Abraxas - Santana

Today Carlos Santana is one of those iconic guitar players that everyone claims to be a fan of and few really have. With his recent collaborations with the bright young things of pop and rock, he has gained a new found respect amongst wine bar and yuppie, so called fans, the same sort of person who listens to Simply Red or Level 42. Not that I have anything seriously against these aforementioned bands, I just want to put his place in the current scheme of things in perspective. Also not to take anything away from the man himself, he remains one of the finest latin musicians of all time, but as with the way of life, as you get older you settle for the easier options and ...

This album, along with the first and third Santana albums, is Carlos at his best. I consider this original line up of Santana's band to be the best. Songs like "Incident at Neshabur" and "Se A Cabo" burn with a firey Latin intensity. There is GREAT singing and Hammond organ playing from Gregg Rolie on just about every song. Another highlight is "Hope You're Feeling Better", a more "straight-ahead" rocker-less "Latin-sounding" than most Santana songs. Also, the live bonus tracks are a real treat. The remastered sound quality is PRISTINE on the studio tracks- a real treat to hear that great Santana percussion so ...

This album came out when I was 14! I bought it, as I loved Samba Pa Ti, I soon found that I loved the whole album. It features the classic Black Magic Woman, I dont think there is a person alive who wont sing along with that one! I now have a copy on CD, the well loved and scratchy vinyl version is consigned to the loft, but I play it just as often. Carlos Santana's guitar playing is just out of this world, a great album. ...