Abraxas

Great album by Santana! Some well-known cover hits and the album cover itself is just pure art

I was all ready to complain after the first track about how this just sounds like the inside of a Brazilian steak house, but I’ll be damned if I wasn’t having fun the rest of the time.

I never think about Santana, and then Abraxas plays and I remember that there's really no better jammy guitar album.

Way better than I was expecting

Truly a guitar great!

carlossssss, ugh. so good. wished the album was longer, felt like it flew by so quickly.

wowie, also a crazy cool cover but unfortunately a bit short

Would def listen to this again and again, what a jam

As much as I was dreading this after hearing a lot of this record on dive bar juke box on heavy rotation - it’s still a good and strong record - with instrumental that transcend their format and overall a pumping and fun record. Enjoyed it.

classic

OYE COMO VA

Santana is a bop. I got some good work done while listening to this album.

Solid and fun, enjoyed the whole album. Nothing stood out, but nothing was bad

Black Magic Woman :)

Excellent!

It was a fun time! Great mostly instrumental classic rock with grooves, latin grooves. Classic Santana. Good stuff. but not mindblowing. But really really good.

Great background listen

I don’t know why I dreaded this so much. Maybe Rob Thomas has something to do with it. Way more enjoyable than expected! And short and snappy enough to not get old.

Great interplay between the band members...did not know that 'Black Magic Woman' was a cover!

7.5/10

That famous Santana guitar tone just works so well with Latin music. They found a great sounding formula and just rolled with it.

This one was just fun. Good vibes, indeed.

Good memories are evoked

Easy listen. Songs not nearly as long as I expected based on genre and release year. Couple of really solid songs but the rest passed by without leaving much of a mark.

Enjoyable. All the songs are about twice as long as they need to be, but that's normal for the time.

So good. We all know Santana is an all time great guitar player, but I think he's a great band leader and collaborator as well. The band sounds so tight and together that this album sounds like an amazing jam session without ever coming off the rails.

Another classic- "Black Magic Woman" & "Oye Como Va" are staples (which is funny as they're both covers), the former being far more associated w/ Santana than the original Fleetwood Mac version (which I don't think I'd ever even heard until looking it up to check). If your boomer parents (or grandparents) leaned even slightly hippy (or if you have any Latin heritage), you've heard these songs, if not the whole album.

Schon gut

Probably the most cohesive awesome album by Santana. Always worth a listen.

I liked the music from Santana very much, but I think, it is to much synthetic

Hoping for more lyrics, but guitar was great and the inclusion of Spanish instruments.

Nice, but I like the first Santana Album more

Honestly really good one. A bit typical but such fun music

Santana's "Abraxas" is a foundational rock classic that seamlessly blends Latin rhythms with electrifying guitar solos. Each track is a vibrant fusion of styles, creating an album that's timeless and utterly captivating.

I enjoyed the latino rythms in most of these songs. The songs that got a little too "rock n roll" weren't as good. Of course the hits off this album are special songs!

I've never really listened to Santana before and this is much more like Jazz than I anticipated. Weird, jazzy, psychy, rock and roll.

There’s no mistaking Santana!

Surprising amounts of genre influences

Enjoyed this sound, Gypsy Queen is great.

Really good. Santana always has great vibes. "Black Magic Woman" has always been a fun listen. Really smooth sound.

What a guitarist! “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Como Va” are huge hits - that I’ve heard before - but this album is more than those two songs. Great blend of Santana’s solos with the rest of the band proving their abilities as well. Cool Latin vibe underlying with classic 70s rock sounds overtop. Liked how the songs wove together to provide a tide of music, slowing and quieting just to swell again; made for a pleasant album-long listening session.

I haven't listened to a full Santana album since he released Supernatural in 1999. That album is quite different than this album and I am happy to say it. Abraxas is great. It has my favourite song Black Magic Woman in it. But after listening to this album, the song 'Hope You're Feeling Better' might dethrone BMW. Honestly, people talk about how Jim Hendrix is the king of guitar, but I think I like Carlos Santana over Hendrix. That's definitely a hot take for sure. But I love Santana's guitar tone. And his solos aren't wankery. His VOCs aren't necessarily better but I am on the fence to which I prefer. Anyways, enough comparisons. This album has songs that sound like the Black Keys... But better. I wonder if the Black Keys took some inspiration from Santana. I mean, how could you not? Even the Spanish songs were enjoyable, despite me not knowing what was being said. Thoroughly enjoyed this record.

Jazzy fun energetic record. Great playing from everyone. Solid recommendation. Repeats: black magic woman, mother's daughter

Legend on the guitar

Once this album got stuck on my record player and I was high and it took me an embarrassing amount of time to notice

I feel like this is peak Latin Rock.

Quite enjoyable! Felt like I should be beachside with a cocktail somewhere hot.

This album is definitely good. Santana's guitar level is on nearly god level (especially for 1969). Favorite song(s): "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen", "Oye Cómo Va". Solid 4/5

Good but you have to be in the mood

I'm shocked to learn that neither Black Magic Woman nor Oye Como Va are Santana originals, instead coming from Fleetwood Mac and Tito Puente respectively. Santana's first #1 US record release, and on a larger scale, one of the earliest modern musicians to bring Latin music into a popular space. Even if the songs are not all originals, this album drips with charisma and is presented excellently

Classic dad rock

i’ve known about Santana for a while, being on the outskirts of the jam band scene, but this is the first time i’ve sat down and actually listened to them. very cool

bien la verda disfrute, santana no es mi persona favorita pero no puedo negar que su musica esta completísima.

Like a hairy chested man giving you a loving embrace.

Like swimming with Manatees

Great, but I can imagine there's not enough singing for a lot of people. I don't mind. Favorite song: Oye Como Va.

