Reviews (page 8 of 14)
I mean, yeah. It is an absolute classic. It's Carlos Santana at his best, with indigenous-inspired percussion, Mexican songs with a nicely overdriven twist and impeccable guitar work. Amazing how something so lyrically minimal can have so many iconic and memorable songs. This album in particular will have you realize just how many Santana songs have made their way passively into your head. Great album, 5*.
Pretty okay. More instrumental than I expected from Santana
Another one that I don't really vibe with. Get that it has its place in history but I just find it boring - possibly partly because of that terrible song with the Matchbox 20 guy from like 40 years later.
I thought this album was great.
Good
An entire album of smooth Latin guitar wanking and someone playing bongos so hard that their hands must still be blistered 55 years later. The young Santana is not the one we all have cold sweat flashbacks to from the 90s. Left me with a strange desire to go to Marks and Spencer as well.
This review could have been more substantial but the instant this album starts I smell herb and feel sleepy. Santana knows how to bring it up then lay it down.
timeless latin prog rock, give me more
An easy one to judge. I don't dissent from the general world-view of this work.
Hard to believe this is 55 years old. Carlos Santana was and is the man.
Strange start to the album with the wind chimes, but then the guitar and percussion kicked in and overall ended up being quite solid.
Varios de los temas ya los había escuchado porque son clásicos. La experiencia del álbum es muy buena, orgánica. Una excelente combinación de rock, jazz y música afrolatina. Tengo entendido que el nombre "Abraxas" proviene de un libro de Hermann Hesse, uno de mis autores favoritos. Se hace notar la espiritualidad y el misticismo del escritor en la música. Me gustaron los recursos de paneo cruzado en la producción del álbum.
The mood is irresistible. I wish I could drink this album.
Classic movie soundtrack songs for every movie that features a Spanish speaking character. Catchy as hell
Just to me one of those albums that's pretty solid sound-wise but only maybe 1-2 songs stand out
I don't think this was quite a five for me, but it was damn close. Something that's been a pretty strong indicator for me so far has been the desire to return and listen again - and this one successfully pulled me back in, twice. Not an album that I'd say changed my life, but it's still a phenomenal collection of music.
Scorching psychedelic Latin jams. Exactly the kind of music that's up my alley! The B-side just needs to sink in a bit before I rate it higher, but already it's a 9/10. EDIT: Yup it got there. 10/10
It took almost two weeks of album listening, but we finally have my first 5-star! Santana has always been one of my dad’s favorites, and so I grew to appreciate them as well and it’s a very important band to me. Saw them live in 2023 and it was one of the best live performances I’ve ever seen. This album has two songs I already knew, Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen and Oye Como Va (which are both bangers), and I think you kind of get the whole Santana experience in those two, between the keyboard playing, drums, and guitar. Certainly helped by Carlos Santana being one of the greatest guitarists of all time. But I enjoyed the rest of the album too (Mother’s Daughter stood out to me), and there weren’t any songs I hated and wanted to immediately skip. Great album.
Absolute banger from beginning to end. Layered, jazzy, funky, with some fresh latin flavor and a dash of psychedelic. Easy 5⭐on first listen.
This album was difficult for me to rate, but on my fourth listen (which is significant in itself, in my opinion) I realized what I was doing wrong. This album demands your full attention. When listening while driving or working, I couldn't appreciate it. When I sat down and did nothing but listen, it was like an entirely different album.
perfect album for many types of occasions
When Abraxas dropped in 1970, Santana delivered something genuinely different for its time, weaving "world beat" influences into the fabric of rock with effortless flair. The album leans heavily on Carlos Santana's signature, soulful guitar work, but the fiery percussion section more than holds its own, giving the record a rhythmic pulse that's impossible to ignore. While the overall sound can feel a bit samey across the runtime, the high points more than make up for it—especially the iconic "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen," where Santana’s expressive guitar soars, and "Se a Cabo," which charges ahead with a heavier, distorted tone that hints at the band's rawer side. It's a hypnotic listen that cemented Santana's place in the rock pantheon.
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I heard this was Jazz Rock, but this was 🔥. I liked the mix of English, Spanish, and Instrumental tracks. Favorite Track: Se a Cabó
Would make for a good vinyl addition, but not a daily listen for for. Fire guitar instrumentals but I’m not musically inclined enough to appreciate
classic
I don't think I have ever listened to this album. I think I have heard all the songs on it, but I don't know if I have ever really listened to it from beginning to end. I enjoyed it more than I would have thought.
I had no idea what I was missing. This was an absolute blast to listen to and several songs have entered my regular rotation. I had a more detailed review, but it got lost.
Okay, now I’ve listened once. Definite 60s Woodstock vibes. I’m sure these dudes jammed the fuck out live, and there was much mud covered lysergic free love swaying and damn can that Carlos play man and pass that over here cough. It’s cool, I enjoyed the overplayed stuff more in the context of the album, but I don’t see myself revisiting this one much. I’d pick this one up at an estate sale or out of a dollar bin.
Actually quite enjoyed
This sounds just as good to me now as it did 55 years ago when I was 12. 5 stars or A.
Ahh im so booooredddd Incident at neshabur is on rn and its ok but i wish i was listening to my list Hope you're feeling better is also good
Jag har haft någon slags fördom mot Santana och jag vet inte varför? Jag trodde att de gjorde musik jag inte gillar men detta var riktigt chill och superbra att plugga till så jag får slå mig själv på fingrarna
Amazing all the way through.
Good tunes. Perfect mood setting album
Would be 5 stars on acid.
