Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Released in 1974, Santana's Lotus stands as a defining live album that brilliantly showcases the band's unique blend of rock, jazz and Latin influences. Recorded during their Japan tour, the album features standout performances recorded over two nights in Osaka, featuring Carlos Santana's exceptional guitar work and the band's vibrant improvisations. Highlights include iconic tracks like 'Black Magic Woman', 'Oye Como Va' and the extended jam 'Toussaint L'Overture', which illustrate the band's remarkable ability to create a cohesive and powerful sound. Originally intended as a Japan-only release, Lotus gained international acclaim as an import, displaying Santana at a pivotal moment in their evolution, with a mix of original and new members. The album's elaborate packaging enhances its appeal, rivaling the artwork of other notable triple live albums. Musically, Lotus focuses on instrumental jazz-rock, with minimal vocal tracks, yet it captures the sheer joy and energy of the band's live performances. While some may find the lengthy drum solo a weak point, the musicianship throughout the album is outstanding, making it an essential listen for fans of the genre. Overall, Lotus remains a testament to Santana's innovative spirit and live prowess, celebrated for its high sound quality and dynamic artistry.

Review: A stunning fusion of rock, Latin rhythms and jazz, this 1977 album blended live performances with studio recordings to create a dynamic, immersive experience. Now reissued on vinyl, the double album - which features live and studio recordings - captures the raw energy of Santana's stage presence while showcasing Carlos and co's refined musicianship. The album's biggest hit, 'She's Not There', reinterprets The Zombies' classic with soaring guitar work and Latin percussion, turning it into a mesmerising jam. 'Flor d'Luna (Moonflower)' is a beautiful instrumental piece, filled with Carlos Santana's signature, expressive guitar melodies. 'Dawn / Go Within' opens the album with a mystical, jazz-tinged atmosphere that blends the spiritual with a musical exploration throughout the album. Live recordings such as 'Soul Sacrifice / Head, Hands & Feet (Drum Solo)' bring the band's electrifying energy to the forefront, while 'Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen' revisits their earlier hit with even more intensity. 'Europa (Earth's Cry, Heaven's Smile)' is another gem, a slow-burning instrumental that highlights Santana's unmatched ability to blend emotion and technical prowess. Moonflower was a commercial and critical success, reinforcing Santana's status as innovators in rock and Latin music, and even now, it's pretty obvious why.

Review: Mobile Fidelity's 180g 33RPM LP reissue elevates the album's sonic experience by sourcing it from the original analogue master tapes. Pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, the reissue boasts pristine sound, revealing the intricate details of Santana's dynamic arrangements. Carlos Santana's guitar work, rich in clarity and precision, soars with newfound definition, making his signature solos and leads stand out even more vividly. Inner Secrets, Santana's 1978 album, marked a significant shift towards the rock mainstream, featuring three Top 100 singles and showcasing a more focused, streamlined sound. This period saw Santana transition from their earlier fusion-heavy style to more accessible, radio-friendly material, packing complex passages and passionate performances into tighter song structures, with no track exceeding six minutes.Notable contributions from new band members, including Pete Escovedo on percussion and Chris Solberg on multi-instrumental duties, further shape the album's sound, complementing Graham Lear's sharp drumming and David Margen's groovy bass lines. Highlights include covers like Buddy Holly's 'Well All Right' and the Four Tops' 'One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)'. Greg Walker's raw, soulful vocals bring an edge to the music, embodying the "street and church" quality Carlos Santana admired. Inner Secrets serves as a powerful milestone in Santana's evolution.

Review: Carlos Santana was one of the most prolific artists of the 1970s and 80s, and later in that period is when he released his fourth solo album. After a relentless pace of an average of more than an album per year since his band's 1969 debut, this Grammy-winning effort was his last release before a well-earned break in that run. The largely instrumental album showcases Santana's signature guitar tones with plenty of signature soulful energy and masterful control over his playing. He was supported by a stellar lineup including Tony Williams, Alphonso Johnson, Buddy Miles and Orestes Vilat and Mobile Fidelity's limited reissue presents the album with audiophile sound quality that reveals enhanced clarity and the intricate details of Santana's playing.

Review: Experimental noise rock outfit Shizuka was formed as the gothic sonic outlet of one Shizuka Miura in 1993. Known for making ghostly dolls to aid her performances, Shizuka's heyday was one of mesmerizing eerieness, with her 1994 'Heavenly Persona' being the emblem of that outlook. With haunting rock instrumentation and screeching meditations on materiality's tension with the incorporeal, this is a distinctly creepy album for those unafraid to (at least temporarily) cross over to the other side.

Review: This new quadruple CD release captures the legendary 'classic quartet' of The Soft Machine band during their final European tour on February 27th and 28th, 1971. While previously released sets from the latter date exist, this marks the first complete release of both nights, with half of it being entirely unreleased material. The performances, held in a relatively intimate venue, offer a captivating stereo experience. Soft Machine's concerts at the Henie-Onstad Art Center in Norway were unique and set against an art exhibition backdrop as well as being accompanied by Mark Boyle's films. Listening back now and it's easy to hear the band's dynamic evolution across consecutive nights in the unique museum setting.