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hola amigos! bienvenidos a la casa de santana! he was born in mexico in 1947 he played his dads guitar. he was a mariachi player. then he adored the blues. bb king bobby bland coltran clapton and spanish music changed his life! then in 1966 he formed the santan blues band they played until the name was turned into santana then the moment he was waiting for came in 1969 when woodstock opend the doors and the sound of the band galvanized and electrified the hippies then the debut came and it sold like hotcakes!
soul sacrifice is jam! the woodstock version pulverizes the studio song!
abraxs came and then then the 3rd album! santana is a major hit! combing rock with a mix an eclectic mix of blues, salsa, african, merengue, funk, jazz, afro cuban congas, and all out rock! the mix is delicious! but then carlos had one problem band tensions forced to split the line up and go for jazz rock. caravanserai is a cosmic album that is a hit despite no singles. my favorite songs are song of the wind, se a cabo , samba pa ti, guajira, taboo, jungle strut, oye como va, all the love of the universe, and flame sky. he did more jazz rock with his pal super influential axman john mclaughlin in love devotion surrender. then came the jazz rock of welcome and borboletta. his guitar playing is so angry yet awsome and he did some bluesy licks, whammy bar hysterics!, and he speedy runs. he did a live set with buddy miles then came a super long lp called lotus! then came the come back in 1976 amigos! my second favorites are europa, zulu, naima, in a silent way, dance sister dance, el morroco, the river, i will be waiting, jugando, open invition, aqua marine, all i ever wanted, and she's not there! but the will be more hits since' 71 moonflower and festival are hits but then came inner secrets and marathon that slowed his career artistically flirting with coke addled disco! the 80's are not a good time for santana his solo albums are good but he needs more jazz rock sounds than pop!
the swing of delite, oness silver dreams golden reality, and zebop were good. but the mid 80's alubms for santana sucked! beyond apperances sucked shit just like that stupid assed song from that shaman album that plays every goddamn time on the radio! shango , havana moon , were decent, but beyond and freedom sucked! i do love his solo album blues for salvador! he won a grammy for the title track! he had a come back from decline and saved the day with supernatural! smooth and all th hits won carlos many grammys and then came shaman! well not as good as the other cause it may be too pop for old fans i the stupid song i mention was why don't you and i god how retarded ! anyhow i'm gonna close so adios amigos!
(Casey Brennan's review)
Out of the many bands that became popular from appearing at Woodstock, Santana may have been one of the most unique and promising of them all. What's so unique about them is that in an era of already amazing diversity, this band comes out of nowhere and almost seems to establish another genre of rock n' roll. The sound, which was created by the sum of all the band members, was one that threw Latin and African influences into a heady stew of blues and Rock n' Roll (and a bit of jazz too). It might sound odd that this group, in a slightly different incarnation of course, was actually formed several years before the recording of their first album. But it's true. Santana was carrying around this more or less same kind of style way back in the psychedelic era (which in reality was only two to three years before this, but which was quickly becoming ancient by 1969).
Even so, it wasn't until Santana that the band was finally able to show off what they had in store for the world. Thankfully, what they had in store for all of us is pretty impressive on their first try. The band's ability at making fiery improvisational jams is already apparent in the instrumental opener "Waiting", a track that gives off the first taste of band-leader Carlos Santana's (though he's really only considered a leader because of the group being named after him) shining guitar-work. Driven by the percussion (congos, bongos, etc.) and organ-work of the rhythm section, this tune is also a template for the sound of much of the other jams on this album, and hell for the next album or two. While a very good track to say the least, this could also explain why, over time, it becomes more unmemorable with the more Santana jams you get acquainted with.
Anyway, it is followed by the major hit off of the album "Evil Ways", which I'd say is a good introduction to the bands' spirit, though the closer "Soul Sacrifice" is an even better introduction for novices. The third track and second vocal-job on the album comes with the catchy "Shades Of Time", a tune notable for its' striking guitar lines. Probably the best of the vocal tracks on here (even possibly beating out "Evil Ways"), it segues into the even better "Savor", a track which contains a short, but captivating organ/percussion jam. This then brings us to the first real highlight of the album - "Jingo". While it consist's of yet another organ jam with occasional guitar leads, it is on this tune where the first truly memorable jam can be found; a repetitive and thundering one that basically makes its' presence known.
