Santana

Before the arrival of Carlos Santana's eponymous band, the San Francisco rock scene drew the inspiration for its jam-oriented music mainly from blues, rock, and Eastern modalities. Santana added Latin music to the mix, forever changing the course of rock & roll history. On their groundbreaking debut album, the group mix Latin percussion with driving rock grooves. Santana's unique guitar style, alternately biting and liquid, vies with the multiple percussionists for the sonic focus.
Unlike later efforts, Santana's first album features an abundance of loose, collective compositions based on a couple of simple riffs ("Jingo," "Soul Sacrifice"). This approach allows for Santana and his bandmates to flex their improvisational muscles to fine effect…

Two years in the making, Santana IV marks the reunion of nearly all members of the 1971-1972 band, arguably its greatest lineup. Carlos Santana, conguero Michael Carabello, organist/lead vocalist Gregg Rolie, drummer Michael Shrieve, and guitarist Neal Schon cut the landmark Santana III in 1971. It was a short-lived group as Schon and Rolie would depart in early 1973 to form Journey. Filling out the lineup are Carlos' longtime bassist Benny Rietveld and second percussionist Karl Perazza. Unlike the reunions of most classic rockers, this one proves its musical mettle, even when the album gives in to excess. The interplay between the guitarists is fiery, while Rolie and Shrieve have never been less than inspiring. The former is a far better (more expressive) vocalist than he was in his youth…

Billed as the first Santana compilation to span his entire career, it is true that Ultimate Santana does indeed run the gamut from 1969's "Evil Ways" to 2002's "Game of Love," but if you think that means it handles all phases of his career equally, you'd be sadly mistaken. Essentially, this 18-track set plays like a collection of highlights from his Supernatural-era comebacks, spiked with a couple of classic rock oldies – because that's what it really is. It contains no less than ten superstar duets, including new numbers with Nickelback's Chad Kroeger (the streamlined and smoothed "Into the Night," which has little of Kroeger's trademark growly histrionics) and Jennifer Lopez and Baby Bash ("This Boy's Fire," a dance number where Santana seems incidental), plus a version of "The Game of Love" with Tina Turner (don't worry, the lighter, brighter, superior Michelle Branch version is here too) and plus "Interplanetary Party," which is a new band recording that sounds like a star duet.

Carlos Santana & Alice Coltrane - Illuminations (1974) {Columbia 485810 2 rel 2006}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 179 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 85 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 13 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1974, 2006 Columbia / Sony Music | 485810 2
Jazz / Jazz Rock / Fusion / Raga / Experimental / Psychedelic

Carlos proves to the world that he's still got his jazz chops in the right direction – even during his stardom of the mid 70s – and he's working here with a group that mixes avant players like Coltrane, Jack DeJohnnette, and Dave Holland, and funkier players like Jules Broussard and Armando Peraza. The tracks are spacey meditation jams – sometimes quite out, sometimes mellow and soulful – and titles include "Guru Sri Chinmoy Aphorism – Angel Of Air", "Angel Of Water", "Angel Of Sunlight", and "Illuminations".

Arriving at the twilight of the 1960s, Santana were psychedelic pioneers who ushered Latin rock into the mainstream with their first three albums: Santana, Abraxas, and Santana III. Thanks to their appearance at Woodstock, their eponymous album was a smash hit right out of the gate, with its single "Evil Ways" making it into the Billboard Top Ten in 1969. They remained at the top of the charts until 1973, when leader and namesake guitarist Carlos Santana began exploring esoteric, spiritual jazz fusion on his own.

"Santana Brothers" (sometimes credited as simply Brothers) is a 1994 album by Carlos Santana, his brother Jorge, and his nephew Carlos Hernandez. It reached 191 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Carlos joins brother Jorge (ex-Malo) and young nephew Carlos Hernandez in a six-string summit that puts the three guitarists in all-instrumental solo, duo and trio settings. This album is full of delicate ambiances, a subtle marriage of styles and influences.

There have been many Santana anthologies over the last ten years: Holland's Definitive Collection, France's Best of Santana, an import of the best of the instrumentals, and now there is a Santana 3xCD-Box - Also known as: The Super Collection (3xCD, Comp). Some of the best of his popular titles are here.

Santana - Lotus (1974) {3CD Set Columbia Japan Mini LP, MHCP-1002~4 rel 2006}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 867 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 293 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 165 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2006 Columbia / SMD (Japan) | MHCP 1002/3/4 | DSD remaster
Rock / Jazz Rock / Latin Rock / Blues Rock

Classic live album. Lotus is a 1974 live album by Santana. It was originally released as a triple vinyl LP and this is the only triple CD version. (the US version is a 2 CD set). Japanese-only limited edition Mini LP CD. Digitally remastered with superior sound quality. Long held as a talisman by Santana fans, who had to buy it as a triple-LP Japanese import before Columbia finally issued it on CD in 1991, Lotus is a live album that finds Carlos Santana and his octet (a.k.a. the New Santana Band) at a nexus between rock, Latin music, jazz fusion, and spiritually driven communiqués to the gods. Some of the early hits are performed, such as "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Como Va," but long, intense instrumentals are the order of the day, as on the breathtaking "Incident at Neshabur," "Every Step of the Way," and "Toussaint L'Overture."