Possibly best known for that guitar solo with Joe Walsh in Hotel California, Don Felder has over five decades of songwriting to his name. Although his solo work has been sporadic, with his first solo release Airborne coming in 1983 and his third release arriving in 2019, the man’s credentials are without question and, alongside a list of session roles, longer than a giraffe’s scarf.
Don Felder – The Vault – Fifty Years of Music
Release Date: 23 May 2025
Words: Paul Hutchings
Felder’s latest release offers what is described as a stunning collection of newly recorded versions of songs originally demoed over a span of five decades. He has brought in a roster of musicians that certainly provides additional clout.
The list includes David Paich, Steve Lukather, Joseph “Joe” Williams, and Greg Phillinganes of Toto, renowned drummers such as Greg Bissonette, Brian Tichy, Todd Sucherman, plus Timothy Drury, Nathan East, Nina Winter and Lenny Castro.
I was disparaging of 2019’s American Rock ‘n’ Roll, calling it an album stuck in the 1980s. Easy guitar work that is smooth as silk, classic Californian feel-good tunes that work on a sunny day, but all a bit limp and throwaway. 
There are a few decent songs on The Vault, which is a collection of reworked demos from the past 50 years. Opener Move On is an up-tempo rocker, finely placed to open the album, even if it sounds rather dated now. Felder’s vocal style is very much in the Bryan Adams vein, whilst the music is enough to get the feet tapping.
Everything here is polished and perfectly produced. It is very much the feel-good California sunshine music that he was involved in with the Eagles. The tracks are certainly well crafted and easy on the ear.
Free At Last skips along, nothing magical or exciting, but certainly pleasant enough, whilst the reggae vibe of Digital World looks at current overwhelming technological demands.
The fact that this album spans 50 years is reassuring, for some of the tracks are horribly dated. I Like The Things You Do presents as creepy in the modern day, the lyrics filled with innuendo and a level of sex pest that we do not need anymore.
All Girls Love To Dance races back to the synth-heavy 1980s. Another challenging set of lyrics combine with a dated sound that, once more, may be less than ideal today.
It’s Heavy Metal that may surprise folks. It is hardly a crunching riff fest, but a reworking of Felder’s contribution to the 1981 cult film of the same name. Felder’s song was called Heavy Metal (Takin’ A Ride) in that soundtrack, which also featured the likes of Sammy Hagar, Journey, Nazareth and Black Sabbath. Hardly the stuff of Metal icons, but this track stands out as one of the better ones here.
Of course, there are a couple of heartfelt ballads to contend with.
Together Forever may get some heartstrings tugging. It is not the kind of ballad that does anything for me, but I’m sure that some of Felder’s loyal fans will lap up the gentle song. And Let Me Down Easy brings Nina Winter’s beautiful vocals to the centre, giving an Americana feel to the penultimate song here.
Whether this release will grab a huge audience is debatable. It is listenable, providing you can put some of the lyrical challenges to one side. And musically, it is perfectly delivered.
For Felder’s audience, it’s probably something to treasure. For me, not so much.
Don Felder – The Vault – Fifty Years of Music is released on 23 May 2025 via Frontiers Music s.r.l. and is available to pre-order from here.