The next awesome number to come is a piano-based rocking jam called "Treat", which is sandwiched between two kinda decent, but unspectacular vocal cuts called "Persuasion" (organ-driven and bluesy) and "You Just Don't Care" (a slightly heavier track). Nothing can beat the full-throttle force of "Soul Sacrifice" though, the obvious prize of the album. Showcasing Carlos Santana's amazing ability at the guitar, along with excellent jamming from each of the band-members, this is a dramatic and awe-inspiring way to end a rather great album. Dammnn, i just wish i was there at Woodstock to hear this bugger!
Santana is one of my very favorite bands. Carlos Santana is one of my favorite guitarists. And this is one of my favorite albums. Why? One word. Soul Sacrifice. OK, that was two, but you follow me here. >From the instant that baby starts up with it's rumbling congas to the instant the last guitar not melts away, you know you've found paradise. But I'll say more on it in a minute. Basically, Santana was a totally unique band and a real melting pot of music. Considering the band had blacks, Mexicans, and whites all together playing, it's no small wonder that there were so many influences. Carlos Santana loved blues (especially BB Kind and Gabor Szabo), Gregg Rollie (organist) loved British Invasion stuff--Beatles, Stones, etc. Michael Carabello (percussion) was a Hendrix fan, drummer Michael Shrieve loved jazz, Chepito Areas liked Afro-Cuban stuff, and Dave Brown (bass) liked all kinds of stuff. Small wonder they sounded diverse. They started off playing as an opening act at the Fillmore West where they gained a following. They broke wide nationally at Woodstcok, and this first album took off on the charts afterwards. Basically, prepare yourself for a totally unique musical journey.
The first song, Waiting, is an instrumental featuring some pretty good organ work, hypnotic congas and bongos and timbales (or whatever else they used. As much as I love polyrhythmic stuff like this, I'm not good with obscure Afro-Cuban percussion instrument names.) Carlos plays some good licks, but this is only an appetizer. A mere appetizer, mis amigos. They follow this with the album's big hit, Evil Ways. It conatins all the trademark Santana features---congas and company, good organ playing, passable vocals, and absolutely mind blowing solos from King Carlos. The song itself is basically a "rootsy stomper" as George Starostin put it, but unlike George, I quite like it. I will admit that it would be far inferior without the end solo. My sweet stars does that thing cook. YOW! I wish I could play like that....
Next up, we have Shades Of Time which is directly joined with instrumental track Savor. The former opens with some stinging guitar lines and an interesting vocal melody in the chorus, plus all the usual features. Savor, however, doesn't really have much if any guitar. It's mostly a percussion and organ jam. Santana works best when Carlos is giving off hot licks, but this one strangely works without them. I am glad that it's short, though. If it was longer, it'd keep us from....... Jingo! You know "Ohhh, Jingo Ba! Go ba ba, go ba ba go ba ba go ba!" It also features some absolutely killer licks from Carlos, some moody organ, and a really powerful rhythm section. This one is vintage Santana, and a good example of how they fused Latin music with blues and jazz to create something totally unique.
Ok, now Persuasion isn't so hot. Rather, I don't like it quite as much as the rest. The solo just isn't as hot as the rest...notice all the usages of hot? That's what this music is like! Hot, sweaty, steamy, raucous, wild, but sometimes it can be so gentle and soothing....... As is the case with the aptly named Treat. It starts off with some jazzy, bluesy piano and gradually woks it's way into a Latino-sounding dance number. Kind of like Xavier Cugat with rock instruments instead of brass. The next to last song on the original release is You Just Don't Care, which is all-out blues. It also has a few spots of jazzy drumming, groovy blues licks, and really showcases the bluesy side of Santana. Now here it comes. The big one. The monster. The song that turned a whole generation onto Santana.
Soul Sacrifice. The studio version, that is. Courtesy of bonus tracks, you can now here the Woodstock version too. The studio version is slightly tamer, and also half as long. But this song could be 5 hours long and I still wouldn't care. It is huge, it is crushing, it will destroy you and rebuild you in it's running time. You will cry, you will laugh, you will wave your arms and shout, and if you're like me, you'll play air guitar and marvel at the impeccably awesome sonic beauty of Carlos' guitar parts. Now, the good folks who rereleased the landmark on CD included 3 of the band's songs from Woodstock. A new, extended, but oh so much better version of Savor appears here, and for a pleasant change, so does Carlos' guitar. However, it is still more of a percussionist showpiece, but it's so worthy of that!
