LOTUS

What a crap. This massive album (it was a triple LP) does not has much to recommend it: the band is lethargic, lacking Santana's distinctive energy, the overall performance is uninspired and the old classics are played without passion. The worst thing is: this particular Santana incarnation was a great one, plenty of great musicians. I don't know what's went wrong, because the studio versions of these songs are without exception more interesting than the live ones, making "Lotus" a disposable album. I wonder how US, Brittish or Brazilian Santana fans felt when they paid a lot of money for a Japanese copy of this album when it was originally released, since it was available only on Japan and, I beleive, Germany, specially when you think this was his first live album. Avoid it, except if you're a completist or a Santana fanatic.