Background music
interesting electric guitar. it’s santana so i expected nothing less. i mildly enjoyed it. the instrumentation was unique in the way where the different voices blended together but also clashed in other songs.
Nog wel vuur
Love the Latin percussion and the lack of vocals. Meditative. Intense but also chill.
Cool and efficient
Nice to hear this side of Santana. Why is oye como va such a banger no matter whose version?
Fantastic record. I’ve never listened to it all the way through but loved it. Santanas guitar playing is unmatched in its psychadelic rawness
Latin rock / Psychedelic rock Santana’s second album and a major commercial success solidified their fusion of rock, Latin rhythms, blues, and jazz. The title comes from a line in Hermann Hesse’s Demian, referencing the mystical unity of opposites—a fitting vibe for such a genre-melding record. 8.0
Awesome guitar
It's hard rating guitar pioneers. While some riffs sound dated that's only because at one time they were novel. All that said I honestly don't think Santana is that great a guitar player. Definitely deserves a place in history and is valuable as a trail blazer but there are better displays of instrumentality around.
Great instrumental work, but have seen better jazzy-rock
this is an interesting album to get. i haven't heard very much santana yet but i know what they sound like, and i know carlos has played with john mclaughlin and gang. my expectations for this are relatively high, from both the things i've heard about them and the cool ass cover that looks unsettlingly like Live-Evil. also i think my parents have it on vinyl, like The Wall. TRACK BY TRACK 1 SINGING WINDS, CRYING BEASTS. wow this is chill. i was coming into this expecting to be punched in the face with an overblown guitar solo but this is chill. rhythmic but not as rhythmic as i expected. i really like this, every instrument is doing great at its job. the keys are very cool and so is the wailing guitar that comes in every now and then. 9/10 2 BLACK MAGIC WOMAN / GYPSY QUEEN. this is smoooth. not like that one song though. as was expected the guitar is magnificent and the rhythm is so enticing. the switch up around the 3:40 mark just caught me off guard. oh yeah this is fantastic. 10/10 3 OYE COMO VA. pretty cool. spotify has this as the most popular song on the album which surprises me because it isn't as fantastic as the last album, not that it needs to be. chill salsa with a great guitar. actually this is growing on me the more i listen to it. i should really learn to write these after the song. 9/10 4 INCIDENT AT NESHABUR. it's hard to write about songs like this but this is just fantastic. purely masterful instrumentation, just what i wanted from this album. every instrument sounds incredible and they play together so well. 10/10 5 SE A CABO. exactly what i said for the last track. just masterful instrumentation, straight up jazz fusion a groovy latin foundation. you can't not bang your head just a little. 9/10 6 MOTHER'S DAUGHTER. the vocals aren't really in the way but this would be a cool instrumental album. actually no the vocals are pretty annoying. other than that this track is yet again fantastic. reminds me of a jazzier electric ladyland. if i get past the vocals this could be my favourite track on the album so far. 10/10 7 SAMBA PA TI. smooth and warm sounding, this one is slower than the other tracks. the sound of the organ is so nice i wish it was at the forefront a bit more. great guitar as always. 8/10 8 HOPE YOU'RE FEELING BETTER. by far the heaviest song on the album, and it kicks ass. it's funny that my first two albums on this website both make me sound like a cringy guitar thirsty teenager but that's exactly where this puts me. crazy good guitar. 9/10 9 EL NICOYA. conga outro, not much to say really. it's a minute and a half long. closes the album well i suppose. 6/10 overall an incredibly cool album, with some of the best instrumentation in its genre. very unique for its time too i would argue; not too detached from what john mclaughlin was doing but with a heavier latin influence that set santana apart. i could absolutely see myself returning to this, i imagine it's a great album to just put on and enjoy. overall a 9/10, very pleased with it. damn i can only rate it 4/5
This album was OK, but nothing too thrilling to me.
Not my cup of tea, but it’s a great album. Very good!
point4.
Overall: 7/10 The guitar work is obviously great but I want to give a shout out to the rhythm section, those guys killed it! I respect this kind of latin music and there were a few tracks here that I liked but this generally isn't the type of stuff I listen to. If anything, I just kept thinking about the film A Serious Man instead which was really distracting lol pretty enjoyable overall though, I may listen to this a bit more in the future. Fav Song: Mother's Daughter Least Fav Song: Incident at Neshabur
Really easy to listen to. Not world shattering. But an immediate pleasure.
Några vassa, klassiska låtar. Det övriga är ganska okej också.
Santana is one of my favorite bands from olden times, and this was one their most popular albums. It’s just good enough to bump it from 3.5 up to 4 stars. If it had been a greatest hits album then five stars for sure. Seems like this list of 1001 is excluding all greatest hits albums though.
Didn't realise Santana was around this long, although I guess it makes sense ('Smooth' was 25 years ago, after all). Cool enough, but the coolest part was reading about the various theories on the etymology of "Abraxas" (one guy thinks it's Coptic for 'the word is adorable', which is adorable but probably not correct). Anyway, I enjoyed this, and it wasn't too loud or anything, but it also wasn't as jazzy(?) as I was expecting. Another nice brisk album though. Good but not great (or maybe, good but not my style, but not NOT my style...) Album cover is a 70s monstrosity. Put it on a sofa and put that sofa in the trash. (Sorry Mati.) Highlights: 'Oye Como Va', 'Samba Pa Ti'
Veldig ålreit
It was good. Enjoyed it well enough.
Went into this wary of another instrumental album, but was pleasantly surprised by the early psych rock sound. Very easy to listen and relax to
Too short
Full of life and soul ✨
brutal
What a great, non-stop groove. You just forget how strong the whole band is. Such an enjoyable listen.
