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Santana - Original Album Classics (2009)
EAC Rip | Flac(Image) + Cue + Log & iPod M4A(Tracks) & MP3 CBR 320Kbps
5CD | Sony, 888697445562 | ~ 1481 or 1492 or 536 Mb | Scans(png, 300dpi) -> 114 Mb
Rock / Latin Rock / Blues Rock / Jazz Fusion
This second volume in Sony's EU Original Album Classics series looks at five albums over a ten-year period. The first four of these -- Inner Secrets, Marathon, Zebop, and Shango -- catch the band during a renaissance of singles and a decline in album sales in the marketplace. The first of these, issued in 1978, boasted three charting singles in "One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)" (number 59), "Stormy" (number 32), and a cover of Buddy Holly's "Well All Right" (number 69), done in the Blind Faith arrangement. Marathon, released in 1979, may not have sold as an album, but did score a hit with the Top 40 single "You Know That I Love You" (number 35). Zebop, issued in 1981 -- after Carlos Santana released his second solo album, Swing of Delight -- first hit the Hot 100 with "The Sensitive Kind" (number 59) written by Russ Ballard. "Winning" was the second single and it went to number 33 as the album entered into the Top Ten and went gold. Shango, from 1981, resulted in two more hit singles, "Hold On" (number 15) and "Nowhere to Run" (number 66). The final album in this set, Freedom, was released after the band took a long break. While they toured together, Carlos was making solo records for most of the '80s. This comeback album was a reunion of sorts and featured former members Tom Coster and Chester Thompson on keyboards. Even founding member Gregg Rolie made a guest appearance. Interestingly, this set also featured the talents of drummer Buddy Miles on vocals. The album failed to score any hits major or minor, but did end up in the Top 100 on the Billboard charts. This middle-period set documents Santana as they never were before or after -- as a singles outfit as interested in performing classics from the rock and R&B canon as they were in writing original material.
CD1: Santana - Inner Secrets (1978)
EAC Rip | Flac(Image) + Cue + Log & iPod M4A(Tracks) & MP3 CBR 320Kbps
Sony, 88697445562CD1 | ~ 281 or 283 or 104 Mb
Rock / Latin Rock / Blues Rock / Jazz Fusion
Since he had joined Santana in 1972, keyboard player Tom Coster had been Carlos Santana's right-hand man, playing, co-writing, co-producing, and generally taking the place of founding member Greg Rolie. But Coster left the band in the spring of 1978, to be replaced by keyboardist/guitarist Chris Solberg and keyboardist Chris Rhyme. Despite the change, the band soldiered on, and with Inner Secrets, they scored three chart singles: the disco-ish "One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)" (#59), "Stormy" (#32), and a cover of Buddy Holly's "Well All Right" (#69), done in the Blind Faith arrangement. (There seems to be a Steve Winwood fixation here. The album also featured a cover of Traffic's "Dealer.") The singles kept the album on the charts longer than any Santana LP since 1971, but it was still a minor disappointment after Moonflower, and in retrospect seems like one of the band's more compromised efforts.
Tracklist:
01. Dealer / Spanish rose - 5:51
02. Move on - 4:27
03. One chain (don't make no prison) - 7:13
04. Stormy - 4:49
05. Well all right - 4:11
06. Open invitation - 4:47
07. Life is a lady / Holiday - 3:48
08. The facts of love - 5:32
09. Wham! - 3:27
CD2: Santana - Marathon (1979)
EAC Rip | Flac(Image) + Cue + Log & iPod M4A(Tracks) & MP3 CBR 320Kbps
Sony, 88697445562CD2 | ~ 284 or 286 or 104 Mb
Rock / Latin Rock / Blues Rock / Jazz Fusion
Marathon marked the addition of keyboard player Alan Pasqua and singer Greg Walker's replacement by singer/guitarist Alex Ligertwood in the Santana lineup. Otherwise, the album was notable for consisting entirely of band-written material, although those songs were in the established R&B/rock style evolved on albums like Amigos, Festival, and Inner Secrets. The formula seemed to be wearing thin by now, however, as, even with a Top 40 hit in "You Know That I Love You" (number 35), Marathon became the first Santana album to fall below the 500,000-sales mark necessary for gold record certification.
