Abraxas

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

classic Santana, grew up learning all these songs on my guitar.

Great album with quite a few classics - a solid 9/10

Amazing album with some stunning guitar playing

This album is a classic.

Love the congas. Over hyped otherwise.

***An ok album

Wow this is a fantastic record! The classic hits (Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va) are of course fantastic - but good gracious Mother's Daughter is a real winner and a bit of a sleeper. Lovely guitar work (tone, technique, phrasing, melodic creativity) goes without saying but wow it's quite amazing.

This is a solid album for sure. Great one to start my 1001 albums journey on. Obviously fantastic guitar, but the variety of styles and percussion is really fun. Near jam band, but a lot more structured.

j’aime beaucoup! même si je trouve que l’album était un peu court, je me suis bien ambiancée et amusée pendant l’écoute! je pense que le fait que l’album soit quasi instrumental est une bonne chose, et le peu de paroles ajoutent quand même quelque chose. malheureusement ma chanson préférée pour l’instant (oye como va) est une reprise, mais c’est vraiment un album solide

One listen isn’t enough to properly rate albums

The first (primarily) instrumental album, we get an excellent start with the second release from the main band that brought Latin music to the American mainstream. From the hits like Oye Como Va and Black Magic Woman to the slightly more obscure (this is still a huge album we can only go so far here) tracks such as Samba Pa Ti and Incident at Neshabur, this album continues to demonstrate how the electric guitar, as played by Santana himself, is a natural evolution of the genre. The more classic Latin elements are still well-integrated, of course, grounding the album firmly in that genre, with the rock elements serving to enhance the feel rather than distract. Favorite track: Incident at Neshabur Least favorite track: Samba Pa Ti

Ok

It's Santana...good guitar not much else to it

This is what I want to listen to as the world ends. Best Songs: Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va, Samba Pa Ti, Hope You're Feeling Better Worst Songs: NA

i am glad i heard it before i died.

5 out of 5. This album is fire.

Of the songs I'm not familiar with, Incident at Neshabur is my favorite.

Absolute classic. So many good songs and nothing but shredding on the guitar. Short and sweet. Get in, rock, get out. Loved every second of it. Over before I knew it. The perfect amount of vocals. They hold out singing long enough to build some tension. A fun mix of instruments outside of guitar drums bass, etc. overall I had a blast listening to this. Listened front to back maybe 4 times throughout the day.

Хорошо работалось под этот альбом, не примитивная хорошая музыка

This is a great album with great instrumentals, the fushion of all different genres like jazz, blues, Latin rock and such go together so well and that’s what I loved about this album especially since I don’t really listen to music like this, but I really did love it and will definitely check out their other albums. I give it a 3.5/5

Pretty good, probably 3.5 out of 5. I loved the vibe, perfect for background chilling

it is good, santana is great, but idk didn't really suck me in

great album. still relevant today.

Phenomenal latin jazz/blues.

fantastic album

Goed, maar net niet boeiend genoeg. Ook niet helemaal mijn ding.

Honestly it was on in the background during manual work and I didn't really give a shit to hear it. Not my cuppa.

Super exciting and unlike anything I've heard in awhile. Honestly could've been longer but other than that I have very few problems with it.

4.4

Pretty spoony one, undeniably a great album, maybe I wasn't in quite the right mood for this to hit as well as it could have

What a vibe, really fantastic.

Guitar is nice lacking some vocals

First Santana album I’ve heard. Thought it was pretty good. Liked hearing black magic woman in its album context.

7/10

Lovely!

Can't resist the sweet & smooth guitar playing from one Carlos Santana. Mix that with the collective works of Santana (the group), and you've got yourself some nice & easy (and impressive) Latin rock/jazz. The arrangements from the album's first side shines above the rest, but I can hardly complain about the album overall. A digestible mix of instrumental and vocal Latin rock & jazz.

Classic, a bit boring in spots. 3.5

expected a little bit more guitar wankery from a virtuoso guitarist led band, but it was pretty tame

Oye Como Va is an instant time travel moment to a lot of nights of salsa dancing in a sweaty basement with the funnest most respectful people. Whole album is an absolute banger too. Black Magic Woman, hello

a stunning, classic album. Santana is so good.

