Jackball74
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With the passing of Glenn Frey this week I've been playing a good deal of his stuff and my family has been getting into the spirit as well. The other night after dinner I decided to tell my wife - who isn't a big Eagles fan - a little bit about the rumors concerning the Hotel California album cover.
For those unfamiliar, there are three prominent urban legends that have been bouncing around since the '70s. On the cover photo of the original vinyl album sleeve there is a figure in a window that was supposedly not present when the photo was taken. The back shot features a janitor in an empty hotel lobby who was rumored to have been murdered and propped up. And, most famous of all, there is a shadowy figure arched over a balcony in the inner photo who some say is either satan himself, Satanic Church founder Anton LaVey or some hapless earthbound spirit (for the record it looks like a woman to me). It's all supposed to tie into the album's theme of innocence lost.
I've never put any stock into the tales but I dig a good ghost story whether it's true or not. Having misplaced my original album, I jumped online to pull up the pictures and show my wife. While looking at the inner gatefold picture, something caught my eye that I had never noticed before (probably because I was focused on the balcony babe).
On the left side of the photo you can see a darkened pair of double doors just to the left of the archway (they are better lit on the back picture and are obviously closing off some sort of storage closet). On the doors are the image of two figures, shadowy and one-dimensional, that contrast sharply with the couple just to the right (who happen to be far better illuminated even though they are just mere feet away, and are much more solid looking). They are also absent from the photo on the back.
Now I'm not saying this isn't some trick cooked up by the band, but damned if it isn't creepy as heck! I did a search and came up with numerous sites about the album cover but none mentioned this facet of the picture. Anyone else out there ever notice this?
For those unfamiliar, there are three prominent urban legends that have been bouncing around since the '70s. On the cover photo of the original vinyl album sleeve there is a figure in a window that was supposedly not present when the photo was taken. The back shot features a janitor in an empty hotel lobby who was rumored to have been murdered and propped up. And, most famous of all, there is a shadowy figure arched over a balcony in the inner photo who some say is either satan himself, Satanic Church founder Anton LaVey or some hapless earthbound spirit (for the record it looks like a woman to me). It's all supposed to tie into the album's theme of innocence lost.
I've never put any stock into the tales but I dig a good ghost story whether it's true or not. Having misplaced my original album, I jumped online to pull up the pictures and show my wife. While looking at the inner gatefold picture, something caught my eye that I had never noticed before (probably because I was focused on the balcony babe).
On the left side of the photo you can see a darkened pair of double doors just to the left of the archway (they are better lit on the back picture and are obviously closing off some sort of storage closet). On the doors are the image of two figures, shadowy and one-dimensional, that contrast sharply with the couple just to the right (who happen to be far better illuminated even though they are just mere feet away, and are much more solid looking). They are also absent from the photo on the back.
Now I'm not saying this isn't some trick cooked up by the band, but damned if it isn't creepy as heck! I did a search and came up with numerous sites about the album cover but none mentioned this facet of the picture. Anyone else out there ever notice this?
