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Santana - Lotus (1974) [3CD] {2006 Columbia Japan Mini LP}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 867 Mb
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Many complaints have been lodged against this album including comments regarding the excess length of songs, the constant noodling, the missing presence of Carlos Santana, the lack of an overall melody, and poor sound quality.
To begin with, the length of the songs is excellently chosen. And believe it or not Supernatural fans, each song is well planned out. Most reviewers who have a beef with this album's length don't like jazz to begin with, and desire that Carlos keep within the bounds of his late 60's and late 90's hit making three minute song machine. The greatness of Lotus is its ability to take all of Carlos' beautiful melodies and expand them each into a whole new creation.
Despite the extended length of songs on Lotus, there is no excessive noodling. Each solo has a central rhythmic and melodic structure that was used to express in a moment what can never been repeated. Unlike earlier Santana albums, Carlos allows other musicians (i.e. excellent keyboards and Latin percussion) to express beautiful melodies over a palette of amazing chord progressions and tight rhythms. In addition Carlos is in his best recorded form, from the subtlety displayed on Samba Pa Ti to the incredible Incident at Neshabur. Lotus is pure genius if for nothing but the second disk of material. Carlos' guitar tone on Lotus is perfect in its ability to express cleanly when played gently and fire up when played with great passion.
Lotus is one of the single greatest achievement in guitar playing in terms of Santana's ability to harness and realize the melodic powers of the guitar. No other guitarist I have heard (Jimi, Django, Allman, Clapton, Beck, and even McLaughlin) has unlocked the mystery of a melodic, singable solo more completely than Carlos Santana did on this record.
In regards to the recording quality and mix, I believe it to be one of the best live album ever made. This album is not meant to sound up-front like a studio album or have lots of crowd noise like live albums made in the late 70's till today have. Lotus is meant to sound endless and reverberate with great warmth. The mic positioning, engineering, and mixing is top notch. Every instrument is balanced and every subtlety is audible and clear. If you have never tried to mix a live album, you would never know how hard it is to achieve the level of warmth and tonal quality Lotus produces.
Lotus is near the top of recorded music of all time. Many years after "Smooth" is forgotten, future generations and historians will look upon Lotus as one of the most important achievements in modern music history.
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Tracklist:
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CD1
01. Going Home
02. A-1 Funk
03. Every Step of the Way
04. Black Magic Woman
05. Gypsy Queen
06. Oye Como Va
07. Yours Is the Light
08. Batuka 0:55
09. Xibaba (She-Ba-Ba)
CD2
01. Stone Flower (Introduction)
02. Waiting
03. Castillos de Arena, Pt. 1 (Sand Castle)
04. Free Angela
05. Samba de Sausalito
06. Mantra
07. Kyoto
08. Castillos de Arena, Pt. 2 (Sand Castle)
09. Se a Cabo
CD3
01. Samba Pa Ti
02. Mr. Udo
03. Toussaint l'Overture
04. Incident At Neshabur
*2006 Columbia / SMD (Japan) | MHCP 1002/3/4
Personnel:
Carlos Santana (vocals, guitar, percussion);
Tom Coster (vocals, electric piano, organ, keyboards, percussion);
Richard Kermode (vocals, electric piano, keyboards, percussion);
Armando Peraza (vocals, congas, bongos, percussion); Josй Chepitу Areas (vocals, congas, timbales, percussion);
Leon Thomas (vocals, maracas, percussion, sound effects);
Doug Rauch (guitar); Michael Shrieve (drums).
Enjoy and Sharing, Thanks!
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