On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
this could be heaven or this could be hell
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...
Welcome to the hotel california
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the hotel california
Any time of year, you can find it here
Her mind is tiffany-twisted, she got the mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
So I called up the captain,
please bring me my wine
He said, we havent had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...
Welcome to the hotel california
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
They livin it up at the hotel california
What a nice surprise, bring your alibis
Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said we are all just prisoners here, of our own device
And in the masters chambers,
They gathered for the feast
The stab it with their steely knives,
But they just cant kill the beast
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
relax, said the night man,
We are programmed to receive.
You can checkout any time you like,
But you can never leave!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Music of the Week: Hotel California
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
felder and walsh are stellar.
...and then came the eighties. i'll try not to cry now.
~ ~ ~
What?! There was a lot of good stuff in the 80s, too, no? I liked Air Supply. *nods*
Thompson Twins!
I went to an Air Supply concert in the '90s. That dude Russell Hitchcock can really belt them out.
The thing about 'Hotel California' that grabs me every time is the long guitar fade out at the end of the song. Walsh's guitar work has never been better. There's the sound (of which I have no idea what the name ) following the arpeggios that I always imitate when I'm playing air guitar that goes "Neer neer neer neer ner ner nernerneeer zip". I think it's basically Walsh's fingers sliding up the neck of the guitar before his next run, but it gets me.
There are some guitar parts that become instantly identifiable/ and linked to your consciousness. The 'Hotel California' fade is one of them.
"I think it's basically Walsh's fingers sliding up the neck of the guitar before his next run, but it gets me."
you're pretty knowledgeable for an air guitarist. (pick that damn axe up already! you know that you want to.)
"and linked to your consciousness."
tell me about it. i can't get it out of my head for a week now!
"There was a lot of good stuff in the 80s, too, no?"
yeah, but it marked an era when great music turned from the rule to the exception. mtv turned music into a visual experience instead of just an audio experience, turning the industry into an "image thing." let's just say it was a bad time for phil collins. next thing you know, instead of actual musicians creating real music, the industry turned to finding johnny bravo--someone who 'fit the suit' and could sell records via sex appeal (viz. big hair bands). we went from 'running with the devil' to 'jumping' (might as well). it's the reason we're watching britney spears stumble around the stage, lip-synching, rather than listening to stevie nicks grooving on gold dust woman, or some such. now, if you'll excuse me, i must vomit.
"Thompson Twins!"
-=sigh=- okay, fine. but, let's just keep them in proper context shall we.
~ ~ ~
eds-1275,
You mentioned both Felder and Walsh. I went home and listened to 'Hotel California' again, instead of just hearing it in my head. During that long fade, are Felder and Walsh playing identical leads because I think I can hear two distinct parts, or is it only one of them double-tracked? Do the two of them trade off lead responsibility throughout the fade, similar to the guitar solos in 'Carry That Weight/The End' from The Beatles Abbey Road LP which are George, Paul and John each trading lead guitar parts?
I've never seen The Eagles perform in concert so your knowledge would set my mind to rest.
Also, Sushi was kind enough to lead TWoNN readers through your music room and past your guitars. How long have you been playing, and do you do it professionally or just for kicks? Despite my proclivity for music, I never really thought much of myself ever learning guitar. This boy's got keep his manicure looking fierce, you know!
" During that long fade, are Felder and Walsh playing identical leads because I think I can hear two distinct parts, or is it only one of them double-tracked?"
good question. felder and walsh are some of the time playing 'identical' leads. when the solo opens, felder takes lead while walsh chirps out some rhythm. later, walsh takes lead with felder messing around with accompanying chords. later they both lead together. (damn they're good.) remember, too, that we're also hearing glenn frey rhythm on 12-string.
did you not watch the youtube video that nn linked up? omg, watch it and you'll understand like yoda.
"How long have you been playing, and do you do it professionally or just for kicks?"
although my mother was a touring church singer, grandfather a guitar playing madman, cousins and uncles all musicians who took it on the road, a step-father whose sole income came from playing lead guitar, a stepmother who played thirteen instruments, uncles and aunts playing everything from piano to tambourine, i only overcame my fear of it a little over two-and-a-half years ago. i am indeed having my kicks, friend. i'm not trying to be a rock star, but i'll be damned if i don't feel like one when i pick up my 'ol guitfiddle. (then again, i've put a hell of a lot of practice into the time i've been playing. maybe abnormally; sometimes i feel like the porch dude on deliverance. hah-i wish! uh, that is, i wish i had his talent, not his teeth.)
" Despite my proclivity for music, I never really thought much of myself ever learning guitar."
what about another instrument? well, whatever the case, the most important thing is that you love and appreciate music, and you obviously do. kudos to you.
~ ~ ~
"sometimes i feel like the porch dude on deliverance. hah-i wish! uh, that is, i wish i had his talent, not his teeth.)"
Yikes. That dude is a orthodontist's nightmare!!!
Well, I'll leave my musicality to the searing, larynx shredding, vocals that I do.:)
Do you guys remember the Sassoon jeans, though? Gosh, I wanted a pair of those when I was a child. I remember singing the commercial chorus on the swings: "Ooh, la la, Sassooooonnnnn!! [repeat infinity]" We were too poor though so I just wore hand me downs. I am no stranger to hand me downs of anything. They're the best! It means that someone loved you enough to give their own possession to you.
Oh, caca. Sorry, I forgot this week's Music of the Week is Hotel California. I was still on last week's California Love.
"I was still on last week's California Love."
try to keep up, will ya?
"I'll leave my musicality to the searing, larynx shredding, vocals that I do."
oh, that's right, i forgot you sing. yep, that's an instrument alright. matter of fact, i think that i recall one or two bands with vocalists. :-D
~ ~ ~
" i think that i recall one or two bands with vocalists. :-D"
Here I was thinking I was breaking new ground.
BTW, my new current song selection is Culture Club's "Time (Clock of My Heart)". And I do have Boy George's autograph. Na-na-na-na-boo-boo.
Post a Comment