Abraxas

Wow! I came into this dreading an album full of 9 minute songs of musical masturbatory guitar solos, but that couldn't have been further from the case. The songs were short and rocking. Guitar work was tasteful and impressive and I was blown away by the percussion section. It felt like a jazz album of rock with a Latin feel.

Really good at recreational drugs, very good at guitar, pretty good at polyrhythmic rock, only okay at turning it into songs.

Wow… what an album! Of course I was super familiar with “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Cómo Va" and went in loving them. But hearing these in the context of the album was almost like hearing them for the first time with “Singing Winds, Crying Beasts” leading in and “Gypsy Queen” in between taking these songs to an entirely new level. I’ve really been missing out only hearing them as singles. Side A is rounded out by “Incident and Neshabur” - another fantastic song. It’s complex with time signature changes flowing along on a wave of incredible percussion - an utter joy to experience. I can only imagine how great this would be live. Side B doesn’t let up and I absolutely loved it at first listen. From the joyous instrumental “Se a Cabo” into the sultry opening of “Mother’s Daughter” there is a lot to love here. The vocal performance in the latter is fantastic. A great song that I’m surprised I haven’t heard before. “Samba Pa Ti” I have heard before somewhere, but not sure it was from Santana. Really beautiful song with some incredible guitar work. “Hope Your Feeling Better” leans more towards a funk/rock vibe supported by that incredible organ and guitar work that runs through the entire album. The album closes with and exciting finish on the percussive chant-heavy “El Nicoya.”

Making a mental note to listen to this the next time I'm on Schedule I drugs

So Mexico didn’t pay for the wall but I had tacos for dinner and Santana is awesome It’s hard for me to assign 5 stars to an album I’m mostly hearing for the first time (except a couple songs).. but I really got into this one. His guitar sound and riffs are so nice - and the other instruments esp percussion really create a certain feeling. I’m sure I’ll listen again

You know I love Santana. This one feels a lot more jammier than their debut. We do get some ventures into Jazz Rock on Incident at Neshabur. I don’t think anything is like mindblowingly incredible, but Carlos is ON POINT and the songs kick ass. They fuck. Not in love with the intro, but all the other songs absolutely go hard.

whoa - this album is incredible. I went through Santana's wikipedia and they legitimately have 60 former members

Santana has been a major figure in psychedelic and Latin Rock since their self-titled debut album in 1969. And after having big success because of the Woodstock appearance, the follow up album was only more spectacular and even better. 'Abraxas' shines with the sprawling guitar work by Carlos Santana as well as the overall warmth the album gives out. I think it's a bit sad that this is the only Santana inclusion in the 1001 albums list, as at least one or two more would be more deserving for such a guitar legend. But at least they chose the right one to include here. 'Singing Winds, Crying Beasts' opens the album with ominous and nocturnal sounds made by piano and some sort of wind chimes. The guitar enters like a beast and from then on the song blends Latin Rock with Jazz Fusion elements and keeps the ominous and spiritual vibe from the beginning. A great instrumental intro track that really stands apart from most other songs on here. The following 'Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen' is the first song to really show the incredible guitar ability that Santana can offer. The song goes a much blues-ier way and the vocals just emphasize that, mainly because they feel like something you'd hear on a Cream record if they were doing Latin Rock. The fast outro just ends the song perfectly. An incredible song and easily one of the best ones in the entire Santana catalogue. In my opinion even better is 'Oye como va', just because the chorus is what comes to my ears every time I think about Santana. It is burned into my brain like only a few other things. The drive of the song, the bridge, the guitar, the extra tropical feeling because of the Spanish vocals and slight Salsa influence... It just flows like honey except the honey as a little bit of LSD added. The first half ends with 'Incident at Neshabur' that goes into more Jazz influence again and it works perfectly. While the song might not be as great as the song before, it is without a doubt one of the best ones on this album. Especially with that piano/guitar duo near the end. 'Se a cabo' opens the second side with a loud and rambling sound that climaxes into a stunning amalgamation of all instruments before turning quieter for a moment just to comes back as loud as before to throw you from your socks once again. More lyrics and vocals return with 'Mother's Daughter' and like before this feels very much like Cream only better and more diverse. The guitar really works as the chorus-like peak everytime it appears. Another highlight is the Samba inspired 'Samba pa ti' that features a very emotional and deeply connecting guitar solo that hooks you the moment it first comes to ear. It is my favourite song on the album, simply because I rarely hear a guitar solo that makes me as emotional as this. To compensate the very sentimental track from before 'Hope You're Feeling Better' is much more up-lifting and hard hitting including characteristics from Acid Rock and Heavy Psych as well as some Funk. It is incredibely groovy and full of delicous highlights. The album closes with Conga music which means it's the only song that isn't rock music at all and while it does close the album pretty nicely, I think the song just isn't as interesting compared to the incredible rest. favourites: Samba pa ti, Oye como va, Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen, Hope You're Feeling Better, Se a cabo least favourites: El nicoya Rating: decent to strong 9 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

Argued with myself on this one, undeniably a great album but you have to be in the right mood/frame of mind to listen to it.

I really loved this album. Santana is such an incredible guitarist, and the arrangements on this album are so complex and interesting. An all timer.

Santana is undoubtedly a great guitar player. This album has black magic woman and oye como va. Overall the album isn't that great but santana needs a mention on this list

Every time I am about to listen to some Santana, I expect to like it, but end up disappointed. I do like this kind of jazz-rock with strong latin influence, but I keep feeling that something is missing.

There were a couple of ageing guitar enthusiasts on my uni course who used to rave about Santana. I was 17 and into Techno, so always associated this music with the double denim crew. Listening now I wish I had given Santana more of a chance as this album is incredible.

Can't believe I've never heard more than 2 songs from this album before.

Santana. That name says it all in regards to guitar, and music in general. this was the first album, I had heard of Santana growing up, and it is still an amazing listen to this day

In this 1001 albums project, I feel like I have sat through a zillion late 60s white-boy psychedelic rock records, and they bore me to death. Really, when I think about it, they don't have a lot of life in them, and they meander around without much drive and they just shit me. In that context, I can see why Santana were such a dramatic success when they suddenly emerged in 1969. Their career-making appearance at Woodstock was the highlight of the festival (as far as I can tell from the film). Because they knew how to groove. The energetic rhythm drives everything, which is what all those other bands could never really get right. The Santana band can noodle as much as much as they like (and they sure do like to noodle, especially live) because you can dance to it. Despite Carlos Santana's name on the marquee, I'd like to call out Greg Rolie as the most valuable player here. His organ playing and singing really lift this record, and "Hope You're Feeling Better" is the standout original track on the record for me. That said, five (that's more than half) tracks from this album turn up on the 1974 Greatest Hits album, and deservedly so. As time went by, it became clear that Carlos Santana is a bit of a one trick pony, but it a pretty bloody great trick, and never displayed better than on this record. Personally, I prefer the self-titled album, but it's a near thing really. Between the self-titled album and Abraxas, you have all the Santana you'll ever need, but you really do need it.

This is a flawless album. Everything about it from drums, vocals, rhythm, lead guitar and more are executed perfectly and beautifully. Perfect

fantastic, tasteful culmination of Latin, jazz, and rock

While I've always considered myself a Santana fan, I've mostly been a greatest hits guy. I can't remember listening to an entire Santana album except for Supernatural until this past year. I did see Santana live on the Supernatural tour in 2002-2003 timeframe and even got to meet him after the show through a radio meet-and-greet. Anyway, Abraxas is basically a Santana greatest hits! Great album by a transcendent guitarist. I listened to this one three times over the last 24 hours. My favorite tracks are "Oye Como Va", "Se a Cabo", "Samba Pa Ti", and "I Hope You're Feeling Better".

Excellent. Very cool beats.

This fucking hit different. The guitar was everywhere all at once and just kept hitting. One of my favourite albums I have never heard of.

Listened to it twice.

Now we're talking! A couple of favorites here!

Awesome album from beginning to end. Santana is a rock god.

Discazo

Latin rock / psych rock / jazz fusion Heavily latin-influenced album that constantly transitions to new musical ideas, similar to prog rock. 9/10

Este disco me gustó mucho, y como comenté en MDH, creo que una razón por la que me gusta es porque no es "tan Santana", en el sentido de que por lo general se asocia a Santana con requintos atascadísimos y eternos de guitarra (no que sea algo malo, por cierto). Este disco no es "sólo" de requintos de Santana. Es una mezcla exquisita de rock ácido con influencias latinas y africanas. Just sit, listen, and relax.

Spy Kids

Cool grooves from time to time, but it’s a little one note for my taste. I did enjoy it, but I doubt I’ll really remember it.

Always hated having to play black magic woman on guitar hero, what a bloated hunk of fudge that song is. In adulthood, it’s not bad, but not impressive. If you came up to me and said “my uncle just recorded an album, check it out!” And then started spinning this, I’d simply say “oh that’s cool” and then go on my phone

I really dug me some Santana during the late-90's "Latin takeover" of popular music (Smooth featuring Rob Thomas? ¡Muy buena!). I always felt like a poser though, because classic Santana didn't do much for me - although there are some awesome remixes of Oye como va out there. And turns out it still doesn't - it's not bad, and you do have to respect a Latino artist bringing Spanish-language tracks and the Cali experience to the mainstream for the first time since Richie Valens (is this true? Don't know, but sounds good). But most of it sounds like the jam part of a Grateful Dead album, if Jerry Garcia were really good on guitar. So #Respect Carlos, but you're still getting a big tres from me.

Cool cafe sort of music but doesn’t grab me. Don’t get the hype on Carlos’ playing.

Je sais plus ce que c'était

Honestly didn't really enjoy this. It hasn't aged well and it is certainly note memorable or remarkable. In fact, as I am writing this my memories of having heard this album are fading....

What a vibe, really fantastic.

Lovely!

A classic

Great grooves, great guitar playing, and great rhythm section. Just an all around great album. One of my favorite gags in the Big Lebowski is when it hard cuts to them in their beat up car eating in and out burger and Oye Como Va is playing. High 5.

Kedvenc/Favourite: Hope You're Feeling Better Nagyon tetszett a latin-amerikai vonal, még több színt vitt egy egyébként is változatos albumba. Könnyen hallgatható, minden dala egyéniség. Egy élmény volt. I really liked the Latin-American elements, it brought more colour to an already diverse album. It's easy to listen to, each song has its own personality. It was an amazing experience.

Awesome album. 'Nuff said.

Un vrai ETERNAL BAAAANNNGER. Le mix de rock et de sonorités latinos est une bouffée d’air frais dans le landscape psychédélique. Les solos de guitares sont comme qui dirait très gucci, le bassiste est solidement ancré dans le tempo, tout comme les 18 percussionnistes qui viennent rajouter une profondeur vibrante dans le mix. N’oublions pas le claviériste, ce sacré Gerry au moulinet de feu. Pour résumer, c’est d’la bombe

Brilliant

Abraxas is the second studio album by Santana, originally released in 1970. Santana was so unique at the time. Psych rock with a strong latin influence. This record was sort of a departure from the sound of their debut. Their first album is marked by its rawness and organ-driven tunes. The band got a lot more rehearsed and practiced for this album, as it is very jazzy and jammy. It predicts was the band would go on to do on later albums. Overall this album absolutely rips. Everyone in the band is on-point.

Eclectically brilliant

I don't know why I haven't heard about this artist before. I love this characteristic soul coming from the 70's where they improvise and create wonderful melodies along awesome harmonies

This was awesome, I listened to it twice. Five stars.

So f’ing good

A really cool mostly instrumental psychedelic rock record. Lots of latin rock infusion (as I think Santana, according to this site, popularized it). The guitar playing is the obvious stand out as it's legendary. Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va and Samba Pa Ti are great stand out singles. All the other tracks are great. A very unique rock record with good balance and as close to a five star as anything else on here.

This is not just Santana. This is M&S Santana. A reference for any Americans reading this, there. First heard this getting stoned with my new housemates in 1999 or something, thinking what is this mystical noise? For some reason I can quite fathom, in the intervening 25 years I haven't been absolutely mainlining this shit. Love the chilled out groove which beckons us into the record. Love how Black Magic Woman tickles the edges of the Fleetwood Mac song before morphing into a monster Love the transition to mambo with Oye Como Va. Those two tracks alone make me want to go listen to early Mac and Tito Puente after this, while still loving what I am currently listening to. What more can you possibly ask of music? Incident at Neshabur is a heady groove full of beats, puts me in mind of I am the Black Gold of the Sun, and Ozric Tentacles. More Ozrics with Se a Cabo. Samba Pi Ti. Nice to hear the rest of it as obviously Marks have made the start into a porno soundtrack advert in all of our minds. This is just all absolutely tremendous. The more straight ahead 70s rockers Mother's Daughter and Hope You're Feeling Better are less engaging but they're absolutely both still good, and sit well amongst such greatness. Hope is great, actually. I wanted El Nicoya to go longer. It's positively rude to lay down a beat like that and just leave us hanging at the end of the album. A storm swirled outside and the day never got properly light, and this was pretty much perfect for staying in, cosy and warm to. Unfortunately, I have to go out!

Elite intro track and genuine grooves the whole way through. Great lounge album

General impression: it’s so fucking cool Detailed review: Might give this a 5 even though I’m not exactly in the mood for this album right now. It’s just hard to deny the kickass composition and playing all across this album. Even beyond “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Como Va,” which, come on, are fucking masterpieces, the rest of the album keeps the party going. I remember when I got my first Santana CD and loved the instrumental and Spanish language deep cuts even more than the pop hits. I guess that’s a tradition with Santana! Deeper thoughts (context): Score: 4.7 Number of albums left to review: 933 Number of albums from the list I’d consider “must-listens”: 40 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 28

This is one of the sexiest albums I've ever heard! The swing and synergy of the percussions and Santana's iconic guitars make you freely wander imaginatively through the curves of this Black Magic Woman on the album cover!

This is so close to a perfect album! It has the melodicity and to-the-point-ness of pop, the exploration of prog, the virtuosity of jazz and the energy of hard rock. The production is also absolutley outstanding. Love it!

Disco fundamental de uno de los guitarristas más brillantes de la historia. Su carrera ha sido tan larga como dispersa, con álbumes de excelente rock latino (antes de que esto existiera), otros más etéreos (su época setentera con largos desarrollos instrumentales y new age) o ese resurgir en los 90-00´s con dos aclamados discos de colaboraciones. Este es el mejor de todos, sin duda. Black Magic Woman, es una joya. La versión original de Green se queda desnuda ante el empuje y magia que le insufla Santana. Otro tanto pasa con Oye como va. Samba pa ti, Mother´s Daughter, Hope you´re feeling better... un disco inmaculado. The Beatles- Let it be, Paul McCartney-McCartney, George Harrison- All Things Must Pass, John Lennon- John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, LED ZEPPELIN-III, THE KINKS- Lola versus Powerman and the moneygoround, VAN MORRISON - Moondance, THE STOOGES - Fun house, THE DOORS - Morrison hotel, NEIL YOUNG - After the gold rush, THE VELVET UNDERGROUND - Loaded, BADFINGER - No dice, GEORGE HARRISON - All things must pass, FLAMIN' GROOVIES - Flamingo, IKE & TINA TURNER - Come together, ERIC BURDON & WAR - The Black-Man's Burdon, MC5 - Back in the USA, DAVID BOWIE - The man who sold the world, WILLIE DIXON - I am the blues, FLYING BURRITO BROS - Burrito Deluxe, SANTANA- Abraxas, Miles Davis- Bitches brew, Simon and Grafunkel- Bridge over Troubled Water, SIXTO RODRIGUEZ- Cold fact, THE SOFT MACHINE -III, DEREK AND THE DOMINOS- Layla and other assorted love songs, JJ PERREY- Moog Indigo, Carpenters- Close to you, SPIRIT- Twelve dreams or Dr. Sardonicus, DEEP PRUPLE- In rock, THE WHO- Live at Leeds, Credence Clearwater Revival. Cosmo's factory y Pendulum... y debuts de Black Sabbath (además de Paranoid),Elton John, Stephen Stills y Kraftwerk.

