Santana - Abraxas [Bonus Tracks]

The San Francisco Bay Area rock scene of the late '60s was one that encouraged radical experimentation and discouraged the type of mindless conformity that's often plagued corporate rock. When one considers just how different Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape, and the Grateful Dead sounded, it becomes obvious just how much it was encouraged. In the mid-'90s, an album as eclectic as Abraxas would be considered a marketing exec's worst nightmare. But at the dawn of the 1970s, this unorthodox mix of rock, jazz, salsa, and blues proved quite successful. Whether adding rock elements to salsa king Tito Puente's "Oye Como Va," embracing instrumental jazz-rock on "Incident at Neshabur" and "Samba Pa Ti," or tackling moody blues-rock on Fleetwood Mac's "Black Magic Woman," the band keeps things unpredictable yet cohesive. Many of the Santana albums that came out in the '70s are worth acquiring, but for novices, Abraxas is an excellent place to start. [Columbia/Legacy's 1998 reissue of Abraxas featured three previously unreleased tracks -- "Se a Cabo," "Toussaint l'Overture," "Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen" -- which were all recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall on April 18, 1970.] ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

Name Credits Abdul Mati Cover Art Alberto Gianquinto Piano Annie Rudder Continuity Ben Fong-Torres Liner Notes Bob Irwin Compilation Producer Bob Venosa Artwork, Graphic Design Carlos Santana Vocals, Group Member, Arranger, Guitar, Producer Dave Brown Engineer, Guitar (Bass), Group Member David Brown Guitar (Bass), Engineer, Bass David Frangioni Audio Restoration, Mastering Elizabeth Calleja Graphic Design Fred Catero Producer, Original Recording Producer Gregg Rolie Keyboards, Arranger, Vocals, Group Member Hermann Hesse Author Jim Marshall Photography Joan Chase Photography Joel ? John Fiore Engineer José Chepitó Areas Arranger, Percussion, Conga, Timbales, Group Member Josh Cheuse Art Direction Maggie Magarian Schmidt Cover Photo Marianne Schmidt Cover Photo Mark Feldman Project Director Mati Klarwein Illustrations Michael Shrieve Drums, Group Member Mike Carabello Conga, Group Member, Percussion, Arranger Mike Shrieve Drums Nicholas Bennett Packaging Manager Norman Orr Art Direction, Artwork Patricia Miller Producer Patti Matheny Artist Coordination, A&R Rico Reyes Percussion, Arranger, Vocals Santana Arranger, Producer, Original Recording Producer Steven Berkowitz A&R Tito Puente Performer Vic Anesini Engineer, Mastering