Hotel California is arguably The Eagles masterpiece which I'd agree as well as being one of the greatest albums of all time. Joe Walsh joined the band here and it wasn't the same Eagles we heard on Desperado or On The Border. Unlike their underrated follow-up The Long Run, Hotel California was a success which in many ways was a change fore the better. I'm a fan of the early Eagles and their country-rock as well, I just prefer this side of the band. One Of These Nights already had the band had departing from their roots with the exception of Lyin' Eyes but the disco-influenced title track as well as the mid '70s pop of Take It To The Limit was a new sound for the Eagles. Their early and later works are a bit different but we wouldn't want the same thing over and over. Hotel California is The Eagle in their finest hour from the classic opening title track to Joe Walsh's debut on Pretty Maids All In A Row to their other hits Life In The Fast Lane, Victim Of Love and New Kid In Town. Hotel California is often looked at as being overrated or overplayed but the reason why is because there isn't really a bad moment throughout the album which is harder to see than an album that's hit and miss throughout. Every song is a hit here even though some are better than others from it's ballads to the mid-tempo soft rock of New Kid In Town as well as the hard rock edge in Victim Of Love and Life In the Fast Lane which was a change for The Eagles but it worked. Hotel California blends soft rock, country, southern rock, pop, easy listening and hard rock for a perfect blend of styles which makes the albums stand out from the rest. Eagles in their finest hour as well as one of the finest records of all time.