"Got a black magic woman,
She's trying to make a devil out of me."
It might be said that "Black Magic Woman" is a cautionary tale and that Santana is merely offering the voodoo polyrhythms as an inocculation against their powers of seduction. But we know better: the cautionary tale is an excuse to inflict the voodoo rhythms upon unsuspecting listeners.
"Got your spell on me baby,
Magic woman I just can't leave you alone."
No wonder early-Santana was held in such reverence on the dance floors of the late-'80s and early-'90s, where the voodoo beat and its occult powers were held in high esteem. This dance floor revival of early Santana laid the groundwork for the massive success of Santana's contemporary comeback, Supernatural, in 1999.
The first three albums rock with Latin/Afro percussive intensity and should be owned by anyone interested in rhythm and rock guitar. Santana (1969, remastered in '98) is the most tribal, and besides "Evil Ways," features "Jingo" and "Soul Sacrifice."
Abraxas ('70, '98), with the astonishing psychedelic album cover, boasts one of the most consistent album sides in rock history: "Singing Winds, Crying Beasts," "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen," "Oye Como Va," and "Incident at Neshabur" glide along with pull of the inevitable.
Santana 3 ('71, '98) is also brilliant with the exuberant "Everybody's Everything" and "Everything's Coming Our Way," the chant-like "No One to Depend On and "Guajira," and blazing guitar interplay between Santana and a young Neal Schon (also later of Journey).
After a break for the experimental jazz grooves of Caravanserai ('72, 03), Welcome ('73, '03), and the blazing fusion and spirituality of Love Devotion Surrender (with John McLaughlin, '72, '03), Santana returned to Latin-rock on the great Amigos ('76), with a new band and a brighter sound highlighted by Tom Coster's keyboard work and Greg Walker's vocals. Standouts include the magical synth and percussion groove of "Dance Sister Dance," Carlos' sensuously beautiful guitar work on "Europa," and "Let It Shine."
Moonflower ('77, '03), a double-record live and studio set, features the same band and rousing renditions of "Carnival," "Let the Children Play," "She's Not There," "Flor D'Luna (Moonflower)," "Savor," "Black Magic Woman," "Dance Sister Dance," "Europa," and was an apt bookend to an amazing eight-year run where the Mexican-American guitar player and his bands could virtually do no wrong.
Article comments
1 - Robert Brandt
Very nice, Eric. Lots of people my age and younger lately have forgotten that Carlos has been at it a while.
I've always thought the Caravanserai/Lotus/Welcome period is criminally overlooked. Many who write about it today sort of dismiss it as fusion-ish excess. Caravanserai in particular was great; a transitional record that also hinted at what might have happened had the "old band" stayed intact.
Also, if anyone has a way to check out the Santana/McLaughlin live stuff, get to it. There's a few bootlegs around where the playing is beyond description.
2 - ClubhouseCancer
I never considered myself a big Santana maven, but I've been loving these reissues.
The live one sounds great, and the percussion sounds much less like a dense but undifferentiated groove and more like a bunch of individual musicians. You don't mention the 68 Live Fillmore one, but that one really rocks, too.
Caravanseria was a real revelation. There are some real complex ideas, sweetly stated, on that one. Dense, funky, and cerebral too. And that guitar sound. Soooo 1972.
3 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Robert and CC, very glad you are into it - the Santana comeback is worth putting up with if only for the attention shone on the classic stuff.