Quad LP/Tape Poll Santana - SANTANA (Third Album) [SQ/Q8]

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Rate the Quad Album of Santana - SANTANA (Third Album)

  • 10: Great sound, mix, content

    Votes: 4 20.0%
  • 9

    Votes: 10 50.0%
  • 8

    Votes: 5 25.0%
  • 7

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 6

    Votes: 1 5.0%
  • 5: Mediocrity Central

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 4

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    20

EMB

2K Club - QQ Super Nova
Since 2002/2003
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4,101
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Columbia CQ/CAQ 30595, from 1971. We fans always called it Santana 3 (or III), but SANTANA is the proper title, hideous cover graphics 'n' all...:D

Side/Program 1:

Batuka
No One to Depend On
Taboo
Toussaint L'Overture

Side/Program 2:

Everybody's Everthing
Guajira
Jungle Strut
Everything's Coming Our Way
Para Los Rumberos

ED :)
 
After a huge album as Abraxas the follow-up is always a problem; they pulled it out well on side 1, side 2 is half-weak. But the best has yet to come...
Excellent quad mix.
 
a solid tenner for me, THIS is the highlight and their peak as the original Santana band...
The first one was very good, and Abraxas had some "fillers", but there ain't a dud in this one....
They called it the "excess" LP cause everybody was probably high as a kite all the time and the vibes were really bad...

This is the LP I used to play as a child over and over when I went to my aunt's house (especially side 2)...
My stepdad had the "Greatest Hits" on SQ (but the wrong setup) , so I grew up familiarized with the Quad mixes...and later , when I got the Stereo LP, I went "heeeeeeeyyyy!!!"

Being one of the 1st quad mixes ever, it suffers from the "crazy panning" syndrome, and from bass deficiency (I'm guessing that the studios where they mixed these early quads was VERY bass heavy because it's not the only early quad that suffers from that)... as it is , I got it in 3 quad versions (US, UK-basically the US one with extra stickers-, and a Japanese second pressing (the best one of the bunch)...and I got a DTS cd from a Robin Reel...

"Dis one is de beeesssst, señor!"

:smokin
 
9. The panning isn't as crazy as Abraxas. The SQ LP is lacking in bass. For these reasons, I gave it a 9. The gatefold, which comes with the 2ch LP, is missing here. It is just a normal sleeve. :howl Musically, it is spectacular and an 11 or 12. Coke Escovedo and a 19 year old Neil Schon are part of what makes this album a wonder. It is their BEST album. Even if you remotely like Santana, YOU NEED IT!

I've owned this on SQ, Q8, CD, expanded CD and 2 CD expanded. If you like this music, get the SQ and 2 CD versions.

120698067555.jpg

$_35.JPG
 
I would have given this a 10 except they messed up the pseudo echo at the end of "No One to Depend On" On the stereo version, this is a natural extension of the chords preceding it in timing but on the quad version, you can tell they added it with the edit being a bad one, interrupting the natural timing.

Such incredible music, though.

Doug
 
Last edited:
This is an 8 for me! Santana still acting as a Latin Arena Rock Juggernaut. It's not Abraxas and it's not Caravanserai. Not much steam was lost after the first album and Abraxas, but you can tell he is starting to get ready to shift musical gears. Mix is great!
 
I would love,love to see these first 3 Santana LPs released in some type of surround format.


Gawd yes!! I'm the original owner of #2, 3 & 4 as SQ LP's before the format died. And to this day, I cherish them as some of the best quad had to offer, rivaling DSOTM & WYWH. They are still pristine after all these yrs and play wonderfully. I found used copies of #1 s/t, Borbolleta & Illluminations on ebay in good shape (got lucky) and all of them would make formidable multichannel SACD, DVD-A or BD's. There was a 5.1 DVD-A of Abraxas but the mix was not as good as the original quad & somewhat gimmicky (ping-pong). Another one I highly recommend is #4, Caravanserie - side 1, track 1 has phenomenal surround effects at the beginning with cricket sounds swirling around your head.

If Audio Fidelity bought the rights to these and released as 4.0 SACDs, I'd buy them in a heartbeat. Or a label decides to release as box sets with Steven Wilson mixes and original quad mix :p

I know Mofi released new mixes of 1, 2 & 4 but sadly won't touch multichannel.
 
There was a 5.1 DVD-A of Abraxas but the mix was not as good as the original quad & somewhat gimmicky (ping-pong).

I assume you're referring to the DTS-CD version released by Mobile Fidelity International in the late 90's, which is in fact the same mix as the old SQ LP/Q8 Tape. The mastering on that disc remains controversial to say the least...let's just say it's a bit on the bright side.

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/index.php?threads/santana-abraxas-dts-disc.4836/

Sony of course went ahead and issued Abraxas as a single-layer stereo SACD instead of using the quad mix or commissioning a new 5.1 version. Then MoFi did a stereo-only hybrid over a decade later. Maybe one day they'll give that title its due.

https://www.discogs.com/Santana-Abraxas/release/5041794

Gawd yes!! I'm the original owner of #2, 3 & 4 as SQ LP's before the format died. And to this day, I cherish them as some of the best quad had to offer, rivaling DSOTM & WYWH. They are still pristine after all these yrs and play wonderfully. I found used copies of #1 s/t, Borbolleta & Illluminations on ebay in good shape (got lucky) and all of them would make formidable multichannel SACD, DVD-A or BD's.

