Such a Lovely Place: Rhino Expands Eagles’ “Hotel California” In November
The doors to the Hotel California are opening anew.
On November 24, Rhino will deliver a new 2-CD/1-Blu-ray Audio set of the 1976 Eagles classic that includes the remastered album, ten previously unreleased live recordings, as well as hi-res stereo and 5.1 mixes. Hotel California: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition is housed in an 11×11 hardbound book offering rare and unseen photos from the era, a replica tour book, and an 11×22 poster. Additionally, a 2-CD Expanded Edition (with both of the box set’s CDs) and 1-CD standard remastered edition of the original album will also be available, along with digital download and streaming versions.
Hotel California may be the apex of the band’s “high times and rock ‘n’ roll” attitude. Eagles’ first album without Bernie Leadon, and with Joe Walsh, Hotel California embraced a darker, more “rock” sound, and the dominant voice of drummer Don Henley, who co-wrote the epic title track with frequent collaborator Glenn Frey and then-bandmate Don Felder. Hotel California‘s nine songs add up to a mini-travelogue of the seamier side of the Golden State, from “Hotel California” to “The Last Resort,” from “The New Kid in Town” to “Life in the Fast Lane.” The band was famous for its excess, and that sensibility isn’t reined in on Hotel California. Instead, it’s at the service of a tight collection of songs that resonated with listeners far beyond the Los Angeles city limits. Hotel California topped the Billboard charts for eight weeks in the U.S., won two Grammy Awards, notched sales of more than 32 million copies around the world, and yielded two Billboard No. 1 hit singles.
The second disc of this collection debuts ten live tracks recorded during the band’s three-night stand at the Los Angeles Forum in October 1976. The concert recordings – which were recorded about a month before the album came out – feature one of the first live performances of the epic “Hotel California” and “New Kid In Town” along with other Eagles favorites including “Take It Easy,” “Take It To the Limit,” “One of These Nights,” and “Witchy Woman.” The Blu-ray disc included in the deluxe box gives a wider airing to the immersive 5.1 mix made in 2001 for DVD-Audio (and subsequently released in Japan on SACD) along with a 192/24 stereo mix.
As the Eagles take flight on tour with Vince Gill and Glenn Frey’s son Deacon, the time seems right to start livin’ it up once again at the Hotel California. You’ll find existing pre-order links below, and we will update with remaining links as soon as they go active!
Eagles, Hotel California: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Asylum/Rhino, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Links TBD)
CD 1: Original Album (Asylum 7E 1084, 1976)
- “Hotel California”
- “New Kid In Town”
- “Life In The Fast Lane”
- “Wasted Time”
- “Wasted Time (Reprise)”
- “Victim Of Love”
- “Pretty Maids All In A Row”
- “Try And Love Again”
- “The Last Resort”
CD 2: Live at The Los Angeles Forum (October 1976)
- “Take It Easy”
- “Take It To The Limit”
- “New Kid In Town”
- “James Dean”
- “Good Day In Hell”
- “Witchy Woman”
- “Funk #49”
- “One Of These Nights”
- “Hotel California”
- “Already Gone”
Blu-ray Audio of the Original Album:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
- Advanced Resolution Multi-Channel Surround Sound (96 KHz/24-Bit)
- Advanced Resolution Stereo (192 KHz/24-Bit)
1-CD Remastered Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Links TBD
2-CD Expanded Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Links TBD
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13 thoughts on “Such a Lovely Place: Rhino Expands Eagles’ “Hotel California” In November”
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My wallet is tingling!
Thoroughly unexciting.
This really does not excite me. Curious how good the remaster will be since I still have the original CD issue from the late 80’s. The live selections are a pretty good mix of their first five albums plus a James Gang song.
They should have included “We Used To Know” by Jethro Tull as a bonus track.
???
I have the gold CD of this album. That is enough for me. Still one of my favorites even though I have to skip over the title track due to it being so over played on radio.
$100 for the 2CD/1 BR edition??? WTF!!!
It’s sort of like buying a “cheap seat” concert ticket to see them!
Honestly, does it surprise you at all?
Sure it’s a great album and a milestone but the question is, has it been overplayed? It’s been years since I’ve gone out of my way to purposely listen to the album. I’ve just heard it too much (like some David Bowie albums) and I won’t need to hear it again for quite some time.
I agree. That is the problem I have with buying any re-issue. The original album, while great and a classic, usually is overplayed by radio or myself, and its hard to re-buy that album because even though the sound may be improved/remastered/cleaned up, I am not sure I will be listening to that enough to justify the re-buy. That is why its SO important that the bonus material be essential. In the case of Hotel California, the second live disc to me is not essential.
This would have to be one of the biggest rip offs cost wise 80 pounds and only a 10 track live album, compare this with the forthcoming Whitesnake’s 1987 5discs and around 38 pounds hmm
Not buying until I see the Dynamic Range. Most remasters are worse than the original masterings.