ABRAXAS

Recording in the summer of 1970, Santana set out to craft their second record, collaborating with new friends (among them, Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green, the author of "Black Magic Woman"). Their first effort had been recorded in a matter of weeks and had become an overwhelming commercial and critical success. Now, with the pressure of success upon them, they released "Abraxas" - it yielded two huge singles, became a number one album, and took the band to the next plateau of superstardom. [CD back cover liner note].

By the time this album was released I was not quite sure on what album was all about because I was (at my childhood) only aware popular songs "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Como Va" which were very obvious being covered by local bands at the time. But when later this album was remastered, I purchased it and had a chance to enjoy the full album. I must agree that this is an excellent album which features Santana's virtuosity in playing his guitar with distinctive sounds. From the opening track ""Singing Winds, Crying Beasts" (4:48) I can tell how excellent the music is from the richness of composition, varied textures and explorative guitar work combined with Gregg Rollie's keyboard work. The keyboard style reminds me to the jazz music, similar with what John Paul Jones did with "No Quarter" at Led Zeppelin's album. It flows beautifully with "Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen" (5:17) where I enjoy the bass lines and percussion in addition to keyboard and guitar work. It must be certain that anyone listens to this track will love it to the bone because the melody and the beats are excellent. "Oye Como Va" (4:17) is another pop hit experienced during childhood.

"Incident At Neshabur" (4:58) has a jazz style combined with rock beats and percussion. The keyboard solo and bass lines are excellent and dynamic. It flows toa n upbeat "Se a Cabo" (2:49) where the guitar, keyboard and percussion work hand in hand in upbeat style. "Mother's Daughter" (4:25) is a good track that showcases Santana's virtuosity in guitar playing. "Samba Pa Ti" (4:46) is a mellow track with bluesy style. "Hope You're Feeling Better" (4:10) is an excellent track combining latin rock and classic (vintage) rock.

Overall, this is an excellent addition to any rock music collection.

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW