California Quote by Don Felder
“For every album we worked on, I brought in reels of tape of somewhere between fourteen and eighteen songs - some of them completed, with lyrics and melodies, some of them basic tracks. Things came out of those products. Like, for 'Hotel California', I think I had a reel with sixteen songs on it.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Eagles Documentary, 2013
He describes using large reels of tape containing many song ideas, some fully formed, to develop tracks like “Hotel California”.
In simple terms: He used many song ideas on tape to create albums.
Key Takeaway
Use abundant drafts to refine final songs.
Themes
creativity
process
collaboration
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
creative
process
When to use this quote
- recording sessions
- album production
- song development
- archiving ideas
Key Concepts
songwriting
iteration
archival methods
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you decide which ideas to develop?
- What criteria filter raw material into hits?
A Different Perspective
Relying on many drafts can overwhelm and dilute focus.
![“There were a lot of songs that I still wanted to put on the album but it worked out. I can only fit 18 [tracks] on the album, I would put 30 if I could.” quote by Young Jeezy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9d6/young-jeezy-1485_albums_there-were-a-lot-of-songs-that-i-still-w_1835448.jpg)