Decent album feel like it’s a nice chill one to listen to. Really like the different instruments as well this album is very unique sound definitely would recommend. 7/10

A classic

This is a special type of music, a mix of rock and latin, but I could be wrong. However songs are very pleasant to listen during an activity or just enjoy your Friday morning.

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

Pressed play without expectations. Almost prepared to be bored for the next 40 minutes, but I must confess that I was engaged with the mystique and atmosphere this record exhales. It kept me jamming. Santana here is not leaning towards a supper shredding trick, only positive vibes.

This fucking rocks. I was hesitant on this one considering the pretty lame aura that surrounds Santana’s music and it took a few tracks to get into but I ended up really loving how unique this sounded. I guess I would call it fusion but it has many hints of salsa and even Bossa nova thrown into the mix that separate it from the fusion standards (Zappa, Mahavishnu etc.) that I’ve listened to, at least. Standouts are Oye Como Va, Mother’s daughter and Hope you’re feeling better.

Great album honestly. Not super lyrical but great nonetheless. 8/10. The Latin elements were so enjoyable.

nagyon szeretem a pszichedelikus zenét, ez az album elég ilyen jazz-világzene fúziós jam sessionre emlékeztet (nem negatívum). a gitár mindig faszántos nagyon meg a billentyűs szegmensek, a perkát nem tudom mindig értékelni, eléggé irreleváns a szememben xd (vagyis nyilván szuper fontos ritmusügyileg de a szólókat sajnos picit leszarom). összességében szupi vibe, bár nekem néha background zene egy bárban. szövegügyileg mondanám talán gyengébbnek (már ahol volt, bár spanyolul nem tudok szóval lehet azok a részek bombák). respect viszont, hogy azért egy ilyen nehezebben emészthetőbb jam seshhez képest nem húzták 30 percesre a számokat, így full befogadható szerintem bárkinek. kedvenc: incident at neshabur 10/7

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

It's a nice sounding album, but doesn't seem like anything special to me. I would rather listen to Jimi Hendrix.

I’d been hoping a Santana album would be on here. Oye como va is one of my all time favourite songs.

Bonus points for being a short album.

Absolutely fine. A bit too much guitar noodling, for my taste. A good band playing rock songs with a Latin feel.

Awesome album. 'Nuff said.

My apologies, Santana, I was unfamiliar with your game. Real groovy Spanish funk. Music like sipping tequila on a hot summer night.

Didn't mind this one. Not too much singing, just vibes.

Trippy treat. Love

Solid hippy rock

Sounds like Santana.

Musik ist nicht so mein Fall. Aber mag das Albumcover sehr. Ist anscheinend Latino-Rock. Sänger ist aber sehr bekannt. Sehr rythmisch. Wenig Gesang, mehr Instrumente. "Hope You're Feeling Better" fand ich aber nichtr schlecht.

One of the biggest issues I have with 70’s rock, or dad rock as some would call it, is that the vast majority of songs tend to be overstuffed with guitar solos. And not really structured solos, but more jam-like solos. The kinds that meander for a bit too long and inflate tracks to lengths in the 5-minute range. It gets a bit tiring to hear rock albums from this decade because of it. But Santana is built different. His guitar playing mixed with the Latin music elements give him a very distinct sound. The result is smooth (no pun intended) and gives the album this unique serene lounge like vibe. Honestly, there are only two dad rock songs on the album (Mother’s Daughter and Hope You’re Feeling Better). If it weren’t for those two, this might have been a perfect album. But as it is, it is miles better than a majority of dad rock albums. Favorite track: Black Magic Woman/ Gypsy Woman Other hits: Oye Como Va, Incident at Neshabur, Samba Pa Ti, Se A Cabo

YESSSSSSS

Really like Santana.

great music, troche sie zlewa w calosc, te piosenki ktore maja wokal bangery tez

Couple of good tracks but dull for the most part

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

Brilliant

Classic

I was really excited to listen to this one, especially since I’m a guitar player myself, and even non-guitarists know that Señor Santana is one of the GOATs. Who doesn’t love the iconic “Smooth”? This album featured some of the legend’s beloved older songs like “Oye Como Va” and “Black Magic Woman.” I listened to this album a few days back but really only remember the hits now that I’m writing this, so it must not have been especially memorable to me. That doesn’t diminish the quality of the songs, as the musicians involved are clearly incredibly talented, but aside from the ones everyone knows and loves, nothing came across as particularly ear-catching on my listen-through.