The Santana S/T is my favorite of the quads, but III comes a close second. The others are pretty good aside from Amigos and Festival which curiously sound faked. I absolutely agree that either Sony Japan or D-V need to get these out.
 
Gawd yes!! I'm the original owner of #2, 3 & 4 as SQ LP's before the format died. And to this day, I cherish them as some of the best quad had to offer, rivaling DSOTM & WYWH. They are still pristine after all these yrs and play wonderfully. I found used copies of #1 s/t, Borbolleta & Illluminations on ebay in good shape (got lucky) and all of them would make formidable multichannel SACD, DVD-A or BD's. There was a 5.1 DVD-A of Abraxas but the mix was not as good as the original quad & somewhat gimmicky (ping-pong). Another one I highly recommend is #4, Caravanserie - side 1, track 1 has phenomenal surround effects at the beginning with cricket sounds swirling around your head.

If Audio Fidelity bought the rights to these and released as 4.0 SACDs, I'd buy them in a heartbeat. Or a label decides to release as box sets with Steven Wilson mixes and original quad mix :p

I know Mofi released new mixes of 1, 2 & 4 but sadly won't touch multichannel.

just in case anybody here at QQ reading this thread missed the news, Santana's "Illuminations" Quad has recently seen reissue on Multichannel SACD;

https://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=CDSML8530

let's hope it's the start of many more Santana Quad reissues!
 
I assume you're referring to the DTS-CD version released by Mobile Fidelity International in the late 90's, which is in fact the same mix as the old SQ LP/Q8 Tape. The mastering on that disc remains controversial to say the least...let's just say it's a bit on the bright side.

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/index.php?threads/santana-abraxas-dts-disc.4836/

Sony of course went ahead and issued Abraxas as a single-layer stereo SACD instead of using the quad mix or commissioning a new 5.1 version. Then MoFi did a stereo-only hybrid over a decade later. Maybe one day they'll give that title its due.

https://www.discogs.com/Santana-Abraxas/release/5041794



The Santana S/T is my favorite of the quads, but III comes a close second. The others are pretty good aside from Amigos and Festival which curiously sound faked. I absolutely agree that either Sony Japan or D-V need to get these out.

the Santana Quads are an interesting cross-section of mixes of varying quality imho., there's the oddities/presumed upmixes of Amigos & Festival (iirc accredited to Fred Catero, who also did Herbie Hancock's "Secrets" Quad which is also kind of 'unusual'), those mixed by Columbia Quad stalwart Larry Keyes (Abraxas, Caravanserai, III, LDS, S/T) and Glen Kolotkin (Borboletta, Illuminations, Welcome) personal favourites being this one, Caravanserai, the S/T album, Borboletta, Welcome and the collaboration with John McLaughlin "Love Devotion Surrender".. hopefully an enterprising label such as Dutton Vocalion will tackle the catalogue in Quad and give it a new lease on life in fabulous fidelity!
 
I like this album a lot, gave it a 9, I have the Japanese 1972 pressing (SOPN 18) in SQ. However, on my copy the front channels, and in particular the vocals and guitars, sound kind of distant and hollow, on some tracks more than others. I compared it to a modern digital stereo version (from Tidal Hi-Fi) and there is a clear difference in clarity. Does anyone else have this issue?
 
I like this album a lot, gave it a 9, I have the Japanese 1972 pressing (SOPN 18) in SQ. However, on my copy the front channels, and in particular the vocals and guitars, sound kind of distant and hollow, on some tracks more than others. I compared it to a modern digital stereo version (from Tidal Hi-Fi) and there is a clear difference in clarity. Does anyone else have this issue?

Some of the early SQ LPs from CBS with the gold borders are definitely pretty bass-light. I'd imagine the Japanese pressing is probably a bit better than average. It is a great mix though, still holding out for an SACD of this one (Sony Japan?). For now, there's an amazing conversion out there from a Q8- has surprisingly little hiss, nice dynamics.
 
Some of the early SQ LPs from CBS with the gold borders are definitely pretty bass-light. I'd imagine the Japanese pressing is probably a bit better than average. It is a great mix though, still holding out for an SACD of this one (Sony Japan?). For now, there's an amazing conversion out there from a Q8- has surprisingly little hiss, nice dynamics.

Well, it is certainly quiet and looks perfect, but I am unhappy with the sound quality. It sounds as if some midrange and high freq information is missing, and sounds compressed to. I would really like to know why :cautious:
 
Well, it is certainly quiet and looks perfect, but I am unhappy with the sound quality. It sounds as if some midrange and high freq information is missing, and sounds compressed to. I would really like to know why :cautious:

It's been said that CBS was pretty cheap with production at the time and used the SQ vinyl stampers much longer than they should have...
 
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