Reviews (page 7 of 14)
smooth and easy listen from start to finish
Enjoyavle but didn't really captivate
One of those solid 70s albums. Doesn't quite hit 5/5 for me, but definitely 4/5.
Spiritual experience.
Nice background music.
Never really been into Santana. They are good, but not my thing.
Fav song: Oyè Como Va
Why was this so popular? He's a great guitar player but there is sooooo much wasted time throughout this thing. It's got zero direction.
Santana is one of a kind. This was a great listen. I always enjoy hearing him play.
It is music I can listen to.
Great Album
Shocking little singing but irresistible rhythms. I found it boring, though.
theres so much music from this era that i know so entirely despite never having conciously decided to listen to. most of it is much worse than this album, i dont know why santana isnt in that group of artists. whole album was a little long, otherwise great
La verdad es que es un disco que te abraxa, te da calorcito y te llena de ritmo el cuerpo.
Un álbum más entretenido que la mierda que abre encima los 70 con canciones icónicas. Lo que no me deja ponerle 5 es que creo que hay un pequeño exceso de jam. Nota: 4/5
Un verdadero viaje psicodico Las últimas canciones fueron mis favoritas, se siente la influencia Grateful Dead 7/10
Good album. I don't have much to say. Santana is an amazing guitarist, very groovy. Would definitely listen again.
Now we're cooking, Carlos Santana! What a melting pot of musical styles this was, led by the virtuousness of Carlos on his guitar. There was so much much spectacular music coming out of San Francisco in the early 70's and Santana was part of that movement. This is my favorite Santana album, narrowly beating out their first album for that position.
It was decent but didn't blow me away. 2,5/5
Inte så kul, 2
The opening song was very slow, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the rest of the album. I was definitely able to apply prior experiences with latin inspired music here. It was a rather fast paced and groovy album. 8/10.
Easy 5/5, classic album with a wide variety of styles and sonic overtures contained within the overall Latin rock theme. Never gets old.
Cool Latin rock type of stuff, really expected to like it more though it got a little boring after a while
#661. A proggy jam band kind of album that is less than 40 minutes? Perfect 4/5: yarp
crazy mix. what a vibe.
I thought I rated this already. Anyway, this album is great in my opinion. Catchy, and has some great jazzy moments. Jacob you’re a bum for not liking it
I’ve never really been a fan of this type of rock instrumentation and this while having a little Latin swing its just jazz if it was annoying guitar solo after guitar solo Not my favorite thing
yessssss LFGGGG
This is such an uncle album.It's good. Mr Santana is a skilled guitarist and he never feels like he's just showing off. It's such an influential album too.
Clearly his best....
Great album - fab tunes, thx!
I prefer the debut. This one sounds good but does not fully take off. I missed psychedelic madness. But good album overall.
Nice!
Love these grooves. Why would anyone listen to steely dan — aja when this album exists??? The n-2th track is one of my favorites in terms of absolutely sentimental grooves. Pass the cigars mccusker! FOUR
Álbum bem latino, e a guitarra conversa bem com o ritmo das músicas. Gostei de Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen, Oye Como Va e a maravilhosa Samba Pa Ti. Tenho que dar 3,5
Very cool Latin rock music. You can see how something like this could influence a group like The Mars Volta.
With some of my Santana favourites and some I've never heard before but now like, this is an album that you can put on to which no one will complain about and ask for something else. I'll give it a 4 star rating for it's listen-ability.
I think many people are overestimating Santana's guitar skill. Based on this album, he is by no means a guitar virtuoso; I think the rhythm section behind him is often more impressive than anything he's doing. Also half the songs on here are covers, it should be noted. But it's definitely enjoyable music, has a great mood. Wouldn't mind hearing again, but there are at least two dozen bands from this era of rock music that I'd rather listen to
5. Some absolute bangers. Great album.
Ok
Amesome album, really great from start to finish with great synergy between the bass, guitar and percussive instruments
Overraskende godt. Selvom det var instrumentalt
Planant
5/10
I have always liked this album a lot, Carlos Santana is a wonderful guitar player and he shows that off here. The Fleetwood Mac cover is good, anything that Gregg Rolie is involved with gets bonus points from me, and "Samba Pa Ti" is just insanely gorgeous, right up there with some of my favorite instrumentals.
Great guitar, but that's Santana for you. Good vibes, more guitar than vocals. 4*
Decent! I'm more than okay with mostly instrumental music. Santana is obviously legendary. I enjoyed listening to this while I ran an errand on a 97F/36C day.
Top notch
Good
Bring back sexy guitar
"Abraxas" is the second studio album by American Latin rock band Santana. Latin rock, Chicano rock, jazz fusion, pyschedelic rock and blues rock. Yeah, quite the spread but true. The bandmembers at time included Carlos Santana (lead guitar, backing vocals and produced the album with Fred Catero), Greg Rolle (keyboards. Lead vocals), David Brown (bass), Michael Shrieve (drums), José Areas (percussion, congas, timbales) and Michael Carabello (percussion, congas, keyboards). Commercially, the album reached #1 in the US and #7 in the UK. The album has had significant critical acclaim and, in 2015, it was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for its artistic significance. After the lovely opening instrumental "Singing Winds, Crying Beasts," the band kicks into the Peter Green cover "Black Magic Women/Gypsy Queen." An organ, congas and that famous guitar line. More percussion is added, the bass comes in and then a piano jam. That's all before any vocals. The songs veers psychedelic with a guitar jam and the beat. The ending is an instrumental cover of Gábor Szabó's "Gypsy Queen." They're not shy with the covers are they as they go right into their other big one, Tito Puente's "Oye Como Va." Those organ keys, the percussion, the guitar riff and then they all join together. The vocals with minimalist lyrics. A long organ jam. More guitar. I think even cowbell too. "Samba PA Ti" is an instrumental Carlos wrote when he was a jazz saxophonist. Slower guitar and softer percussion and bass. An exquisite guitar jam. Greg Rolle wrote "Hope You're Feeling Better." Organ, drums and a wah-wah guitar. The guitar and bass give this a bluesy vibe. Heck, even a prog vibe. Another showcase Santana guitar jam. To say this was a musical fusion alone does not do it enough justice. There are Latin and rock polyrhythms, a soulful organ, a jazzy piano and a guitar and bass that go rock, jazz, blues, prog and elsewhere. This band can seriously jam with the guitar, organ and piano all throwing it down. And that's on top of the three percussionists who anchor it all with multiple beats and time signatures. Musically, there's a lot to like here. Half of the songs are instrumentals and the time just flies by as you listen. A true classic and one everyone needs a listen to.