Here it comes. The REAL monster. Woodstock Soul Sacrifice. Twice as long, twice as nice. Carlos really outdoes himself on this one. The drum solo is awesome, the organ playing is awesome, the congas etc. are awesome, but nobody can beat Carlos. He rips straight into his soul and puts it to music and he makes you love every second of it. Santana is emotional and realy is an almost spiritual and religious experience. After the 2 Soul Sacrifices, the ominously dark Fried Neckbones showcases some fabulous dark organ, some more kickbutt guitar, and also proves that Chepito can play the trumpet. He does it good, too. Great song.
This album is excellent mood music. Perfect as either pure listening music, crusing music, or background music for a party, etc. I love this one dearly, and I hope you will to. It will play with all your feelings. Plus, it'll make you wonder if Carlos Santana actually has 8 fingers on each hand. Cause goodness knows I'd need that many to play some of his licks.
HIGH POINTS: Waiting, Jingo. LOW POINTS: Evil Ways.
Santana was never one of my favorite guitarists, but I’m willing to give him a chance and listen to this little album here. And, lo and behold, there is some quality music o here. Not the hits (or rather hit, since this album only has one song that they never stop playing on the radio), though. No, I can't stand “Evil Ways” at all. I think part of this has to do with the fact that to me at least it sounds exactly like his other huge hits “'Oye Como Va” and “Black Magic Woman,” and I can't think of one without the other two immediately pooping into my head, which is something that I find incredibly annoying.
A lot of the other songs on here are just long jams, which vary in quality. The opening “Waiting” is pleasant, with the organ and guitar and everything working fine, “Jingo” is also another good one, with almost a tribal sound to it. I can actually imagine some council members dancing around a fire with it playing in the background. Come to think of it, it makes me want to get up and dance too... Er, ahem. As I was saying, there’s a lot of really long jams thrown in with some catchy songs here, and that’s about all I can say about the album’s structure in general. Come back again!
What it basically boils down to is this: however much you enjoy Santana’s guitar style will be how much you enjoy the album, because there isn't a whole lot else (except some organ and piano stuff here and there). And Santana never really impressed me as a guitarist. While certainly listenable, he lacks any real power at all with the instrument. There’s no real soul behind his playing, just some interesting guitar lines. Which can be good depending of what you look for in a guitarist. A lot of people worship this guy, and I’m just not one of those people. He’s decent enough, though, and that means that this album is decent enough too. Just nothing very special.
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(Casey Brennan's review)
While the debut album could sound a bit monotonous in spots because of the similar-sounding jams, this very worthy follow-up mostly fixes that problem. Many of the jams still contain the basic Santana formula of organ/conga/drums/guitar, but an edge of subtleness and a touch of diversity is added to the Latin-tinged Rock n' Roll mix. I'm not exactly talking about them using more instruments (although there is certainly more piano-work on this release), but rather that the playing is just so much more tasteful and engaging than before. The rhythm section of the band is playing top-notch through-out, and the amount of great ideas and licks thrown around by each band-member is wonderful. However, as note-worthy as the percussion and keyboard-work is, I must still give Carlos Santana the most credit for making 'Abraxas' an astounding listen in the long run. Who doesn't anyway.... have you ever heard anyone talk about someone like, say, conga player Mike Carabello, as being the shining member of the album? Probably not.
But going back to Carlos, the man impacts each recording with some kind of emotional or gut-wrenching guitar solo, or at least, as in the case of "'Singing Winds, Crying Beasts", an incredible and very effective guitar line. In fact, that one single guitar-line of the tune I just mentioned may be the best stroke of genius on the whole album. Still, to find the best example of Carlos Santana's excellent guitar-work, you need to look no further than on his five minute plus solo piece "Samba Pa Ti". Played against a nice back-beat, this extended guitar work-out is very captivating to say the least, showing Carlos hitting all the right notes and pulling out some of the most wonderfully emotional guitar-lines he ever has. It's such a moving piece of relaxing mood-setting music, that it may even bring one to tears (no way will I succumb to tears over this though ha!). It's just that great.
It works as a nice breather as well, being set in-between two non-instrumental Woodstock-styled tracks called "Mother's Daughter" and "Hope You're Feeling Better" from band-member Greg Rollie (the keyboard player and vocalist). Probably the stronger of the two, the former song starts off with the sound of an organ before becoming a very good rocker with exciting jam bits, while the latter is simply memorable for the heavy verses. The two other vocal tracks to be found on here are also the major hits from the album. The first one is a bluesy Fleetwood Mac cover called "Black Magic Woman". Now I never actually heard the original version, but Santana seem to pull it off well enough, turning it into a mystical, gloomy, and atmospheric tune highlighted by its' main guitar solo. But wait, that guitar solo melds right into the second part of the tune, the even better "Gypsy Queen". Starting off with the crunch of loud guitars, it turns into a salsa-tinged classic with some fast-paced and exciting jamming from the band (the keyboard is definitely a good touch), and a load of excellent sustained guitar effects throughout.
