Search - Santana :: Nuclei

Why only 4 Stars?

beatnik49 | Cedar Rapids, IA United States | 01/16/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The long way to answer the question: I have woven in and out of traffic with Santana ever since that black and white lions head gleaned out at me from the album bins in 1969. I rode the 3 original albums into dust on my turntables. I journey the caravanserai into Devadip's inner explorations of Self-Realization, illumination with Coltrane and Mahivishnu orchestra, around the pop-culture and standard remakes corner of comfort, through Zebop, countless "live" sets, mexican volcanoes, headlong into angelic realms and Mandela tributes, to the end of the century in a Supernatural blaze of adoration! Santana's material never grows cold. He has been on three major labels, and the bootlegs have run rampant. After the "Supernatural" hype, leaving youngsters and oldsters alike, salivating for more, some label called Cleopatra(?) threw us a bone in the form of "Tropical Spirits" (just about Grammy time, wasn't it?), a resend of old live Filmore favorites on two discs, with four "millenium mixes" to placate our spirits until the next REAL Santana album. We just can't get enough, now, can we? Now, this little sacrifical offering: Nuclei, by Thunderbolt(?)...just out before the end of the Century! Okay, here is the skinny. Four Stars because it is Santana, and it's not offensive as with so many of the non-linear tripe sent to us by greedy near-bootleg companies. If you are a die-hard Santana fan, or a collector, pick this up. If you like his live extended-guitar solo and Santana Blues Band performances, you will like this. If you are Yuppie, Generation-X, or younger, a slave to Supernatural, stay away, I warn you now, Old Santana can cause you Brain Damage, ala Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and Classic 70's Progressive Rock! Oh, and if you are looking for 5-Stars, and own all the other Name Brand Santana albums, go buy a Stevie Ray Vaughan album. Seriously though, this can be considered a good "EP"."