Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome, July 18, 2000
Fans of early Santana will love this. It has great versions of Santana standards such as Jingo, Soul Sacrifice, Persuasion and Treat. It also has some rare tunes which I don't think are on other Santana albums such as Fried Neckbones, Chunk A Funk and Conquistadore. The songs are mostly lengthy jam-style tunes with plenty of improvisation. Freeway alone is 30 minutes long, but doesn't hardly seem like it. I only have a couple of complaints about this release. Soul Sacrifice is awesome as always, but actually has very little guitar soloing. Fortunately, Gregg Rolie's organ soloing makes up for it. It's still not as good as the awe-inspiring woodstock version. Second, the absence of Mike Shrieve, future Santana drummer. The drummer from these performances isn't bad, but not as great as Mike Shrieve. Petty complaints aside, this is a great CD which fans of Santana's peak era ('69 to '72) will love. Anyone who likes jam band music (early Allman Brothers, Phish) will enjoy this also.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Groovin' Times at the Fillmore, October 14, 2001
These are some of the earliest recordings of Santana, before they hit it big with their classic debut and the show-stopping performance at Woodstock. The band's Afro-Latin sound hasn't really gelled yet -- Mike Shrieve's absence on drums is obvious, and the lack of the Latin percussionists (just a conga player here) makes the rhythms a little less exciting. Carlos's playing shows signs of his future greatness but on some of the jams he sounds a little tentative. The live versions of tunes that would appear on the debut are much looser and the band really stretches out compared to the studio. "Jingo" and "Treat" are especially nice. I'm not sure I'd say this version of "Soul Sacrifice" is better than the one performed at Woodstock, but it's still interesting. Some of the never previously released tunes are really just jams that sometimes work ("Chunk-a-funk") and sometimes overstay their welcome (the 30 minute "Freeway Jam"). There's also a smoldering version of Albert King's "As the Years Go Passing By" and a groovy cover of Chico Hamilton's "Conquistadore Rides Again". All in all, these live recordings find Santana halfway between the 60s San Francisco sound of long, drug-soaked jams and their trademark Latin Rock. These performances must have made some very stoned kids very happy back in '68. It's not perfect, but it's fun to listen to!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A 60's rock fan, June 25, 2000
By A Customer
Six months before recording their great debut album and 21 years before his recent world wide sucess, Carlos Santana, Gregg Rolie and band played their hearts out for four nights at the Filmore West in December of 1968.This album is not only a great Santana album but one of the great live albums of the 60's. I often agree with the Amazon staff but their review here is way off. This CD contains 9 songs four of which would show up on the debut album and 5 were unreleased until now. My favorite song on the CD is the totaly different version of "Treat" here than on the debut album. Gregg Rolie's piano introduction is great. It is easy to forget how magical Carlos Santana and Rolie were togeather. Of the unreleased songs "Conquistadore Rides Again" is a highpoint. Great version of "Persuasion" too. Amazing sound for a 60's recording but Columbia Legacy always seems to do a great job. Forget the various live albums by The Doors, The Byrds, Joplin and the Airplane. This one ranks with Dylan live at The Royal Albert Hall, Hendrix and Redding at Monterey and the Stones at Madison Square Garden. That it was unreleased Until 1997 is all the more remarkable because most unreleased rock albums should stay that way. Enjoy!
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is one of Santana's 
