Santana - Lotus

What a bargain to get the 2xcd set for under $[...].

I bought the 3xlp set used (which is why I love Amazon) around the late 80's. Lifelong Santana fan and jazz fan. 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. [...]) November 24, 2007

An awesome presentation

The Japanese mini LP versions of CDs has been an example of technology, craftmanship and an incredible eye to detail. Granted sometimes the printing on these releases requires a magnifying glass to read, but it is clear and legible. 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. September 11, 2007

Beware - This is Jazz!!

Many folks who love the classic rock Santana just won't find anything here to appreciate. Non-the-less, Lotus is snapshot of Carlos during the middle of a phase that meant a lot to him.

The playing is all top notch. The overall sound is good but not great. It's a little to high pitched sounding without a nice warm bass to push this recording over the top.

I still give it 5 stars because of the excellent playing thoughout. April 25, 2007

STILL terrifying, 33 years later

When "Lotus" was originally released as a vinyl Japanese-only import (1974), it was one of the most prized items among collectors. The packaging...nowhere near as important as the music itself...was a mind-blowing example of innovation and creativity with several fold-out posters and the sleeve that housed the three discs inside. That's one of the things that delayed the release of "Lotus" on CD for so many years...shrinking all of that wonder down into a 4.75" x 4.75" plastic box. They DID it...maybe not as spectacularly as the original 12 x 12 release...but it was magnificent packaging for what is basically Carlos Santana's "A Love Supreme." Seriously...if you like the pop stuff, more power to you. There's plenty of good stuff there. But this was the top of Santana's spiritual / fusion era. In 1973 he added "Devadip" to his name, which meant "the light of the lamp of the Supreme." That light burns brightly across "Lotus," especially on CD 2 (where most of the extended numbers reside, including the 15 minute "Incident at Neshabur"). As Santana fans know, there are "several different Santanas." This was the MILES Santana, the COLTRANE Santana. This is scary and amazing music played with so much mind-numbing passion that you have to wonder why there are people who don't "get" Santana. Get Lotus, and strap yourself in for one heck of a ride. March 11, 2007

...And It Blossoms!

Neither those who know Santana from the original band's early rock LPs, nor those most familiar with Carlos' and Company's recent all-star pop outings, will be in any way prepared for the astonishing two hours of music which is LOTUS. Recorded at a pair of Japanese concerts in 1973, this set is certainly the most singular item in one of rock music's most singular careers.
Having fallen under the spell of early-seventies fusion as epitomized by Miles Davis, Chick Corea and other groundbreaking jazzmen, guitarist Carlos Santana made this third version of his eponymous ensemble by far the best, concentrating on lengthy instrumental explorations which were kept nailed in place by a phenomenal three-to-four-man percussion section. While inevitable hits (and rare vocals) like "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Como Va" are here, and wonderfully handled, they sound almost trivial next to the driving and exotic sounds which surround them. "A-1 Funk," "Gypsy Queen," "Samba de Sausalito" and "Incident at Neshabur" rank among my personal favorites; but it seems ludicrous to pinpoint specific tracks as the show is essentially one long and very remarkable suite, uninterrupted and unflagging. Guitar quotes from Miles, Stravinsky, Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles add moments of relative levity - and a reminder of just how far afield this band drew its inspiration from - before the ultratight octet tears into its next workout, leaving the listener to marvel at how they possibly could've kept it up. LOTUS is a stunning album, a marvelous experience and one of the peak moments from the heyday of jazz/rock fusion. Indispensable! January 19, 2007

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