Tracklist:
01. Marathon - 1:28
02. Lightning in the Sky - 3:52
03. Aqua Marine - 5:35
04. You Know That I Love You - 4:27
05. All I Ever Wanted - 4:03
06. Stand Up - 4:02
07. Runnin' - 1:39
08. Summer Lady - 4:24
09. Love - 3:22
10. Stay (Beside Me) - 3:50
11. Hard Times - 3:57
CD3: Santana - Zebop! (1981)
EAC Rip | Flac(Image) + Cue + Log & iPod M4A(Tracks) & MP3 CBR 320Kbps
Sony, 88697445562CD3 | ~ 314 or 316 or 111 Mb
Rock / Latin Rock / Blues Rock / Jazz Fusion
After teaming up with Herbie Hancock for the jazz-flavored The Swing of Delight album, Carlos Santana reentered the pop/rock realm with the rest of his band for 1981's Zebop!. He still managed to include a little bit of his famed Latino sound into a few of the tracks ("E Papa Re," "American Gypsy"), albeit only slightly, but Zebop!'s overall feel is that of commercial rock, with the guitar arriving at the forefront through most of the cuts. Santana does a marvelous job at covering Russ Ballard's "Winning," taking it to number 17 on the charts, while "The Sensitive Kind" is built around the same type of radio-friendly structure yet it stalled at number 56. Zebop!'s formula is simple, and all of the songs carry an appeal that is aimed at a wider and more marketable audience base, with "Changes," "Searchin," and "I Love You Much Too Much" coming through as efficient yet not overly extravagant rock & roll efforts. The album's adjustable rhythms and accommodating structures kept the band alive as the decade rolled over, peaking at number 33 in the U.K. but cracking the Top Ten in the United States, which eventually led to Zebop! going gold. Actually, "Winning" followed in the same footsteps as Santana's last couple of Top 40 singles in "You Know That I Love You" from 1980 and "Stormy" from 1979. Shango, the album that came after Zebop!, gave them another hit with "Hold On," sung by bandmember Alex Ligertwood.
Tracklist:
01. Changes - 4:29
02. E Papa Re - 4:33
03. Primera Invasion - 2:09
04. Searchin' - 3:56
05. Over and Over - 4:50
06. Winning - 3:30
07. Tales of Kilimanjaro - 3:26
08. The Sensitive Kind - 3:33
09. American Gypsy - 3:40
10. I Love You Much Too Much - 4:44
11. Brightest Star - 4:51
12. Hannibal - 3:43
CD4: Santana - Shango (1982)
EAC Rip | Flac(Image) + Cue + Log & iPod M4A(Tracks) & MP3 CBR 320Kbps
Sony, 88697445562CD4 | ~ 312 or 315 or 106 Mb
Rock / Latin Rock / Blues Rock / Jazz Fusion
Shango is notable for featuring the return, in the role of co-producer and co-songwriter, of original Santana keyboardist Greg Rolie. The main producer, however, was Bill Szymczyk (James Gang, Eagles), who gave Santana an unusually sharp rock sound resulting in two more hit singles, "Hold On" (Number 15), and "Nowhere to Run" (Number 66), although the band once again slipped below the Top Ten and gold-selling status, with the album peaking at only Number 22, and even this was the highest Santana would get until Supernatural in 1999.
Tracklist:
01. The Nile - 4:56
02. Hold On - 4:33
03. Night Hunting Time - 4:43
04. Nowhere To Run - 4:02
05. Nueva York - 5:02
06. Oxun (Oshun) - 4:13
07. Body Surfing - 4:25
08. What Does It Take (to Win Your Love) - 3:25
09. Let Me Inside - 3:31
10. Warrior - 4:22
11. Shango - 1:42
CD5: Santana - Freedom (1987)
EAC Rip | Flac(Image) + Cue + Log & iPod M4A(Tracks) & MP3 CBR 320Kbps
Sony, 88697445562CD5 | ~ 290 or 292 or 111 Mb
Rock / Latin Rock / Blues Rock / Jazz Fusion
Freedom marked several reunions in the Santana band, which was now a nonet. In addition to Carlos, the band consisted of percussionists Armando Pereza, Orestes Vilato, and Raul Rekow; returning drummer Graham Lear; bassist Alphonso Johnson; returning keyboardist Tom Coster, keyboardist Chester Thompson, and, on lead vocals, Buddy Miles, who had made a duet album with Santana 15 years before. Credited as an "additional musician" was keyboard player Greg Rolie, an original member. The music also marked a return from the hyper-pop sound of Val Garay on Beyond Appearances to a more traditional Santana Latin rock style. Thus, Freedom was a literal return to form, but, unfortunately, not to the quality of early Santana albums. And the group's commercial decline continued, with the LP getting to only Number 95.
Tracklist:
01. Veracruz - 4:29
02. She Can't Let Go - 4:50
03. Once It's Gotcha - 5:47
04. Love Is You - 4:02
05. Songs of Freedom - 4:25
06. Deeper, Dig Deeper - 4:22
07. Praise - 4:41
08. Mandela - 5:34
09. Before We Go - 3:47
10. Victim of Circumstance - 5:23
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