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)
More from Santana

Download