Track Listing
1. Jingo
2. Evil Ways
3. Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen
4. Oye Como Va
5. Toussaint l'Overture
6. Everybody's Everything
7. No One to Depend On
8. Waves Within
9. Stone Flower
10. Love, Devotion and Surrender
11. Mirage
12. Let the Children Play
13. When I Look into Your Eyes
14. Flore de Canela
15. Promise of a Fisherman
| Details | | Producer: | Brent Dangerfield, Carlos Santana, David Rubinson, Fred Catero, Martin Boon, Michael Shrieve, Santana, Simon McEwen, Tom Coster | | Distributor: | MSI Music Distribution | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
Selected by the venerable British magazine MOJO, this 15-track compilation presents many of Santana's finest moments, including the Latin-tinged rock classics "Evil Ways" and "Oye Como Va."
Liner Note Author: Dave DiMartino.
Authors: Phil Alexander; Carlos Santana.
While this 15-cut compilation is meant to be an introduction to Santana, it doesn't go as far as either the Byrds or Miles Davis volumes, but it more than suffices as a primer on the power, magic, mystique, and unique vision Carlos Santana and his collaborators possessed in the late '60s through the mid-'70s. Beginning with the original band's "Jingo" and "Evil Ways," it tracks the complete union of Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms with the sound of jam-based rock. There's the mysteriousness of Peter Green's "Black Magic Woman," brought to full voodoo fruition by the medley with "Gypsy Queen." Listening with fresh ears today, it's no wonder this was such a big hit. It is simply revelatory to hear the sheer funkiness of "No One to Depend On," with its driving soul and bass-driven R&B (as introduced by the Spencer Davis Group and Georgie Fame -- yeah, that's right, punters) meeting both Cuban music and the funk drive of Sly with the badass horns punching it up. From here there's the delve into spiritual jazz ("Love, Devotion and Surrender" with John McLaughlin) and samba-driven fusion with keyboardist Tom Coster jumping in for Gregg Rolie with vocalist Flora Purim and percussionist Airto, among others. The hits from the period, "Let the Children Play" and "Stone Flower," are here, as is the utterly gorgeous "Promise of a Fisherman." The only things lacking from the period are instrumental pieces like "Samba Pa Ti" (Abraxas) and "Song of the Wind" (Caravanserai). "Soul Sacrifice" isn't here either, but do listeners ever even need to hear that one again? In sum, this is a great little comp that gives as solid an overview as one can hope to get from a single disc. ~ Thom Jurek
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