Back catalogue: All genres

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: Santana's Caravanserai, sourced from the original analogue master tapes, offers a definitive sound experience with Mobile Fidelity's 180g 33RPM LP, presenting superb detail, clarity, airiness and naturalism. Released in 1972, the album marks Carlos Santana's foray into jazz fusion, inspired by Miles Davis and John Coltrane, an adventurous move that paid off, establishing Santana as a visionary. Featuring tracks like 'Eternal Caravan of Reincarnation' and 'Song of the Wind,' the album blends rock, Latin, jazz and funk, creating a cosmic, hopeful, and liberating atmosphere. The production, led by Santana and drummer Mike Shrieve, is enhanced in this reissue, revealing microdynamics and an intimate presence. The record's metaphysical vibe is evident in songs such as 'All the Love in the Universe' and the epic 'Every Step of the Way.' Caravanserai is an album of cohesive focus, melody, and groove, demanding both heart and mind. It invites listeners into a harmonious universe, reflecting spiritual and soulful depth. The final Santana record to feature Neil Schon and Greg Rollie for over four decades, it shows the band's unified collective spirit, making this reissue an immersive adventure into both the known and unknown.

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: Standing as one of Santana's most remarkable live albums, capturing the band's extraordinary chemistry and virtuosic performances during their 1973 tour. Originally released in Japan and not available domestically until much later, this triple LP remains a definitive document of the band's fusion period, blending Latin, Afro-Cuban, jazz, rock and psychedelic elements. The album showcases the thrilling improvisations and spiritual depth of the eight-piece lineup, featuring legendary tracks like 'Every Step of the Way', 'Toussaint L'Overture' and an incendiary 'Incident at Neshabur'. The reissue, sourced from the original master tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl, offers audiophile-quality sound, enhancing the clarity and balance of the performance. The dynamic range, rich bass and vivid percussion are rendered with exceptional presence, offering an immersive listening experience. With the inclusion of seven previously unreleased tracks, Lotus captures the band at its peak, delivering both precision and passion. This reissue is a stunning tribute to Santana's pioneering fusion era and in its most complete and unique packaging yet.

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: The 1973 album Love Devotion Surrender marks the singular collaboration between guitar legends Carlos Santana and Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, resulting in a spiritually charged masterpiece. This reissue from Mobile Fidelity unties both of the artist's quest for enlightenment, drawing inspiration from John Coltrane's work and their shared devotion to Indian guru Sri Chinmoy. Sourced from the original analog master tapes, this reissue showcases the album's intricate sonic landscape with remarkable clarity. The dynamic interplay between Santana and McLaughlin, with Santana predominantly on the left and McLaughlin on the right, creates an wonderful live listening experience. The album’s varied tempos and tones, ranging from delicate acoustic passages to powerful bursts of percussion, are brought to life with extraordinary realism. Featuring interpretations of Coltrane classics like 'A Love Supreme' and 'Naima,' as well as original compositions, the album blends jazz, rock, and gospel elements. Larry Young, credited as Khalid Yasin, delivers standout organ accompaniment, adding depth to the improvisational lines and ecstatic chords that define the record. Love Devotion Surrender remains a transcendent journey through sound, driven by two of music’s most visionary artists.

Review: Ravi Shankar is often cited as one of the most famous and influential sitar players in the world and none of his albums do quite as much justice to that claim than Shankar Family & Friends, first released in 1974. Unlike many of his former albums, this LP places a front-and-centre focus on Shankar's family members, with whom he collaborates throughout the album. Though, that's not to say it doesn't also come with commercial draws - indeed, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston and Tom Scott also make cameo appearances. For all its humble harkenings-back to familial source, Shankar does not hesitate to fuse his own ancestral Indian classical music with the Western pop and jazz elements of his friends. The likes of 'I Am Missing You' and 'Jaya Jagadish Hare' are nonetheless utter dreamscapes, and thanks to this reissue via the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab series, this version comes as the highest-quality version of the record yet.

Review: Simon & Garfunkel's Bookends stands as a monumental achievement in music history, being a beacon of the late 1960s while exploring themes of relationships, identity, society, and mortality. This concept album transcends time, earning its place as one of the greatest records ever made. Mobile Fidelity's 180g SuperVinyl edition, mastered from the original analogue tapes, elevates the album's brilliance, offering a listening experience that magnifies the intricate details of its recording sessions. The album opens with the gentle 'Bookends Theme,' setting a reflective tone before plunging into the experimental soundscapes of 'Save The Life Of My Child,' which brilliantly incorporates dialogue, street noises and an eerie echo of 'The Sound of Silence.' 'America' stands out as a heartfelt narrative, seamlessly flowing into the melancholic 'Overs.' The poignant 'Voices of Old People' and 'Old Friends' evoke nostalgia and contemplation, with the closing Bookends theme urging listeners to cherish their memories. Classic tracks like 'Mrs. Robinson' and 'A Hazy Shade of Winter' showcase the duo's signature sound, combining evocative guitar work and harmonized vocals. This reissue reaffirms Bookends as a timeless masterpiece, worthy of rediscovery and celebration.

Review: American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen is about as big a music star as there could possible be. It all began in January 1973 when the legendary rocker dropped his debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ which is now back in print in several different formats as a "hybrid" remastered version that brings together both regular and "super audio" versions. It's a still superb album that laid out The Boss's sonic vision and was noted by Rolling Stone critic Lester Bangs for being dexterous and on point socially. Bluesy rockers, semi-acoustic treats, funky workouts and plenty more all feature on this limited edition 180 gram audiophile vinyl.