Classic Rock
“Santamental”, the Christmas record Steve Lukather released in 2003, is being reissued on 7 November on CD and digital, with vinyl once shipments arrive. It has never appeared on digital or on vinyl: the 2003 edition was CD only, and it had been out of print for years.
Of the guests, the three people remember are Eddie Van Halen on “Joy To The World”, Steve Vai on “Carol Of The Bells” and Slash on “Broken Heart For Christmas”. Edgar Winter, Larry Carlton, Michael Landau, drummer Gregg Bissonette and percussionist Lenny Castro are on it too.
What Lukather points to is how it was made: six days, analogue 24-track, no Pro Tools, no click, no rehearsals, the takes played live, with Elliot Scheiner, Al Schmitt and Ed Cherney at the desk.
“It’s been almost twenty-five years since we recorded this album,” Lukather says in the announcement. “It’s found a new home, and feels like the right time to put this out.” From 2003 to 2026 is twenty-three.
Text by Enric Vilaplana