Actually much nicer than I thought. listened while play with j on the mat
Enjoyable album, nothing stuck to much from it.
Bra gitarr
Very good!
Klassisk Santana, behaglig å høre på med et par kjente hits (bla. Black Magic Woman av Fleetwood Mac) Har mer lyttetid med albumet som kom etter dette (Santana III, også min favorittskive av samme artist) men helt klart et bra gjennomført Santana-album.
Great musical talent but not my thing.
A good if not forgettable album that’s very much of its era.
Good mix of Latin grooves and great guitar playing. “Oye Como Va” is a great song. 3.5/5 Would listen again
Epic electric guitar. Too much electric organ for my taste though.
I was really excited to listen to this because I love the songs that Santana is featured on so I figured I’d love his solo stuff. Unfortunately it was just meh. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t anything remarkable or even memorable. I was hoping for more
Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va are exceptional. The other tracks are good. A solid 4 overall
This is lively and timeless. I love the sparse vocals, the organ, the guitar work, and the congas. I just think it’s strange that Carlos won’t tell us what the incident at Neshabur was 🤨 Standout track is: “Oye Como Va”
Really enjoyed the album. Santana’s guitar work is amazing. The three on the album for my favorite.
Solid album, Oye Como Va is a gem.
Good vibes but not a favorite
Obviously very guitar focused some interesting blend of Latin and guitar riffs. Fairly unmemorable
Pretty enjoyable listen. Quite liked a lot of this.
Really not what I was expecting, so a welcome surprise. An eclectic collection of songs with a definite hint of Pink Floyd, the Doors, and even Black Sabbath! Slightly let down by the 70s jazz lounge style, but a great effort.
What a cool little album; perfectly hits that sweet spot you never knew you needed of Latin rhythms and 70s rock. Really nice variety throughout of more guitar, rhythm, or unexpectedly a bit of Hammond organ led songs. Loved the penultimate track, ‘Hope you’re feeling better’; indeed I am, thanks Carlos .
4.5
Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va are classics. The guitar skills are on fire and overall a really fun Latin rock album.
Listened to this for the first time in 9th grade Spanish class. Mr. Alsip played "Oye como va." I bought a copy of the album sometime later that year. I still think about him when I listen to it.
Every song is unique, very replayable for a mostly instrumental album. Great guitar and very nice latin vibe
mahtavaa. en itseasiassa ole koskaan kuunnellut koko albumia ainakaan muistaakseni, ja olen tahallaan pidätellyt viimeiset pari vuotta kun tätä listaa kolunut läpi.. enkä ole ollenkaan pettynyt.. noh olen kuitenkin melkein kaikki biisit silti kuullut.. kymmeniä.. ei.. satoja kertoja. omg niin huume pskydeleeinnen kokemus uskomaton huumausalbumi.. huumealbumi so much druuggg dso muhc druuugssszzz.. harmi että on pretentious ja tylsä ja vanhoille papoille heh.. sea a cabo
This is just wonderful. Full of great guitars and latin flair.
Good jams, black magic woman
Santana is Latina god
Went into it expecting dad rock, could not have been more wrong.
Summer vibes, some nice songs!
# Album Name: Abraxas # Artist: Santana # Rating: 5/5 # Comments: Wow, what a great album. I loved it. Its very instrument driven and focussed. The band and the music is the centre piece. Vocals not so much. The guitar work is amazing, the drums are fantastic. This album has it. The songs that are more vocal driven really shine such as black magic women, mothers daughter, feelin better and Oye como va. This is such a fucking banger. Dont let it fly by. Enjoy it. # Top Tunes: The whole thing was a great listen. # Would I listen to it again? Yes
Love a world-music, drum-led, electric-guitar-enhanced album! Although, of course, it gets formulaic, and shall I say, boring if you're not in the right frame of mind. But I can totally see myself trying to place myself in that frame of mind to bliss out to this album!
Has all of the ingredients for something I should like, but it doesn't stick with me. I'm not a huge fan of Santana's guitar work. This guy cannot play a single fucking riff. Probably will not listen again.
Legendary riffs by a legendary guitarist.
Wham bam Santana man
good
This album fucking owns, I love it.
Groovy, psychedelic, magical.
Great guitarist, great songs. Definitely made a mark on music history.
A classic, recorded a few months after this bands' thrilling Woodstock set featuring their teenage drummer in all his glory. It also gives you a sense of the power of interpretation to consider that Black Magic Woman was originally a Fleetwood Mac tune.
This definitely seems like the quintessential Santana album to include in this collection, and impressive that three of the tracks have survived so long on the airwaves. It's equally impressive that two of the three tracks are covers ("Black magic woman" and "Oye como va"), but with a definite Santana spin to them; ironically, the other hit from this album (which I'll admit I'm far less familiar with), "Samba pa ti", sounds more like an Eric Clapton or Jeff Beck instrumental than Santana's. (I actually thought "Hope you're feeling better" was a better track.) I also had no idea that the lead vocals (and some impressive organ pieces) are performed by none other than Gregg Rolie of (future) Journey fame. It's kind of tough to rate this album, as the main hits feel like it's a solid four stars, but then the rest of the album feels a bit nondescript with largely instrumental pieces (or as Robert Christgau uncharitably put it, "a not disreputable performance, most likely a failed experiment or a pleasant piece of hackwork"). This would have been an easy four (or five) stars if it included "No one to depend on" and "Evil ways", but I feel like Santana himself deserves four stars for hanging in there and exploring all sorts of music.
