Hotel California
Hotel California
Well, I'm really surprised about votes against HC and LITFL already! I'll have to give it a little more thought!![]()
"They will never forget you 'till somebody new comes along"
1948-2016 Gone but not forgotten
I can't get over all the votes for HC already either, Brooke.
All this talk about it being overrated has me sad.It's not overrated. It might be overplayed on radio, you might be tired of it - but it's not overrated. If it weren't for this song, the Eagles wouldn't have been IMO near as successful. When you mention the Eagles to the average rock n' roll fan (not country fan), they are going to say Hotel California. It's like peanut butter and jelly at this point. Now I'm sure if you would ask a country/western fan that same question - you might get Take It Easy Or Peaceful Easy Feeling as their answer, but I don't tend to hang out in that crowd and I think there are more rock fans out there that I see.
YEF - the fact that it is different than the rest of their works is one of the reasons I like it. I hate country-rock so for me them doing this record and The Long Run is pretty much why I'm a fan. I don't like smooth ballads or go gaga for harmony vocals and twangy stuff so much. To me, this was their piece de resistance. Their masterpiece. The one song that stood head, hands, and shoulders above anything prior (and after).
As a concept album, Hotel California is way more appealing, to a lot of people I bet, than Desperado ever was. To me HC is more identifiable than a cowboy outlaw thing. HC is more metro I guess, or at least city-influenced. And I like to live vicariously through the whole excess of the 70s/80s and pretend I was there in that time even though I would not call myself a partier or a rock n' roller hard edged person at all.
At this point I would really like to see Wasted Time go, but I'm willing to vote for something else to save Hotel California. I've already voted and now I wish I would have saved my vote for a strategic one.![]()
-Austin-
Resident Guitar Slinger
Fan of the Eagles from 1972-2016 #NOGLENNNOEAGLES
RIP Glenn Frey and Randy Meisner
"So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key..."
... And yet I am the polar opposite, I love the Eagles for their early country rock sound, priamrily their vocal harmonies and Bernie's various musical influences; if I want hard rock I listen to someone else altogether. I am an Eagles fan in spite of their late 70s output, not owing to it; I maybe listen to one 1976 onward song for every 10 I listen to before then. I put Hotel California as an album probably my fourth favourite of the Eagles, and probably just about in my top 30 favourite Eagles songs.
If everyone came on here and said 'oh my god [song] is the best thing ever' it would be a dismal place; that applies for whether or not I agree. I frankly couldn't care less what the average rock fan thinks or what he identifies with. Swings and roundabouts.
Whatever the outcome, one of Don's songs will be in the finals.
Save Hotel California. Vote Wasted Time.
Brothers for life. RIP Glenn
I'm not sure I believe in fate, but I know that crossing paths with Glenn Lewis Frey in 1970 changed my life forever, and it eventually had an impact on the lives of millions of other people all over the planet. It will be very strange going forward in a world without him in it. But, I will be grateful, every day, that he was in my life. Rest in peace, my brother. You did what you set out to do, and then some." -Don Henley
-Austin-
Resident Guitar Slinger
Fan of the Eagles from 1972-2016 #NOGLENNNOEAGLES
RIP Glenn Frey and Randy Meisner
"So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key..."
Well - I am definitely going to weigh in on this debate. First of all, I am a fan of all iterations of the band that included Henley and Frey. I happen to think transitioning from country rock to a more rock and roll band was a very smart move. I don't think they would have been nearly as successful had they not done so.
Now, I am going to pretty much repeat the argument I made in an earlier Survivor game about the top three megahits on this album. Here is why I believe these should be the last three songs to battle it out in this game. Each of them stands alone as a great song in their own right, but, collectively, they are the three songs that perfectly sum up the theme and message of one of the best rock and roll albums ever.
Life In The Fast Lane - This hard rock anthem about a couple going nowhere fast has some of the best lyrics the band ever wrote. To me, this is the song that Joe really shines on (along with Hotel California). His guitar work is off the scale on this song. Don’s vocals are perfect and the melody and guitar riffs are extremely catchy and memorable. So memorable, in fact, that the title phrase is now a part of our every day vernacular. They even manage to get those famous harmonies in. The song is significant in the band’s history because it showed the world that they were diverse enough to do everything from blue grass to hard rock (and anything in between).
New Kid In Town – I believe this is one of the best songs the band ever recorded. It has everything – exceptional lyrics, vocals, harmonies, music, and arrangement. I can’t find any flaws with it. The song fits perfectly into the theme of the album and I love how cleverly it intertwines personal relationships and careers. I think the progression of the lyrics in the three chorus’ is nothing short of brilliant. …
Johnny-come-lately
The new kid in town
Everybody loves you
So don’t let them down.
Johnny-come-lately
The new kid in town
Will she still love you
When you’re not around?
Where you been lately?
There’s a new kid in town
Everybody loves him, don’t they?
And he’s holding her
And you’re still around.
All you have to do is read them and they pretty much sum up the entire song (and album) for you.
Hotel California – I believe this is simply one of the top ten best rock and roll songs ever. Yes, it’s been overplayed, but that’s because of its iconic status. This song is not only brilliant in every way a great song can be, but it was IMPORTANT. Only a few other songs have made a cultural impact the way this song did. In a nutshell, this song changed our society. A single song made a difference – that is significant enough to deservedly earn it a place among the rock and roll elite. So, whether you like the song or not, it's hard to deny its impact. IMHO, it deserves to win this game.
"People don't run out of dreams: People just run out of time ..."
Glenn Frey 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016
And BTW - I don't have to wait to vote this round. I absolutely love Wasted Time, but if you read my post above, there is no doubt in my mind that it should be the next to go ...
I cast my vote for Wasted Time.
"People don't run out of dreams: People just run out of time ..."
Glenn Frey 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016
WF- I don’t disagree with anything you’re saying really. The piece of music alone is superb and one of kind. The intro chords take you on a journey on their own. The harmony lines and solos are top notch. I love the bass line and the beat as well. It’s just that the song is so different than what I normally come to expect and love about the Eagles I just don’t have that personal connection to it that I do others. I won’t criticize the song because it’s obviously amazing, just not my personal favorite
I guess I fall somewhere in the middle between Walshfan and tlr. Like tlr, I gravitate towards the songs with the beautiful harmonies. The Eagles have always been about the voices, for me. I was never a big rock chick back in the 70's. I went to an Aerosmith concert and had a couple of their albums and I also went to see Seger a couple of times back then.
Having said that, I do agree with Walshfan that Hotel California isn't over rated, just overplayed. I probably don't listen to it as much as I used to but I do remember how much I loved that song back then. The album came out my senior year and the single was number one right before I graduated. I still remember getting goosebumps hearing it at the beginning of concerts when it became their signature song, just as "Take it Easy" had been a few years earlier.
I don't tend to hang out with the "country/western" crowd either, Walshfan, but I do love "TIE" and "PEF". I also loved the Bernie songs. I liked the country rock sound, because it was new back then. It wasn't like classic country, but a sound of our own. I'm guessing that it's the steel guitar sound that you don't care for? I know you said you like the more metro or city influenced sound, but you've gone to see Skynyrd and The Outlaws if I'm not mistaken... great 70's bands that I loved, but very honkytonk rather than metro!
A last point, Walshfan. I'd like to make you an honorary 70's person because you love my music and times so much! We had some great times but we weren't THAT excessive...
I reluctantly vote for Wasted Time...