This album is pretty good. I enjoyed it. 1001 album worthy: yes 102/189
Some very good stuff but also some really drawn out jams that don’t really do much.
Santana never really did it for me
"Oye Como Va" is such a good song
184/1089 - It's really cool how versatile rock is as a genre, this album being a good example of the fusion of latin jazz and rock. Definitely gonna listen again.
Yeah it's alright. Some cool riffs here and there. Not really my cup of tea but it wasn't a total slog.
Couple of great songs, had a nice vibe, but most of the album is pretty forgettable. Singing Winds, Crying Beasts (5/10) Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen (10/10) Oye Como Va (6/10) Incident at Neshabur (6/10) Se a Cabo (5/10) Mother’s Daughter (7/10) Samba Pa Ti (5/10) Hope You’re Feeling Better (8/10) El Nicoya (N/A) 6.5/10
oye como va
The playing is superb, the mix of Latin, jazz and rock was trailblazing, and it is amazing that out of this hybrid two songs found their way to pop chart success. That said, I’m not generally a jam band fan, and too much of this blends into one continuous song for me. Respect for the musicianship, just not one I can see reaching for.
santana are too cool for this world 3,5/5
I seem to remember Black Magic Woman going a lot harder than this. This was an alright album, but it did make me realise Santana is mad overrated in the grand scheme of things. There’s some decent instrumentals on this album, but I’ve heard better.
An album I’ve seen but not listened to before, I actually have it on vinyl passed down to me. I have to say it’s a shame it took me this long to actually listen to it cause that was pretty amazing, pure energetic Latin jazz fusion with some western rock in the mix a bit aswell, the entire album was great with the first song acting as a great soft introduction and then breaking into one of the lead singles and then just going on an amazing run till the very end with a short instrumental to end it off. The guitar playing was amazing aswell by the one and only Carlos Santana and the organ in some parts aswell was awesome. Overall, 8.5/10, my way of singing its praises but keeping it just from being a 5.
Et par greie låter, ellers ikke mye å skrive hjem om. Svak 3’er.
Great songs feels like we're in Mexico!
Incredible album
Loved this! Hate Black Magic Woman, but everything else was wonderful.
No thanks
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Perfect background music, and gave one of the best transitions in music!
Abraxas is the backdrop to every driving game on the PS2. No I will not elaborate further.
fajne calkiem przyjemne
Was initially meh when I saw this album pop up. Still traumatized by hearing Smooth every five minutes when it came out, which probably tainted me to Santana Pleasantly surprised. This album has a lot of killer guitar work and melody. Really really enjoyed it
Superb fusion of virtuoso rock guitar and Latin rhythm section. Liked it even more on subsequent listens. 4½
Simplemente wow
Background noise, but not a bad album.
Very pleasant psychedelic rock, easily 4+. Good to finally meet the Black Magic Woman's origin
4.4
Fucked incredibly hard
Santana plays a mean guitar. I could listen to Santana instrumental tracks all day.
Santana is such a vibe. Honestly sounds like elevator music with kick ass guitar solos.
Definitely groovy.
I know only a few Santana songs and as far as I'm aware, I'm not at all familiar with this. I don't normally go for guitar rock, which I believe this album to be the case. So as a surprise to myself, I actually do know tracks 2 and 3, Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va. I like the song Hope You're Feeling Better, it's got kind of funky rock beat. This album is really well recorded. It's pretty clean sounding, which isn't usually what I look for but it's good. Santana is obviously a very good guitar player. So overall, I get why people like this but in the end, it's just not something I'm likely to return to based on personal musical preferences alone.
It's ok. There are a few jams (Mothers Daughter) but not really consistent.
Not really for me
sehr geil! gueti stimmig, gueti musig. gefällt mir.
There's an undeniable vibe to this album that hits just right
God this is good. I'm learning Oye Como Va on the drums. Five stars for the god of guitars.
Mysticism and guitar virtuosity in an obscure late 60's package that seems to get overlooked more than its contemporaries. I might still appreciate the self titled a bit more, but this is miles more interesting than his work with Robert Thomas that would come in three more decades.
I didn't know this album was so popular. It's one of those unique albums that surprise me. There's so much to like about "Abraxas". Santana managed to combine two entirely different genres and combine them perfectly. What a way to end the week. 4 stars for "Abraxas"
Mid to high 4, very easy listening and fun Latin grooves
Never heard of this band before! But really enjoyed the relaxed, jam band nature of this album.
Increíble construcción musical como se mezclan los instrumentos y los arreglos tremenda composición y técnica de guitarra y bajo, y música en español. Obra maestra
One of Santana's best. Oye Como Va is my favorite song from him.
I feel like this is an experience that I need to have - but I don't think I can have it at this time
If you like Santana this is the album for you, I’m not a huge fan but I appreciate the skill. Not something I would seek out but it was not objectionable.
