Best Guitar Solos: Eagles- Hotel California

A while back a friend of mine asked me to make a list of the best guitar solos of all time. I started to make a list but, I figured it would be more fun to turn this into a topic. Ironically, this morning I found myself with the song “Hotel California” in my head for some reason. So what better song to kick off this topic with one of the absolute best guitar solos of all time. Joe Walsh and Don Felder as a guitar tandem, played this one so beautifully. There is something so pure and honest about how they approached it. It’s one of those solo’s that you can hum and sing along to and someone can instantly recognize it. This is truly one of the standards for how to make a tasty solo. Sure, it’s a very over played song but, there is no doubt that it’s a classic.

 

Eagles- Hotel California (Live 1980):

 

 

Soundtrack Only Songs: Glenn Frey- You Belong To The City From Miami Vice

 

Take a trip back to 1985 with me. Miami Vice (which is one of my top 5 all time favorite TV shows ever) is taking over the small screen and captivating audiences. Part of what made the show great besides the writing, acting, costumes, cars, and setting was the music on the show. Those in charge of picking the music for the show had a real knack for picking the perfect songs. The first soundtrack released for the show back in 1985 featured some great songs including “In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins and two songs by Glenn Frey of the Eagles, “Smuggler’s Blues” and my personal favorite “You Belong To The City.” Glenn’s songs were written specifically for the show, in particular the episode entitled Prodigal Son, which Glenn had a small part in. This song (along with Jan Hammer’s theme) helped to propel the soundtrack to the top spot on the Billboard charts for 11 weeks.

Glenn Frey- You Belong To The City:

 

Tribute: Glenn Frey

When I was a kid my first memory of Glenn Frey wasn’t with the Eagles. It was his contributions to the Miami Vice soundtrack. The songs “You Belong To The City,” and “Smugglers Blues,” are forever in my head. I can’t forget Glenn’s small role he had as a smuggler pilot on Miami Vice too. It wasn’t till I got older, did I fully realize that the Eagles were more than a Big Lebowski joke. I really sat down and listened to the albums, and boy what a great thing to do. To be able to hear the songs that Glenn and Don Henley wrote and created shows how unstoppable they were songwriters together. To be honest I don’t know why the Eagles get such a bad rep. Sure, the radio has overplayed a bunch of their songs, but you can’t deny the quality of the song. To have something that keeps going for 40 plus years is astounding. If you are looking for a way to get into them, I strongly suggest watching the documentary The History Of The Eagles. It’s one of the best music docs I’ve ever seen. And if you weren’t a fan or didn’t appreciate them, this might be the thing to change your mind.

Thank you Glenn for all the great songs and music through the years!!! You will be missed.

You Belong To The City:

 

Smuggler’s Blues:

 

Eagles- Desperado:

 

Hotel California:

 

Greatest Hits Vol 1: