Sorry for the late review this week! Moving into a new house has set me back a few days, but I'm slowly getting back to normal. With 1999's "Supernatural", Santana discovered themselves back in the limelight. My advice to any young fan of that particular cd is to discover more of Santana's music. The best way to "sample" this 30 year career is the newer greatest hits collection. Carlos Santana has slowly begun the process of remastering and rereleasing the early catalog of Santana's music. Not wasting any time at all, "The Best of Santana" is good timing in regards to capitalizing on the new found success with "Supernatural".
Doing a pretty good job at capturing all the "hits" of his career, these 16 tracks are a solid example of a 30 year career. "Jingo" and "Evil Ways" from the 1969 debut album shows a young and determined band early on in their career. "Jingo" is the ultimate tribal rhythm tune. Very much in tune with the late 60's hippie movement, "Jingo" is a free-style jam that blends bongos, drums, and percussion with Greg Rolie's hammond organ and Santana's agressive guitar playing. "Evil Ways" is arguably the most popular single that Santana has released... that is, until 99's "Smooth"! All the other "staple" early 70's Santana tunes are here, including Peter Green's "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Como Va". The latter tune always sounded more like traditional Mexican music; something similar to Tito Puente. Two more controversial addtions to this set are the top-40 radio hits of the early 80's: "Winning" and "Hold On". "Winning", off 1981's "Zebop", is definitely more pop oriented in nature, but Santana's hard playing style keeps the song in traditional form. "Hold On" was a brief hit in 1982, but it isn't as memorable as the other 15 tracks on this release. What attracts me more to Santana are the lesser known tracks on this release. The "cream" of this best of would be "Open Invitation" and "Soul Sacrifice" "Open Invitation" is an exciting and funky tune that further proves that Santana didn't lose any of their energy during the late 70's. It's a perfect blend or "fusion" of different styles on this tune. Actually, the live version of this song would have been an even better addtion. "Soul Sacrifice" is, by far, the biggest hightlight of 1969's "Woodstock" festival. Santana played their hearts out here, which included drummer Michael Shrieve's amazing drum solo and pounding bass from Dave Brown. The song literally takes the listener to that spiritual place that Santana tries to accomplish every time he straps on a guitar. This, for me, is what makes Santana one of my favorite classic bands to listen to.
I truly have no real complaints about the 16 tracks that were selected for this release. I would have included "Aqua Marine" or "Jungle Strut" in place of a few tracks on this release, but the line up is still very solid. For anyone who wants to "experience" the soul-lifting of Santana's music, "The Best of Santana" is a great place to begin the journey. Make sure you purchase the 1998 remastered version with the red cover. Don't confuse this with the lower-quality "Santana's Greatest Hits" from the early 70's.
