Santana / East Berlin 1987 / 2DVDR / Uxbridge
Live At Palast Der Republik, East Berlin, German Democratic Republic 6th April 1987. Pro-shot
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Europe in 1987, which was still divided by iron curtains. Introducing SANTANA’s finest professional shot that delivers rock to the other side.
The very historical show was held at “April 6, 1987: East Berlin”. Gorbachev, who became Soviet General Secretary in 1985, recommended Perestroika. Especially in 1987, the 70th anniversary of the Russian Revolution was reached, and with that trend, SANTANA’s East Germany performance was also realized. Speaking of 1987, it is the year of Carlos’s solo work “BLUES FOR SALVADOR” as well as the album “FREEDOM”. In order to sort out the circumstances around that, let’s look back at the schedule at that time and confirm the position of the show.
<< February “FREEDOM” release >>
・ March 3rd-April 6th: Europe # 1 (26 performances) ← ★ here ★
・ April 24th-May 24th: Europe # 2 (22 performances)
・ June 13-July 26: North America # 1 (23 performances)
・ August 14-September 12: North America # 2 (21 performances)
《October “BLUES FOR SALVADOR” released》
This is SANTANA in 1987. “FREEDOM” and “BLUES FOR SALVADOR” were released in the shape of the world tour, and the “FREEDOM TOUR” is roughly divided into 4 sections. The historic East Berlin performance takes place in the last two days of the opening “Europe # 1”, and this work contains the concert on the last day.
It became a hot topic from that time only on the historic stage, and it was broadcast on TV. It has reigned as a great classic for a long time. This work is also a classic professional shot, but it is (substantially) updating the highest peak quality. Until now, it was a master that was distributed in Japan over 10 years ago, but this work is different. Digitally rebroadcast on the German public broadcasting station “MDR” in March 2011. Not only is it broadcast from the station master without deterioration, but it is a DVD of the no error best master. That’s why the quality is ultimate. Of course, it was shot in the analog era, but the vivid contour and the glossy color are iron-clad formal-quality images.
However, this work is a little different from the official work. Although the quality of the master is completely official, the stage set is strangely light, the lighting is dark, and the hobby of arranging the primary colors is strangely old. The camera work is normal at first glance, and Carlos’ zoom is perfect, but when it comes to pulling, the number is small or the angle is plain. Probably because this is East Berlin. There were many domestic rock bands such as PUHDYS, STERN MEISSEN, and ELECTRA in East Germany at that time, but it may be that stage production and shooting know-how had not progressed. It’s more like the “70’s” than in 1987.
Of course, the “1987 sound and song + 70s mood” is not a fault of this work, but a unique taste. Probably because of the historic show, the set also behaves like a large number of 6 songs from the new release “FREEDOM”, but also has a wide range of representative songs, and Buddy Miles is a vocal performer as well as the album. He will also play guitar with “Texas” and “Them Changes / We Gotta Live Together”, and will also show “The Healer” to John Lee Hooker. Large volume of about 2 hours and 26 minutes in total. Moreover, because it was the first communal area and broadcasting, the performance was full of energy and the tension was uninterrupted even though it was a long time.
It is the ultimate quality board that has greatly upgraded the multi-camera Pro Shot that has long been popular as a symbol of the “FREEDOM” era. No, it is a masterpiece and masterpiece of “80’s SANTANA” itself in terms of quality and quantity. A historical video work that truly becomes a cultural heritage. Please enjoy a lot with 2 discs.