Spft guitar rock. Meh

Pesado

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

unikt och bra )

Incident at Neshabur ✅ Samba Pa Ti ✅

That was a surprisingly good time. Mellow and funky just like I like it.

Bonkers tone. Very psychedelic. Love old Santana.

Eclectically brilliant

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

Santana rules. Just amazing guitar playing and the drums are on point too. I don't find myself putting Santana on a lot but I should check out some more of his songs besides the big hits. Soul Sacrifice at Woodstock is a frequent watch though. 8.5/10 (4.25/5)

Absolutely phenomenal album with not a single duff track on it.

Beautiful instrumentals, great variety - includes the infamous "Black magic woman"

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

So f’ing good

It was alright

Surprisingly really enjoyed this - almost all instrumental, good vibes!

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

Tight musicianship in what is essentially a jam session for Carlos Santana to show us his dexterous, breezy guitar playing. Interestingly, whereas most bands have 'instrumental breaks', Santana have 'vocal' breaks. Although it's full of Latin rhythms with congas etc, it definitely falls under the rock rather than world music category. It's great music to drift away.

This album was so trippy and confusing it repeated 3 times before i noticed. Just needed some drugs.

Great guitar, great band, album not so great though.

Very good, very proficient, technically very interesting, but I just wasn't that interested. I think I've heard this album a few times before (I think I have/had it on vinyl). It does what it does very well, but I don't reach for it as a favourite or anything.

It's got the hits, it's got the riffs, it's got the grooves. Cha-cha-chá!

So groovy.

Good, but not for me

4 great album. Great guitar playing

Dirge

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

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

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

very fun & interesting. can see how it fits in with other late 60s/early 70s proggy guitar stuff but also love how it has its own distinct latin-influenced elements. this feels very classic for a reason.

Not really my type of music, I find this genre hard to get into. Okay background music and I started to warm up to it overtime. Might not come to my regular rotation tho. Also, instrumental music in general is very hit-or-miss for me.

kinda mid so far ngl yeah like ithe instrumentals r nice but the lyrics kinda BAD yeah a little too instrumental to my liking i dont feel strongly about it, i think its fcalming but yeah no not added

funky percussion and metallic sounds. would be great outside/with better bass or headphones. Oye como va is a classic, the rest i didn't know as well. not my preferred style but generally very palatable. mother's daughter is also nice, Samba pa ti is catchy and familiar. ~3.5 stars, like but not adding to rotation

Raw, live sound. Percussion is amazing. Santana not my favorite guitarist but absolutely kills it and you can feel the energy. Album drops off a bit near the end, but is the first part good enough?

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

Last song is not needed but excluded that it is a perfect hispano album.

I just can’t imagine how it’s even possible to make the electric guitar sound so wanky, but here we are. Faux feeling is included everywhere on this album, technically proficient playing but there’s just no true emotion behind it. It just feels so empty and emotionless. Genre wise this album is a bit all over the place, I can appreciate the Latin rhythms, but there’s attempts at harder rock or even heavy metal falls so flat on its face that I don’t understand how anyone could enjoy it. Santanas singing is flat and uninspiring. Will not be listening to this again, as I don’t like torturing myself. 0*

This album starts off heady, like waking up from a dream you can’t remember in a room with lots of incense and wooden bead curtains. “Black Magic Woman” is a classic, but the second half of that track, “Gypsy Woman” is really excellent. Santana’s rendition of “Oye Cómo Va” is also excellent. The next track, “Incident at Neshabur”, shimmers and shines and sprawls. It’s jazzy and intriguing and sexy and beautiful. Track 5, “Se a Cabó”, is a delightful and fun three minutes. The first five tracks of this album are fantastic and truly had me hooked. Sadly, the next track, “Mother’s Daughter”, feels out of place; it feels more like some blah jam band inspired by the rest of the album. Then the next track, “Samba Pa’ Ti”, is absolutely stunning, especially the first ~2-2.5 minutes. The restraint from the guitar and the gentle accompaniment from the percussion and bass is so, so beautiful and nearly moved me to tears. When the organ comes in it gave me chills each of the three times I listened to this track today. This track was far and away my favorite, but unfortunately, the very next track is cut from the same cloth as “Mother’s Daughter”. “Hope You’re Feeling Better” is decidedly better than “Mother’s Daughter”, but both are glaring weak spots. The closing track, “El Nicoya”, is mischievous and playful and a very nice note to end on. Overall, I really loved this album. It’s the first album from this project in the realm of psychedelia that I have found really exciting and excellent, and while it could be called psychedelic rock, it’s also Latin and jazz. The drumming throughout the album is unbelievable. It’s really a shame that the two duds really are such duds, because they take up nearly a quarter of the album’s run time. I want to give it 5 ⭐️, especially for “Samba Pa’ Ti”, but considering the two very weak tracks I have to settle on 4 ⭐️. 8.5/10

Pretty solid album nothing really popped out at me except Oye Como Va which is a classic.

Boy oh boy does that guitar sing

Ground breaking album!

Judging by the album art, Carlos Santana has a very consistent taste in women.

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

It was ok would listen again if I had nothing else.

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

Fan of his playing but this albums is a bit stop/start - a 3 because of the sterling guitar work

Yes, Santana can play guitar. Cool. Clap clap. But guess what? Just because you can solo for five minutes doesn’t mean I want to hear it. The whole album is basically: solo, bongos, repeat.

Really fun with fantastic guitar. 4/5

Always an enjoyable listen, and you'll recognise more than you think you will. A bit too noodly and the fact its two best known songs are covers perhaps precludes a four, but a definite 3.5. Album law is surely you're allowed one cover.

Ακουγεται σαν 3 4 διαφορετικα αλμπουμ. Απιστευτη παραγωγη και ηλεκτρικη κιθαρα. Πανεμορφο

Just an amazing mix of tunes

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

Interesting, I've never listened to Latin rock before. Lot of shredding. I know Loobis liked at least half of this.

I thought most of this was pretty boring but the guitar stuff on the second to last song is pretty cool. I never really played instruments growing up so I dont really appreciate the talent that goes into these albums. Im keeping Alexa’s electric guitar while she’s doing her semester in Switzerland. I tried to learn a few chords and they hurt my hand to do and I wasn’t even playing alot. And idk switching chords just seems impossible to me. it’s just so impressive to me when ppl can just play an instrument good like the playing on the albums we hear is just insane. Makes me realize there’s so much more that goes into this music than just some guy who can kinda sing sometimes. That said this album was meh except for that song, feel like these comments are more fitting for a diff album but I’m thinking about it now so I’m writing ab it now.

6/10 - It was all guitar which is both a good thing and a bad thing. My dad likes Oye Como Va and I did too. The rest were fine.

It was aight. I think I was expecting more

I was familiar with a lot of Santana's work, specifically from this "golden era" of their work. I have to say- sitting and listening to the album start to finish was an awesome experience. The intro was relaxed and different in tone from the rest of the album, but transitioning into black magic woman and Oye Como Va back to back set the stage for the powerful instrumentation. I also found myself enjoying the lesser known songs from the album, epecially Mother's Daughter. I had to look up the vocalist Gregg Rolie, as I was enjoying his voice and it sounded familiar to me. His vocals compliment Santana's guitar work really well. Overall- thoroughly enjoyed it. Id rank it 4.5/5, but not quite 5 star for me

A visionary in guitar rock that transcends time.

Much more jam band than I expected. I liked it.

Great album, Santana is awesome.

I coulda sworn we already did this album. Guess not. Anyway. This was probably a popular album to have on while hippies did their taxes. Wink.

Had forgotten about this one. Very nice Latin psychedelia, almost makes up for Smooth.

This was fine. Pretty familiar, even the songs I hadn’t heard. Carlos is a good guitar player, but there’s always been something about Santana that I’ve been unexcited by. Maybe Supernatural ruined it for me.

Liked it better than I anticipated. I'd give this 3.5 if I could

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

Carlos!! 5

Grooving, dancing, vibing to this album

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

cool Jazzy guitar driven instrumental

A river of creative guitar playing that is dripping with genius

Good old acid rock. Half jazzy noodling, half legit commercial music. They're almost always talented musicians and songwriters, they just mostly don't care enough to write. This alnbum feels like that. It's a couple of classics, a few ideas that have enough life they could be their own songs, and mostly just filler. It's hard to recommend as an album because I find it hard to know why you would want both Oye Como Va and Samba Pa Ti together. It's just a bit too discontinuous. I can't trash any part though. The individual works are definitely stronger than the whole.

