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Title: Soul Sacrifice: The Santana Story by Simon Leng ISBN: 0-946719-29-2 Publisher: S A F Pub Ltd Pub. Date: 01 February, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (5 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: needs to do more research
Comment: As a historian, I was excited to read this book. Beginning to read it, however, the author wrote that Santana was born in 1947. He then states that Carlos returned to his home town in 1986 for his 53rd birthday. The author also makes a major mistake recounting the legend of our Blessed Virgen de Guadalupe, stating that the bishop was sent to investigate her appearance, and that her image appeared on his cloak. It was, in fact Juan Diego who was sent back to her to bring proof of her existence and it was his cloak that her image appeared on. The rest of the book was soured by these early inaccuracies. One wonders what other inaccuracies are listed as fact regarding Carlos Santana. It just goes to show you can't always believe what you read.
Rating: 4
Summary: A good book about a great artist
Comment: First, I am a professional guitarist of 25 years who believes Carlos Santana has only four guitar peers: Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, George Benson, and John McLaughlin. So this is a biased review. And now the review:
It's about time a book attempts to document the history and significance of this important musician and band. Mr. Leng, a first-time author, has done a fine job. Here are six challenges that Mr. Leng met with impressive success:
(1) Explaining how a very specific aspect of Mexican music - playing melodies expressively - influenced Carlos's style.
(2) Explaining how each individual member influenced the band's sound.
(3) Explaining the difficulties of keeping everyone - from pop fans to jazz fans to record companies to managers to musicians - happy.
(4) Explaining Carlos's conscious recording of "corny" commercial music to finance the recording of his more adventuresome music.
(5) Explaining how Carlos is trapped (for better and for worse) in the "Santana Band."
(6) Explaining the true weight / quality / genius / level / importance / influence of Carlos and the band.
(7) Explaining the greatness (and that's an understatement) of the percussionists which have played in the band, particularly Armando Peraza.
(8) Documenting the long list of non-Santana band artists with whom Carlos has recorded.
Sooner or later a professional music historian will publish a more comprehensive book - say 1,000 pages. This book will be aimed at more serious students of music history.
The book will expand as follows:
(a) It will discuss Carlos's equipment. Carlos has influenced electric guitar and amplifier design more than any other modern guitarist except Jimi Hendrix. (b) It will explain in musical terms why Carlos's playing has so much "feeling." Put simply, Carlos uses a large variety of subtle nuances to make every note count. Like Pavarotti and Isaac Stern.
(c) It will contain hundreds of photos.
I wish I could be the author of this great book. I would title it "Espiritu - Carlos Santana."
Rating: 4
Summary: Finally, A Santana Bio
Comment: This biography does an excellant job in covering the early life of Carlos Santana and his entire career in his band. The information is based mostly on facts, and doesn't offer enough emotional insight from Carlos and his other band members. This book also didn't have enough about Carlos Santana's spiritual and political views. Basically, this book does an amazing job at covering the chronology of the band,information about each album, and information about the different guys who played with the band at one time or another. Look mainly to this book for straight facts and an excellant biography of Carlos' early life and the beginning of the first Santana band. Don't be surprised if there isn't much emotional insight or highly detailed information about the Santana band past 1974. The only thing better than this book would be if Carlos wrote his own biography.
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Title: Carlos Santana : Back on Top by Marc Shapiro ISBN: 0312288522 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 04 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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