I was surprised I knew a few of the songs. This album was really focused on the guitar and lots of improvisation from all of the instruments. I also really enjoyed the Latin themes

BL: I know of Santana for the much later works ala supernatural. Never listened to his stuff from before, so I’ll see how it turns out AL: very fun album. While it wasn’t necessarily 100% of my thing, I really enjoyed listening to it. The fusion of Latin beats with psychedelic organ is a raw juxtaposition which while doesn’t always blend, usually helps it stick out and makes it a rewarding listen anyways. Some of these tracks will sneak their way into my playlist. FT: “Black Magic Woman”, “Mother’s Daughter”, “Hope You’re Feeling Better”, “El Nicoya” 4/5

A couple of stand outs here. A wizard with the guitar.

latin influenced psychedelic blues rock. infectious rhythms. carlos santana was one of the noteworthy figures of the era. easy to see why this one is on the list. highlights: “black magic woman”, “oye cómo va”, “samba pa ti”.

One extra star for that album art

Santana shreds on this, loved it

good psychedelic, latin rock stuff, groovy and jazzy, I love all the percussion stuff as usual in latin music, I like the spanish tracks more than the english ones

Some nice funky guitars. I got some The Doors vibes on a few of the songs. Overall pretty enjoyable.

Oye Como Va gives it an extra star

Man I loved this album in my younger days. It’s still enjoyable. A shame that Carlos just kinda cocked it later on in his career. His guitar tone and style, especially after 2006, just sounds… cheesy? But I don’t actually think my enjoyment of this album is hindered by that. I’ll probably come back to this every few years. It’s a classic

Listened Before? Yes I haven't listened to many Santana albums, but this is one that I spent a good bit of time with during late high school. This is a classic with two of his biggest singles -- Oye Como Va and Black Magic Woman -- along with a number of other jams. This album is pretty great straight through. Not perfect by any means, but there is a lot of soul here, and plenty of that unmistakable Santana guitar. Standouts for me are Oye Como Va, Mother's Daughter, Samba Pa Ti, and (personal favorite) Hope You're Feeling Better. Great production, with some sequencing hiccups (particularly between BMW/GQ and Oye Como Va). Just a good clean latin-infused classic rock album. 4 / 5. Added to Library? Yes Songs Added to Playlists: - Mother's Daughter (Sunny-vibes) - Hope You're Feeling Better (Des Approved)

Santana is great, don't think I have ever listened to this album front to back but know a bunch of the songs. Great listen overall

Santana just melting my face with his guitar while I am trying to do some data entry. I like how some of the songs were English and some were Spanish.

Great album instrumentation yet again. These songs fuckin rocked. I especially loved Incident at Neshabur. So many changes in that song and at one point thought it was the Grateful Dead. Never have taken a deep dive into Santana but it might be time. Hoping they have Soul Sacrifice coming up love that song

This one surprised me. I really liked this, definitely would enjoy listening to it again.

My first introduction to Carlos Santana was a collaborative album her did with Alice Coltrane called Illuminations. His guitar fit perfectly with the rest of the instrumentation. His playing is gorgeous and filled with jazzy grooves. While Abraxas isn't necessarily a jazz album, it caries these same qualities in spades.

This was a vibe,not amazing but oye como va and black magic woman are absolute bangers.Santana creates a Latin,groovy atmosphere that I quite enjoyed

I dig.

Sanatana so good! Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va and Samba Pa Ti are the songs I'm most familiar with from this album, but the whole thing is a great experience. Great vibes throughout, I remember my dad playing this record excessively loud in the basement and me being bored to tears. not anymore!

1 Santana Album You Need to Hear Before You Die

It felt like I walked into the wrong party. It was a great party. But I don't know if I would have been invited or if I was stoned enough to stay.

In a nutshell: a sweet Latin rock, Chicano rock and blues concoction Went in only knowing Oye Como Va and Black Magic Woman, left appreciating Carlos and his band. WOW! There's a noticeable flow to it. Each band member's skills are on show. Carlos seems to work WITH the band rather than above the band. Truth be told, I'd listen to 70's Santana over Eric Crapton anyday. Overall: 7/10

Great album. Love everything about it. What an incredible sound.

This was great. The music is so good. I'm not the most into jam type of stuff, and despite that I still had a great time. I look forward to a conversation with some sort of grey-haired man about how Abraxas is good. I'm not sure when it'll happen, but I know it will, and I am now prepared.

Sat on a cold grey day in the UK, this washes over me like taking a bath in molasses with a rum cocktail in hand.

This will never be my favourite Santana album - that's been Caravanserai for over 40 years - but it is very good. It's more poppy than Santana 3 or Caravanserai, I don't mind pop but I don't think it really suits Santana.

I actually liked this, it even put me to sleep!!! 7/10

Would I listen to this album again? Yes. First time hearing the full album? Yes. Were there any songs I skipped? No. Comments? A very fun album that makes you feel like moving. Favourite Songs? Oye Como Va

Oye como va is a banger for sure. I liked these songs a lot actually, they have a good vibe that is pretty jazzy. I appreciate all the instrumentals. This is a great background album, but if you really want to pay attention to the songs they don't disappoint. I also really liked the song "mother's daughter". Solid rock song.

If there's one thing that continues to get reinforced by this list, it's that I have a soft spot for any Latin music. Didn't really know what to expect coming into this album and seeing Black Magic Woman, but the rest of the album was a pretty big departure from it, at least relatively. There's some stuff here I was a really big fan of, though I did kind of lose attention in it about halfway through. It's great, lyrical guitar playing with a few supporting facets, if you're into that then you should be into this. Highlight: Oye Como Va Lowlight: Mother's Daughter Surprise Hit: Se a Cabo

Santana is a magician with the guitar. He can make full instrumental songs feel like they have lyrics and quite frankly that’s good enough. He does his best when he gets someone else to do the singing. All in all this is just a guitar driven album that is fun and groovy. 7.7/10

Classic lyric rock. Good drive.

Timeless piece of music, great guitar and percussion work

Saw Santana in 02. Best concert I've ever been to.

Really cool album. Heard before, but now I'll remember that Oye Como Va was on here. Had that one playing in my head a few times. I really like the laidbackness here. + Singing Winds, Crying Beasts + Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen + Oye Como Va + Incident at Neshabur

Very fun to listen to

A pretty nice album. Latin instruments, latin rock, long guitar solos - easy 4 stars.

Listened to the two big songs on the album quite a bit but I have never heard the album in its entirety till now. Pretty decent.

Everybody knows Santa's biggest hits, but I never listened to this full album. It's absolutely amazing. One must wonder why I haven't before!

A fantastic album in the realm of musicality. The bongos, synth and electric guitar make this not only something you could relax on a beach to but something to cure workday blues. This music can transport you to a peaceful realm, get you groovin as well as just motivate you through a day.

Lots of classic songs

Saving this for my next psychedelic adventure. Rich full sounds. Pleasant.

My first introsuction to Latin Rock. Should listen to more, this was dope.

Fun, easy listening, pretty in some parts energetic in others. Awesome album and it made me go listen to Soul Sacrifice live at woodstock again, so bonus points for that.

Smooth. Just extremly good vibes would listen to again!

Hahaha, just listened to this the other day. Some of Santana's best tracks. Classic 60's psychedelic jams. Great guitar work.

Was never a fan of Santana growing up but listening to this now was very enjoyable, funny how our taste changes over the years. Really enjoyed the rhythm/percussion parts

Great album, the first few tracks just melt into each other, samba pa ti was a nice highlight, loved the jazz influences on this album too.

I really liked this record. It's got a really interesting mix of styles but it's all tied together. I've always had a fondness for Santana but never really sat down to listen to an album until today. If this was a ten point scale I'd probably give it a nine but I'm saving my fives for stuff that really really deserves it.

Holy Moly.

Classic stuff.

Can't go wrong with Santana.

exceptional plucking

This shit kinda slaps Geweldige opbouw naar "black magic woman" Interessante Latin beats in verwerkt? Ja het is helemaal Latin Yes please, oye come va is funky 4 sterren!

Master class

This is good noodlin'! And better than 90% of the 60s SF noodle bands (which is a pretty low bar, but still).

Grew up on this album. Amazing guitar work

This is my first full length Santana album (not counting Supernatural that was playing on repeat in the background when I was a kid) and it already has 3 of the biggest hits that I knew beforehand. A lot has been said about these three so I’m just gonna state the obvious that Black Magic Woman is probably among the top songs ever. I just love how the guitar sound grows in the beginning among the synths and the rhythm section and then just completely breaks free. The rest of the album compliments the top 3, especially the jazzy parts. They are well within the balance of jazzy/interesting and easy listening. Also, as a drummer, I’m a sucker for all these Latino jazzy rhythms which can be hear throughout the entire thing. A perfect soundtrack to a sunny lazy Sunday evening.

Gitaarmuziek zoals ik het fijn vind, muzikaal. Eerste en laatste nummer overslaan. Mother’s Daughter +++

70s sounds

Some gnarly guitar and some gnarly bongos.

Sublime

Great

Groovy Favorite Tracks: Oye Como Va, Black Magic Woman 4.5/5

Great album!

Great guitar sound from a legend. Something I should explore more. Some hip hop samples found on this record.

It's simply excellent. More nostalgia. My parents had pretty good taste.

Some great Santana sounds

Fire

Abraxas is a stellar showcase of Carlos Santana’s guitar-playing and songwriting talents Will definitely be listening to this again, albeit maybe more during the summer months Favourite tracks: Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va, Incident at Neshabur, Mother’s Daughter, Samba Pa Ti

3,5

This is pretty sick. Never been a huge Santana guy but he’s got some really cool records. Great band and really cool percussion.

It’s crazy that you can know it’s Santana right off the bat.

One of the kings of rock guitar. Some great tracks. Maybe a little too long.

Santana! The best album so far. The only songs I didn’t really like were the ones w vocals. 🤷‍♀️

"Singing Winds, Crying Beasts" is a wonderful opener, with a nice Prog feel to it. "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen" is, of course, a classic. Great guitar and percussion. "Oye Cómo Va" is a catchy sing-a-long that also deserves to be a classic. "Incident at Neshabur" is the highlight of the album. Interesting time signature changes and a beautiful, slower second half. The second side of the album is an unfortunate downgrade from the first. "Se a Cabó" is fine enough, though feels like a lesser "Oye Cómo Va." "Mother's Daughter" isn't the greatest, with the lyrics and vocals being the worst part. "Samba Pa Ti" was excellent. Beautiful, and the best part of side 2. "Hope You're Feeling Better" is a definite improvement over "Mother's Daughter" (both sharing Gregg Rolie as the writer), but I'm not sure if the raspy, rocker voice is right for Rolie. "El Nicoya" is a disappointing closer, almost feeling like an afterthought. The percussion in the left speaker was frankly annoying. Overall, a great listen.

Black Magic Woman on this album and it’s great. Would be a vinyl to look out for.

Great percussion/rhythms, notable Afro-Cuban beats. Feels surprisingly fresh for 1970, although some nice 60's psychedelic flair. Couple of well known classics.

Great Latin jazz. First song is kind of nothing and boring but the rest is good. Ez 4.

9/10

Never listened before, I like it

Тупа кайф 8/10

I'm not ordinarily into prog and prog-adjacent stuff, but I'm so impressed with Santana. Bringing authentic Latin influences into the music really brightens it up and makes this a great listen.

Beautiful album. Have always loved Santana's music. 4/5

That amazing latin touch on some great blues/rock.

Funky and fun. Oye Como Va and Samba Pa Ti are masterpieces.

fun!

Total classic. Santanas best work

Portada espectacular.Album melódico, casi sin letra aparte de segmentos de dos canciones. Oye cómo va favourite. Buenos ritmos y me gusta este tipo de canciones de solo melodía y Buenos ritmos. 7/10 lo escucharía otra vez

The musical melting pot of the late 60s was still simmering strongly enough to eventually boil over into the start of what was intended to be a promising decade and, whilst not the soundtrack of that period of time, Santana was one of the perfect microcosm for a more accepting music culture. Mixing together blues with psychedelia and samba, Abraxas is indeed a mythical beast wielding some of the most potent configurations possible in the moment. Yeah, Carlos himself may have went on some fantastical spiritual sounding journeys in the aftermath but, with this, it seemed as if he was already on his way. Favorites: Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen, Oye Como Va, Incident at Neshabur, Se a Cabo, Samba Pa Ti, Hope You're Feeling Better.

se acabo

Latin rock, recognized a few songs

Really cool project, very clear how Santana was able to create Smooth now

Really enjoyable and iconic

Santana at the height of his powers. The man can wield an axe.

Guitar with a side of singing. Would listen to going 170 on the highway

Classic Santana

Some classics and a few others thrown in for good measure!

Solid Santana. A few solid classics. It's everything you think of when you hear "Santana" and makes me wanna road trip out west.

W Carlos

Excellent. Infectious and upbeat album!

My first one it's not too bad I guess

Very cool combo of psych rock and latin flair

Pretty mad would be good on vinyl with a spliff

Growing up in the Seventies, even in an isolated small town, of course I heard "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Cómo Va" on the radio. However, until today I had not listened to this album, on which those songs appear. While I occsionally enjoy jazz, Woodstock-style psychedelica, or Latin music, I'm not an enormous fan of these genres -- and yet their fusion works here.

Would definitely listen to again. Really enjoyed.

I really enjoyed listening to this on the way to work this morning. Never been that into Santana but i thought the percussion and the loose structure was just good times. Great cover of Black Magic Woman

4.5

Must tää on kyllä aika kliffa platta! Kunnon lattarirokkii ja hyvii versioita klassikoista! Uuwee! 4/5

Nautinnollista jazz-vaikutteista rockia. Santanaa oon sillon tällön kuunnellut biisin, pari mutta toimii erinomaisesti myös albumilla. 4/5

This was another "oh no!" moment when I saw Santana pop up in my list. I had mentally placed them into the same category as bands like the Grateful Dead - ponderous and boring hippy-shit. I was expecting an album of Latin-tinged coffee commercial pap, but it turned out I was wrong. From the opening I realised this was going to be something much better than I had expected. I could hear echoes of Pink Floyd (particularly Animals - which would come 7 years down the line) and a bit of Deep Purple. The guitar was great, but the whole album was well put together, never dragging and changing style throughout. The covers at the start were probably the highlights, but I also enjoyed the instrumentals, even the foreign language tracks were good. Not quite a 5-star experience, but pretty close.

“Look, look, something is very wrong! I don’t want Santana “Abraxas,” I’ve just been in a terrible auto accident!”

I had modest expectations going into this album. I've heard Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va hundreds of times - they are decent songs, but I'm beyond tired of hearing them. The rest of the album took me by surprise. It was actually really good, and I thoroughly enjoyed each song! Santana is an incredible guitarist, and I'm glad I got to listen to more of him. I probably won't listen to this very often, if at all, but I'm glad I did once.

More singing on the album than I would have thought. A fun listen that is perfect for the summertime. 4/5

Guy has great tone

Exciting, fun, musically complex, mostly instrumental latin rock album. I enjoyed it!

Gran disco, el vinilo es otra cosa. 8.5/10 Singing winds, Crying beasts 7.5/10 Gran intro, atmosférico. Black Magig Woman 9/10 Temazo. Oye como va 8.5/10 Temazo para bailar solo. Incident at Neshabur 6.5/10 Not feeling it, es una canción intermedia estrepitosa pero no termina de aterrizar Se acabó 7.5/10 Santana crudo, los bongos ayudan bastante. Ritmo rápido y tropical Mother's Daugther 8/10 Explosiva, energética. Se puede dividir entre explosión y letras que le dan un poco de espacio. samba pa' tí 8/10 Temazo. Hope you're feeling better 8/10 buen tema de rock, cargado con toda la onda setentera psicodélica El nicoya 7/10 Simple, ritmo pegadizo, buena despedida.

I didn’t know what to expect, it did. 4 Stars.

i didn't expect it to be so jazzy. i like it!!! good background music, if you know what i mean... i wouldn't listen to it to listen to it. i would put it on in the kitchen while i'm baking, or play it while i'm walking. greatly enjoy the sound.

Not an album I’d ever listened to in its entirety. Happy I did

I just want to vibe out with this album, it takes your hand through this psychedelic trip and delivers you into nirvana with the sounds of bongo's and Santana's spine melting guitar licks. Will listen to this album gain for sure.

Did you know that during the recording for their first self-titled album, Santana had to be dragged away from the guitar solos? Jam sessions kept taking over all the recordings, so the band got rounded up and informed that they needed to introduce actual structure to their songs and cut down on time. They managed to perfect the mixture of wonderful, free-riding chaos and rock songwriting here. The air is warm and heavy and the guitars are roaring and you're chilled out beyond belief. What an album to just take a step back and exist in. An enchanting 4/5.

Great album! Santanas way of handling the guitar is iconic

Fuego

Very vibey. Would like to cop on vinyl if available

soulful guitar

Surprisingly good! Sure, it is masturbatory guitar noodling, but its nicely accompanied by organ and great percussion. Incident at Neshabur is a stand out for me. Haven’t yet bothered to listen to the Santana-records passed on by my father. Time to do some crate digging.

Masterful. Talent plus enjoyable listening = 4

It was a good album

Singing winds crying beasts: mystical start Black magic woman: guitar hero 3. I never realized there was a intro song to this song, thats crazy. This song is amazing, a classic. I really love the bass groove and the guitar just kinda going along and complimenting evethying else Oye como va: played a version of this song in middle school band. This album is really hitting all of the nostalgia for me. So good. Incident at neshabur: love all of the funky random sounds, cowbell, the bouncy rattle, organ comboed with chord piano, ride and snare, so chaotic in the jazziest way. This would slap so hard in a jazz club. The tempo slow downs!! That was so perfect and unexpected!! Loved that. Really tugging at my strings by tipping into the phycadelic vibes a little. This is surprisingly good Se a cabo: love the jungle feel. Mothers daughter:im enjoying the upbeat energy, but im a little ready for a slower song to mix into this album, hopefully the next one is. Samba pa ti: peeeerfect. This is the perfect slow guy. Im pretty happy with the organization of this album the song are starting to kind of blend for me for their similarities, but the vibes are on point, lots of beaches. As much as I like the soloing guitar I think at this point I'd like a little more structure, a little less soloing a little more band Hope you're feeling better: again, its good, the guitar is a little too lost in the sauce for me. If their were multiple people soloing it wouldn't be an issue, but after hearing the same guitar solo they all start to sound the same to me El nicoya: this was very random wtf😂. This album has a couple of 5 star songs by themselves, but overall its at max a 4 star. A little too much of the same and im just waiting for their to be more.

It's really hard not to like Santana. Nobody's been more successful at making Latin Rock sound cooler than they have.

The first half of this album is legendary. Don't get me wrong the whole album is amazing, it start strong and ends strong as well. Hope You're Feeling Better rocks.

Groovy Favorite Tracks: Oye Como Va, Black Magic Woman 4.5/5

A few seconds of anticipatory silence. Some tentative piano jazz chords. Swells of cymbal, twinkling chimes. And then in it comes, screaming in technicolour all the way from one channel to another: Carlos Santana's signature searing guitar tone. This is "Singing Winds, Crying Beasts", and it marks the beginning of a psychedelic odyssey through the sound and soul of Latin America. I've never listened to any Santana before, but "Abraxas" is a gem: the band's second and most famous album, it's held up by stunning instrumental work threading together some dynamic originals and inspired covers. I'm often sniffy and dismissive about covers of other artists' work, but the versions done here form such great bedrocks for Santana's guitar parts and the band's Latin accompaniments. "Black Magic Woman" (originally a minor hit in its own right by Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac) is hypnotic, smooth and seductive, with an infectious burst of energy in "Gypsy Queen" tacked onto the end. We're then into "Oye Como Va", originally a Tito Puente number but given a rock-oriented make-over here with guitar and organ solos a-plenty. Both pieces ultimately became more associated with Santana than their original artists, and it's a delight hearing them back-to-back in the mould of a unique fusion of Latin, jazz and rock. Carlos Santana's own contributions cannot be overstated: his guitar is all over this album, and deserves praise as Latin rock's answer to Hendrix. While the rest of the band more than hold their own against Santana, I would single out José Areas as an absolute treat of a percussionist. Without his contributions, instrumentals like "Incident at Neshabur" or "Se a Cabo" could fall flat, but his conga and timbales run through their veins: the life and soul of "Abraxas". In the second half, there's a noticeable pivot to more conventional blues rock penned by lead singer Gregg Rolie. "Mother's Daughter" and "Hope You're Feeling Better" leaped out at me on first listen, with their immediate crunchy guitar riffs and soulful vocal performances, and then on second listen they began to feel slightly jarring in amongst such intricate Latin-influenced jazz. I've now settled on the idea that they're great fun in their own way: reminiscent of Traffic or Cream songs, they satisfy a visceral urge to rock out as well as shake our hips to the album. The gorgeous, lush "Samba Pa Ti" forms a welcome tonic in between the two. Seamlessly paced, virtuoso performers, psychedelic heaven… "Abraxas" is going to stay with me. It's a high four (9/10) for now, but I've no doubt this could improve with time.

Somehow very chill and very intense at the same time. Incredible talent on display here. 4.5 stars

Vibing hard to the songs I don't already know. What a jam.

Great guitar album. Super cool grooves. Great meld of rhythms and great guitar. Carlos Santana is a master musician. Loved the album.

Solid gold.

I figured going in that this would be an album that I like, but ultimately don't find that interesting. However, I found this album really engrossing. It was clearly influential on a lot of the jam bands that I was really into when I was younger, and yet this didn't feel generic. It also had a clearer jazz influence than I was expecting. Each song is distinct and well-conceived 4/5

first listen this is an incredible record

I was familiar with the singles before listening to the album, but all of the songs have a great energy. Not a lot of variety, but it's great at what it does.

This is some sexy, smooth Latin rock. Very psychedelic and well-mixed. A lot of fun. I could give this 5 stars, but it might JUST fall short of having that certain je-ne-sais-quoi to get it there. But I will be listening to this one again.

AJ: Excellent. Don’t know much about or written by Santana. “The hits” are cool, and I randomly got to see him live and he was great. The band is of the Earth. So much soul and energy. Love the first track feeling like the band is getting him going. Didn’t hear alot of guitar, until black magic woman. Like he’s gathering energy from the band and then saying “ok, vamos.” I loved it. ❤️ Cat: this album is fucking amazing!! Mood music for sure. Latin, jazz, rock n roll all fused together. And they’re all so good! Highly recommend listening with headphones. The stereo effects are wild.

I well remember the release of this album in 1970 when I was playing at being a civilian DJ on armed forces radio in Germany.

There's something about a guitar player that plays with the amount of feeling that Santana does that makes it a joy to listen to. Even if I don't understand the words to the some of the songs (and some don't have lyrics at all!), I enjoy it.

