Lotus Limited Collectors Edition - 180 Gr 3 Lp Set

One of the most exhilarating live albums ever released: Santana's "Lotus" documents the must-see performances of 1973, characterized by passionate soulfulness, chemistry and ingenuity.

The bizarre legacy of "Lotus" goes far beyond its status as the definitive stage document of Santana's career and one of the most spectacular live albums ever released. Originally released in 1974, the triple LP contains exhilarating recordings of two concerts that took place in early July 1973 at the 2400-seat Osaka Kosei Nenkin Kaikan concert hall. It is a testament to the chemistry, inventiveness, cohesion and feeling that no other Santana line-up would ever surpass when the eight-piece band played. "Lotus" also remained the only Santana album to be recorded entirely live for almost two decades - and it took almost as long for it to be released in this country.

Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, strictly limited to 5,000 numbered copies and housed in luxurious triple packaging that stays true to the original pressing, "Lotus" benefits from an audiophile reference treatment on Mobile Fidelity's 180g 3LP set. With rich tones, smooth dynamics, excellent separation, deep soundstage and thrilling presence, this reissue pays tribute to both the virtuoso line-up and the essential fusion of Latin American and Afro-Cuban influenced jazz, rock, psychedelia, R&B and blues. The complexity of the spiritual passages, the sophistication of the crescendos, the delicacy of the quiet transitions, the electricity of the solos: everything is reproduced in excellent balance, free of harshness, compression and tiring peaks that would otherwise detract from the performances at hand.

You also get a generous sense of the atmosphere of the venue and a clear sense of the interplay and improvisation that came from both feel and architectural necessity. The weight of the bass, the extension of the treble, the punch of the mids, the texture and reverberation of the drums: Mobile Fidelity's organic version of "Lotus" immediately lays claim to the status of a demonstration disc of what a live recording should sound like. And lo and behold. Paying homage to the original, this reissue includes four double-sided flat photo inserts and two 24x36-inch double-sided fold-out posters. (Note: There is neither an obi strip nor a red Japanese insert).