Santana MkI folded with Caravanserai. Epochal shifts in particularly Michael Shrieve and Carlos Santana's influences and shared desired musical directions left some of the other members of the group behind, who were more than happy to consolidate and expand on their momentous popularity and fortune. Guitarist Neal Schon and organist Gregg Rolie soon left and formed the commercially aligned Journey. But Jazz Fusion was the new Rock and Roll in Shrieve and Santana's ears, and the band's melting pot of latin american rhythms, funk, rock and Carlos Santana's melodic playing, telling the story like it is, all lent themselves beautifully to an exciting prospect of exploring this new territory. There was another more base reason for the shift. Santana attributes redefining his lifestyle in alignment with the redirection of his music in all likelihood saved his life from the associated excesses of their overnight success following Woodstock.

This fourth studio album therefore is very much the love-child of Michael Shrieve and Carlos Santana. The writing credits are distributed more evenly than that would suggest, but the more abstract sonic and harmonic structures, rich Eastern spiritual texturing and orchestral layering are novel to the previously raw and driving Santana sound. Very much part of the fuller Afro-Cuban Latin Jazz sound was the introduction of master percussionists Armando Peraza and Chepito Areas. The re-shuffle also included bringing in Gabor Szabo's pianist Tom Coster and versatile session bassist Doug Rauch (Carly Simon, Papa John Creach, Betty Davis). All the players extend themselves and there are moments of collective genius. Ironically Schon and Rolie contribute massively to the cohesion and to the album's conceptual single cut feel, sourcing the band's evolution with telepathic crest-of-the-wave coordination.

The distict song structures of Abraxas and Santana III are gone, and a largely instrumental conceptual fluidity replaces it in homage to the new listening sphere of Shrieve and Santana; Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Charles Lloyd and Gabor Szabo. Nonetheless, this is primarily a trademark Santana album. Carlos Santana's luxuriant middle register tonality croons the melodies before spiralling off into superlative cosmic realms. Shrieve's revolutionary afrobeat playing skips along as the perfect undercurrent. A cross between Tony Allen and Tony Williams, cymbals chop to the heart of the rhythm, the snare thwaps at the underbelly of Rauchs mimimalist bobbing baselines. The interplay about Rauch's simple 2-note ostinato on the vocal track All The Love Of The Universe is sublime.

The new liner notes are not exceptional. Sometimes less is best, and you will not find much more than you have read here, new photos included. There was also no excess audio material for inclusion on the remastering. But Caravanserai is perfect as it is. And now with modern technology, it is even more so.

Love Devotion Surrender is one of the least understood albums of all time, caught between die-hard Santana fans, McLaughlin guardians, and the bastion of superciliousness in jazz complexity. But Love Devotion Surrender is not complex. It is intense, and woven from a loom of Santana and McLaughlin's reverence for spritual music, and for one exponent of spritual music in particular, the high priest John Coltrane.

True complementarity is hard to find, but here the two guitarists are "as one", bonded via their guru Sri Chinmoy. The assembled band is also, very importantly, a fusion of Santana and Mahavishnu Orchestra. Michael Shrieve, Billy Cobham, Doug Rauch, Armando Peraza, Jan Hammer, Don Alias, plus fellow Tony Williams' Lifetime member, genius organist Larry Young.

Added bonuses aside, this remastering at last does justice to this historical album. The musical breadth seems far wider. The dense middle is opened up, allowing clarity to Young's anchoring role. Original Sony reissues and the Japanese Sony Mastersound import versions frustrated fans, and the quad channel 8-track version with legendary alternative McLaughlin guitar solo on The Life Divine remains elusive. The only other alternative was the Love Devotion Surrender and Welcome bootleg Love Devotion Surrender Sessions [Jam / A Love Supreme / Naima / The Life Divine (2 takes) / Mantra / Flame Sky / Untitled 1 / Untitled 2 / Acoustic Jams / Samba De Sausalito (4 takes)], and this brings us to the bonus tracks on this remaster. A Love Supreme (Alternate - Take 2) is a working version of Coltrane's Acknowledgement in development and nowhere near the sheer uplifting intensity of the eventual cut. There is no 12-string nor vocals and Larry Young is less emphatic. The other bonus track, Naima (Alternate - Take 4) mainly shows Santana's working with the melody.

Compared to the bootleg releases this feels like short change. Especially considering the excellent job the bootleggers did on their revised artwork and packaging. The remaster lacks any real investment in packaging, and doesn't even bother an attempt to reproduce the original. Like no picture of Chinmoy, not even that famous group photo in his backyard in Queens. Instead, the promised "expanded booklets and new liner notes" are parsimonious, seemingly written to bind the remastered series, rather than treat each album explicitly. They are also erroneous, e.g., A Love Divine!

The inclusion of promised "vintage photos" is sadly reduced to a single one of Carlos Santana and none of McLaughlin. And this further fuels the grievance of McLaughlin fans that this album has been repeatedly ambushed in the name of the Santana commercial waggon. The liner notes mislead by categorising the album as a Santana solo release, and a whole page of the slim booklet is taken up with a list of "Santana on Columbia". The remixed Divine Light: Music From Illuminations & Love Devotion Surrender (see Review) did no favours being released as an album by "Carlos Santana / Bill Laswell", and now this remaster again underplays McLaughlin's input, and arguably, his dominating presence. At the time Santana admitted that he was in awe of McLaughlin's superior playing. McLaughlin introduced Santana into the church of Chinmoy, and arguably into this type of playing. It seems far more a natural progression for Mahavishnu fusion maestro McLaughlin than the comparably lyrical Santana.

In the end it's the music, right? And undeniably, this is a great sound for a great album, and a must have, even if the packaging sucks. But, the "Powers That Be" do have another chance to get that right too - it is rumoured that the entire Santana catalog is up next for SADC treatment.

Santana's fifth album Welcome followed on directly from Love Devotion Surrender, at least on paper. The title is taken from a cut on John Coltrane's Kulu Se Mama, but the feel is more a slight return to the melodic structures of Caravanserai, and heralds the chart-oriented excursions of future albums. Santana managed quite a coup while revitalising the band's lineup, roping in the efforts of Leon Thomas, Flora Purim and Alice Coltrane. But, for many, the guest appearance by McLaughlin on Flame/Sky was originally reason enough to pick up this album, and should be justification again to renew it with this version, except this remastering has adopted the slightly subdued volume of the original. It always felt a little remote, sitting back from the levels on its neighbouring tracks.

Carlos Santana's education from the more technical John McLaughlin is definitely taking effect. There is appreciation of space and melody in his playing, more than ever before. Speaking of his touring with McLaughlin, he says, "When we were on the road I thought, 'Man what am I going to do? I should just shine his shoes.' Then I found out that I may not play as many notes, or know as much as he does, but three notes - if you put them in the right place at the right time - are just as important".

The superb bonus track Mantra, already heard in this informal form on the Love Devotion Surrender Sessions bootleg, and a live rendition on Lotus, but now in staggering fidelity, affording an opportunity to really appreciate the lightness of touch that Shrieve was developing from Caravanserai onwards, perfectly contrasted by Rauch's slippery, sliding bass deluge. No coincidence that this music was recorded soon after Bitches Brew won a Grammy, this extended free-for-all is funky Nirvana.

The repackaging is more impressive than on the other remasters, but still lacks any enthusiastic investment. The remastering is quality though and should be the main concern when thinking about buying the album.

Single versions of Black Magic Woman, I'll Be Waiting, and She's Not There are bonus tracks. Review coming...

Improved original artwork. Review coming...