1. Signing Winds, Crying Beasts - 8 Really love the synthesizer and the guitar sounds great. The build up and out into the next track is flawless. 2. Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen - 9 Lyrics are extremely simple and very repetitive, but the instruments are very clearly what lead the track. That's the intention at least and the guitar on Black Magic Woman is superb. Overall the sound is great on it. When the track picks up into Gypsy Queen it feels out of place until the guitar comes in more and the song crescendos. Fantastic piece of music. 3. Oye Como Va - 11 Musically this is a brilliant track. The guitar, the organ-like synthesizer, the very brief lyrics. Everything about this track is stellar. Absolutely unbelievable sound. 4. Incident at Neshabur - 9 Guitar sound is just outstanding on this track. I'm running out of superlatives to label these tracks because they all just sound so very very very good. The pace change is a bit sudden on it but it leads to some more awesome notes from the guitar. Piano is a lovely addition at the end of the track. 5. Se a Cabo - 8 Excellent. Just all around excellent. 6. Mother's Daughter - 10 Instruments are great on this track but unlike the rest of the album, it's got a lot of lyrics in it and they are exquisite. Santana's voice sounds really really good as does the excellent use of the drums, which often rolls the song both in and out of the lyrical parts of it. All of this before an amazing guitar solo to end the track. 7. Samba Pa Ti - 9 Slower song and an awesome listen. Guitar is the star of the show and builds up into the track brilliantly before becoming a full fledged solo. I originally was only going to give this a 7 or an 8 before that absolutely stunning guitar at the end. 8. Hope You're Feeling Better - 10 Lyrics are very very repetitive but how can you not love a song with that amazing a solo in the middle of it? And if that's not enough for you, you get another lovely one at the end. Instrumentally this is a complete masterpiece of a track. 9. El Nicoya - 6 Bit random to end the album on this track. It's also completely random given what else has been on the album. There's not much to it. Very simple lyrics and very simple instrumentally but I cannot be too harsh on the track because it's only 90 seconds. Average Rating: 8.89 Adjusted to a 5-Point Scale: 4.45 Rounded Down: 4 Stars
Enjoyed it great music to sit on the beach and listen to
Not my usual but good!
Wow this is a banger. I also just learned Santana DVX is real. God is good
This freaking rocked. I expected this to be cheesy solo electric guitar shredding but it is way better. Sorry Carlos, I doubted you.
I have come to really like Santana and Abraxas is probably my fav album of theirs. one thing i dont get is why is the band named after carlos.. he did produce this album and write two songs but so much of this music feels extremely collaborative ! its just funny that its named after him when its such a group effort
Pure Santana. Knew a lot of the songs growing up my parents listen to Santana all the time so this album has a nostalgic feeling great album to pop on and have in the background while doing other things wouldn’t listen to every day but definitely need this one in the final collection. Such a fun listen
Surprisingly dull
Santana the goat. What else to say.
C’était chouette, à réécouter
Greek?
I love this album best at night - so mysterious and other-worldly.
I was mildly ashamed that I only knew Santana by way of Michelle Branch & Rob Thomas (I thought) and so was pleasantly surprised to find that I did recognize some of his other songs. That said, I thought it started out nice enough and then got bored. Maybe 3.5 if that were an option
I enjoyed the overall sound of this album. It was a lot jazzier than I expected. Cool to listen to since I knew Santana but never really listened to an album. Incident at Neshabur sounds so cool. It actually reminded me of a song from the sound track of an anime called Read or Die. Oye Como Va is a vibe.
Didn't mind listening to it, and "Black Magic Woman" is a great song. But it turned out to be more boring than expected. At least it was short.
Santana is what you get when you take some potentially solid jazz, cross it with a jam band, then make it as bland and uninteresting as possible. Cap it off with tacky early 70s stereo production (only hard panning allowed!). I'll ignore the fact that it's even more boring to perform these tunes than listen for these ratings. I'm not saying Santana is bad. Just that it's boring and repetitive. Even Santana's guitar playing is white bread--good, but doesn't build or go anywhere. At the end of the album, things started to get interesting. But then I noticed Tidal had started auto-playing Frank Zappa after the Santana finished.
4.0 / 5.0
Smooth.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this album, especially Oye Como Va and Incident at Neshabur. I particularly appreciated how many instrumental (or almost instrumental) songs it had.
relaxant
My day kinda sucked, but when this album was playing, it ruled.
2.5/5 - fun! But not really my thing. Standout track: - Mother’s Daughter: 4/5
Good album. Enjoyed the Latin/jazz influences. Got a bit bored towards the end but short enough album for it not to be an issue. Overall:8/10
Some good songs
This album did it for me since I was a kid.
Das Album Abraxas von Santana wurde 1970 veröffentlicht und in den Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco sowie in den Pacific Recording Studios in San Mateo aufgenommen. Die Bandmitglieder stammen überwiegend aus den USA und Lateinamerika, was sich in der stilistischen Ausrichtung des Albums widerspiegelt. Musikalisch bewegt sich Abraxas zwischen Latin Rock, Blues Rock und Jazz-Einflüssen. Die Verbindung von afrokaribischen Rhythmen mit Rock-Instrumentierung ist für das Werk charakteristisch. Besonders prägend sind Stücke wie „Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen“, das mit einem fließenden Übergang zweier musikalischer Themen arbeitet, sowie das Instrumentalstück „Samba Pa Ti“, das sich durch seine schlichte Melodieführung und eine klar strukturierte Dynamik auszeichnet. Auch „Oye Como Va“, eine Adaption eines Tito-Puente-Titels, wurde zu einem der bekanntesten Songs des Albums. Das Zusammenspiel der Band ist präzise und rhythmisch differenziert, wobei die Gitarrenarbeit von Carlos Santana in mehreren Stücken eine zentrale Rolle übernimmt, ohne sich in Vordergründigkeit zu verlieren. Abraxas ist ein sorgfältig produziertes Album, das verschiedene musikalische Einflüsse verbindet und einen eigenständigen Sound entwickelt. Die Stücke wirken auch aus heutiger Sicht geschlossen und durchdacht.