The sound was a little muddy in places otherwise a good album if you like 70s rock: long jams, nice balance of the different instruments, some Latin rhythms lurking behind it all.
HERESY ALERT!! I actually like everything about this album except Santana’s guitar playing (well, ok, almost everything - Mother’s Daughter sounds like a parody). Love the latin fusion grooves. The B3 player is amazing. But then everything breaks down so Santana can take the stage - Ron Burgundy style - and widdly, widdly, widdly, waaaaaaayyyyyyyyiiiiiiii, widdly, widdly, widdly, waaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyiiiiiiiii. His playing is hammy and pretentious, he rushes into phrasings, and often sounds like he’s playing just beyond his technical ability so that his phrasing often breaks as his fingers pinch a fret. For me, so many great vibes on this album are just killed by his guitar breaks.
I enjoyed the instrumental songs. Always like oye como va and black magic woman.
Fire
It's so interesting how the generation that was all about free love, protesting intolerance, segregation, and injustices, and who sometimes won't shut up about how great they are is still also the generation that today is sometimes intolerant of the queer community. Carlos Santana said some offensive things about trans people a couple years ago at a concert. It got some attention, and he apologized. But still, boomers are gonna do boomer things. It's like Harvey Dent said, "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." But I digress. I'll review this not for the artist, but for the art. Moving on. You know I didn't realize for the longest time that the name "Santana" refers to the band, not the artist. The dude was so exceptionally good at playing guitar that his band was just his last name. I guarantee you most people could not name another member of the band, and instead thought he just chose to go by his last name. He lives up to this though. He's become one of the all time iconic guitarists. This was the band's second outing, and they definitely did not suffer from the dreaded sophomore slump. This has two absolute classics on it in "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Como Va." The rest are great as well, combining excellent guitar work, with an energetic and infectious rhythm section and good vocals. The vocals are just good because, let's face it, being the singer in a band named after the guitarist is a thankless job. Nobody is here for you and only notices you when you either fuck up or do something exceptional. But you aren't going to do anything to outshine the guitarist, soooo..... This was a fun album. A mix of rock, jazz, latin music, all with the flair of a guitarist that had few equals. Four stars. Standout Tracks: Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen, Oye Como Va, Incident at Neshabur, Se a Cabo, Hope You're Feeling Better, El Nicoya
really enjoyed the whole thing, but nothing but black magic woman stands out to me
I actually enjoyed this a lot for what it was. I do prefer songs with vocalists but I did find myself tapping my fingers to some of these songs
prime dad rock (if your dad was smoking weed)
Panico il mix rockettino e latino
Amazing album very instrumental
A good album, I liked Singing Winds, Crying Beasts and Black Magic Woman.
Iconic
Excelente!!!
You have to love Santana as a genre-setting virtuoso-laden standard bearer. 4 very easy stars.
Hadn't huge expectations for this but I really enjoyed it, mix of Latin music, jazz, and psychedelic rock. Mostly instrumental, has a live improv feel to it. It's strength comes with the mix of styles, it never gets boring or repetitive. Most definitely an album for a particular mood.
Incredible blend of latin music, rock, blues, jazz
tá maluco meti esse sob efeito do produto obra de arte
"Santana, acabei com ela. AI!" Um blues jazz com um samba ? É isso mesmo ? As congas ou bongos, num sei o nome ao certo do instrumento, é bizarramente bom.
rock para papais estadunidenses com origens latinoamericanas!! mais guitar hero viu, mas black magic woman era legal de tocar. ótima musica de fundo. e essa capa eh mto foda.
однообразная, от чего и довольно методичная, но всё же пресная хуйня
Just ok. Never really been a fan of Santana's guitar work.
Kinda feels like a chore to listen through, but good music and great as background noise
Just bad & boring
Yas Mexican psychedelic
A fantastic álbum with tracks like ye como va. Santana is an amazing guitar player. And this álbum is delicious from top to bottom
GÁBOR SZABÓ MENTIONED
Breathtaking guitar playing and such unique way of blending Latin infused music with rock.
I've decided that me and Santana are even, re: Smooth by Rob Thomas feat. Santana.
I may have heard this album too much in my life but it's still really good so it's okay, yay
Really solid album that brings back a lot of fun hazy memories.
10/10 One of the most pristine Latin Rock albums to ever grace the earth (thank you Latinas). I love the middle ground that this record reaches where we find ourselves in these mystical soundscapes and insanely groovy jams fronted by one of the greatest guitar players in history, Abraxas is a God tier Rock record that requires as much attention to detail as it requires soul and energy. Fuck Supernatural tho and fuck Taco Bell https://tenor.com/view/jerma985-jerma-mexico-gif-22209801
My only points of reference for Santana is 1999' "Smooth (ft Rob Thomas)", "Black Magic Woman", and "Oye Como Va", both of the latter two are on this album. Much, much better than I expected. Santana's blend of Latin and psychedelic styles are a breath of fresh air compares to a lot of his contemporaries. Especially when he incorporates jazzy styles, which he often does!
I like the guitar in samba pa ti, but none of the other songs really stand out to me
Some interesting instrumentals, but not too interesting either.
4-5 estrelas. Definiu o som do CS
Yeahhh babyyy
Incredible listen from start to finish. "Black Magic Woman" has held a special place in my heart ever since I was first introduced to it while playing Guitar Hero 3 waaay back in the day... the closing jam "Gypsy Queen" elevates the whole song from simply 'pretty good' to f*cking outstanding. "Oye Como Va" is undisputedly one of the most well known and revered latin rock songs of the 20th century. Has a timeless feel to it - easily one of Santana's best.