When it all ends, it leads right into the second catchy hit "'Oye Como Va", which is notable for its' great salsa-styled melody and organ-work. The real meat of the album, however, comes right after these two satisfying hits in the form of "Incident at Neshabur". As one of my own personal favorites, this jazzy instrumental is a seminal piece of work that flows incredibly immaculately and which goes through many moods over the course of its' five minutes. Especially beautiful is the piano playing of Greg Rollie on here. His most engaging part may be after the calm mid-section when the optimistic piano melody enters to pick up the pace (followed by the other instruments) and eventually bring the song to a magnificent conclusion. Wow.Sure, the jams on Santana ain't bad at all, but this is definitely aeons ahead of anything on that album.
Following that masterpiece is a great instrumental called "Se a Cabo" (some Spanish chanting on this one), which doesn't let down with its' direct electric guitar and keyboard fills that follow each band-vocal 'Se a Cabo'. Another outstanding cut there. Finally there is "El Nicoya", a track which you wish were longer(it's less than two minutes long) since it opens up very promising and has such a fun n' snappy acoustic riff going to it. Definitely the best Santana album of the first three Woodstock-era albums, as well as the most captivating and diverse one. A must-have.
This one's even better than the first, and we all know how much I love Santana. Heck, even the album cover's better. BTW, am I the only one who thinks the red angel would look better with some hair? The cover art is striking and colorful, which really matches the fire and intensity of the music. There is some artistic growth on Abraxas, mainly found in the fact that the band dumps more jazz into it's melting pot of influences. The most obvious example of that can be found in Incident at Neshabur, which has some excellent piano playing, as well as the usual Carlos, Lord Of The Fretboard accompaniment. casey said it goes through several moods.....aye, that's quite right. Moody would be a good adjective to attach to much of the album. Rather than simply awe you with technical excellence or make you get up and dance, Santana tries to do all of these while simultaneously creating moods. There really is no other way to experience this than listening to it, but trust me, you won't be disappointed.
As nice as Neshabur is, I still like some of the other canciones better. Oye Como Va has always been a favorite of mine, and it's probably the best Tito Puente cover I've ever heard (not that there have been that many, mind you.) It's a fun Latino groove, but some real kudos go to Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac for talking Gregg Rollie and Carlos to record Black Magic Woman (and Gypsy Queen). They infuse it with some awesome sur-de-la-frontera power and espiritu, plus it has some more piano. Nice touch. That's one thing that puts this a notch above their first album. Diversity. You can't accuse Abraxas of being samey-sounding. However, I, like so many, prefer the Gypsy Queen part. Probably because it's faster. Or maybe because it reminds me of Andreea Raducan, a very cute Romanian gymnast whose picture is my desktop wallpaper. Yeah, so sue me.
My personal favorite is not one of these, or even the awesome atmosphere-fest of Singing Winds, Crying Beats. Nope, gimme Samba Pa Ti any day. This is one of those quintessential songs that shows Carlos Santana as being one of the best guitarists in the world. Breathtakingly beautiful and awesome. This leaves us with 4 tracks, none of which are bad or even mediocre, but ones that just can't hold a torch to the glorious beauty of the rest. Se A Cabo is basically Santana I-style jam, but with gruffer guitars and a tougher sound. It would have been a definite highlight on the aforementioned album. Mother's Daughter would have been as well, and even here it's still a pretty groovy composition. Hope You're Feeling Better has some dark organs and wah-wahed guitars, but little else. El Nicoya is a short little native-sounding Hispanic number with acoustic guitar.
If you get the remaster, you also get three bonus tracks. Santana live is pretty cool. They do a live version of Se A Cabo (good), Toussaint L'Overture (Far-out! The studio version's on Santana III), and a live BMW/GQ (good). This is a must-have album for the classic rock lover. It's mind-bogglingly played, and it has some amazing mood changing effects. Get it today, before it's too late! Go now. Out the door. To the local music vendor. Now!
