Marich 26, 1976 - Amigos

11 days since my last release and a long 17 months since "Borboletta", Santana released their seventh album "Amigos" on March 26, 1976. It wouldn't be a new Santana album if there weren't a bunch of line-up changes and this album is no different! Carlos Santana is obviously still the guitarist and Tom Coster remains on keyboards. David Brown is still playing bass and Armando Peraza is still on percussion but original percussionist José "Chepito" Areas is no longer with the band. Original drummer Michael Shrieve has also left, leaving Carlos as the only member to be on every Santana album now. Shrieve is replaced by Leon "Ndugu" Chancler who featured on a couple songs last album as he is the full-time drummer as well as a second percussionist. The singer from last album, Leon Patillo, is also gone as the revolving door of singers trying to replace Gregg Rolie continues. The lead singer on this album is Greg Walker and this new 6-piece is ready to make some more great jazzy Latin rock. Let's dive in!

The album begins with "Dance Sister Dance (Baila Mi Hermana)" and this song is carried by a catchy beat with some cool guitar, bass, piano and drums combining to form a nice riff. Santana also has 3 female back-up singers that feature throughout this album, including singing "Dance sister dance" as Walker sings lead vocals. His voice is in the same style as the past few Santana singers and he sounds pretty decent. Carlos plays some great-sounding guitar as he and Peraza join Walker to sing the "baila mi hermana" part. It mixes well with the female singers as they seem much more at home in this style of music than the last ones I heard in my library. After another cool verse Carlos goes off for a solo and he reels off some fantastic stuff! It's very quick and precise in parts, and slow but fitting in others as he can certainly play the guitar! Peraza takes off with some speedy conga playing that segues into a new part with some cool bass by Brown. Coster plays some epic background keyboards in this cool bit that has some speedy drumming by Chancler as well. Peraza plays some really insane congas in this extended instrumental part and Carlos continues to play some epic guitar. This kind of jamming doesn't get stale at all as there is always something awesome happening as these guys jam out until the end of this 8-plus minute song. A great way to kick off the album! Track 2 is "Take Me With You" and Coster starts it off with some cool keyboards as it quickly moves to another solid main riff. Chancler and Peraza combine for a sweet drum beat as Brown plays some cool bass to complete this great rhythm section. Carlos plays a bit of guitar but then Coster is off for a blistering keyboard solo! He plays some really awesome stuff overtop of this main riff and just goes nuts, wonderful stuff! Carlos chimes in with some cool guitar that sounds great but it's Coster's spotlight for now in this great solo. Carlos takes over lead as Coster adds piano to the main riff and the guitar sounds great as well. Carlos shows off for a short bit then the whole song shifts, using a cool keyboard scale as a segue, into a new, much slower part. Brown plays some groovy bass as Carlos leads the way with a cool slow guitar riff. This becomes essentially an extended solo for Carlos as he plays lots of cool stuff in this second part. It's a big shift down from the first few minutes though, which were really good. They slowly play out this pretty cool instrumental tune. The side is ending already with the closer "Let Me" as Peraza opens it with some cool congas and Brown adds a great bass line. Carlos plays some cool, speedy guitar as well to complete this groovy riff that sounds pretty great. Walker sings in a high voice that sounds very close to Leon Thomas from "Welcome" and he seems to fit the role that Santana want very well. I don't think any of Rolie's replacements are as good as he was, but Walker's vocals are still solid. Coster adds some nice keyboards and everybody is really rockin' out on this one. The chorus is pretty bland honestly as the main riff is much more exciting. Brown's bass playing is superb in this song and Carlos plays the occasional cool guitar lick. We hear "what you need is what you want" a few too many times for my liking as after the eighth time it's just getting in the way of Carlos's guitar! He's playing some really great stuff in this little solo that takes us to the end of this track. A very upbeat and solid song, and side!

Side two starts with "Gitano" and Carlos opens this song with some epic guitar. This true solo sounds really good and so damn epic! After about a minute, the other members join in one by one to form a classic Santana-sounding riff: first congas, then bass, then keyboards, then drums and finally vocals. Percussionist Peraza sings lead vocals on this song that he wrote as he sings along to the cool beat in Spanish. It's not a particularly amazing voice but it fits the mood really well as this riff sounds great with all members contributing. Several members sing the short chorus together then it's back to the wicked main riff. Coster plays some pretty cool keyboards throughout and Peraza and Chancler are both playing some solid drums. Santana seem content to jam to this main beat, but you really don't mind with so much cool stuff going on. These guys have mastered the art of jamming, as Chancler delivers a really cool drum solo near the end. Another pretty cool song as Santana sound full of life so far on this record! The next song is "Tell Me Are You Tired" which starts slow as some cool bass by Brown leads the way. Walker sings softly overtop and I like his voice a lot in this more relaxed setting. The chorus is much different though as it moves into a funky beat with more cool bass. Carlos plays some truly funkadelic guitar and the back-up singers sing the name of the song while Walker returns to his usual higher vocals. Chancler plays a nice drum beat that leads to a new part of the chorus, then it's back for another slow verse. Coster adds some pretty cool keyboards to the beat and before you know it it's funky chorus time again, and the guitar does sound pretty cool. Coster takes off for an electric piano solo that I think sounds pretty freakin' good! He plays lots of great stuff as it continues into one final "Stay at home" part. A bit progressive with all the different parts, another cool song! Track 6 is "Europa (Earth's Cry, Heaven's Smile)" and this instrumental is carried by some slow, epic guitar by Carlos. Some light bass, keyboards and drums form a soft beat and Carlos plays some sweet, sweet stuff overtop. After a pretty cool opening he switches to a different guitar that doesn't sound nearly as epic. This softer guitar plays only briefly thankfully, then it's back to the great electric stuff. The guitar speeds up towards the end and Carlos is going off for a full-blown solo eventually. He ramps up to some spectacular stuff and superlatives are not enough, you must listen to the awesomeness that is Carlos! Coster joins in near the end as the two play until the song fades out. Another fantastic song! The record ends with "Let It Shine" as Carlos opens this one with another funkadelic guitar riff that sounds pretty good. Peraza and Chancler join in with some cool congas and drums then Brown plays a kinda heavy bass riff. Coster completes this cool riff with some interesting keyboards and Walker comes in for the first verse. His singing sounds pretty good in this style and when the back-up singers join him for the chorus it's very emphatic! It's a very bouncing beat with sing-along lyrics that sound almost hymn-like, but it sounds pretty good. This new funk influence is an interesting twist on Santana and the verses sound pretty catchy. Coster plays a short keyboard solo that sounds kinda like ELP then it's back to more chorus. They drag it out a little longer than I would have but this is still a pretty decent way to end this very good album.

That is the end of "Amigos" and I thought it was a really great album! "Europa" was my favourite but the whole album was full of great music. Everyone seemed at the top of their game and after a few years of experimenting, they really seemed to get back to basics on this record. But how does it compare to their other albums? I thought "Amigos" had so much energy and awesomeness that it easily surpasses their last three albums. It's not so easy with the first three great albums in a league of their own. I liked "Amigos" so much that I think it does belong in that same league, although I think it will still have to settle for 4th, but it is a close 4th. Santana show that they definitely still have it and I look forward to hearing what comes next!