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Quiz about Classic Album Review Hotel California
Quiz about Classic Album Review Hotel California

Classic Album Review: "Hotel California" Quiz


"Hotel California" was one of the biggest selling albums of all time and was critically acclaimed as well. This retrospective look back at one of the world's greatest enduring rock albums explores the album in the context of the Eagles' arc as a band.

A multiple-choice quiz by 1nn1. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
1nn1
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
394,071
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
267
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 104 (3/10), Reamar42 (6/10), Guest 73 (6/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. There is no doubt that the mega-sales of the Eagles' album, "Hotel California" were helped by having three huge hits off the same album. Which one of the following hits did *NOT* appear on the album? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. While the album led the band in a new direction musically, the themes of the lyrics were similar to previous material. Which is *NOT* a common theme of Eagles' music? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Don Felder, Glenn Frey and Don Henley wrote most of the music but it was Mr Henley that wrote most of the lyrics.

True or False: Don Henley drove out into the desert seeking inspiration for the lyrics to the song "Hotel California".


Question 4 of 10
4. True or false: "Hotel California" is a concept album.


Question 5 of 10
5. Bernie Leadon was the guitarist most responsible for the previous country rock feel of the Eagles' music. He was replaced by Joe Walsh, a rocker on this album. Which Eagle wrote the opening guitar riff for the "New Kid in Town"? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The Eagles have had two outstanding bass players throughout their playing career (effectively stopped when Glenn Frey died in 2017). Which bass guitarist played on "Hotel California" (album)? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. With so many singers in the band, singing lead was contentious. "Victim of Love" was Mr Felder's idea and song and it was first recorded with him singing lead. Who sang lead on the final version? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Although this is a quintessential California album, most of it was recorded in Miami. Why? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Whilst the Eagles will always be associated with California, how many of the five principal musicians on this record were born in California? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The album "Hotel California" was critically acclaimed as evidenced by its five 1978 Grammy nominations, winning two. For "Album of the Year", it was up against Fleetwood Mac's behemoth "Rumours". Did "Hotel California" win "Album of the Year"?



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 27 2024 : Guest 104: 3/10
Mar 20 2024 : Reamar42: 6/10
Feb 15 2024 : Guest 73: 6/10

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. There is no doubt that the mega-sales of the Eagles' album, "Hotel California" were helped by having three huge hits off the same album. Which one of the following hits did *NOT* appear on the album?

Answer: One of These Nights

"Hotel California" (1976) was the fifth studio album of their career and one of the biggest selling albums of all time with over 26 million copies sold in the U.S. and over 42 million copies sold world-wide. The first two singles "New Kid in Town" and "Hotel California" both reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and "Life in the Fast Lane" reached number 11 on the same chart. On "Rolling Stone"'s 2003 list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", the album came in at number 37.
2. While the album led the band in a new direction musically, the themes of the lyrics were similar to previous material. Which is *NOT* a common theme of Eagles' music?

Answer: The San Francisco hippie scene

The song "Hotel California" was the first song written for the album and became the focal point for the entire album. Don Henley, drummer and vocalist, in a 2016 interview with "Rolling Stone" magazine stated, "They're the same themes that run through all of our work: loss of innocence, the cost of naivete, the perils of fame, of excess; exploration of the dark underbelly of the American dream, idealism realized and idealism thwarted, illusion versus reality, the difficulties of balancing loving relationships and work, trying to square the conflicting relationship between business and art; the corruption in politics, the fading away of the Sixties dream of "peace, love and understanding." Subsequent material also remained close to these themes.
3. Don Felder, Glenn Frey and Don Henley wrote most of the music but it was Mr Henley that wrote most of the lyrics. True or False: Don Henley drove out into the desert seeking inspiration for the lyrics to the song "Hotel California".

Answer: True

The first two lines of the song are:
"On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air".
There is no doubt where the inspiration for the opening two lines of the song came from. Factor in the dusky shot of the Beverley Hills Hotel on the album cover and the imagery is almost tangible. Additionally Don Felder said in a 2015 interview, "As you're driving in Los Angeles at night, you can see the glow of the energy and the lights of Hollywood and Los Angeles for 100 miles out in the desert. And on the horizon, as you're driving in, all of these images start coming into your mind of the propaganda and advertisement you've experienced about California. In other words, the movie stars, the stars on Hollywood Boulevard, the beaches, bikinis, palm trees, all those images that you see and that people think of when they think of California start running through your mind. You're anticipating that. That's all you know of California."
4. True or false: "Hotel California" is a concept album.

