Improving upon the label's critically acclaimed 180g LP pressing, this deluxe 45RPM set is mastered from the 1/4" / 15 IPS / Dolby A analog master to DSD 256 and overflows with the information, textures, and colors afforded by wider grooves. The result: Spacious, airy, and you-are-there sonics that trump all prior versions. In addition to correcting the imaging, Mobile Fidelitys collectable version captures the full tonal range of Santana's guitar and nuances of his distinctive touch. It all brings you closer to the music and enhances your emotional connection to this stellar album.
Indeed, separation between Carlos Santanas fluid fills, spicy solos, and broiling grooves and pianist Gregg Rolies soulful Hammond organ runs allows the music to come alive with a newfound freshness and radiance. Songs simmer, with each passage bursting forth with vibrant color. Just like the equally essential follow-up Abraxas, Santana also lays claim to one of the biggest (and unfortunate) production gaffes in music history. Until Mobile Fidelity fixed the error with its 180g LP and 24K Gold releases, Santana had never been heard correctly.
For nearly four decades, copies were produced with the left and right channels reversed, meaning that everything was placed in a backwards manner. This even extended to compilations on which individual songs from Santana were included. Rest assured that, in addition to boasting reference audiophile sonics, this 180g 45RPM 2LP set gets all the specifications exactly right. And with a record of this magnitude, you want everything to be perfect.
Bound by natural chemistry and earthy spirituality, the records innovative synthesis of myriad styles goes beyond anything that came beforeas well as nearly everything thats followed. Playing with the finest band that the iconic guitarist ever had, Santana doesnt water down any exotic roots or simply incorporate mainstream Western styles into a Latin framework. This is a true hybrid, responsible for opening up borders, transcending cultural divides, and, most importantly, exhilarating the senses.
Released weeks before the band blew minds at Woodstock, the groundbreaking record stands alongside Miles Davis Bitches Brew and Jeff Becks Beck-Ola as a pillar of rock fusion. Featuring the Top Ten radio smash Evil Ways and jam favorite Soul Sacrifice, it hasnt aged a day. Hear like never before why Rolling Stone says Santana is #149 on its list of the Greatest Albums of All Time.
