Cali-Coast: Eagles, Seger And Browne Distill That California Sound

Picture this. It’s the summer of 1977 and the days are warm and long. School’s out, so me and my younger brother spend the long afternoons completely by ourselves. Mom doesn’t want us in the house, so we park ourselves on the front porch with a jug of iced tea. At our feet, there is a transistor radio we got for Christmas.

In between the silly games we make up and the radio commercials, we fall silent. The sounds coming from that radio are nothing less than mesmerizing. We are both entranced. I’ll never forget the sound of a 12-string guitar playing those opening notes to Hotel California. Suddenly, in my mind, I was afloat, hovering over the coastline of California, looking at sunsets and the ocean gently lapping against the shoreline.

I guess you could say that I’ve always had an active imagination. I can take no credit for it, but I’ve been able to “see” what a song is trying to say for as long as I can remember. Music nearly always evokes visuals for me. And I don’t need lyrics to aid this. In fact, music without lyrics nearly always moves me more deeply than music with lyrics.

In that long summer of ’77, the music was fantastic! The Eagles’ Hotel California dominated the airwaves. Bob Seger’s Night Moves, released the prior year, was in active radio circulation. While I loved the Night Moves track (even though I really didn’t know what it was about), it was the B-side hit, Mainstreet, that really moved me. Those opening notes from guitarist Pete Carr still haunt me, even though I’ve heard them a thousand times.

Jackson Browne’s album The Pretender and hit single Doctor My Eyes (from his ’72 self-titled release) were also very popular. And come winter, there was the smash hit Running On Empty, still one of the best rock-piano tracks I’ve ever heard. Oh yes, the music was glorious.

What I didn’t know at the time was that all three acts—Eagles, Seger and Browne—knew each other, collaborated and, intentionally or not, created a sound that became synonymous with Southern California. Unlike the Beach Boys, a decade or so before, this California sound was different, broader, more inclusive of differing genres and completely open-hearted about difficult things.

It’s The Contrast Of Dark Themes Juxtaposed Against Beautiful Music That Makes The 1970’s Southern California Sound So Interesting

A few years ago I had the privilege of being “in session” with Don Felder from The Eagles as he re-recorded guitar parts for Hotel California and told the story of where the song came from. The imagery in that song—stabbing a beast that just won’t die—is so dark. Seger wrote of lost loves and a lost youth, of yearning to find his feet back on a street that no longer exists. Browne writes of not knowing what he’s running on, but he just keeps on running. These songs ooze nostalgia.

Don Felder from The Eagles re-recorded all his guitar parts for Hotel California and I got to watch and ask questions. Quite a moment for me. What a great guy. Photo courtesy of Randall Shattuck.

The themes of this music are not light and airy. There is a somberness, a sense of yearning for something lost, a feeling of being on the edge of a catastrophic abyss. And yet, the music often doesn’t match that feeling. The melodies and arrangements are often uplifting and energized. I have a sense that it’s the contrast of the darkness of the themes juxtaposed against the beauty of the music that makes this Southern California sound so interesting.

The sonic palette of this music is very distinct. Acoustic guitar and piano are front and center. Electric guitar of several types (distorted, riffed, clean and bright, long delays) also characterizes the sound. Rhodes keyboards, banjo, electric bass and drums often round out the complement of instruments. And let’s not forget the string sections, especially on Hotel California.

But it’s the arrangements, the chordal patterns and the melodies that really make this music strong and why it still holds so much appeal today. Genres be damned. These songs crossed boundaries like they didn’t exist: rock, country, bluegrass, folk, singer-songwriter and epic guitar hero. To say that I love the music of Southern California from the 1970s would be a huge understatement. This music defined my tastes and sense of what musical excellence could sound like. I am hopelessly stained.

Who’s In The Band?

Cali-Coast is instrumental rock (well sort of) in the spirit of those acts who defined the sound. So in that sense, it crosses over a lot of genre boundaries. But more than that, it’s a deep expression of music I love and I hope you love it too. I really do. I feel this music deep in my bones. It’s soulful and intoxicating. This music has a lot of different instruments and sounds:

• 6 and 12 String acoustic guitar. These guitars “sing” on almost every track in this album. They hold down the rhythm and fill the sound with a rich texture. On a couple of tracks, acoustics take the lead, especially the nylon string with its plunky texture.
• Stratocaster. The Strat is probably THE axe of classic rock. It’s all over this album. It’s the primary instrument used for pretty much all the slide work. It also opens many songs with a plaintive bending tone.
• Les Paul. When in session with Don Felder, he told me how much influence the Les Paul had on his playing. The Les Paul carries so many solos in this project. The tone just cuts. And it’s featured in both dirty and clean modes. The opening solo on Oceanside is the unmistakable tone of a clean Les Paul—just the way Les intended.
• Telecaster. The Tele is THE instrument of Country and Country-rock. The Tele on this album is played both clean and dirty. It carries several solos and punches right through the mix. When played clean, it’s often paired against a clean Strat so the axes sound like they’re having a conversation.
• Grand Piano. There is a lot of Bösendorfer grand piano on this album. It has such a clean and beautiful tone that is perfect for honky-tonk work. There’s also a Steinway D for ballads.
• Banjo. The banjo on this album takes several solos and also sits nicely in the back of the band for fill. It’s plucky lines are a distinct part of the country-rock sound.
• Rhodes. The Rhodes keyboard provides a beautiful, rich baseline of sound for numerous ballads on this album. It is the perfect complement to biting lead guitar tones.
• Electric bass. There is one classic-rock-era electric bass on this project. It’s a big and full sound that holds down the bottom with deep fills and then fast runs that make the rock work punchy.
• Acoustic drums. This classic kit is punchy. Snare and kick are held in a center pocket while big toms flare out to left and right.
• String Section. A lovely string section accompanies several ballads on this project.

How To Get The Most From Cali-Coast

If you are telling a story about anything Cali from the 1970s, this music will work. If you’re looking for that 70s rock sound, whether for a story set in Cali or not, this music fits. If you’re looking for ballads that will sit under vocals, several of these songs convey really strong emotions. If you need country-rock, yup, you got it. If you need dancehall tracks, check out Sandy Cowboy and Longboard. Want to show friends around a beach fire, well, check out Beach Fire. Heck. Just listen to the whole darn album because I think you’re gonna’ love it!

Wrap Up

Thank you again for your interest in Supernatural Sounds, our music and our unique approach. This music means a lot to me and I believe it could become some of your favorite too. There is so much heart and passion that has gone into this music. I could not count the number of late night sessions poring over every little detail to get the sound just right. May Cali-Coast enwrap you like a warm blanket on a cool Southern California evening, as you watch the sun set and the tide roll in.