The Eagles took 18 months between their fourth and fifth albums, reportedly spending eight months in the studio recording
Hotel California. The album was also their first to be made without
Bernie Leadon, who had given the band much of its country flavor, and with rock guitarist
Joe Walsh. As a result, the album marks a major leap for
the Eagles from their earlier work, as well as a stylistic shift toward mainstream rock. An even more important aspect, however, is the emergence of
Don Henley as the band's dominant voice, both as a singer and a lyricist. On the six songs to which he contributes,
Henley sketches a thematic statement that begins by using California as a metaphor for a dark, surreal world of dissipation; comments on the ephemeral nature of success and the attraction of excess; branches out into romantic disappointment; and finally sketches a broad, pessimistic history of America that borders on nihilism. Of course, the lyrics kick in some time after one has appreciated the album's music, which marks a peak in
the Eagles' playing. Early on, the group couldn't rock convincingly, but the rhythm section of
Henley and
Meisner has finally solidified, and the electric guitar work of
Don Felder and
Joe Walsh has arena-rock heft. In the early part of their career,
the Eagles never seemed to get a sound big enough for their ambitions; after changes in producer and personnel, as well as a noticeable growth in creativity,
Hotel California unveiled what seemed almost like a whole new band. It was a band that could be bombastic, but also one that made music worthy of the later tag of "classic rock," music appropriate for the arenas and stadiums the band was playing. The result was
the Eagles' biggest-selling regular album release, and one of the most successful rock albums ever. [A two-CD 40th Anniversary Expanded Edition of
Hotel California was released in 2017, with the original album remastered on the first disc plus a bonus second disc featuring ten previously unreleased tracks recorded live at the Los Angeles Forum in October 1976. The set was packaged in a six-panel softpak and included a 16-page booklet.] ~ William Ruhlmann