Does anybody actually listen to "Hotel California" outside of gear demos? (answer: apparently so)

[oceansize]

I think he was asked, and was tempted, but declined because he didn't think The Band was really a viable entity by that time. Also his musical vocabulary is very resolutely British and The Band's quite obviously not ...

Indeed, you wouldn't find RT touching traditional American folk songs...

or jazz...

or country...

or rock and roll...

 

[restorer-john]

Ouch.

Thing is, Hall and Oates were totally post punk..,

 

[Sal1950]

I love Richard Thompson but don't think he'd be a fit for the Eagles.
But then he is an excellent musician so it might work?
They made a great choice bringing in Vince Gill, he's just perfect.

 

[mhardy6647]

Indeed, you wouldn't find RT touching traditional American folk songs...

or jazz...

or country...

or rock and roll...

plus... you know... I mean...

ahem.
back on topic.

PS Extra special bonus points to Joe Walsh for givin' Big T this gee-tar (and the amp and cable that went with it). Rock & roll was never the same.

Gretsch 6120 ‘Chet Atkins’ | Pete Townshend’s Guitar Gear | Whotabs

www.thewho.net

Oh, and he's a ham, too. Walsh, that is.

WB6ACU

 

[Suffolkhifinut]

I love Richard Thompson but don't think he'd be a fit for the Eagles.
But then he is an excellent musician so it might work?
They made a great choice bringing in Vince Gill, he's just perfect.

The Eagles are Show Biz, Richard Thompson is authentic.

 

[EJ3]

The Eagles are Show Biz, Richard Thompson is authentic.

Which is how the Eagles were stifling for Joe Walsh's creativity (it made him money [& maybe that was the point, to be able to be completely independent of what the music industry wants]) because they are/were SHOWBIZ. Take note of the success of the others from the Eagle's but outside the Eagle's. Look at their discography vs. Joe Walsh's discography. Some had success, some didn't. Joe's shows a consistency of talent over a long, long period of time, both before & after Eagles. This is not to say that the Eagles are not very good at what they do/did. However, it is generally quite different than what Joe Walsh did/does other than with the Eagles (& I happen to like him with Eagle's (at least the studio albums) a lot less than him without Eagles.

 

[diddley]

"He makes a fleeting reference to jamming with the then-fledgling Eagles in Los Angeles in 1971. But he downplays just how eager the soon-to-be high flying American band was to have him join their ranks, an experience he described in greater detail in a 1996 Union-Tribune.

“I was in Ian Matthews’ band, and I think we met when they weren’t quite the Eagles — they were still Linda Ronstadt’s band — at Duke’s Diner,” Thompson recalled in that interview.

“It was something like: ‘Hey! You English guys must come to our rehearsal place, and you’ll play for us and we’ll play for you.’ Ian and I had a listen, and the Eagles sounded pretty stunningly tight, playing things from what would be their first album. And that was all fun. Then we ‘hung out’ a bit, as they say, on tour. I only heard about it (being considered as an Eagle) later from management people. I never was directly approached.”

However, during a a 2017 Union-Tribune interview, Fairport Convention alum Matthews said: “The Eagles didn’t really give me a second look, but they were clearly very, very interested in Richard.”

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/music/story/2021-04-18/richard-thompson-a-quiet-legend-pens-revelatory-memoir-it-was-necessary-to-write-about-the-hooker

*edit*
I wonder if he would have joined The Band, if asked? He was certainly a big fan and their influence on leading Fairport Convention to develop British folk-rock is undeniable. But just look at the joy on his face here as he plays with Garth Hudson...

 

[diddley]

Thank you simply lovely!

 

[Sal1950]

“I was in Ian Matthews’ band, and I think we met when they weren’t quite the Eagles — they were still Linda Ronstadt’s band — at Duke’s Diner,” Thompson recalled in that interview.

I'll always remember going to see Linda Ronstadt at Sportsman's Park racetrack in Chicago around 1972.
This warmup band came out and was blowing everyones mind with their great music.
Later Linda came out and introduced her band as The Eagles.
I knew then they'd be big, never guessed how big.
Thank you Linda for bringing such awesome talent to us all!!!

 

[Sal1950]

Thing is, Hall and Oates were totally post punk..,

I hated disco and the stuff from Hall and Oates was about the worst.
But Daryl Hall is an incredible talent and singer in R&B.
I love watching his streaming show Live From Daryl's House
Each show brings on a special guest star and they perform dynamite music together.
One of my favorite has Smoky Robinson as guest.

Live From Daryl's House

@livefromdarylshouse | Check out my links to (Watch All Videos, Shop Official Merchandise, Upcoming Shows).

www.livefromdarylshouse.com

Oh, and he's a ham, too. Walsh, that is.

Wow, look at that stack of old ham gear.
I'd love to have that now.

The Eagles are Show Biz, Richard Thompson is authentic.

You're entitled to your opinion, it just happens to be wrong.

 

[terryforsythe]

If people can admit that they may have once liked, maybe even loved a song I can't fathom why they would "never want to hear that song again" based on it being overplayed, overexposed, overused etc. Familiarity breeds contempt?
If it's a good song that is all that matters to me. It's not the songs' "fault" that it's been played into the ground. And besides, where the heck are you listening or hearing music that is beyond your control? Is someone holding a gun to your head? Why would you let someone else, corporation or next door neighbor alter your choices and taste?
Stairway? Sweet Emotion? Hotel California? Come on. If you are into hard rock those are great songs. Period. Do they become not great, in and of themselves based on the number of times played or heard?
Another perspective. I play rock guitar. Baddly, amateurishly. If you've ever had a slight desire to learn guitar starting from zero experience let me tell you these songs are awesomely rewarding to learn. Its easy to write these song off, and many like them as overplayed. But try and learn the first phrase of Stairway for yourself and you'll realize its freaking hard to play cleanly. Easy to learn, hard to master.
Now I will come off my high horse and admit that I don't love Freebird. Yes, it's true. I do get and can understand everyones desire to "never hear" at least some songs again!
But I guess what I'm trying to say is if you loved it before, what changed? Because it wasn't the song.

