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Santana III [Bonus Tracks]
Barnes and Noble
Santana III [Bonus Tracks]
Current price: $9.99
Barnes and Noble
Santana III [Bonus Tracks]
Current price: $9.99
Size: CD
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is an album that undeservingly stands in the shadows behind the towering legend that is the band's second album,
. This was also the album that brought guitarist
-- who was 17 years old -- into the original core lineup of
. Percussionist
was brought in to replace (temporarily)
, who had suffered a brain aneurysm, yet who recovered quickly and rejoined the band. The rest were
, organist
, drummer
, bassist
, and conguero
.
is the powerful first evidence of something being very different. The band was rawer, darker, and more powerful with twin leads and
's harder, edgier
sound paired with
' blend of ecstatic high notes and soulful fills. It cooks -- funky, mean, and tough.
immediately transforms itself into
by
,
, and
. The middle section is highlighted by frantic handclaps, call-and-response lines between
and
joining the fray until the entire track explodes into a frenzied finale. And what's most remarkable is that the set just keeps on cooking, from the subtle slow burn of
to the percussive jam workout that is
a live staple in the band's set list recorded here for the first time (and featuring some cooking
organ work at its beginning).
is here, as is
-- tunes that are still part of
's live show. With acoustic guitars, gorgeous hand percussion, and
's fragile lead vocal,
is the only "feel good" track here, but it's a fitting way to begin winding the album down with its
guitar breaks. The album ends with a completely transformed reading of
's
complete with horns and frantic, almost insanely fast hand drumming and cowbell playing. It's an album that has aged extremely well due to its spare production (by
and the band) and its live sound. This is essential
, a record that deserves to be reconsidered in light of its lasting abundance and vision. ~ Thom Jurek