Vinyl of the Week - 28 June 2020

Hotel California, The Eagles

This week’s album is one I’ve been wanting to feature for a while. It is without doubt one of the most recognisable covers ever. It could also be argued that the title track is one of the most recognisable pieces of music ever. The only issue? I didn’t own a copy! (A quick trip to my local record store fixed that - shout out to Richmond Records). Released in December 1976, Hotel California was the fifth studio album for the Eagles and the first to feature the musical prowess of guitarist Joe Walsh who had replaced founding member Bernie Leadon. The famous picture on the cover is actually of the Beverly Hills Hotel, shot just before sunset by photographer David Alexander. It won a Grammy for the leading track and just missed album of the year, beaten by Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. It has since been ranked as one of the greatest albums of all time and has sold over 32 million copies. This is another album that doesn’t have a bad track, however some of the lesser known ones are my favourites such as ‘Victim of Love’. ‘Hotel California’ is as famous as a song can get and heard everywhere but how long since you’ve listened to the whole album? It’s deserving of the accolades and is exactly what a iconic album should be, awesome from start to finish - DS