Santana - Caravanserai (1972)

Santana are a band who have been active since the late 1960s, based around guitarist and leader Carlos Santana, and known for their fusion of rock and latin music. 

After three highly acclaimed albums that saw them successfully fuse rock with jazz and Latin music, the band Santana underwent a few changes. Bassist David Brown and percussionist Michael Carabello both left, and during the recording of the fourth album their roles were taken over by various musicians. Meanwhile keyboardist & vocalist Gregg Rolie was starting to fall out with Carlos Santana himself. The end result was a very different album from the first three, not really representing the sound of a unified band. Instead it came across more as a loose jam session between a large cast of musicians, with the band's jazz leanings well to the front, and only three vocal songs among seven instrumentals. It made for a great record, but lacking anything that could be considered for a single release it was unsurprisingly not a commercial success.

Ultimately Caravanserai marked the start of a new chapter in Santana's career, as the band moved away from rock and towards a more experimental and complex sound. Both Gregg Rolie and guitarist Neal Schon left the group after its release - they went on to become founding members of Journey.

Santana III (1971) <|> Welcome (1973)
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Santana - Santana III (1971)

Santana are a band who have been active since the late 1960s, based around guitarist and leader Carlos Santana, and known for their fusion of rock and latin music.

By the end of 1970 Santana had recruited a seventh member, teenage guitarist Neal Schon, who joined existing members Carlos Santana (lead guitar), Greg Rolie (keyboards), David Brown (bass), Michael Shrieve (drums), José Areas (percussion) and Mike Carabello (percussion).Their third album was another wonderful fusion of rock, jazz and latin music, arguably bettering its more widely known predecessor Abraxas. Schon's guitar was very much in evidence throughout, as he took many solos, sharing the lead roles with Santana himself. Santana also sung a rare lead vocal on "Everything's Coming Our Way". 

The album generated two hit singles - "Everybody's Everything" and "No One To Depend On" charted at #12 and #36 respectively. The album itself got to #1. It is generally seen as the third in a trilogy of great albums by the band's 'classic' early lineup. It actually marked the end of an era, as following its release the band drifted apart and Carlos Santana took control of the name himself, taking it towards much more experimental (and subsequently less commericial) sounds.

Abraxas (1970) <|> Caravenserai (1972)
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Santana - Abraxas (1970)

Santana are a band who have been active since the late 1960s, based around guitarist and leader Carlos Santana, and known for their fusion of rock and latin music.

1969 had seen Santana triumphantly present their latin-rock fusion to the world, performing at the Woodstock festival and releasing their well-received debut album. This was followed by a tour, and their second album came out in late 1970. With Abraxas they refined their mix of rock, jazz and latin to perfection. Focusing on the band's instrumental skills, it was packed full of flashy guitar and keyboard work, all set to a heavy drum and percussion backing. The centerpiece of the album was a cover of Peter Green's "Black Magic Woman", which when released as a single got to #4 and became the band's signature tune. Indeed it remains today much better know than the Fleetwood Mac original. Following on the success of this single, the album itself got to #1, and is generally accepted to be the greatest achievement of the 'classic' Santana lineup.

Santana (1969) <|> Santana III (1971)
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Santana - Santana (1969)

Santana are a rock band who have been active since the late 1960s, based around guitarist and leader Carlos Santana, and known for their fusion of rock and latin music.
 

Carlos Santana was born in Mexico in 1947, and moved to San Francisco during the 1960s. With a love of jazz and blues music, he began to develop into a talented guitarist, at the same time absorbing the hippie scene of San Francisco. He formed the Carlos Santana Blues Band in 1967, which soon became renowned for their improvisational jam-based style. They stood out for their incorporation of latin musical styles into their sound, and by 1969 were signed to Columbia Records, having changed their name to simply Santana. Their big break was their highly-acclaimed performance at the Woodstock festival, which really brought them to public attention.
Their debut album came out that same summer. It was a truly innovative release, laying down the framework for their signature sound, with its fusion of latin-styled rock, blues, jazz, salsa and African rhythms. By this time the band's line-up consisted of Carlos Santana (guitar/vocals), Gregg Rolie (keyboards/vocals), David Brown (bass), Michael Shrieve (drums), Michael Carabello (percussion) and Jose Areas (percussion). The focus of the album was on their instrumental interplay, driven by the three-piece percussion section and led by Santana's fast-paced, bluesy electric guitar work. Most of the album consisted of instrumentals, as was fitting considering their jam band roots, though there were a few vocal numbers brought in to attract a wider audience, with Gregg Rolie proving to be an excellent lead singer. This was a good idea, as their cover of "Evil Ways" (originally written by Clarence 'Sonny' Henry) became a #9 hit single. Following in its wake, the album got to #4.

|> Abraxas (1970)
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