Love it!

Mega! Samba Pa Ti

The legend. Incredibly smooth rock with latin influences. Stunning guitar, of course. Excellent rock album.

Classic

Suddenly I'm motivated to retake Atzlan

Play guitar, but make it sensual. Imma pass.

Great album, a couple of the songs were very familiar and the rest were just jams. The whole thing was instrumental, so nothing too exciting, but it all sounded great. Carlos Santana has this unique sund and you cal tell that it's his guitar playing. I liked that it was a quick listen, we got through the songs fairly quickly and that was it.

These guys fuck.

3.5

Flows smoothly with sparse vocals, focusing instead on bluesy jazz-rock guitar riffs with Latin beats thrown in. The result is a captivating fusion. Standout tracks: Oye Como Va & Hope You're Feeling Better

Médio

Overall quite nice. The 60s hippie jam-iness is offset by interesting percussion and rarely gets too indulgent. More eclectic than I'd have thought. "Incident at Neshabur" would have fitted well on jazz albums of the era, whereas others sound more like stock hippie songs, that filmmakers on a budget would use.

Groove, Santana style. 4/5

Very smooth and cool!

Based on the album cover, I was not expecting to hear Jazz/Blues. Three stars!

It's a decent album. Have to be in the right mood for it, but it's not bad.

I’ve always appreciated the hits here, but I obviously did not give the complete work the attention or accolades it deserves. Some great jams and percussion. 4.25/5

I was surprised at how much I liked this. Normally my reaction to Santana is an immediate change of the dial which even includes the early 2000s duet with Matchbox Rob. But on this one, the Latin/world vibes carried me through. Interesting that so much of this was instrumental too which is very cool. Even more surprising is that this album went to No. 1 in the U.S. While I normally will seek my vibes of this nature with more trad groups like Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66, I can still dig this.

This album sounded like drugs. And I dug it. Respect to Santana and the entire band because this thing just flowed. Also not sure I knew that Peter Green of Fleeteood Mac wrote Black Magic Woman so that’s a fun fact. Certainly Santana’s version became much more recognizable.

This album is a total vibe and I’m here for it. 4/5

Skemmtileg plata og mjög gott sound. Hljómar frekar modern miðað við að vera gítarmússík og slagverkið er eiginlega sturlað! Leið mjög hratt og tók hana nokkrum sinnum. Bjóst alls ekki við að fíla þetta svona mikið.

Allt í læ. Tvö frábær lög, restin skildi ekki mikið eftir.

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

You can basically put on any early Santana record and hear some of the finest rock music of the late 60s, guaranteed.

This was an absolute treat. Carlos Santana brings such wonderful flavors to the mix that it's difficult not to have fun while listening. Fantastic album.

Great rock album wrapped with latin jazz flavors and some notes le radio hits. Would listen to this album again.

Artiste connu, mais c'est la première fois que j'écoute un album entier. Celui ci contient quelques tubes très connus que j'apprécie. Les autres morceaux sont intéressants également, très instrumentaux. Mais je n'aime que moyennement ce style très latin, trop rythmé à mon gout. Je ne l'intègrerais probablement pas à ma collection. =>3/5

maggotbrain vibes

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

Wat een lekker album! Een soort psychrockjazzsamba album? Ik ben helemaal enthousiast joh! Tuurlijk staan hier dikke hits op zoals Black Magic Woman en Oye Como Va, maar ook de nummers die geen hits zijn, bevallen me erg goed! Vaak zijn dit meer instrumentele nummers met lange solo's en uitgerekte stukken gitaar. Normaal helemaal kut natuurlijk, maar ik vind het hier wel lekker werken! Ok, de laatste 2 nummers slaat toch de gitaarmoeheid toe. Dan ben ik toch een beetje klaar met de lang lang lang langgerekte gitaatsolos. Het is dan toch iets te veel scheurende gitaren voor mij, maar alles bij elkaar was dit een album wat ik absoluut nog een keer ga luisteren! FAVO: Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen, Oye como va, Se a cabo, Mother's daughter, Samba pa ti

Not my style

It's been a long time since I last played this album, and i don't think time has served it well. It's great musicianship, but ultimately 'just nice'. I've grown accustomed to recording artists writinh the majority of tracks on their albums, too.

