Out Of Print! Only a few copies left!
Ranked in the top 50 picks of the Absolute Sound's Buyer's Guide 2009! TAS Audiophile Demo Disc! Rated a 'Best Audiophile Label Recording' in the November 2009 issue of TAS! TAS Rated 4/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics in the March 2008 Issue of The Absolute Sound!
Santana's Abraxas is now on Numbered Limited Edition 180g Vinyl from Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs!
This MFSL remaster corrects Historic Production Error! Music is NOW presented in Correct Channels for the First Time Ever! Widely Hailed as Santanas Masterpiece!
This item not eligible for any further discount offers!
Picking up on the momentum of the bands excellent 1969 self-titled debut and drifting into edgier, more versatile territory, Abraxas is the confident sound of Santana stretching out and carving its own Latin rock subgenre. The 1970 set immediately captured the publics ear, spending six weeks as the nations #1 album and spawning the cosmic Black Magic Woman as a Top 5 single thats since become one of the most widely recognized songs in history. A confluence of celebratory vibes, bluesy jams, mellow vocals, and hip-shaking grooves, Abraxas is a cornerstone of any music collection and nothing short of legendary.Mysticism and spirituality abound. Wild, free, and loose, Santana conjures the feeling of mountains and rivers on the lead-off instrumental Singing Winds, Crying Beasts, leads a salsa parade on the definitive version of Tito Puentes Oye Como Va, and explores its sensual side on the stellar showcase Samba Pa Ti, a tune indicative of the albums Latin vibes and percussion. Sonically, Abraxas takes advantage of studio techniques such as cross-fading and mixing lacking on its predecessor.
Dissatisfied with the sound of their debut, the group brought in as a co-producer veteran jazz engineer Fred Catero, whose skills proved invaluable in balancing the new range of musical flavors Santana [was] bringing into its sound: the result was a giant step on from [the bands] debut. The Mojo Collection book on the Greatest Albums of All Time
But just like 1969s equally essential Santana, also available on an exquisite-sounding pressing from Mobile Fidelity, Abraxas lays claim to one of the biggest (and unfortunate) production gaffes in music history. Until now, Abraxas has never been heard correctly. After securing the original analog master tapes, Mobile Fidelity engineers realized a colossal mistake had been made. For nearly four decades, copies were produced with the left and right channels reversed, meaning that everything was placed in a backwards manner. This even extended to compilations on which individual songs from Abraxas were included.
Now, for the first time, you can listen to Abraxas the way it was meant to be experienced, with the instruments and musicians placed in the proper channels. THE SOUND WILL KNOCK YOU OUT. In addition to correcting the imaging, Mobile Fidelitys collectable version captures the stunning tonal range of Santanas guitar as well as the nuances of his distinctive touch. Every imaginable detail is brought to the forefront and properly scaled, be it Gregg Rolies purring organ, Jose Areas timbal and conga beats, or the fluid pulse of Dave Browns bass. YOUVE NEVER HEARD SANTANA SOUND MORE SPACIOUS, AIRY, TEXTURED, OR DYNAMIC.
"Mobile Fidelity has done an excellent job with its remastered vinyl editions. Abraxas is a very fine-sounding record, with terrific air, rich textures, a fine mix, and spacious soundscape. MoFi's version is palpably warmer, airier, and more dynamic than (the) old Columbia pressing, which sounds a bit wiry." - Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound, March 2008, Issue 180
"Black Magic Woman," the Top Five hit from Abraxas, is definitive Santana: Afro-Latin grooves and piercing lyrical psychedelic blues guitar. It was a cover of a Fleetwood Mac song written by one of Carlos Santana's guitar heroes, Peter Green. The album's other hit was also a cover: Tito Puente's "Oye Como Va." - www.rollingstone.com
Features:
Limited Edition
Numbered
180g Vinyl
1/2 Speed Mastering
Gatefold Jacket
Selections:
1. Singing Winds, Crying Beasts
2. Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen
3. Oye Como Va
4. Incident at Neshabur
5. Se a Cabo
6. Mother's Daughter
7. Samba Pa Ti
8. Hope You're Feeling Better
9. El Nicoya