Quad LP/Tape Poll Santana: Amigos [SQ]

[EMB]

PCQ 33576, from 1976.


Side 1:

1. Dance Sister Dance(Baila Mi Hermana)
2. Take Me With You
3. Let Me

Side 2:

1. Gitano
2. Tell Me Are You Tired
3. Europa(Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)
4. Let It Shine


ED

 

[winopener]

THE oddest Santana release of the seventies: 3 stellar tracks (Dance sister dance, Gitano, Europa) and 4 fillers. Never understood why. All the others Santana album were more balanced.
As for the quad mix, the SQ-only release hide a not-so-exciting mix, unlike all the previous Santana quad releases. Too bad, also because tis one had been released in many countries, including Holland for european distribution and Israel.
The positive thing about this album: after the HUGE success of the single "Europa" finally CBS, having a high demand on Santana stuff, decided to release in Europe the Lotus triple LP, previously available only as a very expensive import. The european edition has no quad mark anywhere and doesn't have the fancy colored labels of the original version but feature the same SQ master of the Japanese release.

 

[Larry Geller]

My European edition DOES have the fancy colored labels.

Sorry I meant Lotus, not Amigos.

 

[MIDIQ]

I agree 3 good tracks and 4 fillers. As far as the mix goes, i prefer the stereo mix, not a good quad mix at all. I vote 5.

 

[Lucanu]

Tons of reverberation in the whole disc.
Looks like they had only a stereo version to create a quad mix
A 9 for songs but 1 for surround

 

[EMB]

THE oddest Santana release of the seventies: 3 stellar tracks (Dance sister dance, Gitano, Europa) and 4 fillers. Never understood why. All the others Santana album were more balanced.

Very true. The best tracks (as you listed) are very, very good, and the cover/label/sleeve is very attractive as well, kind of brings you into the little sonic world Carlos must have been attempting to make. That said, one could argue that other Santana albums have 'filler,' except that before, if it existed, it was cleverly integrated and sequenced so that you didn't really think about it(but of course what constitutes 'filler' is very subjective).

As for the quad mix, the SQ-only release hide a not-so-exciting mix, unlike all the previous Santana quad releases. Too bad, also because tis one had been released in many countries, including Holland for european distribution and Israel.

It's a very strange mix to my ears....a mixture of delay and reverb, perhaps? Otherwise I would say it was mixed 'tight' for quad, with too much 'common' information scattered around, which makes it kind of a 'hot' mix no matter what equipment you play it back with.

One also can't trust the Lp itself, since later Columbia/Epic quad covers(like EWF's THAT'S THE WAY OF THE WORLD)used the same inner gatefold and record sleeve as the stereo editions; hence, no quad remix info. But unlike the latter, AMIGOS doesn't shout out any significant mix differences(at least for me, though admittedly I don't have a stereo copy here for reference).

The positive thing about this album: after the HUGE success of the single "Europa" finally CBS, having a high demand on Santana stuff, decided to release in Europe the Lotus triple LP, previously available only as a very expensive import. The european edition has no quad mark anywhere and doesn't have the fancy colored labels of the original version but feature the same SQ master of the Japanese release.

Thank the Quad Gods for such favors! :banana:

 

[bliss_band]

Saw one for sale on ebay. Were the labels marked as quad anywhere, or were the stereo labels (which incorrectly of course, give PC32576 as the release #) used?? The one on ebay shows stereo release info on the labels :
http://cgi.ebay.com/SANTANA-AMIGOS-...goryZ306QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Lucanu]

my copy has the classic columbia gold labels.

 

[EMB]

Same here. What that seller is showing is the quad Lp cover, but the original US stereo vinyl with the custom labels. The inner sleeve of both editions is the same; that is, the stereo sleeve that lists PC 33576, as does the inner gatefold.

ED

 

[sq10]

This is the ONLY CBS SQ LP in my collection that PLAYS PERFECTLY!!!

and I got it used!!!

As for the one on ebay, it seems somebody switched the SQ record for a stereo one(pretty, though!)...I LOVE Santana covers from the 70's- aside from the SQ ones, I usually buy the stereo ones JUST for the artwork...

I have a MSubotnick Touch LP, which I bought used and didn't check it, like that; SQ sleeve, Stereo Record... oh well...

Yes a lot of "Disco" stuff but the saving ticket for me is the last song which I LOVED when I was a kid and after many years(until I bought the SQ LP) had not heard...bonus!

 

[winopener]

The European SQ release (printed in Holland) has the gold label with blue CBS Quadraphonic lettering, not the custom one. 99,99% swapped disc.

 

[Quad Linda]

 

[LizardKing]

Snap! Slightly different (sticker)...

 

[Quad Linda]

Different label on the vinyl, too.

Baila, Mi Hermano.

 

[LizardKing]

Different label on the vinyl, too.

Baila, Mi Hermano.

To use a phrase from Senor Collins:

No puedo bailar...

 

[kap'n krunch]

Different label on the vinyl, too.

Baila, Mi Hermano.

I never try to correct you (cause mostly you don't need it),
But I think they say "baila , mi hermanA...baila, para mí" (dance , sister, dance)....

hey but I'll dance for you too.(and quite well too)

As for the disc...since it's the only one not released on Q8, I'm guessing it's an early example of "upmixing" cause , of all the Santana mixes, this is the only one not to be a "typical Santana" mix (bongos here, congas there, timbales on the other side, etc.)
Mind you , the Sound Quality is EXCELLENT and it's Lexicon reverb heaven and I STILL like it...one of the first conversions I made (after Caravanserai, which yes, is the best Quad mix to me)..
I basically arrived here to QQ because of my wanting to convert ALL of the Santana LPs.which I bought eventually, but have managed a few...

 

[Quad Linda]

Por favor, Mon Kapitan,

I wasn't about to use the feminine "Hermana (sister)"in my reply to Lizard King, hence "Hermano (brother)." Yes, the song is called Baila Mi Hermana (Dance, my Sister.) It would be tantamount to calling Jim Morrison "she."

Baila para mi (dance with me.)

I never try to correct you (cause mostly you don't need it),"
But I think they say "baila , mi hermanA...baila, para mí" (dance , sister, dance)....

hey but I'll dance for you too.(and quite well too)

As for the disc...since it's the only one not released on Q8, I'm guessing it's an early example of "upmixing" cause , of all the Santana mixes, this is the only one not to be a "typical Santana" mix (bongos here, congas there, timbales on the other side, etc.)
Mind you , the Sound Quality is EXCELLENT and it's Lexicon reverb heaven and I STILL like it...one of the first conversions I made (after Caravanserai, which yes, is the best Quad mix to me)..
I basically arrived here to QQ because of my wanting to convert ALL of the Santana LPs.which I bought eventually, but have managed a few...

 

[kap'n krunch]

Por favor, Mon Kapitan,

I wasn't about to use the feminine "Hermana (sister)"in my reply to Lizard King, hence "Hermano (brother)." Yes, the song is called Baila Mi Hermana (Dance, my Sister.) It would be tantamount to calling Jim Morrison "she."

Baila para mi (dance with me.)

Balio para tí y también bailo contigo...

 

[Quad Linda]

Caliente=el hot o en Ingles.

Balio para tí y también bailo contigo...

 

[LizardKing]

Por favor, Mon Kapitan,

I wasn't about to use the feminine "Hermana (sister)"in my reply to Lizard King, hence "Hermano (brother)." Yes, the song is called Baila Mi Hermana (Dance, my Sister.) It would be tantamount to calling Jim Morrison "she."

Baila para mi (dance with me.)

Yeah - you can't call Mr Mojo a she....