Not a bad album. Lots of guitar which you would expect.

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

Classics from his distinctive style, good for many occasions.

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

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

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

I've left this unrated for literal months, coming back to it again for another listen to decide. My first introduction to Santana was, and I can't believe this is true, HS marching band where Santana was adapted to the show music. So I have a soft spot for Black Magic Woman & Oye Como Va. Anyway, I don't know why I took so long. It's obviously fantastic.

I've heard this album before. Such a unique sound, great album with a couple of classics and amazing musicianship throughout.

Enjoyable but not mind bending.

Having heard really only the hits by Santana, I was surprised to find this to be a jazz focused album. Some highlights - the beautiful way the piano and guitar intertwined in the later half of Incident of Neshabur, and the guitar playing on Hope You're Feeling Better. A nice album to listen to at the end of the day when you're winding down.

There's a couple of famous songs, and then others that are inventive but still early Santana. I feel like some of the later albums were more solid.

Kende het album nog niet (behalve Oye Como Va) maar erg van genoten. Zoveel om naar te luisteren, en de guitar riffs poehhh. Vond the jazz invloeden in eerste deel album wel onverwacht haha, maar nice. Mothers daughter, hope your feeling better 🖤

So. Good. 4/5

really great album. i enjoyed it a lot. carlos santana's prowess for guitar is chiefly on display here, which i'm sure might surprise people who only know him as the 'smooth' guy. there are some classics on here that still get a lot of play today - and i think because of their omnipresence, i am less enthused by those songs. songs like 'black magic woman' and 'oye como va' are great, but overplayed and are not my favorite anymore. to me the star of the album is, 'hope you're feeling better.' it's like nothing else on the album - face melting, aggressive in a way that stand out. the rest of the album is at least good but there are some more dull instrumental moments on here.

Talented musicians having fun

Didn't love it, didn't hate it; an all round okay album. Had some stand out tracks that I enjoyed, might even listen to again.

My first ever album on 1001 albums journey! I am excited. My take on this album is that I get that the instruments are incredible, but none of the music really made me want to replay them. I guess that the fact that I generally prefer the music with lyrics plays a role. This album was too much of a one tune to keep me on the track without skipping and felt repeated. Also, I feel like you need to be in the right mood to enjoy it. But some drum beats and guitar were absolutely amazing. I will remember Carlos Santana. The best track for me - oye como va, incident at neshabur

I'm so torn, because musically this slaps (except when they get a bit too Deep Purple/generic 70s rock), but also Carlos Santana it costs $0 to not randomly be a transphobic asshat when nobody asked

This was ok. Filling it under TMGN (Too Much Guitar Noodling)

