Carlos Santana, is an American guitarist born in 1947 and raised in Mexico, best known as a founding member of the rock band Santana. He rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States with the band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of rock and roll and Latin American jazz. One of the top listed Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Guitarists of all time.

• Limited Edition (3000 units)
• Numbered Edition
• 180 Gram High Definition Vinyl 
• Pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, USA
• Mastering on MFSL Gain 2 Ultra Analog System
• Mastered by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
• Mastered from the Original Analog Master Tapes
• Cut by Krieg Wunderlich & Shawn R. Britton
• Special Static Free & Dust Free Inner Sleeves
• Deluxe Gatefold Cover

Santana Moves Toward the Rock Mainstream: Inner Secrets Features Three Top 100 Singles, Passionate Performances, and Tightened-Up Frameworks

Sourced from the Original Analog Master Tapes and Strictly Limited to 3,000 Numbered Copies: Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 33RPM LP Exposes Critical Details and Tones That Make the 1978 Album Soar

1/4" / 15 IPS analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe

Carlos Santana refused to sit still or commit to one style during his fantastically adventurous stretch in the 1970s. That prolific decade witnessed his namesake band release nine studio albums, one hybrid live-studio double album, and a triple live set. The group’s penchant for exploration and mutation — and adopting those constructs into appealing songs that surprise, delight, and inspire — flares throughout Inner Secrets, a gold-certified effort that finds the collective reaching heights it would not again realize for another 10 years.

Sourced from the original analog master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 33RPM LP of Inner Secrets presents the 1978 album in audiophile sound for the first time on a domestic reissue. Part of the label’s Santana series, this collectible version features quiet surfaces and black backgrounds that help expose the critical details, dynamics, and tones that really allow Santana’s music to soar.

As for Carlos Santana’s signature guitar voicing, spicy leads, and acrobatic solos? Hear them with newfound definition and enhanced clarity — all the better to appreciate the dexterity, vision, and soulfulness on display. Those characteristics extend to the contributions from the other players on Inner Secrets, including Graham Lear’s invigorating drumming and David Margen’s foundational bass lines. They form a solid rhythmic foundation capable of veering from disco grooves to moody pop and radio-friendly classic rock.

Home to three Top 100 singles, Inner Secrets marks another turning point in Santana’s evolution. It is the band’s first project without keyboardist Tom Coster since the latter arrived in 1972. Gone, too, from the lineup is original percussionist Jose Areas. In their places are Chris Rhyme and Pete Escovedo, respectively, with the latter having debuted on the studio portion of the preceding Moonflower (1977). Multi-instrumentalist Chris Solberg counts as the other notable new addition. All three pros play key roles on a work that witnesses Santana moving away from fusion-laden fare and toward mainstream-oriented material.

Obvious evidence of that transformation arrives in the form of four inspired covers, including renditions of Buddy Holly’s “Well All Right,” Four Tops’ “One Chain (Don’t Make No Prison),” Classic IV’s “Stormy,” and Traffic’s “Dealer” — with the latter tune soldered into “Spanish Rose.” Santana’s focused approach is also reflected in the structures and lengths of the songs. No track lasts longer than six minutes and 15 seconds. Yet the band packs an array of contagious melodies, complex passages, and passionate performances into the tightened-up frameworks.

In addition to the instrumental prowess, Inner Secrets especially benefits from the singing of Greg Walker. Carlos Santana called Walker’s technique a “combination of street and church music; 'street' being raw, sexy, warm, and naked; 'church' being spiritual, inspirational, soulful, and sincere.” Those elements further punctuate Inner Secrets and ensure the album stands as a bookend to the group’s peak era. Wham!, indeed.

Musicians:

Bass – David Margen
Bongos, Percussion – Armando Peraza
Clavinet, Backing Vocals – Dennis Lambert
Congas, Percussion – Raul Rekow
Drums – Graham Lear
Keyboards, Synthesizer – Chris Rhyne
Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Other – Devadip Carlos Santana
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Greg Walker
Synthesizer – Mike Boddicker
Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar, Organ – Chris Solberg
Timbales, Percussion – Pete Escovedo

Track Listing:

1. Dealer/Spanish Rose
2. Move On
3. One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)
4. Stormy
5. Well All Right
6. Open Invitation
7. Life Is a Lady/Holiday
8. The Facts of Love
9. Wham!

Click here to listen to samples on YouTube.com ♫