Every track on Hotel California is a gem that has just the right amount of polishing. Ironically the album is an excellent product of the decadent environment that it attacks.