Vol.04
EAGLES / HOTEL CALIFORNIA (1976)
HOTEL CALIFORNIA is a requiem for the mired American society.
Hello, my name is Takumi Yumikiri.
In this fourth installment, we present the well-known "HOTEL CALIFORNIA". This record was released in 1976, during the excitement of the bicentennial of the founding of the United States of America .
HOTEL CALIFORNIA" (1976 Elektra / Asylum / Nonesuch Records A Warner Communications)
The so-called "American Dream" of the pre-1960s no longer existed in American society at that time, which was in turmoil due to the civil rights movement and the quagmire of the Vietnam War. Freedom of speech and democracy were a sham, free thought was contained, and the American people were imprisoned and managed in a depressed world.
But only California still retains an idealistic image, , so many young people from the countryside set out for his land. . without knowing it was an illusion.
Of course, when we get there, there will be no such dream land anywhere.
The fantasy drug called California invades you, and the beast inside you grows. By the time he realizes that he must return to reality, it is too late. The only way out of this situation, from which there is no escape, is to honestly accept reality or commit suicide.... Such lamentations are contained in the famous album "HOTEL CALIFORNIA".
In other words, the Eagles, with their bitter irony toward the demise of the rock frontier and American society, have made "HOTEL CALIFORNIA" a requiem for America itself.
The lyrics are contained behind the lyrics,
Various meanings.
First of all, I would like to unpack the lyrics of "HOTEL CALIFORNIA," but starting to do so would result in a tremendous number of words, so let's just list the key words. The lyrics of "HOTEL CALIFORNIA," which can be interpreted in any number of ways, are imaginative and exciting. Anyway, it is a storm of double-meaning.
colitas
. also the name of a desert flower , but it also means marijuana.
dark desert highway
Highway is a symbol of the American car society (economic growth). Dark desert is supposedly a reference to racism.
Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got a lot Mercedes Bends
Mercedes Benz as well as her and she refer to Janice Joplin.
We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty-nine
The literal translation is, "We have not had such spirits (liquor) here since 1969. Spirits here also means spirits (rock). And 1969 was the year "Woodstock" was held. It was also the year of the "Altamont Tragedy" by the Health Angels.
the beast
. meaning "the beast," but also referring to the American music industry of the time.
steely knives
. a ridicule that even with Steely Dan, they could not stand up to the commercialist music industry. Some believe that it was a dig at Steely Dan, who had once said, "Put on the loud music of the Eagles," during one of his own songs before the release of HOTEL CALIFORNIA.
check out
. meaning death (also used in North American colloquialisms to mean suicide).
. and many more, but no, however, it is a tremendous lyric.
The lyrics to HOTEL CALIFORNIA are
. a testament to the Eagles' struggles.
At the time, the Eagles' previous album, "Cursed Night," was the band's first No. 1 album in the U.S., with three singles in the Top 10, and "Eagles Greatest Hits 1971-1975," released in 1976, sold a whopping 29 million copies.
The album still holds the record as the number one album of all time in the United States, beating Michael Jackson's "Thriller" to this day. In terms of worldwide sales, it is also the best-selling album in the world, with over 41 million copies sold to date.
HOTEL CALIFORNIA," released shortly thereafter, also spent eight consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard magazine's album chart and won a Grammy for Best Record. It has sold more than 16 million albums in the U.S. and more than 20 million copies worldwide .
However, while gaining recognition as a big group, the Eagles became quite overwhelmed by the pressure to produce hit songs and the departure of members. So what they were thinking under such circumstances is reflected in the lyrics of "HOTEL CALIFORNIA". We've got money and fame, but those things are nothing much. All that remains is emptiness. The money we want too much , too much of it is meaningless. . The price of success is days of production and recording, holed up in the studio from morning till night. The dream they had envisioned would have deprived them of their own freedom....
. designed by John Cosh, who is also closely associated with the Beatles.
. Now, I have written at length, but here is the main topic, the jacket.