Agréablement surpris, un album super bien construit, pas vraiment de moments faibles (à l'exception de Oye como va qui est un peu plus ordinaire). La fusion de musique latine et old school rock est tellement bien faite, les pièces que je ne connaissais pas sont toutes très bonnes. Le flux de l'album est super bon. 9/10

This album starts off really strongly but fizzles out on side 2, but side 1 is very good. 4 stars

Fav Tracks: "Black Magic Woman," "Oye Como Va," "Samba Pa Ti."

Glad to finally explore an album from this legend. Amazing guitar work. You can see the 60s blend of psychedelia and Hendrix, with his own latin roots. Two big singles in the beginning, and while the rest of the album doesn’t maintain those heights, still a great album overall.

Very enjoyable album, perfect for both the background and active listening. Great salsa rhythms paired with one of the most recognizable guitar sounds

This shit is my jam. Psychedelicized latin rock with a bit of jazzy flair? Yes please. Hope You're Feeling Better was the only song that wasn't great. 8.5/10

cultures converge on Santana’s rich largely instrumental album “Abraxas”, where their sultry latin music is met with and bolstered by delirious guitar segments and psychedelic tendencies that metamorphose into something new altogether: what results is a groovy journey that fuses jazz, rock, funk and chicano, so that when you listen, it sounds like sunshine on a bright beach day (throwing bongos onto a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Black Magic Woman” should never sound so good, and yet here we are). Santana plays the guitar with so much flavor that it evokes powerful feeling — you think of a song like “Samba Pa Ti” (arguably the album’s best track), and it feels transformative in its texture; the song is light and breezy, sure, but riddled with an underlying melancholy that balances out its sweetness with something much more interesting. and then there’s “Hope You’re Feeling Better”, where Santana feeds off that manic 70s sound, shredding like there’s no tomorrow. of course, Santana is a talented show-off, and some of the songs linger long enough into indulgence, but at a tight 37 minutes, Santana still knows when to reel himself in. Abraxas feels like a crash course on music — its genres and history — seen through the eyes of one latin band. it is music whose beauty is not lost in translation.

Очень самобытно и интересно! это невероятное скопление референсов и идей для творческих людей звучит крайне необычно но каких-то экспериментов вида "не для всех" тут не то, чтобы можно наблюдать работа стоит внимания

Пункт номер 0: Spotify вместе с альбомами иногда подсовывает сопутствующую продукцию артистов. И здесь... чуваки, они продают барабаны! С логотипом Santana!!! Это же лучший меч, который только мог быть придуман! Не уходя далеко от барабанной темы, перкуссия в альбоме кайф. Я испытал похожие чувства как при прослушивании King Crimson: чувствуется оркестровость музыки, только с испанско-мексиканско-латиноамериканским колоритом. И перкуссия (я не помню как конкретно эти барабаны называются, но вы послушаете - меня поймёте) идеально создаёт этот образ. Вспомнилась также Jazz Samba, здесь звук правда побогаче: есть электрогитара, которая добавляет МОЩЬ. Black Magic Woman / Gipsy Queen - прям реально как заглавный трек King Crimson: медленная часть, развитие, быстрая... прям дикий кайф. К концу альбома конечно подустал, хотя ребята очень старались делать разнообразную по наполнению музыку. Я думаю, в лайве это смотрелось бы вообще максимально эффектно.

Ну все на подкасте обсосали

Lot of indigenous rhythm adds to the guitar focused melody.

This was pretty good! I was surprised to hear songs I already knew

Pretty fun latin/jazz/rock album with some very notable hits. Cool album cover too.

Rock latino con la guitarra de Santana. Me ha cansado un poco. Un 4.

Elevator music for a drug house. Listening to this album on shrooms would probably make me write a new constitution. Big boy Carlos and his guitar are amazing of course, but why does nobody talk about that drummer as well?!

Realllyyy good

4.25

Oh, not just technical guitar playing. Actually cool and fun beats.

Best: Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen Worst: El Nicoya Good album

Great album. Enjoyed this from start to end! And Carlos Santana is just a great guitar player with an awesome distinctive sound

Nice album

Very happy music

- oye como Va is so frigging good

i enjoyed that. cool album cover.

Really good.

Obviously I knew the big hits, this is a really fun listen all the way through though. Great guitar playing and a lot of variety. I'll almost certainly come back to it!

Untouchable guitar skills, no doubt. A few songs on here have been in heavy classic rock rotation my whole life, so I can slip back into them like a pair of well worn shoes. And I'm not surprised that the deeper cuts I've never heard are just as good. I appreciate the way Santana showcases his skills and proficiency without ever showboating them. I'm a lyrics first listener so albums that are focused on instrumentation are usually not my jam, but this made for a groovy morning. And let's not forget to mention that this album cover is an amusement park for the eyes! Damn, that's cool.

I frequently have to remind myself that Santana is a band and not just Carlos. I have discovered this maybe five separate times, then promptly went on to forget it. Let’s listen! Songs I already knew: Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va (although I’d only heard the Tito Puente version before today) Favourites: Samba Pa Ti, Black Magic Woman I think Carlos Santana might be one of my favourite guitarists. At the risk of sounding very cliche, he really does make the guitar sing when he plays. The distorted tones mixed with the samba music feel like something that shouldn’t really work, but it certainly does. The vocals are good when used, but it is quite sparingly throughout the album. Nothing is lost due to this though - there is a reason why the band is named after the guitarist as this is what shines most. Overall, a very easy album to recommend.

muy bonito. Muy linda la fusión entre esos lloros guitarreros y esos ritmos mas latinos. me gusto de principio a fin

Excellent album one that really put them on the charts. Greg Rollie is one of my all time favorite vocalists. It wasn't long before he left Santana to start Journey as keyboards and vocals

Ik was vergeten wat voor een kleppers er door Santana geschreven zijn. Maar voor mij is het beste nummer op de plaat toch wel "Black Magic Woman / Gipsy Queen".