Rating (1-5): ✩✩✩✩✩ Higlighted songs: Black Magic Woman / Gipsy Queen, Oye Como Va, Samba Pa Ti, Hope You're Feeling Better Por el culooooooooo
Carlos Santana is an unparalleled guitarist, delivering soulful, masterful playing throughout the album. But it's not just him. The entire band brings an incredible level of skill and energy. From the rhythm section to the percussion and keys, every instrument adds to a rich and electrifying sound. It's nonstop musical excellence from start to finish.
Très bon album agréable à écouter en lisant au soleil🌞
Very good album, experimental while creating actually enjoyable songs 4/5
Santana. Enough said.
You might hear something on this album that sounds like a cliche, but if you do, this is probably the guy that invented it. The fluid, continuous melodic content that Carlos Santana provides throughout this record is remarkable not just in its fluency but also in its ability to take over and recede from the listener's focus as needed. Santana also pioneered a couple of other guitar-nerd classics: popularizing Paul Reed Smith guitars and Mesa/Boogie amplifiers (he literally gave Mesas their second name, saying on first hearing Randall Smith's work, 'man that thing really boogies!'). Wonkery aside, this is an album that is unapologetic about its influences, whether Latin jazz or psychedelia. It's cohesive, too -- the Latin rhythm section, the Ray Manzarek-like organ work, the (occasional) vocals, the driving bass lines and the namesake's searing guitar work, veering between expressive jazz-influenced solo lines and hard rock. It's a lot for a band to wrangle if you think too much about it, but this is an album that must have been thoroughly felt in the writing of it. This is an album for which words like 'lush,' 'driving' and 'influential' pour out easily. It's better to sit for 40 minutes with it through some good speakers or headphones and experience for yourself. It's not perfect -- I think without the emotional weight of affecting lyrical content on most of the songs, this'll leave you a day or two later -- but it's a gem. As long as you like music made with guitars, because that's a strong focus, here.
Great Album. Some well known songs that are timeless. Some more obscure, but musically enjoyable to listen to.
3 it's ok
Good album - nice to listen to it again 4/5
For someone who hates jazz, this is an awesome album. Front to back, all the way, I was hooked by every song. Layered, transcendental, wonderful. I got lost in the songs and was left wanting more. My Rating: 5/5
one of the instances that make me sad i don't do drugs, but then again, this album feels like a high in the best way possible, so i guess drugs are not needed. this album is surprisingly timeless. sure, it makes sense it came out`70 but i als would not have been surprised if you told me it was released by some niche underground band last year. the perussion is truly to die for and the guitar solos are hawwwwt!
Smooth, sexy, stylish. This album is wonderful and well put together. Amazing instrumentals with great vocals! Easy 5. 'Black Magic Woman' takes the fave spot for me.
this is great
I might just have a poor attention span, but this didn't really capture me.
This album absolutely rules.
A favourite album since I was a kid.
Pretty cool I guess, sorta average, didn’t stick out. 3 stars
Really enjoyed listening to this album. It sounds like someone gave Khruangbin shrooms and new instruments (jokes aside, they might have drawn inspiration from this)
I'm not a big fan of Carlos
It's fine
Really enjoyable
Holy shit this album rocked my world! First off I just knew Santana as that guy who made that song with Rob Thomas that you could escape in the early 2000s cause it was EVERYWHERE! (Which is a guilty pleasure now cause it’s so nostalgic for that time in my life) But seriously, this album fucking rocks! It’s got a lot of crazy impressive and emotional guitar playing and instrumentation. Like I know this is Santana’s band and it all built around his playing, but he has some great musicians in his band to accompany him. I knew I liked black magic woman, and I knew I liked “oyo como va” cause both of those songs have been saved in my phone for as long as I can remember but I never listened to the album as a whole actually better that way. There’s so much going on in this album you really gotta give it a try. It’s fantastic!
a little too instrumental but appreciate the music
Good album. A classic!
4.5
Una mezcla sonora de ritmos latinos e instrumentación anglosajona, bañada con la estampa melódica de la guitarra de Santana. "Samba pa ti" es una de esas piezas que hace querer aprender a tocar el instrumento.
Not my cup of tea. In the history of rock music this might be a five star gem. I can only rate it on how much pleasure listening to it gave me.
Legendary. Part of the Holy Trinity of Santana albums: - Santana (1969) - Abraxas (1970) - Santana III (1971) **All respect and admiration is due.
Favorite Track: Incident at Neshabur
I find Santanas guitar tone fatiguing, regardless of how good he is. some classics on here though that can't be denied
Awesome album
INSANE! pac instrumentali dbest, atmosfera kr jih tej bobni nrdijo, klavirske in kitarske solaze trgajo gate. groovi so mindblowing. res sm uzivala u tem albumi
Fantastic
Best Song: Samba Pa Ti. There is a really gentle sweetness to the guitar here, especially in the intro sections, that I loved. Worst Song: Singing Winds, Crying Beasts. Not a bad song, but it felt like more of an extended introduction to the album than a meaningful song in its own right. Overall: I mean, Carlos Santana is just really fucking good at the guitar, but what I particularly liked about this album, relative to other "guitar-heavy" offerings, is that it felt like the non-guitar instrumentals were allowed to shine in a way that further elevated the guitar. In that way, the album didn't feel like an excuse to show off as a guitar virtuoso, but as an integrated effort to really make the instrument sing.
I like this record’s sound quite a bit, its pulsing latin rhythms, emboldened by Santana’s warm, tasteful guitar. This is a talented group, and if the music didn’t meander so often, I might find something solid to latch onto. Alas, meander it does. A lot. Top Tracks: Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen, Oye Como Va
Short and not too bad. I think I will warm to it.
