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Lotus

Santana - Lotus Audio CD

A fair review of the Santana "Lotus" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Santana reviews here, or go back to the Santana tabs.

Band: Santana
Title: Lotus
Rating:

Release Date: 1991-02-26
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Going Home 2: A-1 Funk 3: Every Step of the Way 4: Black Magic Woman 5: Gypsy Queen 6: Oye Como Va 7: Yours Is the Light 8: Batuka 9: Xibaba (She-Ba-Ba) 10: Stone Flower (Introduction) 11: Waiting 12: Castillos de Arena, Pt. 1 (Sand Castle) 13: Free Angela 14: Samba de Sausalito 15: Mantra 16: Kyoto 17: Castillos de Arena, Pt. 2 (Sand Castle) 18: Incident at Neshabur 19: Se a Cab� 20: Samba Pa Ti 21: Mr. Udo 22: Toussaint l'Overture

God-Like Genius
The wife had this on vinyl and it cost a fortune in the seventies so fill your boots with this CD version for a fraction of the cost! All Killer - No Filler. Need I say more? Carlos at his best - peak period Santana and a famously hard to find, legendary classic album. Rock On!!.

Review of Lotus with a nod to Caravanserai
Recorded during what I consider Carlos' most creative period it also displays the great players he had assembled then. For the fan of Santana this album is essential. This tour was done in promotion of his finest studio album, "Caravanserai". I saw this concert as an art student I believe in 1973. Hazy days those. I recall the experience as being quite spiritual. I wish I had been in the studio with him for this project and tour. Didn't work with him until "Inner Secrets" in '78. Caravanserai is not ritualist dance fodder. It is to be listened to and "gotten into" as we said in the 60's and 70's. If one does that, it should be a very rewarding experience.

The live Lotus album reveals the raw energy of this great band and includes many of the great classic Santana works. I shot photographs that night in 73. Still remember the giant, slanting mirror behind the band. What a night. This album is a great souvenir of that tour.

Although Carlos remains one of the great guitarist of our time, he has not come close to the height of creativity and focus with his most recent work as he did with Caravanserai. His hooking up with the likes of Rob Thomas and Dave Matthews was great and brilliant marketing. They are great artists. . . but longtime friends of Carlos agree it seemed a bit of a sellout. He did connect with a new fan base, but at what cost? The music from these recent sessions is good, but without much life and soul compared to his Caravanserai work. .

One Difference Between LP and CD
It is simply a remarkable live album, contained in one of the most beautiful packages, if you are lucky to own the original vinyl issue. I must agree with all the positive comments that have been written about this Santana album.

The only quibble I have between the LP and CD version is the fact that the song "Savor" appears on the vinyl LP version, while the CD substitutes the song Mr. Udo. Since I own both versions, it is easy for me to enjoy both. But I hope on future re-releases, the song "Savor" can be added, even if it means adding an additional CD.

What a bargain to get the 2xcd set for under $[...].
Lifelong Santana fan and jazz fan. I bought the 3xlp set used (which is why I love Amazon) around the late 80's. The perfect mix. Really, a special album. The lp is better for one reason only, its size. The cd is better cuz there's no cracks and pops that vinyl lps inevitably get. The music is definitely not the lst 3 Santana albums but it's also none of that middle of the road fallow period music they did say 87 to 97. This stuff also transscends the Santana/McLaughlin material which can get too Indian flavored for most of us. Instead, this album comes hot on the heals of the first 3 lps (Santana, Abraxas, Santana III) and really is the only place you find a perfect blend of some of that sound mixed seamlessly with a new jazzier sound that he/they never again really captured. As close as Santana got was Moonflower and Canavansari, both noble albums but I think the difference here is this is live and on those other two albums being in the studio flattened the sound a bit, though there's still music on both that I love it's not as consistent as this album and there's something about Santana's rapport with the audience that adds a sweetness. Sure, yer gonna be disappointed if yer expecting more of the lst 3 albums. If you veer into jazz and love Santana at their best, you'll undoubtedly love this album. It was, indeed, a holy grail for Santana lovers back in the 70's and 80's. There's a reason. [. . . ]).

An awesome presentation
Granted sometimes the printing on these releases requires a magnifying glass to read, but it is clear and legible. The Japanese mini LP versions of CDs has been an example of technology, craftmanship and an incredible eye to detail. LP covers were an art form and many covers demanded the size of these covers to convey the art properly. Many of us who have the originals are probably not going to buy the mini LP. However, many of these discs now come with upgraded remastering and bonus tracks to entice us to buy them, anyway.

This release is the epitome of the mini LP product. With the package completely unfolded, this release is an incredible sight to see. This is one that you would buy, even if you have the original LP release. It is that good.

The attention to detail is also present in the CDs themselves. The sound is better than the domestic release and has been put back into the original 3 LP format. Now, this is good and bad. With three CDs, you are getting an exact replica. From an enjoyment point of view the domestic 2 CD release makes sense. Also, in the 3 CD format, Discs 2 & 3 have a fade in of the last few seconds that were on the prior CD, just like it was on the LPs. What may have been convention years ago is now an annoyance. The 2 CD version does away with this overlap.

So, if you have the domestic release, don't get rid of it. Use it for your listening enjoyment and have this release for the pure visual enjoyment.

5 out of 5 stars for the packaging.

4 out of 5 stars for superior sound, but annoying fading of the music between discs.

You can see a complete list of all Santana discography, or go back to the Santana tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.