Excellent album all through, just the good side of noodling

didn't quite get it, maybe not prepared yet

Je vais vous faire une confession, balancez-moi les guitares anguleuses et dissonantes de Sonic Youth ou les larsens contrôlés de Thurston Moore et je suis au paradis. Par contre, le concept même de "guitar hero", ce culte de la virtuosité, ces solos interminables qui semblent dire "regardez comme je suis bon et comme la mienne est grosse", ça a toujours eu tendance à me filer de l'urticaire. C'est mon côté post-punk, que voulez-vous. On ne se refait pas. J'ai donc abordé ce deuxième album de Santana, "Abraxas", avec la méfiance du démineur face à un colis suspect. On m'avait promis des solos à n'en plus finir, de la démonstration technique, bref, tout ce qui d'habitude me fait fuir en courant. Et pourtant il faut bien l'avouer, même pour un hérétique de la six-cordes comme moi, "Abraxas" est un disque qui force le respect. Il faut dire que le groupe arrivait avec une aura quasi-mystique car un an plus tôt, en 1969, ces quasi-inconnus avaient littéralement mis le feu à Woodstock. Leur passage, filmé pour l'éternité, avait révélé au monde entier un son unique, une fusion bouillonnante que personne n'avait vraiment entendue auparavant. Ce disque, sorti en 1970, n'était donc pas un simple album, c'était la confirmation attendue, la preuve qu'ils n'étaient pas juste le coup d'un festival. Ce qui sauve "Abraxas" de la simple démonstration de branlette de manche, c'est que la guitare de Carlos Santana, bien qu'omniprésente, n'est finalement qu'un des ingrédients d'une recette bien plus complexe et savoureuse. C'est un maelström sonore, un bordel organisé où le rock psychédélique californien vient fricoter sans aucune gêne avec les rythmes chauds de la salsa, les improvisations du jazz et la moiteur du blues. Avant de parler de la guitare, il faut parler de ce qui se passe derrière, ou plutôt, autour. Cette section rythmique de possédés, ces congas qui claquent, cette basse qui chaloupe, cet orgue Hammond qui semble prêcher dans une église sous acide. C'est tout un écosystème qui grouille de vie, une fourmilière sonore qui ne s'arrête jamais. La guitare de Santana, elle, plane au-dessus de tout ça, elle n'est pas là pour écraser le reste, mais pour dialoguer, pour surfer sur cette vague rythmique incroyable. Et puis, il y a les chansons et l'album contient ce que l'on pourrait appeler la sainte trinité de Santana, trois titres immortels qui justifient à eux seuls la place du disque dans le panthéon du rock. D'abord, leur relecture de "Black Magic Woman" de Fleetwood Mac (oui, oui, le groupe de Peter Green, avant qu'il ne devienne un truc mou pour les radios californiennes). Ils la transforment en une incantation vaudou, lente et sensuelle, avant de la faire exploser dans une cavalcade latine. Ensuite, il y a "Oye Como Va", une reprise de Tito Puente, qui devient ici l'hymne ultime de la coolitude, le genre de morceau qui pourrait faire danser un mort. C'est simple, c'est irrésistible, c'est le groove à l'état pur. Et enfin, il y a l'instrumental, la pièce de bravoure, "Samba Pa Ti" et c'est là que mon scepticisme de sale punk commence à vaciller. Oui, c'est un solo de guitare de quatre minutes quarante-six. Oui, c'est démonstratif, mais bordel, qu'est-ce que c'est beau. Sa guitare ne fait pas des notes, elle pleure, elle jouit, elle raconte une histoire sans un seul mot. C'est poignant, c'est lyrique, et ça vous prend aux tripes. Alors pourquoi, me direz-vous, ce 3/5 un peu chiche pour un album que je semble tant apprécier ? Justement à cause de ça. Parce que malgré tout le génie qui l'habite, "Abraxas" reste fondamentalement un disque de "guitar hero". La guitare est le soleil autour duquel tout le reste tourne. Pour le disquaire que j'étais, c'est le genre de disque parfait pour montrer la qualité d'une bonne chaîne hi-fi, mais pas forcément celui que j'écouterai en rentrant chez moi le soir. C'est une question de culture, de sensibilité. J'aurai toujours une préférence pour la suggestion plutôt que la démonstration, pour la fêlure plutôt que la perfection. "Abraxas" est un album d'une perfection presque insolente. Un excellent disque, sans l'ombre d'un doute mais pas pour moi.

Santana toen ie nog niet vervallen was in eindeloos gitaargepriegel maar nog rockte en swingde als een tiet

Santana’s Abraxas is a lively and tightly packed album, bursting with energy across its 37 minutes. The drumming by Michael Shrieve and Greg Rolie’s keyboards are particularly outstanding, driving the album’s dynamic feel. While Carlos Santana’s guitar work is undoubtedly the centerpiece, he doesn’t dominate too much, allowing the full band to shine together. There are moments where the album feels like an extended jam session, but it never overstays its welcome. Incident at Neshabur stands out as a highlight track, encapsulating the album’s blend of jazz, rock, and Latin rhythms. A fantastic listen, and worthy of a solid 4/5.

Ce qui est frappant de Santana, c'est qu'il démontre que la virtuosité à la guitare ne tient pas nécessairement à une vitesse ahurissante, mais au fait d'habiter la mélodie. Les changements d'ambiance et de rythme propres à la musique latine donnent un rock plus proche du progressif que du classique.

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

I mostly found this hugely enjoyable. I already knew and loved Oye Como Va, thanks to the Carlito's Way soundtrack, and was vaguely aware of the rest of the album. I knew of Carlos Santana, and his fondness for rendering vocals largely unnecessary, putting the guitar front and centre. The album romps along in a pretty joyful way. I'd have preferred even more Latin content and a bit less of the Cream-style rock, but it was a great listen over the weekend.

Loved it.

