HiRez Poll Santana - SANTANA (Debut Album) [SACD - JAPAN]

[~dave~~wave~]

. ...The band were obviously influenced by Bitches Brew...

A minor correction for historical context.
This band could not have heard Bitches Brew.
In A Silent Way hadn't even been released when this was recorded.

So it was quite the reverse, Santana influenced Miles, and everybody else.
For those who didn't live through it, you can't imagine the impact this record made when it came out.
Every rock group started adding latin percussion. (Chicago Transit Authority)
Any guy with a conga drum could join a band overnight.

 

[Goona]

Great sounding quad, gave it a solid 9, I am definately looking forward to Abraxas.

Just an update now on my 4th listen have changed vote to a 10 this is the best the Album can sound.

 

[perzon57]

Listened to it twice,really like it,but bass is a little weak.Gave it a 9.

 

[Goona]

Yes it is low I boost it up 4db on my 2 subwoofers and its incredible , there was a post somewhere that explained all Sony early quads had base turned down. We have to accept that all discs need tweaking, I have 4 presets on my Denon flat base for Atmos discs, + 2 for DVD A / Blu rays, +6 for the low base quads and +12 for at the moment only the Ojays DV 2 fer.
Headhunters need the rear speakers +2 to 4 but will not take a mark off as everyone is not the same as me.

 

[sjcorne]

Flipping back-and-forth between the stereo & quad layers is interesting - it might initially seem like the stereo mix has more bass and overall 'punch', but the quad can be cranked much louder. Once it's whacked up pretty loud, the bass response doesn't seem all that different to me. It's definitely got more bass than the quad LP, which is exactly what I'd hoped for in this reissue.

 

[Mcallister]

Received my Santana and Headhunters yesterday. Both sound very good. I also have the AP quad Headhunters and as someone mentioned the fidelity of the 7” seems slightly better while the AP rears do seem slightly higher in volume.

 

[marpow]

I voted 10. I am a legit source to acknowledge this 2020 4,0 release from Japan. What I say is the truth. I have seen, hung out and all that stuff with the entire Santana vibe since 1969, including seeing Santana 1970 Winterland watching the band pass a purple paper joint while playing. Sitting two booths over from Carlos at the IHOP on Lombard St. Bill Graham and Carlos I could go on forever. I know every small nuance of this album and Sony/Japan nailed it from top to bottom, right to left.
The fidelity is perfect, the bass is perfect, the 4 speaker sonics is perfect. The nuances from the original release are huge. There are so many small little artifacts that I have never heard before and trust me I have listened with girls and boys for years.
The biggest thing is the Michael's drums being separated that is totally new to me. Jose's timbales are big time.
If you don't own this, well that's your loss.

 

[Titch]

I voted 10. I am a legit source to acknowledge this 2020 4,0 release from Japan. What I say is the truth. I have seen, hung out and all that stuff with the entire Santana vibe since 1969, including seeing Santana 1970 Winterland watching the band pass a purple paper joint while playing. Sitting two booths over from Carlos at the IHOP on Lombard St. Bill Graham and Carlos I could go on forever. I know every small nuance of this album and Sony/Japan nailed it from top to bottom, right to left.
The fidelity is perfect, the bass is perfect, the 4 speaker sonics is perfect. The nuances from the original release are huge. There are so many small little artifacts that I have never heard before and trust me I have listened with girls and boys for years.
The biggest thing is the Michael's drums being separated that is totally new to me. Jose's timbales are big time.
If you don't own this, well that's your loss.

Agreed - such a huge difference from the MOFI SACD stereo. I think anyone giving it less than 10 either doesn't like the congo player, or needs to ask Father Christmas for a new hifi set. I've been rocking the house with this for more than a week. Can't wait for Abraxas.

 

[Scott65]

Another 10 from me. Hard not to like this. Looking forward to Abraxas.

 

[HugoPhyrst]

This album is a personal favorite of mine. Played it endlessly in college along with a half dozen other Santana albums. Wonderful clarity now; hard to believe how distinct the percussion feels. Jingo!

Oh ... right ... 10

 

[Eggplant]

So I finally got around to listening to my copy that arrived last week.
I’m not really familiar with the album beyond the big hit, and never managed to get my hands on either SQ or Q8. So this was my first listen to the quad mix ever.

To prepare myself, I listened to the stereo (CD) version first last week.

Obviously, the packaging is wonderful. It really is fun taking out that big 7 inch, with the gold and red SQ label looking just like old times, and the cover with that one word that used to instill so much fever: QUADRAPHONIC.

The first track doesn’t do much for me. Other than letting me know lots of bongos are coming, not much excitement there.

But then, Evil Ways.

Holy carumba ... what a mix! A vocalist in each speaker, singing unison. How lucky they had it tracked like that — often unisons are sung live together on one track to get better blend. This has so much impact, I can’t get over it. It’s perfect.

This is one of the best quad mixes of a hit ever.
I never want to hear this track in stereo again.

I enjoyed the rest moderately until the last track, the latin instrumental jam Soul Sacrifice which, apart from its high energy, shows off the discrete mix well.

I’ll wait to vote until I’ve heard the whole thing a few times.
But honestly, Evil Ways alone is enough to give this very high marks.