I’ve had a used copy of this record for decades but hadn’t listened in some time. I was blown away! Not only because of Carlos’ guitar playing but also the song craft and amazing rhythm section. A true masterpiece.

A visionary in guitar rock that transcends time.

Santana has been on my radar for a long time, I've enjoyed his Woodstock performance on several occasions, but I've mostly listened to the self titled album. I actually have a version of this album in my collection, but can't remember when I've listened to it the last time! And once again it's a joy, lots of latin vibes, "world music" meshed with rock, psychedelia and mysticism. I love it.

Carlos!! 5

Grooving, dancing, vibing to this album

Fact of the matter is that this holds up in ANY arena. No one can honestly soy they don't like this at all. It's totally infectious. This should represent 20th century are for millennia

cool Jazzy guitar driven instrumental

A river of creative guitar playing that is dripping with genius

Love it!

Mega! Samba Pa Ti

Very smooth and cool!

This is such a good album. Santana is just absolutely amazing, and his talent is in full display here. The entire first half is gorgeous and flows together perfectly. Practically flawless. The second half, while still great, doesn’t quite live up, but “Hope You're Feeling Better” might be the best song on the entire album. But still, it’s early Santana, where he’s arguably at his best. Easy 5 stars.

Þetta var frábær plata. Ég elskaði hana alveg í tætlur og mun hlusta á hana mörgum sinnum í viðbót. Ég þekkti mörg lögin en hafði aldrei hlustað á plötu með Santana áður. Frábært stöff.

An exceptional album. Santana has always had such a signature sound. And this is beautifully done.

Classics from his distinctive style, good for many occasions.

amazingly hot and diverse album. Extraordinary guitar and really captures a time and place.

One of a kind. Spiritual, soulful, mystical jams.

It's honestly really incredible how quality this sounds from the get-go, and it just never really stops. Black Magic Woman is obviously the well-known hit from this album, but in the context of the other songs, it really doesn't actually stand out all that much, because everything on this album is that good. I do wish there was some more vocals, just to help me differentiate the songs from one another, but that's really only a minor complaint. The vibes on this album never really stop. Favorite Song(s): Oye Como Va

I’ve been listening to this since I found it in my father’s record collection when I was 10 years old. Love it. Santana is a master of the guitar.

it was a whole experience listening to this album, I was amazed because at first, I thought it would be a more difficult listen (like the music you have to be previously acquainted with) but most of the songs are easily enjoyable and instantly likable

Great album

Definitely a great guitar album here. Not that I expected anything different from Santana but it was still wonderful to discover how good the whole thing was. Knew a few songs off of here already but fell in love with some new ones too. I feel like this is one where you are either really with it, or really not. I'm certainly the former though.

Tremendous guitar album obviously, the Latin rock Santana brings is upbeat and brings in additional instrumentation you won't find on other albums, or presented in a different way than you might have heard before. I particularly like how the organ is used in songs like Hope You're Feeling Better and Oye Como Va. The limited vocals on the album make it great to have on behind the scenes as well.

Goddamn, Carlos Santana can play a mean solo. Very Easy 5 for me.

One of the easiest 5’s yet. Arguably a 10. That was just blissful for me – what a stunning combination of Latin instrumentation, jazz standards, and rock music, all anchored by Carlos Santana’s fucking insane wizardry with the guitar. I knew he was good, but hearing him seemingly at his peak and his prime like this is fucking crazy – I don’t know that I’ve heard a guitar sound that good ever. Maybe on a Led Zeppelin album, or a Hendrix one, but besides those (which are already amazing in their own right), this feels like a golden standard. There is not a single miss here, only a slightly lackluster ending (El Nicoya really feels like it could’ve been at the very start as opposed to the last track), but I could care less – this is packed to the brim, and it feels like I could listen to it 10 times and still miss stuff. Just a masterclass in composing, instrumentation, and production tricks; the occasional panning really sells a lot of the depth of these tracks, but much like Kind of Blue, everything is so perfectly mixed that you can still pick out just about every instrument, while giving them each time to breathe. Seriously, I’m annoyed at myself for only giving Santana credit for the limited amount of stuff I’ve heard on Supernatural – this is excellent. One of the best albums we’ve gotten yet. Very easy 5, and a highly, highly recommended listen.

