Five Eagle in Zenit

After a production time of eight months, four years before emerging from the Advisory Group Linda Ronstadt's "Eagles" publish the end of 1976 their fifth album, which should remain 107 weeks in the US charts. With 28 million copies sold and the eponymous title track, which climbs even place 1 of the charts in the US, England Germany and many other countries, the West Coast Eagles reach its peak and start simultaneously with the descent of their soaring ...

..nachdem an exhausted traveler reaches a secluded hotel and was assigned a room, he must quickly realize that the ostensibly friendly staff in fact a tight-knit community whose members are prisoners of their desires, which they are ruthlessly expire. In addition, he realizes that he who has once entered the "Hotel California", this will never again be able to leave. The lyrics, in particular the "Dwelling in the rooms of the master beast that stabbing ending is constantly exposed steel Überkingen and yet can not be killed" will attract countless attempts at interpretation by itself ....

At first glance romanticize album title and the same song the world of "Californian Dreams". However, in reality, it represents everything bad, what is the group members met as a result of her stardom. Seen embodies the California Hotel, which has never existed as an actual building, is a socio-political critique of the decadence of the American way of life in the late seventies. After a self-deprecating confession the Eagles were despite their displeasure at the affluent society of the Sun State itself more and more as the "embodiment of what the people hate to California".

The written from Henley, Frey and fields Chartbreaker "Hotel California" awarded (besides the unmistakable voice Henleys) mainly guitar intro and -Solo Don Felder, who made the group in 1974 to a quintet, and this after their separation (1981) and sensational Reunion (1994) finally had to leave due to infighting in 2001, his distinctive sound. With the emergence of the second most popular track of the album, sung by Frey "New Kid in Town", appeared alongside the duo Frey / Henley with John David Souther a friend from the old days as a third-Desert Group started with. For the Henley intoned, rocking "Life In The Fast Lane" to newcomer Joe Walsh, who shortly before the fourth founding Eagle Bernie Leadon (1972 Banjo virtuoso in Jackson Brown's and Frey's "Take It Easy") distinguishes replaced had, as a songwriter and particularly through his guitar solos from. While the melancholic pensive "Wasted Time" is also a joint project of the duo Henley / Frey, appeared in "Victim Of Love" fields and again with Souther; both songs presented Drummer Henley with a unique voice. Joe Walsh "Pretty Maids All In A Row" is not typical for the guitarist in his slow waltz, because tougher tone we are accustomed from Ex-member of the James Gang. With "Try And Love Again" there is a contribution from the bassist and third lead singer ("Take It to the Limit"; 1975) Randy Meisner, who was to leave the group soon after the album release, to convert a solo career and Timothy B . Schmit was replaced. With "The Last Resort" there is again a sentimental, sung by Henley, Henley / Frey song, in which Walsh synthesizer part (!) Took over.

Five gang members, four of which also simultaneously perform as a songwriter the part of lead singer and guitarist were three trained and are in itself unique. "Hotel California" is the result of this unique cooperation and -spiels that can come in addition to a multi-voice harmonies and gentle to distinctive guitar tones, with original texts, which as an anthem of an entire generation for 30 years (and probably even longer) be heard can. Rock history a unique formation that it has subsequently been never. 5 stars Amazon.