Re: Hell Freezes Over DVD Survivor Game
+1Originally Posted by Lacken101
THOTM sounds way better stripped down and acoustic like it is in HFO than DH's original version which is slightly electric and uptempo. It's truly an acoustic smooth song.
HC, on the other hand, is much better served as a hard rockin' electric song with screaming solos and more upbeat.
I realize the song originally was called a Reggae sound, and I haven't heard Felder's original demo but the final version as it is on the album is a pure rock song. For me it solidified them as a guitar-centric band and one that has killer guitar players as much as they do great singers. There is never a "best guitar solo" list without Hotel California at the top. I'd put the Hotel California solo as being as important to the history of the guitar as Hendrix, EVH, Page, and anyone else. Suddenly the smooth Eagles were fiery and had some rawness to their otherwise glossy sound.
No other band I know of made that transition from country/country-rock to classic rock supergroup better than this band. And that was at the feet of Hotel California and the addition of Joe Walsh - who was a total rock n' roll wild child. He was the Keith Moon of the guitar world at the time and got the Eagles respected as rock n' roll outlaws, much like Irving says in the doc. It was a double edged sword as it got rock n' rollers interested in the band who previously thought they were too smooth or light, but it betrayed country and western purists who liked their twangy smooth sound.
But to me from day one Glenn wanted to rock it up. He was more Mick Jagger, less Gram Parsons. And so he really showed it when he and Henley wrote for the Hotel California record as opposed to the first two records. You can see it start around On The Border and get progressively harder edged from there. Thank god!
Reply With Quote
'I must be leaving soon... its your world now'