Fantastic album, love the pink floyd covers!
🎧Cool as hell & chill as f**k
noice
Incredible music
Ich gebe drei Sterne!
Great album
Santana at its peak. Latin rock doesn't get more exciting than this
It's a good album, especially guitar wise, but what it offers in virtuosity, it lacks in feelings. If that's your introduction to Latin Rock music, you might enjoy this a lot, but if you're already familiar with South American Rock from that time, Santana might just not sound so incredible.
This album is incredibly catchy and the instrumental parts are insane. The varied and powerful percussions on it are the ultimate delight.
Why did I used to really dislike Santana? It feels like Latin Jazz Best Song: Black Magic Woman Rating: 7/10 Stars: 4/5
7/10 Fave: Samba pa ti
Awesome.
Great 70’s Santana. The kind of record you can put on and just chill. Not a bad track, just great guitar, jams, and grooves. Awesome stuff.
great album. i’m so glad the cow bells and bongos stuck around for every song. it all sort of blended in together, but i really enjoyed that. it was really loud but still quite ambient if that makes sense. like background music but in a really good way, it stand out enough where i recognise it and it’s like “oh yeah” but i can sorta zone out. not really sure i’ve articulated this very well but all that matters is i enjoyed it a lot.
I love the opening track and the way it softly transitions into one of the greatest songs of all time as if it's no big deal. Oye Como Va has a really smooth Doors-ian organ section which carries out through the rest of the album. I love the variety in all the songs and I love how they manage to make songs that sound like 10 minute prog epics only 4 minutes long, which means the album is under 40 minutes, which I feel like any longer and the album starts to drag. I ended up really enjoying Mother's Daughter that and Hope You're Feeling Better, it feels wrong to keep comparing this album to others but it had a real Maggot Brain vibe to it with the faster guitar. Samba Pa Ti sounds incredibly familiar, I think I must've heard the Masayoshi Takanaka cover some time, but wow, what a beautiful song. This song would've been a 5 star just for black magic woman but the rest of the album is exactly what i hoped it would be.
When you say Carlos Santana, what comes to my mind is few 2000s pop hits he had, like Smooth with Rob Thomas. Quite boring and unimpressive affairs. But it seems Santana had a different art life before - great Woodstock concert and Abraxas album soon after. Carlos really is a talented guitarist with a knack for good songwriting as well. Really good album, I'm a new fan of old Santana, it seems.
何曲かいいなと思える曲はあったけれども、自分の好きな音楽のジャンルではなかった。正直、なんでこのアルバムの評価がこんなに高いのかが理解できない。このアルバムに収録されいる曲にはほとんど歌詞がないため、どの点を評価すればいいのかがよくわからない。もういちどはいいかな
Most enjoyable. Strange. An excellent piece of musicianship. Probably drugs required? Sadly lacking on listen. 3.8
Not sure if nostalgia bump from listening to my parents albums when young. I find it quite amazing the guitar can be so overwhelmingly prominent to this degree. Blended styles. I would not generally listen these days but still enjoy it.
An interesting mix of bougie cafe music with rambling guitar solos, blues and latin vocals. Why don't we utilise the bongos in rock music any more? Am I supposed to light a spliff, play air guitar, or dance the salsa? All questions I was pondering before being distracted by an electric organ solo. I enjoyed the album but I can't decide when I would listen to this. Maybe I'll throw a house party, make some punch, a prawn cocktail, vol-au-vents, and fire up a cheese fondue (car keys in the bowl please).
Not a bad album and just a decent listen vut nothing more to say. About a 5/10
Classic Santana. Great guitar player and fun album!
What a pleasant surprise! I went into this thinking it would be a 2-star album, but Abraxas is a consistent album with great leads from Santana (of course) and excellent percussion throughout. I'm usually not a fan if Santana's playing or songs, I'll happily listen to this again! Liked Songs Added: Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen Oye Como Va Se A Cabo Mother's Daughter Hope You're Feeling Better
Love the way each track flows into the next. Imagine the first time you hear "BMW"?
Very solid, obviously great guitar on this
Not much else to say except Santana rocks. I love the style of Carlos Santana and this album was great
Nice mix and vibes. Oehh that delay thing was nice. The pacing and crispness of everything is super nice while still being smooth, contrasted by tight percussion, morphing into something more energetic. It sounds like every song is ment to convey a certain emotion or/and tell a story. hahaha the percussion is fantastic!
Wat een verfrissend geluid zeg, heb al eerder een album geluisterd van deze legende maar dit is er ook wel eentje hoor
Short and sweet.
dope album, that's all. I only knew santana from smooth with rob thomas of matchbox 20 but dayyum my love for intrumental makes this album a great experience
The guitar and percussion were pretty amazing on this album. I rather enjoyed the instrumentals in the album.
Never heard of Santana before and was impressed with the style and instrumentals
Short, sweet and full of most excellent guitar playing.
only familiar w/Santana singles. this was a great, chill listen. love the latin influences
Que album mas hermoso, lloré. Obra maestra.
Love the sound of this so much.
I liked this album - nothing bad to say about it really It became background noise for me though because of all the guitar solos 3 ⭐️
Santana, 1970, Latin Rock Standouts: Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va, Samba Pa Ti, Hope You're Feeling Better 4.5
Didn't have time to properly review this one but I really enjoyed it. Each song provided a lot of interest for me and they varied enough that I found them all quite fresh. I liked the Latin American (?) influences.
WOW! The man with the electric guitar!! Excellent.
