When the Eagles released Hotel California on December 8, 1976, it had been 18 months since their last album, One of These Nights. At the time, was a long wait for new music from one of the hottest rock bands in the world.
But the wait was worth it as the band had grown and transitioned music and personnel wise. Guitarist Joe Walsh joined their ranks with the departure of Bernie Leadon, and they developed a heavier sound, leaning away from the country influences of earlier years.
The album winds through shared themes of paradise lost, fortunes squandered and acts as a metaphor for the perceived decline of America. For the band, it reflected a changing & decaying rock scene for L.A. in the mid-70s, as a microcosm for the country as a whole.
In short, the Eagles ‘Hotel California’ represents a changing of the times, the best and the worst of it, and it remains a soundtrack to life & the people living it.
Join Robin LaRose on Thursday, December 8th @ 6 p.m. as he takes you back to 1976 with the Eagles and Hotel California. Only on Rock 101 – Vancouver’s Greatest Hits!
Hotel California Track Listing
Side one
- “Hotel California” 6:30
- “New Kid in Town” 5:04
- “Life in the Fast Lane” 4:46
- “Wasted Time” 4:55
Side two
- “Wasted Time” 1:22
- “Victim of Love” 4:11
- “Pretty Maids All in a Row” 4:05
- “Try and Love Again” 5:10
- “The Last Resort” 7:25
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