question about inside pic of Hotel California album.

On the inside gatefold of the Eagles - Hotel California, there is a group shot of a bunch of people. Does anyone know of a website that has the names of these people? I work with a guy that swears he is in the pic. While he seems sincere, I'm abit skeptical.

 

Someone will know the answer to this. What do you mean he's insincere? You mean he appears to be lying about it? Interesting!

 

I found a couple of links referring to this, but no names:

http://www.superseventies.com/ac4hotelcalifornia.html
" The inner gatefold -- a quirky gathering of the Eagles' friends, employees and other business associates in the run-down lobby of the old Lido Hotel, in Hollywood -- vividly captures Henley's image of California as the greatest melting pot in the country. "I wanted a collection of people from all walks of life," he says. "It's people on the edge, on the fringes of society." "

http://www.rockandrollreport.com/2007/08/14/cover-story-the-eagles-hotel-california-artwork-by-kosh/
" Next we organized the gatefold spread – a photo of the band surrounded by friends in the hotel lobby. This was shot inside a cleverly re-decorated flop house, called The Lido, in Hollywood by David Alexander. Our combined rock ‘n’ roll friends were all invited. Nobody knows what the sinister figure lurking in the balcony window is doing - or who he is. I assume he must have been a benign spirit as Hotel California went platinum immediately (and then some!). "

 

Isnt Anton Levay (sp?)- head of the Church of Satan - in that pic? Or is that an urban legend?

 

Faded glory, loss of innocence and decadence," says Don Henley, describing the feeling he sought for the cover of Hotel California. "I was trying to use California as the microcosm for the rest of the nation."

Henley, Glenn Frey and manager Irving Azoff brought the concept to John Kosh, who had previously designed LPs for Linda Ronstadt, Rod Stewart and James Taylor. Kosh had heard only a rough mix of the album when he and David Alexander went to shoot the sun sinking behind the elegant Beverly Hills Hotel. To clear the trees surrounding the hotel, they had to clamber aboard a sixty-foot cherry picker and dangle precariously over the rush-hour traffic on Sunset Boulevard.

"I don't remember ever being so scared in my life," says Kosh. "The thing sort of swayed alarmingly every time we moved." In the space of a few minutes, they alternated shooting roll after roll of film -- as Alexander ducked to reload his camera, Kosh used his back as a tripod and kept shooting. "We just weren't quite sure precisely what time the sun and the lights coming on in the hotel would balance and make that magic we were after," says Kosh.

The inner gatefold -- a quirky gathering of the Eagles' friends, employees and other business associates in the run-down lobby of the old Lido Hotel, in Hollywood -- vividly captures Henley's image of California as the greatest melting pot in the country. "I wanted a collection of people from all walks of life," he says. "It's people on the edge, on the fringes of society."

A swirl of rumors greeted the album cover, which cost $60,000, once it hit the stores -- including stories that there were supernatural or satanic references buried in the lyrics and in the artwork. Kosh scoffs at those reports but eagerly confirms that there is a mysterious figure on the balcony, visible only on the LP version.

"I assume he's a friendly spirit, because we got the picture and it worked!" says Kosh, laughing. "If he is of the spirit world -- which I doubt -- he's benign, so it's fine by me."

 

According to Wikipedia - urban legend

" Urban legend has attributed the name "Hotel California" to many actual locations:

* The Church of Satan which happens to be located in a converted hotel on California Street. The Satanic Bible was also written in 1969, a year that is mentioned in the song. Some believe that the lyrics, " ... kill the beast," and "... that spirit here" refer to black magic. Also, others believe on their inside cover of the Hotel California album, looking down on the festivities, is either Satan or Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan. These rumors, however, were proven false. "

 

On a side note.......everyone should try and feast their eyes at least once on Steve's gatefold copy of this LP.....the DCC is absolutely stunning! I am going to have to pull it out and check out this mysterious figure on the balcony?

 

he said "seems sincere"

Snopes.com has debunked it but the page (http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/hotel.htm) is inaccessible now


On another note, Love StraightDope's explanation about "colitas"

 

I've also heard that it refers to a place in the desert where some people went to do Satanic rituals that included sex-magik with under-age girls. Who knows, stranger things have happened in the SoCal desert on the dark side of the hippie ethos..hey, didn't one of the Eagles get busted for the under-age girl thing a few years ago?

 

That "thing" overlooking the crowd from that window always freaked me out.

 

Next time I work with him, I'll try to get the whole story out of him with details. I can't see how he would fit into the category of "a quirky gathering of the Eagles' friends, employees and other business associates" but stranger things have happened. Apparently he's been bragging about this for years.

 

can someone post a large scan of the gatefold?

 

Urban Legend. The figure in the balcony was a black woman who was a model

The underage girl incident happened in 1980 to Henley. An underage girl was found passed out in his front yard.

 

"How extravagant you are, throwing away women like that. Some day they may be scarce."

Claude Raines in "Casablanca"

 

Say what?? Never heard that, but looking at it again just now, I can see the possibility....

Here is a little project someone put together regarding backwards masking, including Hotel California:

http://jeffmilner.com/backmasking.htm

 

And all these years I thought that photo was taken inside The Beverly Hills Hotel!

 

They did know how to create an illusion or two...

A secret home rule of Hollyweird: there is no substitute for a great photographer, a good setting and the right attitude. The Eagles knew this much better than most bands of their time. Just check out the discarded fold-out spread for Desperado to confirm that.

 

We've done this before
From the old thread -

 

Not to TC but that site was a HOOT.

"Paul is a dead man, miss him, miss him miss him ..."(John Lennon)
"I Shot John Lennon" - Yoko Ono
LOL "Sleep with me I'm not too young" (Brittany Spears)LOLOL

OR my new favortie Queen "It's fun to smoke marijuuuuana"

On Subject: Why was this "Mystery Figure" removed from all other issues but the first?

 

A little bit more of his story... He said he was 17 at the time & travelled to CA with some friends. He fell in with another bunch & wound up at this photo shoot. He says that the pic was taken but the band wasn't there & added in afterward. Hmmm... My theory is that he was pretty much wasted & got into SOMEONE'S group picture but possibly not this one we're talking about here.