De meest dansbare rockmuziek. Leuk om te luisteren

Great album, black magic woman being my favourite song on the album

When this album came out, I was just discovering pop music on AM stations. I'd heard the two hits, Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va but not the rest of the album. To be fair, at that age, I wouldn't have appreciated the rest of the album. But today, I have gone through so many phases of music, that I can appreciate most of them if they're good. And this is beyond good. The album really resonated for me because of it's Latin and jazz elements. What I noticed was how well each instrument stood out on its own yet worked in conjunction with the rest of the instruments. This has helped me rediscover Santana since I hadn't listened to them in a while. Scale: 5 - My absolute favorites. 4 - Albums I like. 3 - I enjoyed listening to it but wouldn't seek it out. 2 - Didn't like. 1 - Absolute shit.

Incident at Neshabur, uffff

Nice chill album. Mostly instrumental but the instrumentals aren't boring.

I knew the hits but really enjoyed the rest of the album. The modal jazz inspired Incident at Neshabar was particularly good. Carlos Santana of course is a phenomenal guitarist bringing the Dorian mode to the masses. It would be easy to pigeonhole this as Latin rock, but to do so would be to miss some of really interesting and subtle things that are going on.

Melody. Wonderful. Great for background music.

LP

Vibes

Where is Smooth featuring Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Oye como va? This album is pretty dang good. It's not 100000 hundred million percent good but it's pretty good. Oye como va? 4/5

I think it's a great album, with a good production, I really liked it

Not bad. Pretty jazzy for me. Feel like I would need some drugs to appreciate.

Didn’t listen

Jag hade såå fel om santana bro på guuud

Awesome latin-fusion jams

Chill

Have it on vinyl. Very nice!

Hell yeah. Just awesome musically throughout. Favorite track: Samba Pa Ti

what stands out most on this album is the instrumentals! they are positively beautiful. the guitar on "samba pa ti" or the keyboards on "incident at neshabur" or even the percussion on "el nicoya"--that wasn't an instrumental, but i stand by it. the latin element is present and delightful. abraxas was fun, plain and simple. santana created music that stood on its own without vocals. i've gone through over 200 albums on this project so far. world music is lacking. abraxas was refreshing and provided a different kind of sound that we haven't heard yet. i had a lot of fun while listening to this album!

I've been waiting for some Santana! This album is exceptional. There is a lot of great psychedelic guitar work on here, as expected of the times, but it is of course mixed with that signature Santana latin flair. Further, there's some other great world music and even jazz sounds across this album. As if latin music wasn't already cool, Santana makes it ice cold here. "Hope You're Feeling Better" was a new-to-me Santana song that I am surprised is not a bigger hit. Like "Black Magic Woman", it is a good encapsulation of the psychedelic style of the time combined with latin sounds. Simply put, this album was a great, fun, engaging listen.

Some classic tracks and some hidden gems. A couple of them drift into jazz and not what’s needed on the record.

Rock latino

It is more likely that someone from my generation would know Santana from their 1999 hit Smooth with Rob Thomas. While that's not a bad song by any means, it is certainly not representative of Santana's greater contributions to popular music as a whole. Before moving forward, there is a certain distinction to be made between Carlos Santana the person and Santana the band. While Carlos Santana is a key figure in the band and certainly notable on his own for his fantastic guitar playing and tones, the band Santana is equally worthy of praise for their songwriting contributions and because, of course, music being a collaborative process by nature. So when I refer to Santana, I'm talking about the band. Santana is so fucking good. Not only are they incredibly tight with spicy grooves and smooth textures, but they layer on top each other so well that it's like the best-tasting smoothie you could think of in the form of music. The obvious point to make here is Black Magic Woman's fantastic move from a chilled-out psych rock jam to an intense latin rock banger with a legendary guitar solo to boot. Carlos Santana is not shy to show off his soloing chops on this album. In truth, every member of the band shines throughout with tasteful rhythms from the percussion section giving each song fantastic groundwork and personality. Perhaps the weakest part of the band here is Gregg Rolie. While his contributions on the keys are not at all bad, his two songwriting contributions (Mother's Daughter and Hope You're Feeling Better) leave less to be desired as the finer subtleties of Santana's latin rock approach have been drowned out by a more blunt hard rock approach. Not nearly as rewarding as the rest of the album. These shortcomings are easy to overlook when you have such a finely-crafted album like Abraxas. In addition to making the 1001 albums list, it was entered into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or artistically significant". Excellent choice.

A rock classic. When Carlos gets wailin' he's got a sound all his own.

Classic!

It's definitely a good all rounder album for me. It didn't provide moments that were dying to be repeated and I didn't get a spark like with "5" rated albums. Instead Abraxas was consistent in terms of greatness and provides a good jamming album. Their cover of Black Magic Woman and that combined with Gypsy Queen provided the best track of the album.

Singing Winds, Crying Beasts - Groovy track, enjoyed it a lot Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen - Vocals are great, great track Oye Como Va - Again a very smooth track. Incident at Neshabur - I like the quickness of this track, high intensity without being crazy, and I like it slows down nicely. Soothing Se a Cabo - Like this song, I like the organ subtly in the background at points Mother's Daughter - Great song Samba Pa Ti - Nice track, very mellow even with the e guitar in the background Hope You're Feeling Better - Good song El Nicoya - Great song

Don’t let anyone ever tell you the 1001 Album Generator doesn’t have a sense of humor. Just yesterday I was assigned The Mothers of Invention’s “We’re Only In It For the Money”, a blistering anti-Hippy screed/psych sound collage of an album. Today, I was greeted with an album from one of the forerunners of San Francisco’s psychedelic scene, Santana and his 1970 album, Abraxas. Now, if the Generator really wanted to elicit a response out of me, it would have given me a Grateful Dead record (Oh, how I long for the opportunity to eviscerate that band on this website). As it is, I found it humorous coincidence to pair these two records back to back (see my review of Sonic Youth’s “Sister” for more on what I think the Generator is *actually* up to). I enjoyed “We’re Only In It For the Money” and appreciated the commentary on the San Francisco hippies of the 60’s, in part because much of it still holds true for today’s “hippies”. Santana, while part of that late 60’s scene, always seemed to transcend the scene in my eyes, with ferocious playing and the incorporation of jazz and Latin influences. This isn’t hippy-dippy, flower power psych. This is heavy duty, man. It’s the kind of record those yutzes in the Grateful Dead could only dream of putting together: tight grooves, expert playing and an infectious high-octane energy throughout.

