33 years ago today, Hotel California was released just in time for the Christmas buying season of 1976.

It was their biggest success and the album for which they became best known. It was career-altering both by taking them to the pinnacle and then by hastening their dissolution due to the toll of the ever-intensifying pressure they felt to outdo themselves.

With the addition of Joe Walsh and the loss of Leadon, they finally placed themselves firmly on the "rock" side of "country rock." They made the transition with a bang. There isn't a weak song on the album (though admittedly I believe some of them are a bit overrated, as I'll detail later).

So, Hotel California, happy anniversary! Let's have some pink champagne on ice and say "Here's to you!"