Chill and great to listen to.
this is a hellovah album. never heard befroe, but bet everyone who hears it remembers where they were when they first heard it. its very scenic atmospheric dramatic witchy swirling mesmerizing. i watched pigeons flying in the distance swooping and turning in the sky with a mountain and a far off highway behind them as listened to this, and that felt just right for the opening songs. does santana sing? does he play piano? i have lots of uestions wiki would like to answer. really cool album.
Really good guitar work but that didn't end up being enough to get me really into this. "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen" and "Oye Cómo Va" are the highlights. I think I might I know "Oye Cómo Va" from something silly - maybe the Dexter soundtrack?
Actually pretty solid album. I hadn't listened to this in awhile because I've moved away from classic rock but actually it's a good album
Un disco excelente. Fusión pionera de blues, ritmos latinos y psicodelia, con temas icónicos que mejoran todavía más en el contexto del álbum completo. Y no solo destaca Santana a la guitarra, sino que la sección rítmica es también de una calidad enorme, sobre todo la tremenda percusión de influencia afro-latina.
Classic album
makes me want to groove! good lyrics, funky guitar and bass lines, great song ideas. really enjoyed "hope you're feeling good". I really like it!!
Good, kind of a jam.
This is #day204 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... how about a record from 55 years ago? As I write this, it's the last day of winter 2025 in my hometown, Lviv, with a temperature of +3°C and drizzling outside. I was initially skeptical when I saw the name Santana and the genre Latin rock, among others. I figured it would be a solid 3 at best. But after giving it a listen... wow! This album turned out to be incredibly fun. Of course, I recognized "Black Magic Woman" (though I didn't know it was a cover) and "Oye Como Va," but there's so much more to explore here, from jazz fusion to psychedelic rock and beyond. The guitar work and Latin American and African rhythms are out of this world. I honestly think this is one of those albums you must hear before you die. A very pleasant surprise. This is a 4 out of 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day205.
This was mostly okay, when it was the classic guitar parts, but then sometimes it was just a bit too much drums and bongos, which I don't mind but it just felt a bit jarring at times.
Santana is a great guitar player, and he's an even better collaborator. H stays in his lane, works with great musicians, and together they make art. The absolute monster banger "I Hope You're Feeling Better" from side two? Not written by Santana. But it belongs in "Santana". Fantastic album. Beautiful instrumentals. Latin-infused Jazz. Love this one.
February 28, 2025 (T-28) Technically not the first time I'm seeing him on this list, as I know Carlos played on the John Lee Hooker one, but getting a bona fide Santana album this late in the process is shocking. Definitely deserves a spot on this list. I've heard both "Oye Como Va" and "Black Magic Woman" plenty of times (the latter plenty and plenty of times); the rest of the album is loosey-goosey and jammy, but doesn't get tiresome over 40 minutes
This was solid. Listened to it three times through!
I was hoping for some more famous solos but the band music was well done.
Fat noodles. Udon.
hey babe how about I show you my grand archon some time
I'm sure I was bombarded with this as a child. I actually probably appreciate the latin grooves more these days. Black Magic Woman always sounded spooky to me. In a good way.
There were a few songs on this I loved, but aside from those it felt more like background music - great guitar parts but not a whole lot else I found interesting. Favorite songs were: Black Magic Woman - Smooth with a vibe that fits the vocals well Oye Como Va - reminds me of GTA Vice City Hope You're feeling better - rockier sound with great percussion 7/10
I listened to this while changing bike tires in the garage. I pictured myself being a cool 60's mechanic covered in grease, wearing a jumpsuit and smoking hand roll cigarettes. It was a good image and a good album. Album cover: (A-) There's a lot going on there.
I was grooving, I generally like more lyrics but cool album. Album cover/tits: A+
"Black Magic Woman" is such a smooth song. I'm loving it. Latin Rock is not a genre I'm super familiar with but I am really digging this. "Oye Como Va" is a song I recognize, and it's amazing. The album has some awesome technical guitar playing, but in a more accessible way than Hendrix. When Jimi is twiddling on the strings it all just blends into 'guitar noises', but this has a lot more subtlety. There's a lot of layers and I like them all. The bass line and bongos (?) on "Se a Cabo" are rocking. 9/10
Solid groovy album, this is what virtuoso playing should be instead of unfounded wankery. Rating: 4.0
I've never really enjoyed listening to Santana. I can't point to anything specific and say "this is why I don't like this," it's just an overall dissatisfaction. And I'm tired of hearing Black Magic Woman which was overplayed on the radio in the 70's.
Some classics here and easy listening. The rhythms are catchy.
I knew the singles of course, I didn’t expect Santana to be so jazzy! What a wonderful album, had a great time with it.
Interersant album. Un swing foarte bun Versurile bune ritmuri hispanice complimentate de rock 4/5
Every song slaps, not just the big hits....so good.
Hadn’t heard the whole record before. Guitar tone and playing is wonderful. Outside of the hits not much in the way lf songwriting though.
Very smooth but I did wish I was listening to Smooth feat. Rob Thomas (1999) because Smooth feat. Rob Thomas (1999) is one of the smoothest songs of all time and when I hear Smooth feat. Rob Thomas (1999) life just feels so smooth.
I quite enjoyed this. An uncommon mix of smooth enough to listen to in the background while I worked, but upbeat enough to groove to in the car on the way home. I also do love a Latin groove. Close to a 4, but I'll settle for a strong 3.9.
Great stuff
Expected to find this very tedious and was surprised that it was quite an enjoyable listen.