 

[ar surround]

It was in the mailbox when I came home today...two days earlier than expected! You are correct, @Clint Eastwood in that I have come up with a litany of complaints about this release:

1. The 7 inch package doesn't fit easily on my shelf.
2. The cover says that this is an SQ record, but inside is a discrete SACD. WTF! I thought I was getting matrix vinyl!!! All that discrete stuff coming from four speakers confuses me.
3. Best Buy doesn't sell any of the quadraphonic equipment shown on the inside sleeve.
4. There is too much dynamic range. How am I going to hear the quiet parts on my Walkman while watching my town's fireworks display. Shame on you SONY.
5. Most of the notes are written in Japanese. I don't read Japanese. Where are The Vapors when you need them?

Let's see...a one point deduct for each of the above. So that lowers my overall score from a 15 to a 10. Do better next time folks.

Seriously, this thing blows away any earlier release of this recording. A magnificent job all around.

 

[JonUrban]

It was in the mailbox when I came home today...two days earlier than expected! You are correct, @Clint Eastwood in that I have come up with a litany of complaints about this release:

1. The 7 inch package doesn't fit easily on my shelf.
2. The cover says that this is an SQ record, but inside is a discrete SACD. WTF! I thought I was getting matrix vinyl!!! All that discrete stuff coming from four speakers confuses me.
3. Best Buy doesn't sell any of the quadraphonic equipment shown on the inside sleeve.
4. There is too much dynamic range. How am I going to hear the quiet parts on my Walkman while watching my town's fireworks display. Shame on you SONY.
5. Most of the notes are written in Japanese. I don't read Japanese. Where are The Vapors when you need them?

Let's see...a one point deduct for each of the above. So that lowers my overall score from a 15 to a 10. Do better next time folks.

Seriously, this thing blows away any earlier release of this recording. A magnificent job all around.

Well written, concise, to the point, very detailed............I give your post a TEN!!

 

[Clement]

Whoa-man! This is IT! Fell in love with Santana when i went to a midnight showing of Woodstock sometime in high school--i was never the same after "Soul Sacrifice." Never. Scored all of the Santana i could get my hands on: Santana, Abraxas, III, Caravanserai, Love Devotion Surrender, Welcome, Lotus seemed to be in constant HEADphone rotation. Although i never heard them in Quad, the altered state i was in while listening approximated the joy that this release is brining me now!
Four-corner Quad heaven--i've the AVR turned up to 11! The sonic twists on this eponymous embryonic disc are bringing me ecstatic eargasmic bliss. Sitting in the sweet spot digging every percussion shot coming at me from all around bouncing ball of sound improvisation profound. Carlos's guitar simultaneously cutting and coasting, chilling and roasting, a liquid flow of profound GO! Back in the day this release must have been seriously groundbreaking soulquaking and in the hear and now the grooves have my house shaking--i seriously can't get enough of this muscle flex Latinx driving rock n steamroller bowls me over each and every play all i can say is
10 again and again and . . . yeah, yeah, yeah!

 

[ar surround]

Whoa-man! This is IT! Fell in love with Santana when i went to a midnight showing of Woodstock sometime in high school--i was never the same after "Soul Sacrifice." Never. Scored all of the Santana i could get my hands on: Santana, Abraxas, III, Caravanserai, Love Devotion Surrender, Welcome, Lotus seemed to be in constant HEADphone rotation. Although i never heard them in Quad, the altered state i was in while listening approximated the joy that this release is brining me now!
Four-corner Quad heaven--i've the AVR turned up to 11! The sonic twists on this eponymous embryonic disc are bringing me ecstatic eargasmic bliss. Sitting in the sweet spot digging every percussion shot coming at me from all around bouncing ball of sound improvisation profound. Carlos's guitar simultaneously cutting and coasting, chilling and roasting, a liquid flow of profound GO! Back in the day this release must have been seriously groundbreaking soulquaking and in the hear and now the grooves have my house shaking--i seriously can't get enough of this muscle flex Latinx driving rock n steamroller bowls me over each and every play all i can say is
10 again and again and . . . yeah, yeah, yeah!

Yeah man, it was considered groundbreaking back in the day along with stuff like CTA. As for this particular reissue, how can something recorded in 1969 sound so freakin' good? And the dynamic range on this is to die for. And it's a short album...No BS, just 37 minutes of ultra high quality music that locks onto one's attention like a dog with a bone.

 

[ngv99]

After 37 minutes of listening to guitars, congas and cymbals flying around the room.....I had to listen to it all over again. This is an outstanding release. I turned this up very, very loud the second time around and I couldn't get over how crisp it all sounded at that high a volume. I'm definitely getting Abraxas after hearing this. Another disc where I can say - it's a shame I can only give it a 10.

 

[califcab]

Easy 10. Waiting for ImportCDs to release Abraxas.

 

[The56Kid]

Wow. 10!

 

[cornwall198]

Amazing. I just love the discreteness, and how it all holds together at the same time. Brilliant = 10.

 

[ar surround]

Amazing. I just love the discreteness, and how it all holds together at the same time. Brilliant = 10.

Yes...proving that a mix can be both discrete and immersive at the same time. Oh, and did I mention the dynamic range? LOL