In Ten Tracks is not a best of or greatest hits or even necessarily a list of favorites. They're songs by an artist that stuck with me for various reasons through the years. Mix tape/playlist staples
I have to question Rolling Stone's and Christgau's original criticism of Santana. I mean, how in the hell can anybody call it dull, repetitive, and "a bunch of noise?" I mean, honestly. At the time, there was nothing quite like them, or Cymande, or Osibisa. Those original music mags, however, were all very white/Anglo-focused, and Santana, Cymande, and Osibisa brought a world vibe to their music that quite possibly tested Rolling Stone's white rock and roll writers.
I have three live bootleg albums of 1968/pre-1st LP Santana, and all are straight up mind-blowing sets of the highest order. The drums, percussion, Rolie's keys, and, of course, Carlos' guitar are all incendiary. I can only imagine what the acidhead Grateful Dead/Jefferson Airplane fans must have thought of them.
All of that said, where I think a more appropriate criticism of Santana could be argued is that his later work does begin to sound quite similar. But, those early live sets, their first three LPs, and even 'Caravanserai' and 'Moonflower' are brilliantly composed and incredibly inspiring music. I would have loved to have seen Santana live in their 1968-1971 era.
Thanks for highlighting the breadth of their catalog. I was mostly familiar with (and very much enjoy) their earlier work, but I didn’t really listen to them for at least a decade until Supernatural was released. This article has inspired me to check out some of those lesser known (to me) albums.
I have to question Rolling Stone's and Christgau's original criticism of Santana. I mean, how in the hell can anybody call it dull, repetitive, and "a bunch of noise?" I mean, honestly. At the time, there was nothing quite like them, or Cymande, or Osibisa. Those original music mags, however, were all very white/Anglo-focused, and Santana, Cymande, and Osibisa brought a world vibe to their music that quite possibly tested Rolling Stone's white rock and roll writers.
I have three live bootleg albums of 1968/pre-1st LP Santana, and all are straight up mind-blowing sets of the highest order. The drums, percussion, Rolie's keys, and, of course, Carlos' guitar are all incendiary. I can only imagine what the acidhead Grateful Dead/Jefferson Airplane fans must have thought of them.
All of that said, where I think a more appropriate criticism of Santana could be argued is that his later work does begin to sound quite similar. But, those early live sets, their first three LPs, and even 'Caravanserai' and 'Moonflower' are brilliantly composed and incredibly inspiring music. I would have loved to have seen Santana live in their 1968-1971 era.
Thanks for highlighting the breadth of their catalog. I was mostly familiar with (and very much enjoy) their earlier work, but I didn’t really listen to them for at least a decade until Supernatural was released. This article has inspired me to check out some of those lesser known (to me) albums.
Nice selection and spread, I am a big fan so no arguments from me, I would struggle to pin it down to just 10!