However, not every member of the group had been happy with the way their music was developing \u2013 a shift away from their country-rock roots to a more mainstream rock style with R&B influences.<\/p>\n
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Guitarist Bernie Leadon had quit the Eagles in dramatic fashion after growing tired of the way the band was run by its two principal songwriters and lead vocalists, Henley and Glenn Frey. Backstage at a show at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Leadon signalled his departure by pouring a beer over Frey\u2019s head.<\/p>\n
With Leadon gone, an approach was made to Joe Walsh, who was enjoying a successful career as a solo artist after a stint leading power trio the James Gang.<\/p>\n
Walsh\u2019s reputation was further enhanced by his 1973 album The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get, which included the swaggering anthem that would become his signature song, Rocky Mountain Way.<\/p>\n
It was Bill Szymczyk, producer for both Walsh and the Eagles, who recommended that the guitarist and the band join forces. What followed was the Eagles\u2019 masterpiece: Hotel California.<\/p>\n
The story of this legendary album is told in the new issue of Classic Rock magazine<\/a> \u2013 featuring new interviews with Don Henley and Bill Szymczyk.<\/p>\n The Eagles\u2019 line-up for Hotel California was Henley on drums, Frey on rhythm guitar, Randy Meisner on bass, and Walsh and Don Felder on lead guitar.<\/p>\n While vocal harmonies were an Eagles trademark, it was Henley who handled most of the lead vocals on this album. His nickname in the band was Golden Throat.<\/p>\n What to read next<\/p>\n Frey sang lead on the album\u2019s flagship single New Kid In Town. Meisner sang lead on the song he\u2019d written, Try And Love Again, and Walsh did the same on Pretty Maids All In A Row. The odd man out was Don Felder, who gave it his best shot at singing Victim Of Love before Henley pulled rank and sang it himself.<\/p>\n The first recording sessions for Hotel California began in March 1976 at The Record Plant in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n One month earlier, the band\u2019s first compilation album, Their Greatest Hits (1971\u20131975), was released. It would eventually become the biggest selling album of all time in the US.<\/p>\n During those initial sessions at The Record Plant, most days saw the band working from 2pm to 2am, with a break for dinner at 7pm.<\/p>\n The first song in the can was Randy Meisner\u2019s Try And Love Again, a bittersweet number from the high-singing bassist who had previously written Take It To The Limit.<\/p>\n Eagles – Try and Love Again (Official Audio) – YouTube Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n Recalling how the band operated back then, Henley tells Classic Rock: \u201cWe did everything intuitively, including vocal harmony arrangements. First we would decide who was going to sing the lead vocal, and then assign harmony parts around that, depending on the key of the song and where the melody sat within the chord progression.\u201d<\/p>\n Henley acknowledges the role of JD Souther on this album. Prior to the Eagles forming in 1971, Souther had performed alongside Glenn Frey in country rock act Longbranch Pennywhistle, which disbanded after one poorly received, self-titled album.<\/p>\n Souther co-wrote the Eagles\u2019 first US No 1 song, Best Of My Love, and was involved in two tracks from Hotel California.<\/p>\n Henley says of New Kid In Town: \u201cThat one was mostly JD, with some essential input from Glenn in terms of words, melody and arrangement, and a few lyrical contributions from me. It\u2019s a great piece of work.\u201d<\/p>\n The other track for which Souther earned a credit was Victim Of Love. And if it was awkward telling Don Felder that the other Don would be singing that song, there was nothing difficult about nailing the backing track. According to Henley, the band cut it in one take, with no edits.<\/p>\n Eagles – Victim of Love (Official Audio) – YouTube Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n In his interview with Classic Rock, Henley explains how the acquisition of Joe Walsh transformed the Eagles.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, being a bona fide rock \u2019n\u2019 roll guitar slinger, was the perfect foil for Don Felder,\u201d he says. \u201cWe had upped our horsepower.\u201d<\/p>\n This was most evident on the hard-rocking Life In The Fast Lane \u2013 its intro riff derived from a lick that Walsh played to warm up for shows. As Walsh once remarked: \u201cWe knew it was going to be the most rock \u2019n\u2019 roll thing the Eagles had attempted so far. They turned me loose on that one.\u201d<\/p>\n Famously, the album\u2019s mythic title track originated with Don Felder, who created the main riff when strumming a 12-string Martin guitar during downtime at his beach house in Malibu. Felder then made a rough demo on a four-track reel-to-reel with a drum machine samba rhythm and sent the tape to Frey and Henley to work on structure and lyrics.<\/p>\n Henley says now: \u201cThe hotel concept came first, and then the melody.\u201d<\/p>\n In the summer of \u201976, the Eagles moved operations to Criteria Studios in Miami. Among the many landmark songs previously recorded there were James Brown\u2019s I Got You (I Feel Good), Derek And The Dominos\u2019 Layla, Grand Funk Railroad\u2019s We\u2019re And American Band and the Bee Gees\u2019 Jive Talkin\u2019.<\/p>\n
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