Fuck man, this album just goes hard. Every track has some spark of genius guitar playing that truly only few have touched
Wow… Just wow, This has been one of the greatest recommendations I have ever gotten. Took me through a journey and I don’t regret the 37 Minutes I spent listening to this Album. 9.3/10
Not good, not terrible. Might give it an another chance later
This was a great album! Had a lot of good songs on it, a lot of the popular songs that Santana did before his resurgence in the late 90s and early 00s, but it was a cool album and I enjoyed it for the most part
Actual heat incredible
Dude...this album? Oh my god. I see why Action Bronson raps about Santana on a consistent basis. "Samba Pa Ti" and "Oye Como Va" are two certified slappers. Love it.
Delicious grooves that dance throughout the brainwaves!! From the subtle introduction with SUBTLE WINDS, CRYING BEASTS melting into BLACK MAGIC WOMEN/GYPSY QUEEN. The frenzied INCIDENT AT NESHABUR and SE A CABO are obvious crowd pleasing jamz!!
I am a santana enjoyer
Revived my middle school obsession with santana
Super easy listening
I can appreciate guitar playing that doesn’t make me miss a vocal line because it’s so smoooooooooth
Incredible guitar playing and great hits
Latin psychedelic
Santana makes the guitar sing in a way that is beautiful. This album also stands out for the range in genres while also being uniquely Santana.
A couple well known 60ish songs with long keyboard and guitar jams, plus other songs with multiple rhythm changes
Yayyy Mexican music.
Great vibes. I only listened to this once, but honestly Oye Come Va is good enough for the whole album to be a 4.
I like two of the popular tracks: Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va. I didn't get as into the other popular track: Samba Pa Ti. The rest of the album is fine but didn't grab me.
While not every song landed for me, the overall vibe and uniqueness on this squeaks it into a 4 star rating.
Some good tracks, but some weaker ones too.
Super nice flow in this classic album.
Ja geweldig. Top album. Top timing ook, allez, op het moment dat ik dit luister alleszins. Zonnetje begint te schijnen, het wordt wat warmer en dan is Samba Pa Ti de ideale soundtrack. 4.5
01) Singing Winds, Crying Beasts - 7,5 02) Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen - 10,0 03) Oye Como Va - 10,0 04) Incident at Neshabur - 8,0 05) Se a Cabó - 8,5 06) Mother's Daughter - 8,0 07) Samba Pa Ti - 10,0 08) Hope You're Feeling Better - 9,5 09) El Nicoya - 8,5 TOTAL: 8,89 (89/100) Current ranking: 55/458
My familiarity with Santana is pretty much limited to 'Smooth' and a bit of a reputation as middle class dinner party music. And whilst, yes this album features that song from the M&S food ads (Samba Pa Ti), Abraxas surprised me by being closer to hard rock than I expected. Overall I thought this was a pretty good time. A decent variety across the tracks and some really groovy numbers.
Groovy and smooth! Santana has a way of making his guitar feel like it’s talking. It’s got an awesome Latin hypnotic pull to it. Playlist Additions: - Black Magic Woman - Oye Como Va - Samba Pa Ti
The best so far
I do like Santana, and I know this album is good, I just really don't love it and there is nothing that would make me come back to it.
Easy to listen to with some great tracks. Will continue to listen to Santana from time to time.
You know I love everything my Mexican brethren do 🇲🇽
Beautiful
Singing Winds, Crying Beasts (Instrumental) 3.8 Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen 4.1 Oye Como Va 4.2 Incident at Neshabur (Instrumental) 3.4 Se a Cabo 3.3 Mother's Daughter 3.5 Samba Pa Ti (Instrumental) 3 Hope You're Feeling Better 3.5 El Nicoya 2.5 Score: 3.477777778
Pretty good - latin psychedelic rock/jazz fusion leaning towards prog, and probably an inspiration for bands like Zeta. The album had a good mix of styles too, from very jazzy guitar/piano solos (Black Magic Woman), to more tropical or beachy music (Oye Como Va), to songs I could see in some older videogames (Se a Cabo), and more traditional 70s rock (Hope You're Feeling Better)
Santana's performance at Woodstock is all-time stuff. Their studio albums aren't the stuff of the gods, however, and tho this has classic rock staples, I'm no more convinced by it than I am by the Eagles. To be fair, it's better than the Eagles b/c the percussion - the principal Latin import - does give it a rounded and foxy sensibility. But the songwriting is mediocre, and the instrumentation is mostly thin, with the exception of 'Incident at Neshabur,' an effective nonvocal track, and 'Se a Cabó,' which is short and persuasive. But this one doesn’t crescendo when I’d want it to, tenderize when it ought to, or complicate when it needs to. Suffice to say, there's better out there.
++: Singing Winds, Crying Beats, Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen, Oye Cómo Va, Incident at Neshabur, Se a Cabó, Mother's Daughter, Hope You're Feeling Better, El Nicoya +: Samba Pa Ti 9,9/10
Technically great, but did I really care that much? Unfortunately no.
I liked this one
Loved a bunch of songs on this, really liked the Latin rock/jazz fusion
This makes me wanna take controlled substances. Only reason this isn’t a 5 is because I wasn’t high as a kite
Sexy and groovy, but it also rips and wails. Santana is a guitar legend. This was a solid listen, and at under 40 mins it's honestly the perfect length album.
Huevos Grande!!! I am not a fan of 'Jam Bands', but Carlos and crew could take half an hour for each song and I would still be here for it.
Groovy good fun
Awesome. These guys know how to rock.
In the middle of the second song i leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes and listened through the entire album. Its perfect relaxation music. Not much more to say other than this is one album I vill have to remember and come back to when the mood kicks in.
