YOU CAN FIND IT HERE: Inside the Eagles' HOTEL CALIFORNIA

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Monday, February 22, 2021

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In 1977, there was no stopping the Eagles. If it wasn't for Fleetwood Mac and the monster LP, Rumours, the Eagles would have had the biggest album of the year with Hotel California. Still, the blockbuster full-length moved countless copies from the moment it was released on December 8, 1976.

"I think that we were at the height of our powers. Every band has a peak, and that was ours," Don Henley told Rolling Stone. "And because of various factors - pressure to perform at peak level, pressure to deliver more of the same, the changing nature of the band dynamic, the constantly changing public tastes, etc. - it was impossible for us to take the time off that we needed in order to get our heads together, to regain a sense of perspective that we had lost."

The band was indeed in flux; Joe Walsh had taken over the lead guitar spot from Bernie Leadon, and Hotel California was the last Eagles album to feature Randy Meisner on bass.

Hotel California produced a trio of hit singles. Lead track "New Kid in Town" was an immediate hit, soaring up the Hot 100 to land at #1 for the week of February 26, 1977. The title track served as single number two, released on February 22, 1977. The epic six-and-a-half minute tune was another Eagles smash, flying right up the charts to grab the top spot on the Hot 100 for the week of May 7, 1977. The third and final single, "Life in the Fast Lane," was (surprise!) yet another winner on the radio and the charts, rocking the Hot 100 before just missing the Top 10 with a peak #11 showing for the week of June 25, 1977. The #1 song in America that week: Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up (Pt. 1)."

Hotel California was a regular presence at the top of the album charts throughout 1977, hitting #1 on the Billboard 200 for the first of four separate times on January 15, 1977; the LP held the top spot for five weeks straight at one point in April and May of that year.

The album was a big hit come awards season, with "New Kid in Town" taking the Grammy for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices. The title track was named Record of the Year at the same Grammys, while the LP lost the coveted Album of the Year prize to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.