Nice n chill
Pretty cool latin rock, not something I'd come back to often but it's good. 6/10
Jävla nice rocky rock rockigt som helvete. Nästan fyra egentligen men den får en femma
It was fantastic. I really enjoyed this one, the songs, the Rhythms, the melodies, the splendid Guitar solos from Santana, the magical arrangements . Masterpiece !
this was just excellent music, very much enjoyed it. can't believe how late to the party i am with Santana.
Great mix of psychedelic guitars and Latin beats. If the songwriting was a little better it would have been a 5
Cool, chill and atmospheric.
A reminder of my childhood! This must be Santana’s best album because I recognize all these songs. So beautiful!
Santana is awesome
Instrumentaler Rock. Bekannt für Samba pa ti, Black magic women und Oye como va. 3/5
Soulful guitar riffs! Guess I never liked instrumental! Not much else to say!
Fantastic guitar heavy album. The “feel” is on point.
8,33
Great album! Super clean sound and it was cool to hear Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va in context. Latin Psychedelic Rock that flows real well. Standouts: Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va, Mother's Daughter Rating: 4.25/5
Favorites: Black Magic Woman, Hope You’re Feeling Better, El Nicoya There’s something about Santana’s music that makes me feel drawn to it despite only being familiar with this record and Supernatural. This is Santana at his prime in my opinion, with some of the best sounding music of his career to date. Super jazzy at points and really just a lot of fun.
I'm giving this a high 3. At times the songs feel directionless but I think that's the point. Definitely a groovy album that can still hit at the barbeque today.
An album that sounded like the cornerstones of a great band. The instrumentation was fantastic. My favorite song was the opening track,
pretty solid! lost steam a bit near the end, but for the most part i enjoyed this. some psych jams with a latin flavor, sometimes funky or a bit jazzy, overall making for a nice tune-out vibey kinda listen
Evry song on this is a save, even the instrumentals.
I really love this album - listened to my dad’s copy of the vinyl growing up, and it was one of the first CDs I purchased. Santana is such an incredible guitarist, and the arrangements on this album are so complex and interesting. Truly a classic that deserves its place on the list! 5⭐️
Effortlessly switches between jazz and rock, always with a cinematic grandness
Excellent
Had only heard the hits. It's a pretty fine album. Guitar playing is - of course - fantastic - but it all fits together so well. Drums and bass get their fill as well and the songs are good. Doesn't drift into pretentious guitarwankery (which I feared). Listening a second time, that guitar tone is sooooo sweet.
приятный. интересно (но не настолько чтобы читать про это) кто поёт
Enjoyable mix of rock, jazz, and Latin rhythms.
No ma talent w palcach ten Santana. Waham się między 6 a 7, bo kompozycje są ciekawe, aranżacje śmiałe i ma to swój charakterystyczny styl. Trochę brakuje mi mocnego wokalu, ale no cóż, nie o to chodzi w tym albumie. 7/10
Santana can shred
Owned. Good stuff
Cover: 8.5 A classic that I've actually heard of. Excellent music overall. A good chill album.
Solid sound.
Saw him in concert. One of the best I have ever seen. The man can make that guitar sing.
This wasn’t great for me. It wasn’t terrible either. I just find Santana boring. He hasn’t changed his sound ever, and as good as he is, he’s not particularly remarkable. The debut album is probably are more persuasive example of his work. I’m just not into this one. I didn’t enjoy this, and I’m not convinced that it’s essential listening before you die.
An energetic classic rock album that blends Latin dance influences with a jazzy procession that bleeds charm. Santana is of course a great guitar player, and his riffs are electric and intricate. The production alone brings you on a magic adventure of rhythm. Fave Tracks: Singing Winds, Crying Beasts; Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen; Oye Como Va; Se a Cabo; Mother's Daughter; Hope You're Feeling Better Worst Track: Incident at Neshabur
Amazing!!!
I like it. Good vibe throughout. All fit together. 4 stars
What a funky, psych-y album! Filled with grooves, singing guitars, and the best kind of fuzzy keyboards, this record is filled with a ton of latin soul and good old fashioned rock. The two singles Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va are pretty good indicators of the styles contained within, but do yourself a favor and explore the rest.
Absolutely sublime. He only plays about 5 notes across the whole album, but what 5 notes they are.
I liked this. Short and sweet. Plus I like all the song titles. And Oye Como Va is the song my mom wouldn’t get out of the car (even if we needed to get out) when it was playing - always at max vol.
Solid
Never in a million years have I heard of these musicians. Expand thine musical intellect, sir Dimery of Thousania. It's pretty alright. The guitar performances are strong and the length of the album is well-suited to the style of music. There's an ineffable campiness to the music that I also enjoy, which is probably owed to there being few lyrical sections on the album. It's difficult for me to single out any highlights as the general lack of vocals makes the album feel like one big song. "Singing Winds, Crying Beasts" was my favourite tune out of the bunch. The subdued guitars and jingling ambience creates a very clear image in my head. It feels like I'm wandering through an endless dune while the warm summer air blows across my body. "Incident at Neshabur" is also another highlight. The genre shift and "serene" sound that is present on the second half of the song is very pleasing. I also like "Hope You're Feeling Better". The cowbell is an instrument that I am admittedly very biased towards. It has a generally limited usage and there are many genres where it flat out does not work, yet it's easily the most "fun" instrument of them all. Nothing gets me in a better mood than some good cowbellin'. The closer, "El Nicoya", was also good. Whatever variant of drum that is present on this album is very pleasing, so it felt good to have a song dedicated to the drummer going bongo-wild. There are some shortcomings, most of which fall down the latter half of the album. I can't say I really cared for "Mother's Daughter" or "Samba Pa Ti", or that they delved into sonic territory that wasn't already firmly established by the first half of the record. That's not to say that I can't vouch for this album as it's certainly unique overall.
