About

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 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. — via Label

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Label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo
Reissued: 2024 / Original Release: 1978
Genre: Rock, Latin, Funk / Soul
Style: Pop Rock, Funk

File under: School Of Rock
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