Customer Reviews

Ultimate Santana

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Imagine if Capitol Records put out an ULTIMATE BEATLES collection, but didn't include anything from A HARD DAY'S NIGHT through SGT PEPPER. That's what ULTIMATE SANTANA feels like. There are six tracks from their classic first three albums: SANTANA (1969), ABRAXAS (1970) and SANTANA III (1971). Then (except for "Europa" from 1976's AMIGOS), none of the remaining tracks date back any further than 1999's SUPERNATURAL. In fact, more than half of the tracks on this collection come from Santana's "comeback" period when the band released three star-studded albums including SUPERNATURAL, SHAMAN (2002) and ALL THAT I AM (2005).

Longtime fans will be better served by 1998's single-disc THE BEST OF SANTANA or 2002's double-disc THE ESSENTIAL SANTANA. This latest collection is principally targeted for Santana's latter-day fans. There are flashes of brilliance with the big name cameos ("Smooth," for example, was a huge hit for a reason--it's a damn good song), but overall they pale in comparison to the band's seminal Seventies' work. If you're interested in Santana's work over the past decade (but don't want to purchase their last three albums), this does a nice job of catching you up.

The new 'greatest' by Santana sounds outstanding--crystal-clear and pulsing with energy and sound. The standards are on here, and they sound great. However, I do not think this collection represents the best of Santana. There is too much of his newer (collaborative) material, and while I enjoy the new songs, they are not as strong as his early music. While this is ultimately a satisfying album, I would not consider it the definitive collection of the Great Carlos Santana's works.

Four stars. Good, not great.

It is true that this Best Of... disc covers Santana's entire career, and it DOES cover Santana's music on Columbia and Arista, but don't be fooled by those ideas. It is VERY loaded with more recent Santana hits, with a few of his more classic songs thrown in for good measure.

Most of the songs are from the Supernatural era and beyond (1999-), so you are missing a great, great chunk of Santana's 60's - 80's music. For most of Santana's relatively new fans, this is a fine compliation of pop hits. More serious/long-term fans are probably better suited to hold onto their previously bought (one of many) compilation CDs.

The ULTIMATE collection? This is not. Santana needs a substantial double-CD covering everything: the 60's and 70's latin soul jams, the 80's pop stuff (yes, including "Winning"), while still including the Arista years. Wait for it.

All things considered, this is a fine compilation. The mastering is very clean and dynamic--it does sound great. Unfortunately, the track selection just misses the mark...

The love affair with Latin music in the United States and internationally has ebbed and flowed from the craze for Cuban Mambo in the 1940s and 50s to the widespread popularity of Latin tropical and pop acts today.

Santana, as a musician and arranger, is a pivotal figure in this history and he has been an ambassador to the world of Latin American musical culture. In the 1960s and 70s, Santana's pioneering guitar arrangements, rooted in the Latin American traditions that were flowering at the time (for a beautiful example of traditional Latin American guitar virtuosity, see: Puerto Plata: Mujer de Cabaret), brought Latin music into the pop mainstream. Santana's fusion of typical Latin American rhythms with edgy US rock inspired generations and helped begin the Latin rock movement (inspiring the likes of legendary Manu Chao: Clandestino).

Today Santana continues to work tirelessly to secure the place of Latin music in popular culture, collaborating with the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Steve Tyler (Aerosmith). Ironically (or perhaps mystically as Carlos would see it) while Santana in his youth broke with tradition by encouraging these musical fusions, his is now a voice of tradition within them.

This compilation of 18 masterful songs, some of them never before released, ranging from the beginning of Santana's career until today, is fitting and deserving tribute to an artist who has contributed so much to the world of music. As one would expect with a Santana release, the cover artwork provides plenty for the eye to contemplate as the ear listens.

Imagine what a CD titled Ultimate Michael Jackson that only contains 7 songs from his Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad albums, and the remaining 12 or so songs from his History and Invincible albums. As much as I love Santana, this CD is kind of a strange collection with much of his older songs not included in favor of his newer albums, including two versions of Game of Love. I much preferred the older Santana during his peak in the early 70s with Evil Ways and Oye Como Va, and it does include his absolute most famous older songs such as those and Black Magic Woman, but also leaves much to be desired. His newer songs are good, but some of them are nowhere near the level of expertise and professionalism and soul as his earlier songs. If you are more of a fan of his newer songs, this album might appeal to you, and you do get a few of his old songs, but if you are a fan of Santana's 70s hits, this CD will only disappointed you. I recommend passing this CD up to get a compiliation album of his older material, and then buying his newer albums if you like his new style and updated sound. Of course you still get kind of a jazzy/soulful sound with his newer stuff, but its nowhere near as groundbreaking as his older stuff, and I can't stress that enough. This is still a good album, but it just is a very odd compilation, that includes more of his less desirable stuff, and less of his absolute best.