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(reviewed by Casey Brennan)
This, the last of the 'Woodstock period' albums, shows the band digging deeper into their Latin and African roots. It's also a bit of a downfall when compared to Abraxas because, for one, the jams themselves are a whole lot less captivating (though still quite interesting), and number two, the songs aren't too melodic or memorable. That can't be said for the fairly conventional lead-off track "Batuka" though, as that one contains a catchy killer riff that shakes with a lot of verve, great-as-usual percussion (congas, timpanis & drums), and a memorable electric guitar solo. But for several of the lengthy tunes on here, there just isn't much in the way of memorable playing from the band, or 'great' guitar solos from Carlos Santana.
"Toussaint L' Overture" shows itself to be a rather non-descript jam with some speedy organ and guitar-work, while tunes like "Guajira" and "Jungle Strut" are just o.k. instrumentally and melodically - both are a little too long to justify their length. Let me be a little less harsh and state that these tracks are still pretty decent, just not quite up to the standards set by the first two releases. Fortunately, the other lengthy cuts are pretty much up to snuff. The bluesy "No One To Depend On" and "Taboo" are both pretty excellent tracks appearing early on; the former cut has an astonishing guitar solo with one part that sounds like a thousand nails are being drilled into a wall, along with a rockin' instrumental part in the middle that contains an awesome jazzy feel, while the superb vocal job on the latter track perfectly compliments the soothing atmosphere it tries to create. Not to mention some more prime Carlos Santana soloing.
Ok, so when I said before that there aren't many great guitar solos to be found here, I meant really great - a lot of them still do actually rank up there. You have every right to sue me for misleading you earlier into thinking otherwise. On a shorter note, we have "Everybody's Everything", a brash horn-infested soul-ish Rock n' Roll number with a tolerable melody(kinda sounds awkward in the scheme of things), "Everything's Coming Our Way", a minor gem which has nice acoustics and decent melody, and the closer "Para Los Rumberos", a Spanish-sung salsa tune with another horn section. Despite being a pain to listen to sometimes, this album turns out to be just a notch below in quality from Santana and an overall satisfying listen. Now it was time for a few changes.
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(reviewed by Casey Brennan)
Santana decided to venture off into the newly discovered world of Jazz-fusion on this album. Being an almost all-instrumental release, the music has a free-flowing and spiritual feel to it, clearly depicted by the hazy and warm African desert sunset you see on the front cover. Accordingly, all the songs are connected together, flowing effortlessly from the mystically thumping opener "Eternal Caravan Of Reincarnation" to the latin-styled funky edge of "Look Up (To See What's Coming Down)", and finally to the guitar wank-o-rama found on the side-closer "Song Of The Wind", a tune which wraps things up excellently by containing an innovative and amazingly virtuosic guitar solo from Carlos. It's slightly less essential than his previous emotive solo piece "Samba Pa Ti", but it has great power to it all the same. So the first half is almost totally vocal-less, save for the creepy organ latin-jazz of "Just In Time To See The Sun" (this record mixes musical genres so fabulously that it's hard to describe what these songs exactly sound like), a fairly decent bridge between the previous two tracks.
Depending on your particular taste and how much you go for music of an experimental nature you might find the pot of gold to be on this first half, but for me, I kind of like side two a bit more. Not because it's a somewhat easier listen, but mainly because it contains the brilliant cover-tune "Stone Flower", an elegant night-time epic with distant-sounding lead vocals, an interestingly-done shuffling percussion job that only enhances the beautiful mood further, and gushing calculated guitar fills after each successive verse. The part towards the end where the song leaps into an instrumental coda section with simple little keyboard fills is very nice as well (as is the whole melody of the tune). It may actually be one of my favorite Santana songs at this point.
"Every Step Of The Way" is another highlight with its' fast mystic jazz-rock jam and frantic flute lines that appear during the wheezing screams (which sounds odd to say the least); the incredible electric-fast guitar soloing that spirals the song out of control is a hoot too. The song surely goes by quicker than it seems. Then there is the spiritual cosmic-sounding "All The Love Of The Universe", which is another complexly-played song, along as another one of the three tunes on here with vocals. The distinctive guitar line that goes against the 'Oooooh' vocals is pretty memorable, but not much else is particularly captivating. Well neither are "Future Primitive" or "La Fuente Del Ritmo" as a whole, but they are stylistically nice as usual.
Oh, and we can't forget "Waves Within", a track which isn't great, but contains a wonderfully hazy dream-like atmosphere and more speedy guitar-work from the man himself. That tune, like most of the album, carries a pleasant vibe throughout, while containing much of the bands, and specifically, Carlos's more interesting and professional playing talents. Certainly the most challenging album of Santana's career, as well as a mildy rewarding experience once one gets used to it all. Definitely not for the weak-hearted - like all those new teenybopper Santana fans running around these days.
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