03/02/2025 I have never listened actively to Santana and this was a good album for how I was feeling.
Favourite songs: Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen, Mother's Daughter, Hope You're Feeling Better, Oy Como Va, Se a Cabo Least favourite songs: Incident at Neshabur 4/5
smooth
Crazy good instrumentals. Kinda trippy but also coherent at the same time. 5/5
Santana is one of my favorites. I have listened to Black Magic Woman and Samba Pa Ti many many times and it never fails to give me goose bumps. Overall, this album is alright.
I always expect more guitar on Santana albums and then I remember he was really more a a band leader. Still, he shreds in his own unique way. Dude created a sound. How do you not give him credit for that?
There is some great guitar work here, but just a couple too many instrumentals for my liking. The guitar tones throughout the record are simply iconic.
This is a very smooth album. Latin rock generally has an elegant feel to it. This album could go on and on. I love its psychedelic vibes.
I didn't really know Santana (I don't think they have ever been as big in the UK as they have been in the US). But this is great. Hard to fault it really. Maybe it's a low 5/high 4 as for all the musical quality and high-intensity rhythms, my *emotional* bond with it isn't that strong. Top tracks: Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen Samba Pa Ti
I am trying to find a reason not to give this album 5 stars. I mean, if you like a guitar god who not only shreds (and who doesn't), but brings a latin-jazz-funk flavor to the proceedings, then Santana is your choice. The playing is frankly breathtaking. The Latin percussion enervating. We are moved gracefully from one style to another - jazz, blues-rock, psych, traditional Latin grooves. Fantastic album. Carlos Santana is truly a wizard, and a chaotic good one at that.
Good. But not my jams generally.
This album reminds me of belly dancing for some reason.
Carlos Santana basically can do one thing, but in context of other people doing other things that may become something great. Their debut, this one and Lotus, a little bit of Welcome, Borboletta and Caravanserai represent everything you need to understand the goods. Moonflower shows you how context becomes badly and his / their post seventies output mainly shows how his trick doesn't work. Said that, this is the most consistent of their outputs, and it is a damn fine record.
i don't think i could ever fully get into this from a vibes perspective but you have to appreciate how talented of a musician he is
A fun little trip with Santana. Enjoyable and mellow. A good accompaniment to an evening.
better than i thought
Chill. Lots of iconic instrumentals and guitar.
I liked it
Just really good music this
BEST SONGS: - Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen - Se a Cabo
I loved this more than I could have imagined! Very specific highlight was that crazily panned drum fill on Se a Cabó
норм.
Just not interesting to me, felt a lot longer than it actually is.
This album, specifically Oye Como Va, was my first exposure to surround sound music, on a quad 8-track tape at somebody’s trailer way out in the boonies somewhere around Princeton. I remember the stereo system wasn’t anything fancy and the rear speakers were pretty small, but on one of those speakers on OCV the only music was a single repetitive percussion instrument, and I was hooked and haven’t wavered for 50+ years in my love of surround. The album as a whole is quite good, with side 1 stronger than side 2. Carlos Santana’s guitar work here is excellent per the usual. A 3.5 rounded up to 4 because of the surround sound. I’ve tried to sell this before, but them doing Soul Sacrifice at Woodstock, when hardly anyone knew them (their debut album dropped 2 weeks after Woodstock) is well worth a YouTube watch — the crowd reactions are great.
Beforehand, I was familiar with black magic woman and oye como va, both of which I think are fine. The real surprise for me here was “Hope you’re feeling better,” which I genuinely loved. This is a 3 album with one 5 song on it, as far as I’m concerned.
10/10 Favorites: All
Oha! Now this is some Dad certified Classics. This makes me think of some beach bars immediately, good vibes. I kinda wanna buy a ride-on lawnmower now tho
I was today years old when i learned Black Magic Woman is originally from Fleetwood Mac. The argument I’m trying to make here is that it belongs to Santana in the same way that “Hurt” belongs to Johnny Cash and not NIN.
I thought this was going to be shit but, actually I quite enjoyed it.
oh i didnt know we had good music on this list
I love noodly guitars, and he's better than most
Good album. Black Magic Woman is obviously a classic, but the rest of the songs are also a groove. Not enough structure for me personally, but to be able to go vibe to this in a concert....yeah, absolutely. And the talent is...non-debatable. Definitely something to get on a record and relax to.
Pass the ayahuasca, baby
I mean this in the most positive manner, this is Uncle Matt music. Great album. Knew more songs then I thought.
....
This was my first time listening to this entire album, and it’s very impressive to hear the blend of genres. It’s obviously a crossover of Latin music, jazz, and blues, but it also shares many characteristics with prog rock and has a bit of psychedelic influence as well. While Carlos Santana’s guitar work garners much acclaim, the musicianship across the board is top-notch. The bass, keyboards, organ, and percussion each contribute significantly, so that every member complements and elevates the others.
Santana is a good band (guy?) and they produce good music and sound, it’s mostly instrumental and I enjoyed listening. I wouldn’t call it life changing.
Great album. My favorite song was Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen
Really enjoyable jam that still plays well a half-century later.
Very good. Jazzy rock with a Latin twist.
Amazing. Nice add to my listening profile
Jams.
Really cool album with different modes of songwriting and sounds. It's amazing that Carlos Santana can be a driving force while only talking with his guitar. I think it would be 3.5 overall, but the riffs and Oye Como Va put this up to:
Tem Samba Pa Ti, a expressão musical perfeita de toda sensualidade dos sons das guitarras. Lembrança deliciosa dos quadris Dela.
8/10
not a fa