Santana is just so cool. Latin infusion, heavy jazz influences, and it just flat out rocks. Another Guitar Hero classic for me with Black Magic Woman, but I think my favorites are Incident at Neshabur and the reflective Samba Pa Ti. Santana is so expressive with his guitar, it's really one of a kind.

Beautiful blend of Latin, Jazz, and Rock. Each instrument feels like it tells own feeling in each song (most prominently, the guitar, obviously) and has a good mix of dance music to jam and groove to, to one's that make you appreciate the composition and listen to the instruments as they unleash their potentials. I'd give the album a 9/10.

Pretty good

Good intro great album

oye como va

This was exactly my kind of album. So smooth and just effortlessly moves from track to track. I could listen to it multiple times on repeat, in fact, I already did.

An iconic album by Santana.

Santana was a staple of classic rock radio in the 70s and 80s and this album had some of his greatest classics. Oye Como Va and Black Magic Woman are incredible tracks that would be on any Sanata greatest hits collection. This album basically grabs you with the raw energy of the first track and doesn't let go til the end. All time classic rock release.

\"Singing Winds, Crying Beasts\" as the extended intro to \"Black Magic Woman\"? Pure perfection! This album was peak Santana.

Awesome guitar work.

Fuck yeah! Normally I hate guitar heavy recordings. But Santana makes that bitch sing. This is a work of art.

I'd forgotten how good Carlos Santana was. I had this album 40 years ago but hadn't played it straight through for decades. A proper guitar god. There are tiny moments of unforgetable guitar beauty all over this album.

9/10…

Santana is great.

Easiest 5-star yet. The beginning of this album takes you for a slow and mellow ride with the nearly 5-minute intro. Then it fades into an absolute classic that is Black Magic Woman. After that, you get hit with another banger (Oye Como Va), and after that, an incredible psychedelic Latin jazz fusion jam that hits you out of nowhere. The tone switches, the slow hypnotic guitar, and the unbelievable percussion on this album are astonishing. Samba Pa Ti and the rest after it were high points for me. It ends with a percussion-heavy, almost tribal chant, which was the cherry on top. This shit was so beautiful from start to finish. Best - Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen, Oye Como Va, Incident At Neshabur, Se a Cabo, Samba Pa Ti (MPF), and El Nicoya Worst - no bad no mid not even good every song on this was GREAT 6/5

Really like the guitar and Latino combination of Santana. Atmospheric and chilled out music. Nice listen 👍

Santana is very nostalgic for me as I grew up listening to the albums in my house. I would certainly play some of this album at a dinner party and others while driving cross country. Favorites - Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen - Samba Pa Ti

My 3rd favorite Santana album <3

A deservedly classic album that sounds like one long jam session, Abraxas successfully infuses rock guitar with Latin rhythms. What an absolute vibe. The Tito Puente cover “Oye Como Va” might be my favorite track—a great song to just groove to. “Hope You’re Feeling Better” is the hard rock delineation the album needed. And of course “Black Magic Woman” is the dad rock song that played on repeat throughout my childhood— so it all feels nostalgic.

Beautiful album, with fine cuts throughout. Moonflower is my favorite, has been since the 70’s. But this is one of their best.

I love early Santana, the first three albums being my favorites. These records feature some of the era's most compelling album cover art and showcase Santana's profound influence on music long before the pop-rock era of Supernatural. There are many moments in the original trilogy of Santana albums that were obviously influential to 90’s and 2000’s bands like 311 and The Mars Volta. The musicianship displayed on Abraxas is incredible, the rhythm section is so tight and in the pocket and I could listen to them jam all day. Santana was still at a point to where his abilities were fresh to him, I feel like over time this is something that faded as he grew more comfortable in his role. Here he’s delivering with intensity and conviction and general excitement to be a part of this extremely talented band. All the songs here are highlights for me and this album will continue to be a regular in my music rotation.