1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: 195. Santana – Abraxas (1970)

 

I think of Santana as being a Latin-beat version of The Grateful Dead, possibly because the timbre of the guitar sound used by Carlos Santana is very similar to that of Jerry Garcia, as are the modes used in soloing. Unlike the Dead, however, Santana’s songs tend to be shorter, and are backed by the Afro-Latin conga beats, in this instance provided by Jose “Chepito” Areas and Michael Carabello.

Probably the biggest track on this album, certainly one I’d heard before on the splendidly straight-named “Rock Anthems” compilation album popular among my friends back in college days, is the cover of Black Magic Woman, originally by the Peter Green version of Fleetwood Mac. In my opinion, the Santana version is better, evoking a seductive-yet-dangerous feel with an ominous, sinuous organ riff.

The rest are a mix of catchy samba instrumentals, or some with sparse Spanish lyrics such as Oye Como Va written by old friend Tito Puente, or the excellent Samba Pa Ti. Hope You’re Feeling Better gets a bit rockier, with psychedelic overtones. All in all it’s an infectious mix and it kept me eager for the next track.

Generally something about the sound of Carlos Santana’s guitar playing doesn’t quite manage to grab me, there’s something a little insubstantial to it, somehow. However, when coupled with the Latin beats, the album really worked for me.