Santana – Abraxas

I could not put my finger on it when I first listened to this pressing. I have an earlier pressing which I really enjoy. I thought I’d give this one a chance after all the reviews but no. The song I compared was “Se A Cabo’’ and the guitar and keyboards are on opposite channels. Needless to say after listening to it a certain way I got used it and this did not improve my listening experience at all. That being said I’m surprised that everyone is just okay with that. It really made a huge difference to me and the fact that such a classic album was not kept as originally intended is beyond me

Very very nice mastering and pressing of this classic record.

Worth every single € and not outrageously expensive like some recent reissues, I got mine for €30 which is reasonable for the quality of the reissue. No defect or non-fill at the end of side 1, very minor warp on my copy.

Also, the flow of the original LP is intact, which is essential in this record — How people can actually listen to Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen / Oye Como Va split over two sides is beyond me.

Anyway, long story short: anyone who wants a high quality reissue of this record without paying crazy prices should consider this release.

Anyone know the source on this? Digital or AAA? I gotta imagine its digital because im not seeing a lot of marketing mentioning the tape.

Possibly the best sounding record in my collection. Kevin Gray smashed this! Silent vinyl too! 10/10

This may have now been repressed. Following on from my previous complaint about a pressing fault leading to unacceptable noise at the end of side 1 I finally decided some months later to try another sample. I'm pleased to say that the latest sample I received from Amazon has no problem as far as distortion/non fill etc is concerned. It is slightly warped though( haha) - but I can live with that!

Great sounding issue but my copy has distortion at the end of side one (sounds like a pressing fault). Anyone else have a similar issue or is it just my copy?

Any EU buyers that can recommend a seller for this?

Fantastic pressing at a very affordable price. KPG did an outstanding job mastering this masterpiece. Highly recommended.

This album sounds great. I’m getting back into vinyl after 30 years. This was a record my dad had in his collection and I remember hearing growing up in the 70s.

The pressing is quiet and clean with very little snap crackle or pop straight out of the sleeve. All new albums should be like this.

From the deadwax: LP5264 matches the Sundazed cat number, P735218 matches the Columbia cat number from Santana - Abraxas. Same cut/ KG cut? Can anyone with this press compare? Those reviews are pretty lousy.

That aside, this release just shows the marketing genius of a major label at work. 50th anniversary, cut (newly??) by one of the best in the biz Kevin Gray, gatefold, original poster: pretty good value for the price, but hey let's put this neon hype sticker "5x Platinum" when shifting units actually mattered. Yep.