Number 82 - Abraxas by Santana

Number 82: Abraxas by Santana

 

Exploring the beauty of Mother Earth

Release: September 23rd, 1970
Genre: Latin Rock
Favorite Tracks: Singing Winds, Crying Beasts, Black Magic Woman, Oye Cómo Va

 

Where I heard it: 

I moved from California to Colorado when I was ten. It was a pretty jarring transition that I was strongly opposed to at the time. Instead of making friends in a brand new environment, the majority of fifth grade for me was spent in my grandparents' basement living room, playing video games on my Nintendo Wii. My gaming habits were fairly casual up until late 2007 when I received Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock, and soon after my habit turned into a religion. I became a full-time basement dweller (after school, of course), working to take on harder difficulties and tougher songs. I probably have this game alone to thank for at least 60% of the music I regularly listen to. Among the track list for Guitar Hero 3 was my first interaction with Santana's Black Magic Woman, which intrigued my young music taste with its exotic Latin flair. However, due to licensing restrictions, the recording featured on the game is a cover of Santana's original studio version. A good cover, mind you, but there are significant differences. I remember the confusion that ensued when I eventually heard the studio recording. I was accustomed to the cover version and got frustrated when I couldn't find a copy of the mp3 to download on my iPod. What a sweet summer child I was. Fast forward several years, Abraxas ended up being one of the first few vinyl records in my collection after I found a copy at a thrift store for two dollars. I knew Abraxas had Black Magic Woman on it, but the beauty of vinyl is that it forces you to listen to albums in their entirety. I just happened to find myself a winner in the clearance bin.

I got a woman that's treating me better
She takes her time and she ain't so cruel
I got someone to take you over
Your mother ain't so bad
What happened to you?
~ Mother's Daughter

What to expect:

With staying power lasting several decades, Carlos Santana has been a prominent representation of Chicano culture with his signature guitar style that fuses customary Mexican technique. Although most known for his contributions towards rock and roll, Santana's early work with his band takes inspiration from a handful of different sources. This hodgepodge is achieved through various writing credits spread between the band's six members, four of which contributed their own unique perspective on Abraxas. Keyboard player and lead vocalist Gregg Rolie offers a more conventional rock and roll approach with Mother's Daughter and Hope You're Feeling Better, while the percussion section skews towards traditional Afro-Cuban instrumental jams like Se a Cabó and El Nicoya. All the while, Carlos Santana's hypnotic guitar interludes induce a psychedelic trance with their story-like flow that takes the listener on a sonic journey. His strings resonate sweetly in tender tunes like Samba Pa Ti, but don't be fooled: the gritty tones of the amplifier can provide chilling dissonance to songs like Singing Winds, Crying Beasts. The way Santana interprets the notes on the page and brings them to life through his own musical vision leaves him unparalleled when compared to his compatriots of the greatest guitar players of all time. Two songs on Abraxas best exemplify this trait, Latin jazz legend Tito Puente's Oye Cómo Va and Peter Green's original Fleetwood Mac rendition of Black Magic Woman. Neither of these two songs belong to Santana, but his reimagining of the two titles popularized the works themselves, making the versions heard on Abraxas the gold standard. Utilizing a variety of backgrounds and skills, Santana's strength is that there is no weak link in the chain of members. Each instrumentalist plays an integral role in shaping the desired feel for a particular selection; and as such, the entirety of Abraxas is packed full with feelings of elation and euphoria.

Is that you who never saw your baby?
Is that you who never had a friend?
Is that you movin' to a new town?
Is that you?
Will diamonds replace your friends?
~ Hope You're Feeling Better

 

Why it's my favorite: 

Although Carlos Santana has established himself as a household name, I hadn't done much work as a teenager towards listening deeper into his catalog until my encounter with Abraxas. It's one of the first instances I have in my memory of taking a chance on a vinyl record because I liked one or two songs on the album already. Granted, pretty low-risk from a financial standpoint, but still bountiful nonetheless. I immediately appreciated the aura of spirituality that envelops especially the first section of Abraxas. Even the album cover looked like a celebration of life and creation. There's also a strange sense of sex appeal evoked from the passionate performances paired with some more risqué themes throughout this record. Through my own interpretation, I like to imagine my own album concept with Abraxas that uncompromisingly pays tribute to the beauty of Mother Earth through the resonate vibrations in the atmosphere produced by the band. It's some hippie-dippie bullshit, sure, but the time of Abraxas' release was perfect for that kind of stuff. This concept personally offers me even more fulfillment throughout the album's short run time, placing emphasis on every song's nuances to really embolden their place within the track list. Perhaps it was dumb luck I ended up buying this album on a whim, but I like to further the mystique by calling it fate that Abraxas eventually found its way into my collection and now onto my list.