1. Going Home - Santana,
2. Love, Devotion and Surrender - Santana, Santana, Carlos
3. Samba de Sausalito - Santana, Areas, Jose Chepito
4. When I Look into Your Eyes - Santana, Coster, Tom
5. Yours Is the Light - Santana, Kermode, Richard
6. Mother Africa - Santana, Mann, Herbie
7. Light of Life - Santana, Coster, Tom
8. Flame-Sky - Santana, McLaughlin, John
9. Welcome - Santana, Coltrane, John
10. Mantra - Santana, Santana, Carlos
Album Description
Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. 2008.
Album Details
Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.
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Welcome
- Audio CD: 0 pages (2008-02-01)
- Publisher: Sbme Special Mkts.
- Label: Sbme Special Mkts.
- Studio: Sbme Special Mkts.
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 14 reviews
- Sales Rank in Music: #12525
Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: a masterpiece that most people don't own 2008-08-14
Comment: Welcome to perhaps the most underrated Santana album in his discography.
Why this album hasn't received the same kind of attention that the previous albums did is beyond me. Sure, Santana was probably feeling jazzy and wanted to spice up his music a bit. Add a little variety to his classic sound. That's what Welcome is all about- variety, and solid songwriting. But we already knew Santana would provide the consistently wonderful songwriting, since he's been doing it on every album since the 60's.
Now, with the mid 70's approaching, what would Santana whip up for us? How about a really good album. If you like the idea of jazzy elements mixed with Santana's latin style, you'll love this. I'm about ready to call it the lost masterpiece. It's almost impossible to believe people aren't looking at Welcome as Santana's most underrated record.
"Going Home" scares me. A LOT. It sounds like something you'd hear after something went wrong in the middle of an ocean, and the survivors are coming home, breathing a sigh of relief that they survived, but feeling sick to their stomach because they can't shake the horrible memories of what went wrong while out there, lost at sea. A quiet jam song that just continues to impress me every time I hear it.
"When I Look In To Your Eyes" has a mood that changes dramatically, and now we're back home watching Marsha Brady push shopping carts around (at least, that's what the flute solo reminds me of). I love the vocals though.
"Yours Is the Light" has some highly unusual and downright creepy female vocals (did I just say "highly" and "downright" in the same sentence? Does that make sense?). Anyway, the female singer here has a high pitched voice that immediately reminds me of a very cold climate, such as the north pole where Santa lives.
"Mother Africa" has a GREAT rhythm section, and a short, but very interesting jazzy jam in the middle. How a song like this flew under the radar, we'll never know. I really like how Santana captures the spirit of Africa. You can really feel it. Neat-o!
The title song at the end is just 6 minutes of alright guitar playing, and some weird, wavey piano fills, that give off a feeling of a ship returning home from... well, that horrible and bizarre incident that got a hold of Santana on "Going Home".
"Flame Sky" rules. The rhythm section can't touch anything Santana and John McLaughlin did on Love, Devotion and Surrender (the previous album) but the guitar soloing that builds and progresses into all sorts of imaginative things is rather interesting, and these two guitarists together is amazingly great.
Oh, and if the song isn't really called "Flame Sky" you have to understand, I'm too lazy to go check what the actual title of the song is called. I can't hit the back button either, thanks to slow dial-up speed. I don't feel like making it a day long camping trip writing up a review. We ain't got all day, baby!
I love Welcome. Please buy it if you're a Santana fan. Oh, and you're welcome!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Further into jazz-rock territory 2008-05-04
Comment: This is the 5th album by the "Santana band", but by this point the only guys remaining from the Woodstock lineup were Carlos, drummer Mike Shrieve, and percussionist Chepito Areas. They were joined by two (!) keyboardists (Richard Kermode and Tom Coster), percussionist Armando Peraza, bassist Doug Rauch and vocalist Leon Thomas. Carlos's chief collaborators in the band were Coster and Shrieve, who pulled the band in a decidedly jazzy direction. The overall sound is even mellower than Caravanserai and pretty far removed from the classic Santana sound.
Santana was never a great songwriting group, and so the meat of the album lies in the instrumental pieces. There's a beautiful arrangement by Alice Coltrane ("Going Home"), a serene interpretation of John Coltrane's "Welcome" (listen to Trane's original on Kulu Se Mama, it is heartbreakingly beautiful!), Chepito's very cool "Samba de Sausalito", and an intriguing cover of Herbie Mann's "Mother Africa" with the angular soprano sax playing of Jules Broussard. In addition, "Flame Sky" reunites Carlos and John McLaughlin in a fiery duel that easily exceeds anything they did on their collaboration Love Devotion and Surrender. The vocal tunes are mostly R&B-ish with the smooth vocals of Leon Thomas (I wonder why he didn't contribute any of his trademark yodelling), plus Flora Purim's classic voice on "Yours Is the Light".
This isn't an unqualified triumph, but people who like jazz-rock or this phase of Santana's career need to pick it up. Caravanserai is a stronger album, though, so check out that one first.
[This review is based on an older version of the album which did not include the bonus track "Mantra".]
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Accent on jazz 2008-01-25
Comment: Santana always played a blend of latin jazz and rock, but the accent was usually on rock. This album is the closer to jazz than rock. I liked it when it was first released (and I wasn't particularly into jazz yet), and over the years I came to like it more and more. It is a truly outstanding and unique recording. It does not have the standard Santana sound (which I also think is great) -- except for "Flame Sky", the guitar playing is quite restrained. Mike Shrieve's drumming is excellent throughout -- somehow he manages to sound simultaneously relaxed and frenzied. I never liked the opening track all that much, and I'm not always in the mood for "Flame Sky", but rest never gets tired.
Note: I have the old, non-remastered version without "Mantra"
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Latin Rock, Jazz and Fusion 2007-02-24
Comment: Welcome is Santana's Fifth studio recording album; Nothing like Santana I, Abraxas or Santana III; yet a pure state of art (Latin Jazz Rock fusion) musical release.
After his great success in his first 3 releases, Santana begins to discover new musical routes hand in hand with the Great guitarist John Mc Laughlin.
They release this CD hand in hand with "Love, Devotion and surrender".
Back in 1973, both albums were disregarded by most of the radio stations and even by most of Santana fans, who expected a more Latin Rock albums.
Obviously Carlos Santana was deviating from his original Latin Rock roots sound and taking the Jazz Rock fusion path.
Back to "Welcome"; if you are a Santana guitar fan, you will be pleased listening to this album today; it did not age one single minute.
If you are into Jazz, Rock and Fusion, this album would fit as a real Jewel in your musical collection.
Last and not Least; If you like this CD, I believe you would probably enjoy the following releases as well:
1. Love Devotion and Surrender by Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin
2. Caravanserai by Santana
3. Illuminations by Santana
4. Devotion by John McLaughlin
Welcome to the great Jazz Fusion sounds and music; Highly recommended.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: the most underrated santana record 2007-01-15
Comment: This record is sadly overlooked for reasons I don't understand. The playing and composition on this album is some of Santana's finest. This record and "Lotus" are two my favorites, the latter being the live counterpart to most of this material.
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