Yes, I once liked those songs. I think there are multiple reasons why I stopped liking them.

For one, my music taste has changed over the last four decades. Songs that were emotionally stirring to me in my youth just aren't anymore. On the other hand, music that, as a teenager I never thought I could like, now I really enjoy.

Also, I tire of listening to the same songs over and over, although some songs I tire of more quickly. As a young teenager I had a cheap stereo with a few albums, so I listened to the radio a lot. I lived in a remote area, and there was only one FM station that played rock from which I could get a reliable signal. There were a couple of others that would come in with the right atmospheric conditions, but this was not frequent (I later solved this with a better antenna). Hotel California and Stairway to Heaven would be played multiple times a day, and sometimes 2-3 times from the time I got home from school until I went to bed. At first it just became tiring. Then, after a while, it became downright irritating. As you stated, it is not the fault of the songs nor the artists, but the circumstances of a radio station trying to please the majority of its listeners, who evidently did not tire of listening to the same songs over and over as quickly as me, or perhaps did not listen to the radio as much as me. Anyway, to this day those same songs still are irritating to me. Not the fault of the songs nor the artists, but just the circumstances of my radio listening at that place and time.

 

[MAB]

I hated disco and the stuff from Hall and Oates was about the worst.
But Daryl Hall is an incredible talent and singer in R&B.
I love watching his streaming show Live From Daryl's House
Each show brings on a special guest star and they perform dynamite music together.
One of my favorite has Smoky Robinson as guest.

Live From Daryl's House

@livefromdarylshouse | Check out my links to (Watch All Videos, Shop Official Merchandise, Upcoming Shows).

www.livefromdarylshouse.com

Funny, I have come around on lots of my early dislikes. Disco is one where I have done a complete 180. Thanks for sharing that show, it reinforces how much talent I was ignoring back in the day...

 

[EJ3]

Funny, I have come around on lots of my early dislikes. Disco is one where I have done a complete 180. Thanks for sharing that show, it reinforces how much talent I was ignoring back in the day...

I, having been exposed to live classical music, Opera, Austrian/German Ethnic Folk, American Folk & Rock people like Chuck Berry & Rick Deringer in Salzburg, Austria (where I was for several months at a time every few years while growing up), I have always been open to most music. But DISCO (very popular in Europe during it's run) was among my least liked (and still is). But it's ahead of opera for me. There is actually some DISCO I like, while I have yet to hear/see an opera I liked. Any music/songs with cursing for the sake of cursing is out also. But there is some Hip-Hop that is OK, IMHO. But mostly it just makes me want to turn it off or leave.

 

[Sal1950]

There is actually some DISCO I like, while I have yet to hear/see an opera I liked.

Have you ever watched A Night At The Opera? A Classic!

 

[EJ3]

Have you ever watched A Night At The Opera? A Classic!

Perhaps not OPERA but DAMN GOOD ANYWAY!
This is some pretty good CLASSICAL TYPE WRITER:

 

[DMill]

One of my Sirius stations has been playing a bunch of Eagles Live stuff. All overplayed in my youth and as a 54 year old. Hotel California is still tough for me. But they have other tracks that are nice. They play a ton of Chicago too and I always grouped to two bands together. A bunch of dad rock wankers. I was much too cool growing up being in the know about Talking Heads or some prog rock or punk band from the 70s still kicking. With those bands I think you gotta look at their earlier stuff and dig a bit deeper into library to get their vibe. Now I could care less about perception and can happily put on a pair of sweat pants and groove to 25 or 6 to 4. It actually has some pretty cool guitar solo work.

 

[Gringoaudio1]

Most of the classics of the 1960s and 70s I heard on car AM radios and crap home radios. I had very few LPs. Those few I had were played on the parents’ nice HIFI and the later stereo system.
So now when I wander through the past on Spotify I hear the old tunes as they were meant to be heard. Often the fidelity is shockingly good and puts a different spin on some of these oldies.

 

[Multicore]

It's interesting to learn to play the guitar part and it's even more interesting as an analysis exercise for pop music composition.

And the meaning of the lyric about checking out any time you want but being unable to leave is deeply haunting if you accept the possible breadth of its allegorical application.

I don't care for the song, myself, because the singing is so annoying and it's been done to death on commercial radio.

 

[Blumlein 88]

One of my Sirius stations has been playing a bunch of Eagles Live stuff. All overplayed in my youth and as a 54 year old. Hotel California is still tough for me. But they have other tracks that are nice. They play a ton of Chicago too and I always grouped to two bands together. A bunch of dad rock wankers. I was much too cool growing up being in the know about Talking Heads or some prog rock or punk band from the 70s still kicking. With those bands I think you gotta look at their earlier stuff and dig a bit deeper into library to get their vibe. Now I could care less about perception and can happily put on a pair of sweat pants and groove to 25 or 6 to 4. It actually has some pretty cool guitar solo work.

I remember when that album with 25 or 6 to 4 came out. It was panned by anyone writing about the music. I didn't get the panning. It was groovy in the best sense of the word. I think it went on to sell more than any other album.

 

[Sal1950]

I remember when that album with 25 or 6 to 4 came out.

The big rumor back then was that was some formula for lysergic acid.
It's not. LOL