I really wanted to like this. I didn't.
This whole album is pretty great. I like how laid back it is for being such recognized guitar rock album; the Latin feel just cools everything down without making it at all less interesting. 3.7/5
I think this suffers from its own success. The singles I knew, I was meh about. The songs I hadn't heard were good. I'm gonna say this was good overall, but still not something I see myself revisiting. 3.25/5
Really enjoyed it. Good background music that develops into more. Only 37 mins but feels like an epic piece.
Ich weiß noch nicht wo es hinführt nach dem ersten Track Die Gitarrensolos sind cool, werden aber sehr schnell langweilig ein paar ganz gute Tracks, sonst eher mittelmäßig der letzte track ist so nervig
h: oye como va
Knew black magic woman but nothing else, sounded exactly like I expected. Enjoyed it well enough but it was straightforward to the point of being bland a lot of the time. Good live I reckon but not particularly good on an album. Definitely won't be back but acceptable, 2.5.
Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va are the standouts. I didn't realise these were covers, so I relistened and Samba Pa Ti is great too. I'm a big fan of Carlos Santana and his band; Smooth with Rob Thomas is one of my karaoke songs. I can't sing nearly as well as any of the singers on this particular album, but I can match Rob Thomas note-for-note. 4 stars.
Never listened to a Santana album before but this sounded pretty much as expected, perhaps a bit slower. I actually recognised a few tracks here, but they reminded me of working in a restaurant, assume they were on rotation there. A lot of it is pretty good, but would never choose to listen to it
Abraxas is one of those albums where I can appreciate the musicianship without ever really feeling all that moved by it. Santana’s guitar tone is iconic, and the blend of Latin rhythms with rock is undeniably unique, but for me, it all starts to blur together after a while. The percussion work is tight, and there's a real sense of groove across the whole album, but the emotional pull just isn’t there for me. I do enjoy "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen" and "Oye Como Va" — they’re great showcases of what Santana does best, with a strong sense of rhythm and a guitar voice that’s instantly recognisable. But once you get past those tracks, it feels like the album slips into a kind of background vibe that doesn’t demand much attention. It’s pleasant enough, technically impressive in parts, but I can’t say it’s something I’m eager to revisit often. Just a solid, but not particularly essential, listen.
Good vibes, El Nicoya a good way to end
I don't like Paul Reed Smith guitars - I immediately picture a middle-class, middle-aged, fat, balding, midlife crisis guitar "collector" who has got together with his mates to form a pub covers band. They all play the same shit - Paranoid, Brown-Eyed Girl and fucking Black Magic Woman. By extension, I've never really entertained Santana, and on the strength of Abraxas, I've not really missed out on much. Nice organ and Rhodes sounds, nice guitar sounds, and, if you like cymbal swells in extended intros, then you will love this album. To me, it just sounded like lots of people playing instruments for the sake of playing instruments. Two stars, just for the funky organs and Oy Como Va
je veux vraiment lui donner 5☆ en partie à cause que les deux chansons que je connaissais déjà de cet album sont des 5☆ pour moi. j’ai un peu moins trippé sur le reste (quoique c’est quand même très bon), mais il faut quand même que je commence à donner des 5☆ à moment donné
bel vibe
https://youtu.be/VKvNn70m4PA
Very nice
Oye Como va such a good song guitar was really good
This jam oh it is my jam
Creami
Les tam-tams
Kitara on populaarimusiikin soitin, ja tässä sitä soitetaan kaikkia miellyttävästi. Menee varmasti moneen makuun. Mukavaa, leppoisaa mutta tarkkaa ja jotenkin naiivin tunteikasta. Ehkä just se ei niin vetoa muhun.
Lattariulottuvuus tekee hipihtävästä jammailusta sulatettavampaa (tai sitten hipihtävä jammailu on niin banaalia, että kaikki muu alkaa kelvata). Joka tapauksessa päädyin kuuntelemaan osia uudelleen. Matala 2.
3/5 Epochal und stilbildend, aber auch streckenweise ein wenig nervtötend, wenn zu viel gegniedelt wird
okay
Oye Como Va is a historic banger.
3.4/not bad
They know their instruments and they are not afraid to do instrumental tracks. I liked it more than I thought I would.
This one is a bit strange, I'm not quite sure how to explain it other than guitar and hand drums. It didn't really manage to capture and hold my attention with its instrumentals, and the vocals didn't help much Standouts Se a Cabo 2/5
yes
I didn't go into this with an open mind - I'm not a jam band listener, and that's what I was expecting this to be. It's not that! It's tight, it's rhythmic, it's coherent as a full album but also as independent songs and feels like a true piece of art. I listened through once and realized that I want to hear it again to see what I wasn't paying attention to. It's really great all the way through. Only track that I'd probably be tempted to skip is 2nd to last.
My pops likes this music… I find it okay 3/5
I guess I'm not in to guitar heroes. Doesn't appeal. Love the rhythm section though. They were outstanding.
bro is never interested in latin flavoured music. 3/5
I’ll take this 1000 times over hearing “Smooth” ever again.
I don't get the praise for this album. It's not bad, by any means, it's just decent and meh. Nothing much to say about it.
Belles passes de guit de Carlos. Section rythmique qui apporte beaucoup. Retenue dans la longueur des chansons; ils auraient pu partir sur des envolées de chansons de 10-15 minutes mais se sont limités à des takes de 4-5 minutes. Bien correct comme ça.
Great album, inspiring latin rock sound since the 70s and being one of the most influential figures of Woodstock
J'aime danser
I really liked the songs with lyrics. The instrumentals were OK. I'm finally going to take the time to look up who Santana's lead singer is...Gregg Rolie. I'm not familiar with the name, but I like his vocals here. The guitar playing is great of course. I will play this one again.
