Santana / France 12.04.1972 Soundboard Edition

This release captures a nearly complete 1-hour-48-minute live performance from Paris, France, on December 4, 1972—part of the European tour following the release of the album *Caravanserai*—sourced from a soundboard recording leaked by someone associated with the band at the time. Although the recording—sourced directly from the mixing console by a staff member and released in recent years—exhibits a few minor cuts and slightly lacks the immersive atmosphere of a live audience recording, it remains completely raw and unedited. It offers a high-quality stereo mix with excellent instrument separation, clearly capturing not only Santana’s guitar but also the authentic, live sounds of the keyboards and percussion—delivering audio quality that rivals an official bootleg release. Notably, this performance serves as a precursor to the famous *Lotus* era; the opening sequence, which previously began with “Every Step Of The Way,” has here been expanded into a medley that includes “Going Home” and “A-1 Funk”—a structural arrangement that would carry over into the 1974 setlist. Another highlight occurs toward the end of the show, where “Earth” seamlessly merges with “People Make The World Go Round.” Live at L’Olympia, Paris, France 4th December 1972 : Stereo Soundboard Recording Disc 1 : 1. Going Home / A-1 Funk / Every Step Of The Way 2. Samba Pa Ti 3. Look Up (To See What’s Coming Down) 4. Just In Time To See The Sun 5. Incident At Neshabur 6. Bambele 7. Stone Flower 8. Batukada 9. Xibaba (She-Ba-Ba) Disc 2 : 1. Waiting / Castillos de Arena, Pt. 1 2. Free Angela / Castillos De Arena, Part 2 (Sand Castle) 3. Drum Solo 4. Mantra Castillos De Arena,Part 2 5. Earth/ People Make The World Go Round 6. Se A Cabo 7. Savor 8. Toussaint L’Overture Carlos Santana – guitars, percussion, vocals / Armando Peraza – percussion, vocals / Jose “Chepito” Areas – percussion / James “Mingo” Lewis – percussion / Richard Kermode – keyboards / Michael Shrieve – drums / Douglas Rauch – bass / Tom Coster – keyboards, vocals