Hotel California by Author’s Name

This CD was shipped promptly and there were no issues.

Ho già il CD, la deluxe ed. in 2CD e pure il cofanetto con tutti i dischi in studio in buste di cartone (ma comprato non per HC). Quindi data l’importanza del disco, non poteva mancarmi anche il vinile! La differenza musicale più di rilievo è che la percussione della title-track (e che contribuisce molto al suo sound unico) si sente assai di più che nella versione CD. C’è il poster ma non i testi.

This is a review of the Japanese-import SACD version of the album.

In short, it’s great. I previously owned the DVD-Audio version of this surround mix but decided to sell it after it went out of print and prices skyrocketed. Unfortunately, I missed having the album in 5.1; fortunately, the SACD version is just terrific.

In fact, it may even be better. The DVD-Audio was amazing, but I actually prefer the slightly softer feel of the SACD. The mix, as far as I know, is identical to the one that was done for DVD-A, but SACDs just seem to have a bit more warmth.

Of course, you don’t get the visual extras, which included some nice photos and one of the most attractive DVD-A menus I’ve ever seen. If your focus is the music, that obviously won’t matter to you.

And for those who don’t remember or weren’t around … well, the Eagles were probably at the creative peak on this album. The title track, “New Kid in Town,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” Victim of Love,” “Try and Love Again” and “The Last Resort” all became FM radio rock standards, and in fact were so overplayed in the 1970s and 1980s that some fans (myself included) needed a long break. But there’s no denying the talent on display here. Drummer/singer Don Henley was at his swaggering best. Bassist Randy Meisner’s songwriting contribution (“Try and Love Again”) was the best of his career. Glenn Frey, Henley’s most frequent writing partner, was often overshadowed in the band, both instrumentally and vocally, but his wistful vocal on “New Kid in Town” and wicked Clavinet on “Fast Lane” were superb. Finally, the dual leads of guitarists Joe Walsh and Don Felder just shredded everything in their path.

Felder would later be dismissed by Henley and Frey, with the result being a legal mess. Walsh returned to the fold after many years, but my understanding is that, financially, he’s never been a full partner. Tim Schmidt took over bass duties for Meisner after this record, playing on “The Long Run.”

The latter was a decent album, but it didn’t stand up to its predecessor. There were a few great songs (“King of Hollywood,” for example) but also a few too many few duds — “Teenage Jail,” the duh-hey “The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks.”

“Hotel California,” by contrast, is the Eagles signature record. The 5.1 mix isolates the instruments beautifully; on every nearly every song, there is at least one moment that emerges as breathtaking:

1. The separation of the acoustic and electric guitars on the title track, plus Henley’s ghostly percussion.

2. Walsh’s first organ riff on “New Kid.”

3. The opening-note onslaught of the electric guitars on “Fast Lane.”

4. Henley’s vocal on the final stanza of “Wasted Time”; he sounds both suitably exhausted and engaged.

5. The clarity of the orchestra at the end of “Wasted Time (Reprise).”

6. The ENTIRETY of “Victim of Love.” On the runoff track of the original pressing of the album, the careful eye could find this message: “V.O.L. is five-piece live,” meaning there were no studio overdubs. The performance of the song was spot-on and crackled with energy.

7. Walsh’s battered, nasal but somehow perfectly suitable voice on “Pretty Maids All in a Row.”

8. Meisner’s entirely unbattered, stratospheric singing on “Try and Love Again.”

9. And finally, Frey’s glorious but restrained piano on “The Last Resort”; on the 5.1 mix, you can actually hear the hammers striking the strings in one passage.

Great album, great mix, and a great look back at one of the landmarks of 1970s rock.

Vinyle incroyable, indispensable dans sa collection.
Un monument de la musique.

VRAIMENT Cool

Purchased this disc to see if it was really better or just fluff. Well let me tell you, this is a definite step up in sound quality. You can hear the cymbal decay better the vocals are more up front and clearer. Drums are more deep souding and I can crank Hotel California and it sounds so good. I did an A/B comparison of my regular CD to find out all the difference in details that were not on the regular CD. Now I need more SACD. Make sure you have a disc player to play the SACD in. Other wise in a regular disc player it will only read the CD layer and not the enhanced track. Im using the Sony UBP-X800M2 player to do this. You not need buy a dedicated SACD player costing $1500. Have fun out there.