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

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

  • 10: Great Mix, Great Sound, Great Content

    Votes: 16 53.3%
  • 9

    Votes: 8 26.7%
  • 8

    Votes: 6 20.0%
  • 7

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 6

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 5

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 4

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1: Bad Mix, Bad Sound, Bad Content

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    30

EMB

2K Club - QQ Super Nova
Since 2002/2003
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Interesting that this title came out much later than ABRAXAS, III, CARAVANSERAI, etc...but, at the time, well worth the wait. Very different mixing decisions relative to the original stereo, and it's all fueled by some smokin' music.

One interesting sidenote: the songwriting credits, which were wrong for 2 songs on the original 360 label, were correctly credited for this edition.

Track listing:

Side 1:

1. Waiting
2. Evil Ways [Lp length]
3. Shades Of Time
4. Savor
5. Jingo [Lp length]

Side 2:

1. Persuasion
2. Treat
3. You Just Don't Care
4. Soul Sacrifice
 
I love Santana in quad. Great music and great mix, just not quite a 10. I voted 9.
 
Interesting note: The version of "Evil Ways" (their first hit) on the quad version plays to a cold ending. On all other releases to this day it fades out.
 
I believe you are correct...and I'd also add, not the only instance with a Santana single in Quad having a different ending...which is nice.

Really, all the Santana SQ vinyl became my mixes of choice from the first time I heard any of 'em...very impressed by those: active mixes, some fun surround effects, and many interesting variations, from what you describe, to stuff mixed up that you never really noticed in stereo. That said, the stereo mixes were pretty strong, too....

One interesting recent acquisition was a Canada '360 stereo' label for CARAVANSERAI. Couldn't believe I stumbled into that one, had no idea it existed! That's as late for a Canada 360 as I've found so far, and there couldn't be too many later on, I have some from '73 but by that time the crappy 'corporate' label finally took over...

ED
 
Wagonmaster_91 said:
Interesting note: The version of "Evil Ways" (their first hit) on the quad version plays to a cold ending. On all other releases to this day it fades out.

Another thing about the Quad version of Evil Ways, is the tom tom's {i forget exactly what you call the kind of drum at the beginning} at the beginning don't pan across the speakers like the Stereo version. {They just stayed in one speaker}. I really liked that on the stereo version, kinda started the song with a bang.
But other than that a great Quad mix. :)
 
Santana is one of those bands that seems to be a perfect match for quad with all that percussion going on. Their mixes are always great, and this is to me anyway, their best LP. Soul Sacrifice, what can I say. :smokin

kumquad
 
Essential. It doesn't get better than this. Great performance, great mix. We waited a couple years for this one in Quad, but it was worth the wait. A few weeks after Woodstock, I was in Korvettes and they were playing this album in 2ch. I became an instant fan and have bought every album since. I have all the Quads, and the 5.1's. I've owned this on 2 SQ's, 2 stereo LP's, CD, remastered CD and 2 CD deluxe edition.
 
Another 10 here.
Great mix and performance.
Interesting point that MIDIQ mentioned about the timbales not being panned in the beginning of EW.
Yes, all of the Santana releases in Quad are very well done (except for "Amigos"=reverb heaven+fake quad mix!) and are a must...took me a while to get them in good condition...
 
Many years ago I sold an SQ copy to the Santana Archives as they were having a very difficult time finding a quad copy. The debut seems to be the most difficult to find of all the Santana quad LP's.
 
Many years ago I sold an SQ copy to the Santana Archives as they were having a very difficult time finding a quad copy. The debut seems to be the most difficult to find of all the Santana quad LP's.

Weird...wasn't aware of that fact...
well, since I haven't been on the lookout for any SQ LPs in the last couple of years, I wouldn't know, but you probably know that it takes patience and $$$ if you are willing to get it....
I would like, however, to get all of the Chicago SQ LPs since I only have CTA, IX and X...and man are they EXPENSIVE whenever I have checked fleabay (out of curiosity!).....