Having been around Carlos since 1972 I know what he's up to here. It kind of hurts my feelings to see Carlos as a mere backup player for much less talented artists. (and please don't write me back about how great J-Lo and Rob Thomas are. I get that, okay?) Not to say there aren't a few good tunes as a backup guy thrown on this disc. The fire he had years ago is not there anymore, although the licks are still wailin'. Hey Carlos! Put together your band from 1975 and kick some musical [...]. Ultimate Santana? Hardly. That would require at least a 10 disc set to compile, sans Rob Thomas, J-Lo and the rest of the musical free-loaders enjoying his licks on their songs, not a requisite album for the label bosses. I don't blame them, but I notice Clapton doesn't do that very often.

As previously noted, this collection concentrates on Santana's legendary early work and his "comeback' collaborative work. A huge chunk of his often maligned but occasionally brilliant material from circa mid-70's thru the 90's is not represented.

What was perplexing on this disc was the inclusion of a previously unreleased version of "The Game of Love" featuring Tina Turner. Turner of course does a solid job with the vocal but the song is just so much better suited to the youthful voice of Michelle Branch, whoose "Shaman" version is ALSO included. Just leads one to speculate how Tina Turner's talents could fit with one of Santana's darker compositions, say, like "Evil Ways".

Overall this collection flows well and I caught myself really enjoying the Jennifer Lopez collaboration "This Boy's Fire" although I am hardly a hip-hop fan. That song and Rob Thomas' "Smooth" stand out among the best of Santana's more recent work. The working in of the very best of Carlos Santana's groundbreaking late 60's/early 70's material and the new collaborations probably make this one of your best choices for an indoctrination to anybody just becoming interested in Carlos Santana.

This would be a three star compilation if not for the Tina Turner version of "Play The Game," which blows the Michelle Branch version out of the water. It also shows up why this "Ultimate Santana" is overall a weak collection. Santana has made some of the most incredible fusion of styles out of the many 60's and 70's guitar gods, but by the 80's and 90's, he was churning out mediocre albums on a regular basis. You'll note that - over than the three big early hits "Black Magic Woman," "Oye Como Va" and "Evil Ways," his Columbia albums are absent from this set.

That is because Clive Davis took a chance on signing Carlos to Arista, then shepherded Santana into a studio with a clutch of guests to record "Supernatural." Carlos rose to the challenge, hooking up with talent that was worthy of his skills (Eric Clapton) and some that made him sound modern to the times (the inescapable "Smooth," with Rob Thomas). It was a flawless album that deservedly brought Santana back to commercial prominence and won a slew of Grammys (ala Bonnie Raitt's "Nick Of Time").

Unfortunately, that made everyone try to re-bake the cake for "Shaman," a much lesser effort that essentially turned Santana into a guest on his own album. Ditto for "All That I Am." Frankly, Chad Kroger of Nickelback doesn't merit the honor of carrying Carlos' guitar cases, yet here he is, singing "Into The Night." And while Santana's music may have inspired hip-hoppers and rappers, that doesn't mean they share his virtuosity. So Baby Bash or The Product G&B tracks? Phooey. Listen to the actual soul that Tina Turner invests in her song, and then listen to Jennifer Lopez. Like Santana, Tina has the goods. many of the rest of these "Ultimate" guests? Not so much.

I am somewhat new to Carlos Santana, introduced to him years ago with Smooth and promptly forgotten. I find this CD to be a wonderful compilation of his work. I know little about Carlos Santana's previous albums or his personal life but I still am amazed by his guitar solos, featured guest singers, and the general feelings of his songs.

I couldn't live without the Shamanic Energy of the Beloved Carlos! It's Great to have old and new favorites on one CD. If Into the Night doesn't make every Firey Goddess get up and dance nothing will. Hearing the Game of Love with the mature throatyness of Tina is a nice change.