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.
Disc 1: Singing Winds, Crying Beasts Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen Oye Como Va Incident At Neshabur Se A Cabo Mothers Daughter Samba Pa Ti Hope Youre Feeling Better El Nicoya Se A Cabo Toussaint Loverture Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen