'Lotus' - Santana
Posted by: Peter Stockwell on 13 February 2002
I've had a look around and the triple set is available on the web from US$10 for a UK set, up to $50 for a japanese original, that of course is the one I really want. Does anybody have any experience of Dutch, German or US pressings of this. I hesitate to spend $50, because while it represents Santana's best period, it also contains some self indulgent crap.
If anybody knows of a well mastered CD version I'd be interested to explore that too.
Peter
Mine is the same as yours, methinks. I bought it about 10 years ago. 'Lotus' was unavailable on CD for a long time. I'll be into my CD store today, maybe, I'll have a look over the santana bins, maybe there's a newer master.
Generally, the earliest CD versions were released with 'perfect (crap) sound' forever in mind, so they EQed out any tape noise, and a load of music with it. FWIW, the most recent columbia legacy reissue of Abraxas has acres of tape hiss, but sounds really engaging and alive. It's still inferior to a mid 80s dutch vinyl pressing I have tho', but it get's the musical message across.
Was it you asking about jazz ? If it was, then go to 'Incident at Neshabur' on disc 2 of Lotus, and wait for the quote from 'My Favourite things', this is not there because Carlos had a secret longing for Julie Andrews, maybe it was come to think of it 
. Carlos does about 2 minutes of his version of Coltrane's 'My Favourite things'. 'Se a Cabo' is also hot on this disc.
Lotus would have been a tremendous statement about that Santana band, and in a way, it's best on CD because you can program out the crap between the really good stuff. I think if it'd be released as a double set with 15mins a side ...
Peter
quote:
Originally posted by bdnyc:
It certainly exhibits that 70's expansiveness that some may find self indulgent....and many of the bands that tried to combine jazz and rock, from Miles Davis, King Crimson, John McLaughlin, etc, I am certainly biased.What I think sets Lotus apart, certainly from his more overtly commercial live album from that era, "Moonflower", is both the quality of his band, as well as how much of the material that they played was still fresh. If your tastes don't run as far towards fusion jazz as to rock, Moonflower may be a better choice. From that era, of his studio records I also like Santana's "Borboletta", which is more in the jazz rock feel, and his "Amigos", which is closer to rock, but does include his exquistite instrumental "Europa", which is also featured on the more commercial live recording taken from the late 70's, "Moonflower".
He is always a good performer to see live if you get the chance. I have not seen it yet, but there seems to be a DVD of a "Supernatural" era show.
Enjoy.
Nice analysis. I tend to think of Carlos as a one solo guitar player, but what feeling!, talking of one note players what about Neil Young, but I really like what they do. I was a very passionate fan of Santana until Borboletta, which is a disc that I haven't listened to in decades. For me, that's when santana went wrong. Since then there has been a few discs that I enjoyed, Havana Moon, Shango, Blues for Salvador. I haven't heard supernatural on anything that ressembles a decent system, and when I heard it on a low fi system the music couldn't cut through.
Recently, I saw Carlos with Rob Thomas at an Imax theatre. Now that did get me enthusiastic, but not enough to go buy the record. I saw Carlos in 1990, and thought he was still pretty good live. I'd go again, but here in France you have to take a gas mask to most rock concert people smoke so much it's unbearable. If some one would give me a copy I'll listen to Borboletta again
Peter
On an unrelated note, I went looking for CDs at the nearest CD emporium this lunch time, I tried a quick listen to some of the Indie Stuff, like 'Lotus Eaters', I almost liked that, but I was pressed for time so didn't buy.
I came a way with the latest from Chuck E. Weiss's (the one that Rickie lee Jones sang about) latest album "Old Souls & Wolf Tickets", the blurb claims it's a tew of "Beefheart,Tom Waits & Taj Mahal" and a Jazz CD by a guy Bill Carrothers "The Electric Bill", I bought that one becaue it seemed like the drummer liked to bang the kit hard. I like jazz like that .
Peter