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AOTW May 20-26: Santana, Caravanserai


Guy Berger

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Guest donald petersen

ok as i listen to it-if anyone likes santana they really should buy the luis gasca album. it is santana's best album, imo...if you get my meaning.

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Guest donald petersen

THE gasca album. sorry i mean the blue thumb one...the one with santana, shrieve, etc.

i think it is really just called "luis gasca" though.

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Guest donald petersen

wilin' mike i do have them but it would take me a long ass time to find the CDR. i will casually rifle around and if i see it i will let you know.

how is the first gasca album? i assumed it would be short too tight tracks in the atlantic fashion but perhaps it is something different.

the latter two are ok, yes. got the LPs. nothing fantastic. i guess it is exciting to find terry bozzio on one of the dates. i don't know why....

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Out of morbid curiosity, I downloaded some late 70s/early 80s Santana albums.

Inner Secrets is pretty bad, though not unlistenable. Definitely worse than Amigos or Festival, which I'd characterize as "good" and "decent" respectively. "Open Invitation" is hilariously bad -- I think I've heard it on the radio before, but I would've never guessed it was Santana. I really recommend listening to this track!

Marathon is just awful. Easily of the worst albums I've ever heard. Really bad 80s arena rock.

I'll post comments on Zebop and Oneness once I unzip the files.

Guy

Edited by Guy
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Out of morbid curiosity, I downloaded some late 70s/early 80s Santana albums.

Inner Secrets is pretty bad, though not unlistenable. Definitely worse than Amigos or Festival, which I'd characterize as "good" and "decent" respectively. "Open Invitation" is hilariously bad -- I think I've heard it on the radio before, but I would've never guessed it was Santana. I really recommend listening to this track!

Marathon is just awful. Easily of the worst albums I've ever heard. Really bad 80s arena rock.

I'll post comments on Zebop and Oneness once I unzip the files.

Guy

'Amigos' has two great songs ("Dance Sister Dance" and "Europa"), and 'Festival' has the great "Let The Children Play" suite, but otherwise both albums are pretty forgettable. 'Innner Secrets' is actually a consistently better album than either, but has nothing approaching the highlights of those two (the cover of Traffic's "Dealer" is probably the best thing on it). I agree with the assessment of "Open Invitation", an utter embarrasment! 'Zebop' is akin to 'Marathon', maybe just a bit better. 'Oneness' is actually quite excellent, the most underrated album Santana ever did. It is a Carlos solo album rather than a Santnana group album, almost totally instrumental, quite spiritual in it's groove, the last consistently satisfying studio album he ever made.
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'Amigos' has two great songs ("Dance Sister Dance" and "Europa"),

Not sure if I'd call "Europa" great -- it sounds canned to me, a slick and soulless sequel to "Samba Pa Ti".

and 'Festival' has the great "Let The Children Play" suite, but otherwise both albums are pretty forgettable.

Perhaps forgettable but there are some nice things on there -- "Gitano", "Take Me With You", "Maria Caracoles".

'Innner Secrets' is actually a consistently better album than either, but has nothing approaching the highlights of those two (the cover of Traffic's "Dealer" is probably the best thing on it).

More consistent is probably right, but honestly even the best music on it would be below average on those other two albums.

All IMHO, of course!

Guy

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wilin' mike i do have them but it would take me a long ass time to find the CDR. i will casually rifle around and if i see it i will let you know.

Thanks! Would be much appreciated!

How is the first gasca album? i assumed it would be short too tight tracks in the atlantic fashion but perhaps it is something different.

Longer tracks with plenty solos, somewhat in between the Atlantic soul/Cuban style of Mongo and Hubert Laws, and the Blue Thumb LP. Better than I thought.

p.s. I have a copy of the Collectables double CD with Gasca's Little Giant and the Ira Sullivan album for sale.

Edited by mikeweil
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'Amigos' has two great songs ("Dance Sister Dance" and "Europa"),

Not sure if I'd call "Europa" great -- it sounds canned to me, a slick and soulless sequel to "Samba Pa Ti".

Gato Barbieri gave the definitive reading of this one.

Seriously.

No argument from me. That whole 'Caliente' album is surprisingly good. Also has the definitive reading of "I Want You" in my book. Tuck Andress did a wonderful "Europa" on 'Love Warriors'. The first three Tuck & Patti albums are classics of their genre, quite untypical for Windham Hill (and the best things that label ever did) and his guitar playing is stunning.

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  • 16 years later...
On 6/19/2007 at 6:31 PM, mr jazz said:

late to the party but always loved Caravanserai and I agree with all the comments about Shrieve-he played so well amidst all the percussion. Where I differ is regarding Welcome-a fine side 1 that drifts somewhat on side 2 before a beautiful Naima ends the record. I think Borboletta is full of great music-one with the sun,life is anew, give and take have some scorching solos and Broussard's solo on Aspirations is well played. Side 2 features the extended promise of a fisherman with more inspired playing. Airto's bookmarking percussion is a nice touch. An underrated record that screams for remastering. The remastered Welcome is worth picking up as the percussion and drums are much clearer to my ear. I don't think Santana ever reached the heights as he did on these three seminal recordings all valuable in their own right. lotus has its moments but drags in a few places, still worth owning.

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Edited by MomsMobley
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