Good luck and hope you can score a good one!
Definitely worth it!
 
One of the handful of true '10's' that you will ever hear in quad...after this, it's all over, really, you get it or you don't. A great album in stereo, brought to perfection in quad. And you get "Evil Ways" to its 4:05 cold ending, too.

Jingo.......lo-baba-lo-baba-lo-baba-loba!

ED :)
 
My review from DSQA...

I have had the the stereo mix burned into my head for 40+ years so I do know that this one sounds drastically different than the stereo LP on some tracks. I give a 10+

Detailed song by song review…

Waiting – WOW really great channel separation and there are definitely guitar parts not in the stereo mix. Perhaps parts are from alt take or just mixed really differently. Congas are prominent in the the left rear. Really cool.

Evil Ways – Sick of this song but anyway… cool mix. organ in left rear. and this is the prob the same hard ending with no fade just like the Greatest Hits version so it is longer by a few seconds.

Shades Of Time – nice channel separation and you can hear guitar and tambourine part better than stereo mix

Savor – awesome mix. I love the crash cymbal in the right rear. and at the the end it pans right rear/left rear. really fucking cool. it also fades out more than it segues into Jingo like it does on the stereo version

Jingo – cool mix. organ left rear. guitar in front. cymbal crashes in right rear. percussion in right rear

Persuasion – definitely different vocal than stereo LP. very cool hand claps in right rear after verses that are really high in the mix. this might be a totally diff take than the stereo LP

Treat – nice mix with percussion parts in right rear. end part after solo sounds like it might be from diff take than stereo.

You Just Don’t Care – this one is the one i am disappointed with. it is my favorite song on the album. the drums are buried in this mix. especially during the verses the snare drum is and hi-hat are buried. BAD!! on the stereo version the snare pops. the cool thing is that the guitar solo section and some other parts sound like they are from another take.

Soul Sacrifice – weird mix with lots of echo. drum solo section is definitely from another take and other parts might be as well
 
Welcome to QQ, jaypfunk! Great review of a fantastic album.

thanks for the welcome. been lurking a while and finally decided to post. been into the surround sound thing for many years but over the last few have really been getting heavily into the quad stuff ripped and uploaded by various people on the torrent sites.

some of the shit is simply mind blowing.
 
thanks for the welcome. been lurking a while and finally decided to post. been into the surround sound thing for many years but over the last few have really been getting heavily into the quad stuff ripped and uploaded by various people on the torrent sites.

some of the shit is simply mind blowing.

Welcome Jay
 
Now, THAT's a very fine first post! Welcome, Jay...:)

About alternate takes and parts on this album: not untypical of quad albums in general, though perhaps more prevalent on Columbia-related albums than on any other label, perhaps due to the sheer volume of releases, and the fact that it seems producers and engineers had a free hand in the remixes. Here, aside from the hotter percussion in general, there are little things scattered about everywhere that are different, some of which you noted. Most of these are master takes, but since it was five years between the stereo and quad mixes, those involved may have felt they'd been given the opportunity to do the album even more justice, hence things like letting "Evil Ways" run longer, really opening up "Jingo" and letting 'er rip. As I've said before, if you don't love this one in quad, can't imagine why you'd bother with quad at all. Thanks to this one, don't think I've played the stereo Lp in probably twenty years (since I landed a UK pressing). It's a beaut.


ED :)
 
I gave this a 9. The music is a 10, the mix is a 9. Any way you slice it, this is one of the best quads of all time. Top notch music. The SQ copy of this paired with the SQ Surround Master really brought an old favorite back. This is one of those quads that you can grow up hearing the stereo version, then hear the quad for the first time and soil yourself. Like DSOTM
 
Very great - a strong 9!

Haven't heard other than the Santana hits in a long time and quad makes those more interesting to say the least.

Hearing this goes to show you: surround is not necessarily made for just percussion, but percussion is definitely made for surround...

Also always great to hear some Gregg Rolie here and in early Journey.
 
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