Hotel California (single)-The Eagles

It's not often that you can point to one particular album in a band's discography and say that it's somehow a defining event in that band's career. When The Eagles released the album Hotel California, it was a defining event in the band's career--they departed from the country-rock genre that had gotten them that far and became more immersed in a harder, edgier style of rock 'n roll ( I've discussed this idea in a recent review of a greatest hits collection by The Eagles, and I feel it's a very valid point). Hotel California, the song later released as a single, headlined the album by the same name, and in effect became the signature song of one of the most popular bands in American musical history.

Hotel California (the single) was released in June of 1992. I really don't know why, unless it had something to do with the reunion of The Eagles and their Hell Freezes Over album and tour. Anyway, the record company knows best, and I'm sure that there was a motive involved that was sure to line the pockets of record company executives who subsist by exploiting the talents of creative musicians.

Musically, the song features a lot of acoustic instruments--the twelve-string guitar that gets the song going sets a melancholy stage for the stuttering bass and orchestrated guitar licks that enter in textured layers. The Eagles were first and foremost a great vocal ensemble and the harmonies on this number are really exquisite.

The musical tone set by the players matches the somewhat surrealistic theme of the song--it revolves around a hotel found in the middle of the desert by a lonely traveller. When he checks in, he witnesses a lot of strange goings-on, and is advised by the nightman at the end of the song that "you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave". Pretty spooky stuff, let me tell you--sort of reminds me of The Outlook from Stephen King's novel, The Shining.

The tune closes with a pretty extended jam featuring some intricate interplay between the players--the lead guitar work is really outstanding, and Joe Walsh makes his presence felt on his first song with The Eagles.

This is the most popular song that The Eagles ever recorded--it attained almost myth-like status as a result of the live acoustic versions that everyone saw on VH1 and MTV that were really well done, and a little different from the single version.

I don't know if I would spend the money to buy this single, or any other one for that matter. It makes more sense to me to spend just a little more cash and buy the album. That way you get the single and a lot of other tunes too.

Thanks for reading.