Record Reviews
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  | PAUL RODGERS ~ MUDDY WATER BLUES
EAGLE 222 (Barcode: 5034504122222) ~ UK ~ Blues
Recorded: 1993 Released: 2002
British vocalist Paul RodgersFind albums by this artist is without a doubt the greatest white Blues singer of all times. Since his days as the front man of the legendary FreeFind albums by this artist and in the five decades that followed no other vocalist managed to demonstrate the same level of sensitivity, virtuosity and feeling even remotely close to those of Rodgers. This stunning album, which as the title suggests is a tribute to the great Blues singer / songwriter Muddy WatersFind albums by this artist, finds Rodgers performing the classic material with flare and his usual brilliance. He is accompanied by a horde of great guitarists, all paying tribute to the great Godfather of Blues: Jeff BeckFind albums by this artist, David GilmourFind albums by this artist, Buddy GuyFind albums by this artist, Brian MayFind albums by this artist, Steve MillerFind albums by this artist, Gary MooreFind albums by this artist, Trevor RabinFind albums by this artist, Neal SchonFind albums by this artist, SlashFind albums by this artist and a few others. Anything else said about this music is completely redundant – just grab it when you can as this is one of the greatest Blues albums ever recorded!
| | | CD 1 Essential Recommend To A Friend |
  | SANTANA ~ CARAVANSERAI
COLUMBIA 511128 (Barcode: 5099751112822) ~ USA ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion
Recorded: 1972 Released: 2003
4th album, which reflects clear change of direction for the band (and the bandleader in particular) and initiating the entrance of SantanaFind albums by this artist into the world of Fusion. Following three phenomenally successful albums and a clearly defined style (perfected by five years of recording and touring) mixing rock with Latin and Jazz rhythms, the band was now in a turmoil, being torn apart by two conflicting tendencies. Some of the band members wished to continue the same path (stylistically) and others (especially Carlos SantanaFind albums by this artist) wanted to move on to the next phase. In the period shortly preceding the recording of this album Carlos was exposed to two new major cultural influences. Fellow guitarists Larry CoryellFind albums by this artist and John McLaughlinFind albums by this artist introduced Carlos to the teachings of Guru Sri ChinmoyFind albums by this artist and he embraced these with passion. Santana’s drummer Michael ShrieveFind albums by this artist inaugurated Carlos into the burgeoning world of (then) contemporary jazz and Fusion of Miles DavisFind albums by this artist, Herbie HancockFind albums by this artist, Weather ReportFind albums by this artist and Mahavishnu OrchestraFind albums by this artist, which he immediately fell in love with. All these new influences pushed Carlos further and further away from the old Santana style into Fusion, which would soon result in the collapse of the original line-up and the creation of a new band. CaravanseraiFind albums with this title is a crossroads album for the band, with several members playing here for the last time. Organist Gregg RolieFind albums by this artist and guitarist Neal SchonFind albums by this artist would leave soon after to form JourneyFind albums by this artist and new members, notably keyboards player Tom CosterFind albums by this artist and bassist Doug RauchFind albums by this artist would join. Since the album includes all of these wonderful players, the resulting music is truly exquisite. The dual lead guitar front line drives the melodic material to stratospheric heights and the expanded percussive rhythm section provides a soaring background. In spite of the “in transition” mood, the albums sounds cohesive and provides an uplifting musical continuum. The album was to be followed shortly by the divine Carlos Santana / John McLaughlin duet album Love, Devotion, SurrenderFind albums with this title and a series of outstanding albums like WelcomeFind albums with this title, IlluminationsFind albums with this title (with Alice ColtraneFind albums by this artist) and LotusFind albums with this title. An absolute classic!
| | | CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | SANTANA ~ SANTANA IV
SONY 696859969492 (Barcode: 696859969492) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock
Recorded: 2014 - 2015 Released: 2016
This is not a "lost" unreleased album by SantanaFind albums by this artist, one of the greatest and most inventive Rock bands in the history of modern music; this is the reunion album which assembles five of the original members of the band, who participated in the recording of Santana´s third album: guitarists Carlos SantanaFind albums by this artist and Neal SchonFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Gregg RolieFind albums by this artist, drummer Michael ShrieveFind albums by this artist and percussionist Michael CarabelloFind albums by this artist. The band is further enhanced by the presence of bassist Benny RietveldFind albums by this artist and percussionist Karl PerazzoFind albums by this artist, both members of the current incarnation of the band. The album presents sixteen new songs, which were written by the band members over a period of two years.
Reunion albums are very perilous endeavors and the fact that this album is overall quite excellent is a true miracle. During the forty five years that passed between the release of Santana III and Santana IV, the musical world went through so many changes (all for the worse of course) that the sheer audacity of the band to ignore the odds and try to make an about-turn and create an album that continues the music the band played then is staggering. And yet, to a large extend they succeeded to accomplish the impossible and the music on this album is instantly recognizable as Santana circa early 1970s or at least originating in that period. After all Santana invented Latin Rock and over time no other band made any significant contribution to that genre or surpassed Santana´s abilities.
Of course not everything is perfect here: the material displays certain ups and downs and is not exactly in par with the tunes from the past. The vocals are somewhat trivial, which worked fine with the spontaneity of the original albums, but is not acceptable any more. The biggest problems lay within the production aspects of the album: the sound is way too sharp and dry and the mix is uneven and often hides instruments, especially the guitars, beneath the percussion racket. Rather than going for the contemporary sound this album would have benefited considerably from using a "retro" sound, emphasizing the continuity effect.
But all criticism aside, this is an ass-kicking album, which offers one and a quarter of an hour of genuine Rock, which very few other bands today are able even to come close to. So this, the twenty-third studio album by Santana, is definitely a most welcome rejuvenation effort, which is an absolute delight to be listened to, especially in comparison to the usual toxic waste the musical industry spews out every day. Hasta siempre amigos!
| | Updated: 18/07/2016Posted: 18/07/2016 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | CARLOS SANTANA / BUDDY MILES ~ LIVE!
COLUMBIA 478089 (Barcode: 5099747808920) ~ USA ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1972 Released: 1995
By the end of 1971 the "Woodstock Era" version of the group SantanaFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist Carlos SantanaFind albums by this artist, was over and the leader decided to search for a new path for his artistic experimentations, which would bring him much closer to Jazz, Fusion and improvisation in general. After recording three brilliant albums, which defined Latin Rock as a genre, Carlos was looking for new musicians to form the second incarnation of Santana, which would be quite different, as we know in retrospect. In the interim period, which lasted just a few short months, Santana joined forces with drummer Buddy MilesFind albums by this artist (ex-Electric FlagFind albums by this artist, ex-Jimmy HendrixFind albums by this artist) creating a band, which played several live concerts, one of which was recorded for posterity and released as this album. The musicians comprise of several members of Santana, including the young guitarist Neal SchonFind albums by this artist, en extended percussion section with the best Latin players and a brass section. The resulting music, although hectic at times, is a great example of greatly talented musicians in process of searching new ways to mix Rock with the improvisational elements. The expanded improvised piece (almost 25 minutes long, which was side B of the original LP) is the most important and obviously the most advanced achievement of this meeting, sounding absolutely nothing like anything else at the time. In retrospect this stuff still sounds fascinating forty years later. A must to all Santana fans and wholeheartedly recommended!
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
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