Answer: True

In an interview with British rock magazine "Zig-Zag" in 1976, Don Henley admitted "This is a concept album, there's no way to hide it, but it's not set in the old West, the cowboy thing, you know. It's more urban this time. It's our bicentennial year... the country is 200 years old, so we figured since we are the Eagles and the Eagle is our national symbol, that we were obliged to make some kind of a little bicentennial statement using California as a microcosm of the whole United States, or the whole world, if you will, and to try to wake people up and say 'We've been okay so far, for 200 years, but we're gonna have to change if we're gonna continue to be around.' Other members have described the album as a metaphor for the perceived decline of America.
5. Bernie Leadon was the guitarist most responsible for the previous country rock feel of the Eagles' music. He was replaced by Joe Walsh, a rocker on this album. Which Eagle wrote the opening guitar riff for the "New Kid in Town"?

Answer: Walsh

Joe Walsh was responsible for bringing the rock and roll sound to the Eagles, as well as the departure of Mr Leadon taking the country rock sound with him. Mr Walsh stamped his identity on the band with the opening riff on "New Kid In Town". With the outright rock sound created on "Victim of Love" Mr Walsh ensured his longevity as an Eagle.
6. The Eagles have had two outstanding bass players throughout their playing career (effectively stopped when Glenn Frey died in 2017). Which bass guitarist played on "Hotel California" (album)?

Answer: Randy Meisner

Randy Meisner came from a country rock group called Poco to play bass in the Eagles. He also provided backing high-harmony vocals. He co-wrote "Take It To The Limit" (1970) and sang lead on same. This was the last album for Mr Meisner. Mr Schmit also came from Poco to join the Eagles.

His first album was the subsequent "The Long Run" (1978) where he sang the lead on the exquisite "I Can't Tell You Why". Both were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when the Eagles were inducted (as was Mr Leadon).
7. With so many singers in the band, singing lead was contentious. "Victim of Love" was Mr Felder's idea and song and it was first recorded with him singing lead. Who sang lead on the final version?

Answer: Henley

Mr Felder was allowed to record the song but the band did not believe it was up to the required standard. Mr Henley then recorded the song and even Mr Felder admitted it was better than his own version. Another feature of the song is that "V.O.L. is a five piece live" is scratched into the vinyl run out groove on side 2 of the album.

This was because of the criticism of the band being staid and lifeless in the studio. Apart from the lead and harmony vocal the rest of the music was recorded live - in a single take.
8. Although this is a quintessential California album, most of it was recorded in Miami. Why?

Answer: Producer Bill Szymczyk developed a fear of living on a fault line

When recording the album, producer Szymczyk needed to record in Miami as he had fear of living on a fault line in Los Angeles after experiencing an earthquake in LA. The band compromised and recorded most of it in Florida. This was difficult at times as Black Sabbath were recording in the studio next door and were so loud it interfered with the Eagles' sound in the adjacent studio. For the "Hotel California track", there were 33 edits on the master tape.
9. Whilst the Eagles will always be associated with California, how many of the five principal musicians on this record were born in California?

Answer: Zero

None of the five were from California: Felder was from Gainesville Florida; Henley was a Texan; Frey was from Detroit; Meisner and Walsh were both from the mid-west - Walsh from Kansas, Meisner from Nebraska.
Ironically the two other Eagles inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bernie Leadon and Timothy B. Schmit, were both from California.
10. The album "Hotel California" was critically acclaimed as evidenced by its five 1978 Grammy nominations, winning two. For "Album of the Year", it was up against Fleetwood Mac's behemoth "Rumours". Did "Hotel California" win "Album of the Year"?

Answer: No

It won "Record of the Year" for the title track and "Best Arrangement for Voices" for "New Kid in Town". It was nominated for "Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group" and Bill Szymczyk was nominated for "Producer of the Year" but "Rumours" won "Album of the Year".
In 2003, the album was ranked number 37 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time and the song "Hotel California" was ranked number 49 on "Rolling Stone"'s list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Source: Author 1nn1

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