#334 Santana, 'Abraxas' (1970)

Previously #207

The second album in as many years by Santana and their first to go #1 in the States (incidentally it went #1 in Australia too). Still reeling from their success at Woodstock, the band released ‘Abraxas’ hot on the heels of ‘Santana.’ Leading the charge was their iconic cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Black Magic Woman,’ arguably a song that they made their own. In fact, it was the first ever song I’d heard by Santana and as an 8 or 9-year-old kid I remember being knocked off my feet by it. I probably heard it on the radio because we definitely didn’t have any Santana albums at home. Around this time I also heard ‘Oye Cómo Va,’ another song that I became obsessed with and also a cover, originally by Tito Puente.

Carlos Santana’s guitar playing is astounding and has always mesmerised me. He plays like a man possessed. In fact, if you ever get the chance, check out their performance at Woodstock. Carlos had dropped acid with Jerry Garcia from the Grateful Dead at 12:30pm. As they had been scheduled to play at 1:30am, he thought he’d be sober by then. Due to traffic delays, the lineup had to be shifted and because Santana was onsite, they were rushed onto stage at 2:30pm, right as the acid was kicking in. He spent the entire set hallucinating, convinced his guitar was a snake. And it was the set that launched them. Other highlights from a frankly 5-star album are ‘Mother’s Daughter’ and ‘Samba Pa Ti.’ Any incredibly beautiful song that really demonstrates why Santana is one of the guitar greats. It would be remiss of me not to mention Gregg Rolie’s keyboards and vocals on this album. I once had the priviledge of seeing him play live with Ringo Starr and he was an absolute showstopper.

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