So, I'm a fool: I had no idea this was a Latin jam record. Love the concept and the execution was phenomenal. Probably a 3.5.
Vooral instrumentaal met een vleugje mexico. Lekker bij de tapas. Het is echter wel veel gepingel, dus niet meteen mijn favoriete muziek.
This album sounds like the appearance of a cloud of skunk weed smoke hanging in the air of a basement
Play the guitar Carlos Santana!
Musikalisch sehr cool 4*
Bongos!
Ultra groove
Um álbum excelente de um intérprete também excelente.
First listen to Santana, I really expected something else. There were some enjoyable moments especially with the guitar, also the jazz parts, I don’t know exactly how to describe them. It was interesting and new I’ll probably warm up to it eventually. 7.5/10, the expectations I had ruined the initial experience, thankfully I listened to it more, admittedly it’s quite good.
Not for me
I can appreciate the musicality and the latin influences, but I don’t think it bears a repeat listen. Not my cup of tea.
This album has a lot of cool instrumentation. It’s a lot slower than what I typically find myself listening to. I really enjoyed Mothers Daughter, but the rest of the album I felt like I got lost in the pacing. As a guitarist, I was impressed with Santana’s ability, but it’s not something I would see myself returning to regularly. If at all.
Fucking awesome Latin infused rock n roll.
This is one of those records that is actually less than the sum of its parts, even though the parts, particularly Carlos Santana's guitar and his rhythm section, are excellent. The songs drift along like barges over-loaded with great musicians and then are gone. The surprise here is "Hope You're Feeling Better" with that red laser organ tone and hard Funkadelic groove. More of that, please...
Sanata's neat trick was marrying traditional Latin songs, structures and percussion to a contemporary, early-70s rock idiom and somehow making it sound timeless. It's an enjoyable listen.
I liked this album and listened to it four or five times, never having listened to much Santana, but was still on the fence after all those listens.
It's a lp of its time and not really my jam, but you cannot deny it's influence.
Electric organ, noodling guitars, latin percussion, extended jams, yea, I really love early Santana. I also always forget how great 'Samba Pa Ti' is.
• 4/5 • breakthrough Latin prog sound, masterful guitar work from Carlos, a couple of great singles, enjoyable listening throughout while not so long as to be self-indulgent • if the best tracks were originals rather than covers, I’d probably give an extra star
Not every dong is a 10 outta 10 but the sum of its widdly woodly parts is one bitchin record.
Mostly musical. Def not elevator music, more upbeat. Maybe a good album to toss on while you're prepping foods, or cleaning, or sitting outside Sat. morning. Good tunes. Prob. not something to re-listen to a lot.
Absolutely brilliant.
Talented guy for sure but overall a bit of a snoozer
Already liked
Wow. I hadn’t heard singing winds crying beasts and it’s now one of my favourite pieces of music.
Great groove and distinctive sound. Not a huge fan of the extended 'jams', but I appreciate the innovation and significance.
Brings back memories days in the past, out in and abandoned area of east Orlando, Jim Smith's van doors open, this album (and many others) playing on the stereo ... Good times, good times indeed. Always worth a listen.
Strong start, lost interest as it went on but some definite bangers in here.
6.5 out of 10 initially. Good, but nothing life changing. Heard elements that have likely influenced music that followed it. Would probably be ranked higher if I was around when it came out.
Abraxas? Oh man, that takes me back. Santana, right? Before he went all 'Smooth' and started collaborating with everyone under the sun. This was Santana. 'Black Magic Woman' and 'Oye Como Va' were the jams, no doubt. You heard those riffs and you were instantly transported. It was the kind of album you put on when you were just hanging out, maybe cruising around in your buddy's beat-up Trans Am, windows down, smell of exhaust and cheap gas in the air. Or, you know, when you were trying to impress that girl from your homeroom who was way into classic rock. It wasn't like, 'whoa, deep artistic statement' for us back then. It was just good, solid, unpretentious rock. Groovy. Perfect for a Friday night after a week of trying to avoid your parents and sneak in some MTV before they changed it to news. We didn't overthink it, we just felt it. And it felt good.
This was an eclectic hoot. I like the Latin influences and the inherent lack of any sense of where the album might go next. Not sure what I expected but it wasn’t this.
THIS RIPS!!!! I LOVE YOU LATIN MUSIC I LOVE YOU HIPPIE MUSIC I LOVE YOU CARLOS SANTANA!!!!