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

Sublime as always

Guitar virtuoso and some cool Spanish elements mixed in. But sometimes guitar hero ain't my bag

Very, very close to 4.5 stars. Doesn't finish as strongly as it starts, but goddamn, it's still pretty awesome all the way through. 4/5

Great album

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

One of the best late 60s/early 70s records period. Such a cool amalgamation of sounds.

Where are the words?

Santana had a huge hit with Rob Thomas in the early 2000s. The song was on every radio station, every commercial, etc. But it was too much. It burnt out all the Santana receptors in my head.

Some amazing songs, I really enjoyed the vibe but not the best of the best.

3 banger songs and the rest was vibes

Nice background music...

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

I always struggle with Santana. I appreciate that he is a great guitarist, but the music just doesn’t excite me.

#72 - Total classic.

Latin jazz meets psychedelic rock. Fantastic.

Coming into this album only knowing Satana only for "Smooth" probably gave me the... Well, not the wrong mindset coming in, but different expectations, for sure. I mean, to be clear, I'd always known that Santana existed for a **long** time before "Smooth". Hell, they'd played Woodstock--just like Country Joe! So, here we are only a year after Woodstock and 29 years before "Smooth". What do they sound like at this time? There's two I think I hafta keep in mind about this point in this history. For one, prior to their first album, they were a jam band. Even though--according to whoever wrote the Wikipedia article for their first album--they'd largely give that up for more conventional songwriting, they still kept a lot of the improvisation inherent to jam bands in there. Secondly, there's this genre tag that Wikipedia (them again) applies to this album: jazz fusion. And I think that goes a long way to explaining why this album sounds the way it does. "Smooth" had set me up for way more energy. Not so much, y'know, high tempos, horns and singing like Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, but... Energy, y'know? But ABRAXAS, I find, is actually a pretty laid-back album. Sure, it can kick it up a notch when it wants to, but I'm pretty sure that when I think back on this album, I'm gonna think of the more chill tracks. The ones that rely on the groove **heavily** to carry things forward. I do like it quite a bit, lemme say. If I'd caught this at a better time, it would've been nice to just max and relax to Latin grooves. Note, though: "if I had." 'Cuz this was another one of those rare days where I finally woke up at the time I normally want to, but since my body's used to me getting up later, I spent a lot of the day being all yawny and tryna keep my eyes open... So an album like this was incredibly easy to space out on. To which--I mean, I don't think a lot of albums would be able to completely, 100% hold my attention when I get like that, but goodness me, this could've done better. And I think that's why I'm feeling a 3 on it? One that I could see myself going up to a 4 on, by the way. I recognize, the state of mind I was in today wasn't this thing's fault, and I shouldn't judge it for that. All the same, however I do think it kind of highlighted how... Nondescript I found it? I mean, I'm sure I'll come back to this in the future and find a lot more to enjoy--Carlos Santana's guitar playing, for instance. I mean, hey, if anything carried over to "Smooth" nearly three decades later, it's that he can rip a mean guitar. But at this stands... Pff, yeah. Man, it's only a warm one.

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

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

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

Nemám námitek, solidní album, není to nejlepší od Santany

Good instrumental. Not my fave.

Nicely played but didn't really find it gripping. Quite easy to zone out to most of the tracks bar a few.

Really enjoyed that. Sounded a lot like a Mexican Hendrix, with bits of other stuff thrown in. Think the interspersal of genres worked quite well, certainly more than the previous Santana album I got. Saved quite a few down.

I was familiar with Santana but had never listened to a full album. That’s the beauty of the project, it challenges you to dive into an artist. I always knew he was a great guitarist but was unaware of the range his music had. From the opener I was intrigued, hazy, psych jazzy vibes. Black Magic Woman is a fantastic track, putting Santana’s guitar chops on full display. Just a wonderful album all the way thru, I really appreciated the variety here. 4 stars

Electric guitar riffs inspirational. Samba Pa Ti constantly on repeat

Santana is a great musician and this is a solid album with some great songs

Black magic woman is brilliant but not enough to bump to a 4

Nothing memorable.

So good. Should have listened to the whole album earlier

Didn’t get an in depth listen in but enjoyed what I heard, love the psychedelic tones, very cool guitar. Like the Latin tones. Would definitely revisit

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

A pretty solid listen

Got bored. 3