Santana – Amigos (LP, Mobile Fidelity)

“Amigos,” the seventh studio album by the gifted guitarist and songwriter, is beloved by both long-time and new Santana fans. After a series of jazz-fusion-oriented albums, the band returned to its roots in 1976, recording a highly infectious blend of R&B, Latin, rock, and funk that would become an inspiration for musical adventure, craftsmanship, and virtuosity across generations. Frenetically celebrated by both the mainstream, the underground, and the specialized media, “Amigos” reached the top of the album charts worldwide and achieved gold status multiple times. The hit single “Let It Shine” and the popular “Europa (Earth’s Cry Heaven’s Smile)” remain staples of Santana’s live repertoire. Mastered in MoFi’s California studio and pressed on 180-gram (33 rpm) vinyl by Fidelity Record Pressing, the LP is strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies and is part of Mobile Fidelity’s Santana Reissue series. The series is highly prized not only by Santana collectors: The audiophile sound, characterized by a black background and conveying the band’s coherent interplay with tremendous presence and energy, also reveals a previously unheard side of “Amigos.” For the first time, the depth of the bass lines, the room-filling sound of the organ, the textures of the numerous percussion instruments, Santana’s exceptional guitar work, and, last but not least, the vocals of the master himself, appear in their truest light!