Santana: Greatest Hits (1974) [LEGACY/COLUMBIA]

Why you'll love it

This Columbia LP keeps the original 1974 ten-song running order, with the single edits of "Evil Ways," "Persuasion" and "Black Magic Woman." It's the band's best-selling compilation, with over seven million copies sold in the US.

This edition

• Original 1974 running order
• Single edits of three songs
• Stereo mix

About the album

Between 1969 and 1971, Santana made three albums that fused Latin percussion, blues guitar and psychedelic rock into something nobody had heard before, with Michael Shrieve's drums and a wall of congas and timbales driving it all. This collection boils them down to ten songs, drawn from the self-titled debut, Abraxas and Santana III.

"Evil Ways" and "Jingo," the Babatunde Olatunji tune, come from the 1969 debut, while Abraxas gives "Black Magic Woman," the Peter Green song, "Oye Como Va," Tito Puente's cha-cha, Gregg Rolie's "Hope You're Feeling Better" and Carlos Santana's tender "Samba Pa Ti." José Areas' "Se a Cabó" brings the timbales, "Persuasion" crackles, and "Everything's Coming Our Way" and "Everybody's Everything" represent Santana III. Rolie's Hammond organ and Carlos Santana's singing guitar are the twin voices throughout.

Producers Brent Dangerfield and Fred Catero helped the band capture those records, and it all still sounds like a summer street party, the organ and guitar trading lines while the percussion section refuses to sit down. Somebody, somewhere, is attempting the "Oye Como Va" cowbell part with a wooden spoon right now, and we'd like to think they own this record.

Also at Kops: more Santana on vinyl · browse Rock

Tracklist

Listen

On Columbia / Legacy (cat# 88985446151), a reissue of the 1974 compilation.