Favorite Songs: Singing Winds, Crying Beasts, Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen, Oye Como Va The darker and more mysterious instrumentals in Singing Winds, Crying Beasts remind me of TOOL - just a little tho. Each song is so different, but still feels like it belongs.

I'm back to noter les albums!! Tres clean et sympa, les morceaux instrumentaux sont top. Quelques sons que j'ai moins aimé

Just a banger overall, solid songs, great theme throughout the album, sick guitar licks and melody. 4.5/5

Actually my first listening to a full album form santana. I heard a lot about him and the guitar riffs are indeed great. There was not any particularly striking moment, but the overall listening experience was great and the guitar and sonorities overall very catchy. Oye como va is a banger.

Super nice melodies! Some variety and mostly very entertaining... Loved to listen to it multiple times. 4/5

Need to listen to last half of album. good shuit. Love it need to listen to more santana

This is a great guitar album good mix of Latin and rock music. Really enjoyed this.

Sexy groovy guitar, very listenable - sorta sounds like a dad driving album though. Solid

Fun Latin beats

Un viaje, para acompañar la rutina y llegar al final del día o para bajar mil cambios y no hacer nada.

Solid album. Hope you’re feeling better, black magic woman, and oye como va, are all belters.

Great album which I really enjoyed

¡Ay curamba!

Great guitar work across the board. Very fun stuff.

Good album. I was only familiar with “ Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Como Va” - love both of these classic songs! “Samba Pa Ti” is beautiful! The rest of the songs on the album exhibit solid musicianship but are not songs that I could listen to more than one.

Not my usual kind of thing but this is clearly a top top quality album

Great Latin beat

Classic

Great guitarist

Is it jazz? Rock? Salsa, latin, prog? Santana makes easy many types of music on this album. It's a great listen for a variety of moods. 4/5.

I loved the transition from Singing Winds, Crying Beast into Black Magic Woman starting a great three songs stretch to open the album. Santana is just a magician with the guitar and you could just listen to him on his own, which he knows and gives us in this album. Sleeper(?)pick Mother’s Daughter

4.5

4.2 + Even better than I remembered. Santana's guitar work clean and cool. I love all of the rhythms that keep an upbeat, sunny flow. This is the perfect summer afternoon soundtrack. Standouts: "Black Magic Woman", "Oye Como Va", "Hope You're Feeling Better."

First listen 1-oh fuck yeah that's a good opening song 2- ive heard this song before but goddamn the way it flows from the first song is nice 3-groovy 4-really like this one 5-okayy yes 6-this whole album just flows so well. 7-another slow one also very good though so grooovyyyy 8-guitar is just so good might be a top song for me 9-interesting closing choice. 8/10

Starts off strong, first few songs a very solid. Music flows well and has a good beat. Funky rock, piano and guitar Not working background

Enjoyed it as a kid, very nostalgic as an adult.

Black Magic Woman is brilliant

I started this album on my lunch break, and was lucky enough to listen while driving straight into a wicked storm descending on the previously gorgeous day. Honestly, 10/10 ambiance. Would recommend. Black magic woman is of course incredible. When Oye Como Va came on, I thought of the pool party scene from Boogie Nights for some reason but I looked it up afterwards, it wasn’t in that movie but they used it in the Big Lebowski. Either way, another great song along with hope you’re feeling better. I also really enjoyed the instrumental tracks singing winds, incident, se a cabo, I’m always looking for instrumental tracks to listen to when concentrating at work.

I love Santana and was already familiar with this album. My mom actually used to play this album a lot. Black Magic Woman is a classic. Oye Como Va is great as well.

Pretty classic album!

It's hard to give this anything less than a 4 with Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va, as the 2nd and 3rd songs on the LP. While they are not original compositions, Santana's versions defined that late sixties experimental sound and they're still in high rotation today, sounding a fresh now as they did 50+ years ago. Gregg Rolie's voice is perfect in BMG as is his organ playing. I also like Samba Pa Ti as a guitar "opus" and the percussion throughout is terrific.

Although this album is over 50 years old it still sounds fresh and kicks ass. The singles still get me playing air guitar and bongos whenever I hear them. Apart from the virtuosic guitar, which is obvious, The percussion is just brilliant. Definitely one of Santana’s best, if not his best album.

Solid

Pensar que aquest era només el seu segon disc i ja era tota una celebritat, després de l'èxit del primer i de la mítica actuació a Woodstock, li dóna encara més mèrit al risc i l'evolució que presenta des de la seva estrena discogràfica. El pes principal és tota la càrrega llatina a temes com 'Oye Como Va' o 'Samba Pa Ti', boníssimes les dues. La versió de 'Black Magic Woman' es menja l'original de Peter Green, i la resta de temes no dista molt lluny de l'excelència d'aquestes tres meravelles

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Black magic woman, Oye como va, Hope you’re feeling better

This album is a beautiful melting pot of musical influences, merging together the rhythms and dance inducing energy of latin music, with the expressiveness guitar of classic rock, the cleverness and organic flow of jazz, and the fuzzy blur of psychedelic. Beyond the classics that this album has become known for, 'Incident at Neshabur' and 'Mother's Daughter' are perfect examples of how all of these genres come together into perfect harmony together.

This is very good, but maybe just a tad boring? (besides Black Magic Woman & Oye Como Va)

Not usually a big fan of meandering guitars, this was very enjoyable though.

Very good album! Sound modern stillm