Tag Archives: Santana
2025 ACQUISITIONS: A SELECTION
The 75 FROM ’75 Countdown obviously dominated the second half of 2025, yet this did not prevent a steady influx of new records into the Vinyl Connection den of vinyl iniquity. Here are a few highlights. * JANUARY One of the first features for Discrepancy Records was the latest solo album from Pink Floyd guitarist […]
1974 COUNTDOWN | #25 — #21
#25 SANTANA — LOTUS Given that they announced themselves to the world via their performance at Woodstock, it is surprising that this was Santana’s first live album. Recorded during a 1973 tour of Japan and released in May ’74, it is the pinnacle of the band’s jazz-rock phase. Musically, Lotus is a tour-de-force of mind-blowing […]
1974 COUNTDOWN | HITS AND HISTORIES
A selection of compilation albums from 1974. * YES — YESTERDAYS Released in late 1974 in the USA and early 1975 in the UK, Yesterdays was the first Yes compilation. As it only covers the first two LPs, the main attractions for Yes fans are the inclusion of their cover version of Simon and Garfunkel’s […]
1973 COUNTDOWN: #40 — 31
40 MIKE OLDFIELD — TUBULAR BELLS A poll of my favourite Mike Oldfield albums would not have this debut on the podium, but it certainly made an impression as the very first release by Virgin Records. Made an impression when used in a film, too. As a multi-instrumentalist’s calling card Tubular Bells really does take […]
1972 COUNTDOWN: #4 — #3
4 NEU! — NEU! ‘Hallogallo’ fades in with a repeated guitar dot over a strange percussive clack. It insinuates itself into the room and your consciousness, an hypnotic groove, repetitive yet captivating. Welcome to the strange and wonderful world of Neu! The beginning of the Neu! story is part of the early Kraftwerk story. Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger […]
1972 COUNTDOWN… FESTIVALS!
GLASTONBURY FAYRE In Vinyl Connection’s 2015 end-of-year report the category of “Most Ridiculous Purchase” was won by the 3 LP set allegedly documenting the 1971 rock festival, Glastonbury Fayre. The following points were offered as explanation. A triple live album (Vinyl Connection’s obsession with these beasts is well documented) The 1972 original is unbelievably rare. (VC […]
1970 COUNTDOWN | NUMBER 2
2. SANTANA — Abraxas What keeps a half-century-old LP fresh? Lots of possibilities, but in the case of Santana’s second LP, it is the superbly blended mix of different styles and influences that propels the record like an eternal multi-cultural street festival. Many know the infectious blues-rock interpretation of Fleetwood Mac’s “Black Magic Woman” or […]
TEN FROM 77
1977. Forty years ago. Punk sprouted, prog continued, pop morphed; great albums littered the highways of contemporary music… This is the first post of a possible series, presenting albums worthy of acclaim four decades after release. I’ve excluded albums previously covered at Vinyl Connection. So to read about the following gold-plated favourites, just click on […]
SUNDANCES
One Saturday afternoon in October 1976 I rode my bicycle round to Rod Amberton’s place to watch a total eclipse. It seemed like a friendly thing to do, given that this sort of solar phenomenon only occurred every few decades and Melbourne was, apparently, a prime location from which to view it. Assuming the clouds […]
MORE THAN ABRAXAS
When you think of album art, some classic images spring to mind… – those four blokes on the London zebra crossing, – that angular tubular bell suspended over sky-sea-shore, – the underwater baby boy lured by an angler’s dollar bill. Though it is harder to capture in a few words, the cover of the second […]
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN…
Carlos Santana was rather busy in 1973. Early in the year he got together with British master-guitarist John McLaughlin to continue working on the exciting, spiritual music that appeared on the under-appreciated Love Devotion and Surrender. To celebrate the end of recording they went out to buy a snappy white suit which the cover shot suggests that […]
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