OYE COMO VA... MI RITMO BUENO PA GOZAR... MULATA
OVERALL: Man, I was expecting this to sound much more Latin or Salsa, instead I got a really good rock album. Half of the songs are instrumentals, but they are all pretty good, with my favorite song on the album (Incident in Neshabur) being one of them. The instrumentals on the entire album are actually incredible, there are some exceptions but it's usually very good. The percussion was used to its fullest extent for the first few songs, and the guitars slowly took over. My biggest flaws are that the songs can sometimes drag on and the vocals could use some work, however they aren't really that big or major flaws, they just hold back the score a bit. If the vocals were as good as the instrumentals and the instrumentals didn't die when the vocals started, this would probably be a 5 (Hope You're Feeling Better does this and it's pretty good). SONG AVG: 7.882222 PERSONAL RATING: 8/10 Singing Winds, Crying Beasts: I got Penthouse and Pavements right before this, which genuinely made me stop going on this goddamn site for months. I got an album by The Beatles and another one by Common, which are both artists I like so I'll check those out later. Anyways, pretty weird opening, but I do like it. Very nice instrumental track, but I feel like the wind chimes were pretty weird. I really like the conga (I think) and the guitar, and the keyboard is usually pretty good. This does drag on for a while, but it's pretty good nonetheless. I can also see the argument for this being actual garbage, but I like it. Transitions well into the next song. 7.5/10 Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen: Pretty solid instrumentals, although it is kinda boring. This reminds me of Catch a Fire, but slightly more interesting. The last minute and a half is really good, and the production at the start is pretty nice, but it kinda dies for a good while when the guy starts singing. It does sound very good overall, especially the guitar which is genuinely incredible, but I can't really recall most of the song. I do like it, though. 8.25/10 Oye Como Va: THIS is what I was expecting when I saw that Santana made this. The two minute long instrumental break is super good, but it definitely goes on for too long. Since I don't know Spanish that well, I don't really know what the lyrics mean. All I can really say is that the guitar solo is great and the organ was surprisingly good. Also the percussion didn't need to be as good as it was. The vocals kinda suck, but they're fun. Overall pretty good. 8/10 Incident at Neshabur: Damn good instrumental track. Pretty energetic, and every instrument works together incredibly. Surprisingly jazzy. I genuinely don't know how to describe this song, just listen to it. Very good percussion, really good keyboards. There might also be a time signature change, which is pretty cool. I guess the guitar could have been used better, but at that point I'm just trying to complain for the sake of complaining. The ending might actually be perfect. What the hell happened at Neshabur. 9.94/10 Se a Cabo: Incident at Neshabur, but they made it about half as long, got rid of most of the instruments, focused on the guitar, and said the title over and over. for like 15 seconds. The guitar is genuinely amazing, but everything else is just kinda okay, maybe above average if I'm being nice. The ending is pretty good though. 7.25/10 Mother's Daughter: The guy that speaks English is back. Honestly, probably the best guitars so far. This sounds more like a 'normal' rock song, I guess. The instrumentals dying as soon as the verses start is kinda funny. Honestly, I feel like this band just doesn't know how to do instrumentals and vocals at the same time, which is fine but the verses feel kinda empty when compared to the whole song. 8/10 Samba Pa Ti: Its okay I guess. A third instrumental track (should be 4th, but Se a Cabo technically has lyrics), but the instruments this time are much less interesting. The guitar is good, but not as great as it's been compared to the other songs. The percussion is nice, but it might as well be a loop. How much you like it is entirely based on how much you like the guitar. 6.75/10 Hope You're Feeling Better: Finally, they figured out how to do vocals and instrumentals at the same time. Probably the most normal song on the album, the instrumentals and vocals are much more basic. That doesn't mean they're bad, the guitar is still incredible and the percussion sometimes has it's moments. I should probably mention the drummer now, because he does a pretty nice job. The outro is pretty cool. 8.75/10 El Nicoya: I don't know what that percussion instrument is, but it is really good. That's kinda it. It's a good outro, but it feels so short compared to the rest of the album. The background chanting things are kinda corny I guess, but it's just a guy doing something incredible on a drum with a quiet guitar and weird vocals. 6.5/10
Meh for me. I like the hits but the rest is too stoner for me.
Truly amazing considering the album was released in 1970. Latin percussion was really tasteful. Nice vocal performance and impeccable production. He knows what he’s doing and understands where the boundaries are. I can imaging him tryna woo a nun but still always in awe. A very solid timeless album.
True story. I once met a nun who told me she lived on the same street as Santana in the 60s or 70s and that she turned him down when he asked her out. I imagine it was the raw sexual energy that leads one to try banging a nun that fuels an album such as this.
pretty wild that oye coma va and black magic woman were on the same album. all in all, its a fun album. i dig me some latin guitar in the background occasionally when I work, and this kinda felt like that. nice background music to get stuff done to.
Decent change up. Shout out to Mr Dotson and middle school jazz band where we played oye como va incessantly. Nice easy listening
So silky smooth with great grooves and rhythms. Didn’t even consider that we’d see some Santana on this list but now I’m hoping for more. A fantastic listen that’s short and sweet, and Oye Como Va is such a classic. Makes me want a few Dos Equis and some tacos al pastor (only if it’s on the trompo).
Really had a good time with this album, and two songs that I'd really forgotten about but absolutely love.
santana vibed modestly so that future artists could vibe a little bit harder
sick enjoyable oldie-rock experience
Nice melodies.
86% Best: Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen; Oye Como Va; Incident at Neshabur; Mother’s Daughter; Hope You're Feeling Better Must-Hear? Sure
Guitar playing is legendary and such good vibes across the whole of this record. W album.
Carlos offers up some sweet, iconic riffage on an album that gets a lot of airplay on classic rock radio, and what your dad would call a "cultural" album. It's hard to argue this record should be given anything other than 5 stars. There's just something about it that's so...smooth... I'll uh, I'll see myself out.
Santana's Abraxas embodies its titular deity's paradoxical nature, fusing technical virtuosity with raw intuition, cultural tradition with psychedelic exploration, and spiritual ascension with earthly groove.
Amazing album, dancing the whole way through
Ok
Favorite: Black Magic Woman Least Favorite: El Nicoya
Oye Como Va (Tito Puente cover) Black Magic Woman
This wasn't much like I was expecting. Or I guess the second half was more so. Not bad. I'd put some of it on in the background for sure.
Very interesting rock with strong latin and tribal influences. Santana at one of his finest moments. It's not an album for everyone but it is a solid record.
Abraxas is one of those albums that changes your musical taste forever. Santana and his all star crew take you on a spiritual journey across the globe and then into the cosmos and beyond. It is so pure and perfectly jammy, yet psychadelic and groovy all in one. A masterclass of a piece that fits so many different environments. Tender and emotional yet fierce as a tiger and directly to your face. A must have in any collection, but not perfection. 9/10
Classic
Don’t remember it.
So many of his hits!
not really my thing, though still very cool and a couple of tracks stood out
Not my cup of tea. It see med like one long song of guitar noodling over latin rhytms with some random singing from time to time
It was Santana
4 star
3.5 stars.
I didn't know I knew this album so well! It's got Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va, both bangers. The rest was a fun dive into Santana that I haven't done before