The art director is a British designerJohn Cosh.. is. He was invited by John Lennon to join Apple Records (the record label of Apple Core, the company founded by the Beatles). Although he is not credited, the first album he worked on, at the age of 24, was that "Abbey Road". His last job at Apple was designing "Let It Be".
Eventually, Kosch moved to the United States in sync with Rod Stewart's expansion into the US. He worked on a number of albums and won three Grammys for his work with Linda Ronstadt.
And the story of "HOTEL CALIFORNIA". How was the excellent design using the Beverly Hills Hotel at sunset, commonly known as the Pink Palace, created?
Kosch was attracted to the tackiness of the West Coast in the 1970s and decided to use palm trees and neon lights, which were also symbols of the West Coast. . and to represent the end of the rock frontier, he came up with the idea of a sunset over a luxury hotel, a symbol of prosperity.
In order to realize this picture, I heard that Kosch set up his tripod on Hollywood Boulevard, even causing a traffic jam, and did not stop shooting until he had a satisfactory picture.
If you look closely, you can see it,
Connection to black magic!
Also, the Eagles' name is not on the jacket table 1 of "HOTEL CALIFORNIA". This was also a firm aim of Kosch. This technique, which makes the story more narrative, was the result of a big fight with the record company (as is the case with the Pink Floyd jacket by Hypnosis, which will be introduced later). (I will introduce it later).
However, when it came time for release, the record company retaliated by putting a sticker with the Eagles' name on it on top of the shrink pack....
, an image that appears when the double jacket is opened and contrasts with the jacket.
. and when you open the double jacket, you will see the lobby of a desolate hotel. To express the difference between dream and reality, we dare to use here the Lido Hotel, which is several ranks lower than the Beverly Hills Hotel (now a cheap apartment).
Opposite is a group photo of members and staff.
On the other side, I have gathered many sober-faced staff and friends in the lobby of the Lido Hotel to create an obscene party scene filled with clamor and emptiness, with the Eagles in the center.......can you tell........ Lo, lo, there is a monster with afro hair in the picture looking down on the guests downstairs from the upstairs terrace of the lobby....
A figure in the upper center window....
At first glance, she appears to be a woman with an Afro-hair hanging from a fur stole, but apparently not. According to Kosch, at the time of the shoot, there were so many people in the room that they didn't keep track of everyone. But he said that they did not stage the second floor and that there was no way people could have been in that location. That's scary!
After doing a lot of research, I see some connection to black magic. . The rock world is infested with black magic, you know. The Eagles, as usual, were under the care of black magic. They have a legendary black magicianAleister Crowley.The most dangerous black magician afterAnton LaVey.. seems to be involved. And, to my surprise, "HOTEL CALIFORNIA" has a hidden subliminal message influenced by Anton...! When "HOTEL CALIFORNIA" is played in reverse, a Satanist message saying "Satan saved me" may or may not be played. . I don't know because I have never played it backwards....
Whether the devil helped or not, there is no doubt that this song brought the Eagles out of a long slump. Devil or black magic or not, the fact remains that HOTEL CALIFORNIA is a masterpiece of sound and design. The twin lead guitar solos by Don Felder and Joe Walsh at the end of the song that remind one of a maze with no way out, the 13-guitar arpeggio work used in the intro and some parts of the song, Don Henley's austere voice singing while playing the drums, etc. . It is perfect.
As a side note, I tried to copy "HOTEL CALIFORNIA" in my junior high school band, but it did not go well at all. There is no way a middle schooler could do such a thing!
So, I'll see you next time.
PROFILE
Born in Tokyo in 1974, he dropped out of Kuwasawa Design School in 1996 and started a custom-made shirt brand while working on costumes for theater companies and entertainers. 2000 AW he started his fashion brand "Yuge". In June 2018, he opened "Adult Oriented Records" in Yoyogi Uehara, and is currently presenting "modern AOR". AOR" in the modern age.
