THE EAGLES' SOARING A RETURN TO ACHIEVEMENT
The fact that the Eagles’ opus, Hotel California, became one of the bestselling albums of all time is, of course, not only a testament to its success, but also its triumph as one of the most heralded artistic accomplishments in the entire span of American music. Although their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) managed to outsell it — an unfair comparison considering the fact that the latter was, after all, a greatest hits —Hotel California remains the album against which most west coast rock is still measured, both conceptually and commercially. With sales of well over 32 million, it’s a proven powerhouse in terms of mass marketing, but also an effort that reflects a certain ethos — that of both the artistry and excess for which the band was known and had continually strived for.
It’s wasn’t that the Eagles had denied that insurgent image in the past. Indeed, their four previous albums fostered their outlaw persona even as they helped transform the idea of country rock — a task initially undertaken by the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Buffalo Springfield and Poco — into a credible crossover formula that preceded the formal initiation of the Americana brand, a tag that was still decades away from wide recognition. For one thing, it was built around a concept, presumably the wealth and decadence that the California dream always nurtured, even when it was used as a subterfuge. It was a romantic notion to be sure, but with the California rock revival in full swing, it seemed to represent everything the masses imagined, the convergence of illusion and idealism. Don Henley once called it “the dark underbelly of the American dream,” but in reality, it was the anything goes attitude that became so pervasive in the '70s, attitudes that eventually overcame to precepts of peace and love that dominated the '60s
